After spending nearly a week in Northern Wisconsin at my parents I made it back to Boulder late Sunday night.  Later the next evening Frank and I made plans to go to WinterPark the following day.  However, we were not just going to go WinterPark…we were going to hike the fifty miles, give or take a few, to WinterPark via mountain trails! It ended up being a successful two day adventure and here are some pictures from along the way.

 A picture with Mom and Dad before leaving Wisconsin last week.

 The start of my eighteen hour drive back to Colorado.

 After making it back to Colorado from Wisconsin Frank and I began our two day, fiftyish mile trek from Boulder to WinterPark at 7:30 AM on Tuesday morning in the snow.

 We had planned on camping so with the tent, sleeping pads/bags, cooking stoves, fuel, water, food, clothes, etc….my pack was HEAVY!

 Going up Flagstaff trail on our way out of town in the fresh snow which continued to fall all day!

 After spending hours slogging away uphill in deep snow on trail with a massive pack it was a rather lovely site to make it to a plowed road!

 Due to the snow and weight of our packs the going was slow and we did not make it to Nederland until dark. Initially we had planned at cover a bit more distance and spending the night at Tennessee mountain cabin further up the mountain.

 I did bring my tent in case we did not make the cabin. However, we were completely soaked and chilled from hiking all day in the falling snow and with a cold evening in store we decided to rough it and spend the night at the Best Western in Ned.  Personally I believe it was our only option if we wanted to make it to Winter Park the next day…or maybe that is just my rationalization so I do not feel guilty about it!

 On the trail again the next morning in cold and extremely windy conditions! We did ditch some of our supplies at the hotel to lighten our packs…it was amazing!

 Further up the mountain the snow got deeper, the wind got stronger, the air got colder, and the breathing got harder!  That wall in the background is what we had to climb.

 A good chunk of the day was spent between eleven and twelve thousand feet where there are no trees and wind gusts had to be fifty plus miles an hour…making for a rather cold wind chill. 

 A sketchy section near the continental divide where an ice axe would have come in handy.  The picture was unable to capture the thousand foot drop just below me. Thank God for the metal cleats on my snowshoes!

 One of the few sheltered sections.

 Yep it was windy and here is pretty much where I started to get frostbite on my face!  The windchill had to be -20F and I quote Frank when he said, “Dude, your cheeks are white and they have ice on them!”

 We had never been soo happy to see trees in our lives.  After suriving going over the continental divide we dropped down to WinterPark…the sunset as we got close to town.

 Once again…at dark we made it to Winter Park!

 The warmth of the Winter Park lodge enjoying some celebratory beverages and Frank showing Randy our route.  Frank and I would like to say thanks to our friend Randy who made this adventure possible.  Randy was generous enough to drive the two hours from Boulder to WinterPark and pick us up…thanks!

 No adventure is complete without a game of “Big Buck Hunter Pro!”

 Aside from a bit of minor frostbite the trip was a success!

Now back to brainstorming for the next adventure…suggestions are always welcome!

later, g.