The weather was absolutely beautiful this weekend so we took advantage of it to go on a short hike. This was our first time hiking the Red Rock Canyon Open Space, which is located between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The scenery is very much like that of Garden of the Gods park and there are plenty of interesting rock formations to see as you stroll along the trails.
Walking One of the TrailsBeautiful Rock FormationsDiversity along the TrailNot Just Red RocksJutting Rocks
The trails are not particularly difficult and there are plenty of families and people with dogs, but the park is spread out enough that despite large crowds it is still a tranquil experience. As we walked along the trails, we came across a group of volunteers who were spending their Sunday repairing the trails and adding steps along a portion of one of the trails. We stopped to take their picture for them and took one of them ourselves and thanked them for their volunteerism and hard work.
Volunteers on the TrailWildflowersRocky TrailBeautiful DayRugged Scenery
It is hard to believe that we have lived in Colorado Springs for over twenty years and yet had not gone hiking on these trails before. We will definitely return on future occasions to explore more of the open land space and enjoy all of the natural beauty. We live in such a beautiful place and are lucky to be able to go hiking in just a few minutes and be surrounded by such natural wonders.
Start of the TrailPikes Peak in the DistanceIt was a Wonderful HikeClear Blue SkiesGarden of the Gods in the Distance
When we were young, we read stories and saw movies about Native Americans going on vision quests. A journey into the wilderness with nothing but a bow and arrow where they were to survive in the harshest of conditions until they would have visions of their ancestors who appeared in the form of an animal. That animal would become their spirit guide and would reveal to them their true selves. Images of venturing into the wild as a child only to return as an adult, while obviously more metaphoric than actual events, do have parallels to real life. We had a friend once tell us that you are not truly an adult until you live out of the state or country where your family resides. In many ways, that is true. Without the support system that family and friends can offer, you don’t always know what you are truly capable of.
On the TrailGolden ViewsFall 2010Up Close
We have found that the more that we have travelled and lived away from our family, away from childhood friends, in places where there is a distinct language barrier, the more that we have felt fulfilled. We won’t claim adulthood, even after over five decades of existence, but with every adventure we feel a little closer to discovering our own personal spirit guides. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Quest. In many ways, our desire to travel, to see the world unfiltered, to meet people from various cultures with beliefs that are not the same as our own, is our own vision quest. Perhaps it is a lifelong journey, not a week in the wilderness, but a journey spent discovering ourselves over and over again.
Getting Lost in NatureBrilliant OrangeBlue Skies
Since this is a photo challenge, we decided to use some photos from one of our hikes in the mountains of Colorado to reinforce the image of a vision quest. One could easily imagine that young Native American boy wandering into the forest to meet his spirit guide as an eagle, or a stag, or perhaps a wolf. Walking below the wide open skies and the stars at night, truly one with his world, one with nature. We may never achieve the complete connection to the world as he would have, but we will strive to do so with each and every travel experience. We hope you enjoy these visions from our hike as much as we did at the time that we experienced it first hand.
We did a fair amount of hiking while we were in Bolivia and we also walk thirty to sixty minutes every day, but this weekend was the first chance we’ve had to get out and go for a hike in the mountains this year. Mostly because we’ve been travelling as well as the poor weather that we’ve had this spring, but at last we were able to do one of the things that we love about summertime in Colorado. We are very fortunate to be able to drive thirty minutes or less and be in the mountains with all of the beauty that they offer. This is one of our favorite hikes as it isn’t too strenuous and offers the opportunity to hike for as long or as short as we would like since there is an entire interconnected trail system.
Start of the TrailView of the Stream by the TrailDucks on the LakeAspen Tree against the SkyPart of the Side Trail
The trail is called the Palmer Lake Reservoir Trail and is located just outside of the little town of Palmer Lake. The main trail follows a stream that is the run-off from the reservoirs, which was running pretty swiftly at this time of year as there is still snow melting in the high country. It takes you past the two man-made lakes that provides fresh water to the town of Palmer Lake as well as fishing opportunities for those willing to make the hike. We’ve done this hike dozens of times and it never ceases to please us. As with most trails in the mountains, despite the fact that the parking lot was full and we even had to park in the overflow parking lot, which was also full, we rarely saw anyone else on the trail with us. Getting away from people and connecting with nature is one of the main reasons we like to hike, it is so serene to hike through the woods, listening to the breeze blow through the trees above, and seeing all of the various wildflowers that grow throughout the area.
Yellow WildflowersWildflowers Growing on BouldersFallen Tree by the TrailBlue WildflowersView of the Upper Reservoir
It was a beautiful day with the typical bright blue skies of Colorado. We pushed ourselves as far as a first hike of the season, going for a full two hours and four miles round-trip. Perhaps because of the hiking that we did in Bolivia, it didn’t seem like too much of a strain, despite the gain in altitude. To be fair, if you ever read descriptions of hiking trails in the mountains, you’ll often see them described as “moderate”, but any hike in the mountains is going to be strenuous at times, so we usually take the rating lightly and judge for ourselves the difficulty of a trail. With that said, this really is a moderate trail for anyone used to hiking at altitude. The trail starts at about 2,200 meters (6,700 feet) and gains about a 700 meters (2,200 feet) depending on which side trail you decide to take, but it gains less if you just hike up to the second reservoir.
Heading Back DownGorgeous ViewsUpper ReservoirClear Blue SkyThe Side Trail that We Took
It was great to get back into the mountains and do some hiking, we’re really looking forward to a full season of exploring new trails. It is going to be a busy travel season for us, but when we’re not on the road, we want to get out and hike as much as possible. We live in a gorgeous state and a beautiful part of the country, so we want to take advantage of every opportunity to explore it, even after living here for over twenty years. If you ever get a chance to visit Colorado during the spring, summer, or fall, get up into the mountains and do some hiking. Despite how strenuous hiking can be, it is also extremely relaxing and definitely recharges our batteries.
Part of the TrailLower ReservoirView as You Get Close to the Upper ReservoirBoulders and Pine Trees
