This is our view looking West down to HWY 24. Mt. Elbert, Mt. Massive, and La Plata, and the Elk Range are pictured in the distance.

You all know how much I love flowers. I found this rock that looked like white flowers with an orange center, nature is so creative!

Summit of Mt. Arkansas.
Here's an idea of what we were doing along our hike up.

This is what happens when you try to save $$ by purchasing cheap shoes. Your boots fall apart, and hopefully one of your trusty friends has duct tape.
This is looking EAST toward Mt. Democrat, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Bross.

Mt. Arkansas- 13,795 feet

View of Mt. Arkansas from Freemont Pass. This was a good samaritan hike, to help two gentleman carry water for them, to enable them to hike with a lighter pack. For one of them this might be their last hike.

There were beautiful wildflowers everywhere, especially the Columbines!

Here's a view looking North at the Climax mine, which is being reopened shortly, amazing how they just cut down the mountainside.

We had to get our big smiley,typical face shot, before proceeding over to Tabeguache.

Toby has a nose for those snow fields and this one in particular had a lovely orange hue, which made for some fun "war paint" as Brian put it for our hike up Tabeguache Peak.

And, yes we summited Tabeguache Peak, which is 14,155 feet tall. Tabeguache is a shortened name for a band of Utes called Mogwatavungwantsingwu, meaning "cedar-bark sun-slope people."

Mt. Shavano & Tabeguache Peaks Double Header!

As any good 14er hiker should do, we too started at o'dark thirty (as Ms. Sarah Heath would say) around 5 AM. Hiked a good consistent pace for three hours until we peaked Mt. Shavano.

Mt. Shavano is 14,229 feet tall, the southernmost fourteener in the Sawatch range, 15 miles northwest of Salida. Mt. Shavano was originally given the French spelling "Chavanaux", it was named after Ute Chief Shavano who signed a treaty with the United States."

Brian is standing near the sign in log.

Toby had a pretty incredible view as well, looking back from where we hiked up.

Here I am striking a hurry-up and take the photo summit pose, seconds before we headed over to Tabeguache Peak.

Yes we did reach the summit! A little chilly up there. This second photo is a view of the west facing slope of Mt. Yale from the Hartenstein Lake Trail.

Mt. Yale June 2008. Stands 14,196 feet tall. Started at Denny Creek Trailhead, and hiked for 9
miles round trip with an elevation gain of 4,300 feet. What a gorgeous hike, steep, but breathe taking views!

Me and Toblerone! Such a good puppy dog!

A view of Hartenstein Lake.

A few fishy friends I stumbled across near the lake. GROSS!

Toby, checking back on me, good time for a photo op.

Awe yes, still lovely snow on the trail!

Toby and I hiked to Hartenstein Lake after the Harvard Lakes trip the day before Brian got to sneek away from homework to climb Mt. Yale.

Mt. Columbia is back there in the distance somewhere. Still snow lingering around after our EPIC winter, I hear we're supposed to have another winter of similar quality this year! YIPEE!!

Beautiful!

Toby decided to cool down below the pretty waterfall. He loves laying down in water, even in his water bowl!

Pretty waterfall on the hike up to Harvard Lakes.

Oh yes!
Toby LOVES to give KISSES...I guess we encouraged that!

Toby, of course, came hiking with me to keep all the BEARS! at distance. This is the more southern Harvard Lake, very pretty might be good fishing for any of you fishing people!

So, Brian started school in June and I had lots of time for my own adventures. I began with hiking up to the Harvard Lakes via the Three Elk Trailhead. Mt. Columbia sits up behind me.