Colorado 2011 Day 1: Green Mountain

Day 1: Green Mountain (8,144 feet), Boulder, CO

Miles hiked: 5.5

Day 1 in Colorado was all about getting acclimated to the altitude. Sure, it would have been nice to walk out the door and hike a 14,000-footer, but that probably wouldn’t have been the wisest decision. Plus, I got a bit of a late start and I didn’t want to travel too far.

The great thing about Boulder — OK, one of many great things — is that it has easy access to a plethora of great, scenic trails just minutes away. In D.C., I can drive 10 minutes to the Capitol. In Boulder, I can drive 10 minutes to the trailhead for an 8,000-foot mountain.

I’ll take Boulder.

And on Day 1, I hiked up Green Mountain, which, at 8,144 feet, is one of the city’s three highest peaks. The first thing I noticed at the Gregory Canyon trailhead was a sign indicating that a bear had been sighted in the area just a week earlier. There was also an unavoidable sign at each trail intersection reminding hikers to keep their dogs on the leash.

I was officially in bear country!

(I would confirm this for myself on the hike’s descent when I passed by, in the middle of the trail, a neat pile of, yup, you guessed it.)

The hike climbed steadily but wasn’t overly difficult, as the trail was mostly dirt with just a few rocks. The most trying aspects of the hike were A) The heat; it must have been about 90; at least it was dry, a noticeable difference from DC’s unrelenting humidity and B) The elevation gain; I could feel it a little bit as I climbed, and I moved at a more moderate pace than I usually go in New Hampshire.

As I gained elevation and got within a mile of the summit, the pines started to open up a bit and I gained my first views of the snow-capped big boys to the west. A very light drizzle teased me, but never became consistent. The sky was overcast — very typical for an afternoon in the area – but calm. I was too low for the infamous thunderstorms that threaten the higher peaks almost every afternoon.

The summit of Green Mountain wasn’t completely clear, but I was able to gain views in almost all directions by walking to different spots. I took a minute to climb the large red rock on top of which sat the official summit cairn.

My first Colorado summit was in the books.

One view offered a look to the northwest of Rocky Mountain National Park, my destination later in the week. Another view offered nothing but flatlands. In the distance to the south, I could see Denver.

The general rule, I’ve learned, when observing the sights from Boulder: Mountains are to the west. Views in all other directions are pretty flat.

The people who shared the summit with me made up quite the eclectic group. There was a mid-20s laid-back guy, who offered me a joint (I declined, unsure how it would affect my acclimation process); there was a couple with nothing but water bottles around their waists who looked to be out for a run; and there was a family with a 2-year-old (age approximated).

What I learned from the hike, and what is obvious, of course, is that people in Colorado love to be active all the time. On my way down the Saddle Rock Trail, which offered numerous views of Boulder and the University of Colorado’s campus as well as a really cool, pointy rock formation high above me to the south, I passed a guy running up the trail, some high school students — at least they looked that age — out for a hike and several other young people.

It’s clear that if you live in Colorado, you grow up within this active, outdoorsy framework. Gosh, I love this place.

With the little guy down, it was time to go higher, and higher, and higher.