Looking for a quick midday hike we drive up the Poudre Canyon to the Milton Seaman Reservoir to hike the Black Powder Trail. This turns out to be just what we wanted – short, but a good climb to a nice view. I’d never actually seen the reservoir until now because it’s tucked away too…

Ejected from Redstone Creek, Doug and I continue up County Road 27 to CR 44H, which sports some hopeful forest service signs. We’re a little short on time at this point, but we soon see a parking area and a steep forest road heading into the trees. As we’re getting ready I also see a…

I want to see if there is any hiking to be had on the west side of Horsetooth Mountain, in Redstone Canyon. The topo maps show an unlabeled trail heading west, and a trail called Bardwell Trail climbing east toward Arthur’s Rock. Redstone canyon is full of gorgeous, deep red sandstone rock faces. And NO…

Back in Fort Collins, we shake off the holiday sloth and torpor for an outing to Mount McConnel. It’s one of those hikes that always makes you work a little harder than you expect. The summit is cold but bathed in a golden afternoon light today. Finding a spot to pitch a tent for the…

A day spent scrambling around on the rocks at Vedauwoo is never wasted. Doug and Liz join us on a cold morning while we’re still brewing our coffee, and wait patiently for us to get ourselves together for a hike. The snow makes rock scrambling a less certain affair, especially for Liz who is new…

We miss sleeping outside, so we decide to see if we can acclimatize to the colder weather at Vedauwoo. Even in below freezing temperatures, this place always feels welcoming to me. We have a pleasant evening hike, followed by dinner under the stars. A couple of Leonids flash in the sky. It’s hard to keep…

Sean joins us for a jaunt up to Arthur’s Rock, a hike he hasn’t done yet. Ann has been working overtime, and none of us have been getting outside as much as we’d like. This feels like stepping into heaven for a couple of hours. We soak up all we can to keep us going…