the imago and aeronaut in colorado

[maverick]

i took the route to estes park that climb14er outlined here, and i wanted to share a few pictures...

these first shots were taken from an overlook on route 36 westbound. you can see the imago messenger bag, flatirons and the front range.

[maverick]

my resident dinosaur expert tells me that this used to be dinosaur country...

[maverick]

if i remember correctly, this was taken near settler's park on canyon blvd...

[maverick]

the imago on this creek that ran along a trail that i picked up near settler's park.

[maverick]

this was such a lovely creek that had iced over. i wanted to walk across and place the imago in some more interesting spots for a shot, but i was afraid that the ice wouldn't hold my weight...

[maverick]

i think a camera that does hdr nicely would have helped me here...

[maverick]

it was so beautiful that i had to eventually stop myself from getting out and taking pictures, as i was concerned i'd never reach estes park...

[maverick]

i decided i was going to climb this mountain. i haven't climbed anything this steep before. the trails i've done are ones that young children can accompany you on.

this picture doesn't do it justice, but it was pretty steep. going up was not a problem. it was a good work out, and i was sweating. but i felt confident going up.

coming down was another story. i could feel myself using my core to balance myself as i descended.

but it was fun!

[maverick]

some shots from this mountain...

[maverick]

the aeronaut made a wonderful daypack! the aeronaut would hold fruit, energy bars, water, my wind pants, my wind gloves, my heavier jacket, water, a blanket (just in case i got stuck somewhere), and snowshoes. i ended up not needing all that extra clothing - but as this was my first time, i wasn't sure what to expect.

[maverick]

another shot of the aeronaut from above. that's my white jeep grand cherokee rental down below (which, i found out the hard way, isn't a 4 wheel drive). why would a rental car company in denver rent an suv that isn't a 4 wheel drive?

[maverick]

more shots from above...

[maverick]

from boulder canyon...

[maverick]

in nederland...

[maverick]

sorry for the bad picture, but here are some lovely snow capped mountains i tried to photograph from road 72...