The Mountain of the Holy Cross, with an elevation of 14,005 ft, is the third lowest 14er in Colorado. Colorado has 53 peaks higher than 14,000 ft called 14ers. They range in height from 14,001 ft up to 14,433 ft. The Holy Cross Wilderness is one of the most beautiful areas of Colorado. The Mountain of the Holy Cross is known for a snow cross on one of its sides. Unfortunately, we went in August and it had already melted. It is possible to hike it in one day, but we took our time and backpacked in. We found a sweet campsite near a creek. The next day we climbed up the mountain, while the clouds began to grow. The Peak in a Cloud View on the Way Up - A Lake The Peak Sticking Up Above a Ridge As we climbed up, we saw the clouds building up. By the time we got to the top, the sky was almost completely cloudy. View from the Top The View from the Top - Clouds Building Up On the way down we did get rained on...a typical Rocky Mountain Summer Day. After another night by the creek, we hiked o

The area near the end of the road to Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is the most scenic area in the park. This day, we snowshoed from the Glacier Junction trailhead up into Glacier Gorge. It was perfect weather for snowshoeing; clear skies and warm. The first quarter to half mile didn't have enough snow to snowshoe. At Alberta Falls we started following the creek and stayed on it all the way to the lake. Above Alberta Falls to the bridge for North Longs Peak Trail the creek was in a mini gorge. We had to climb up at a couple of spots. After it curved to the west, it was wider and had trees around it. Most of the creek was covered with snow, but wasn't hard to follow. This section has roaring water in the summer One of the few sections of the creek that wasn't covered in snow One bridge we passed only had a the rail sticking out of the snow; it looked like the horse hitch racks common in the park. After the bridge most people that were on the trail began follow