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Ten Degrees and Getting Colder

  Cold Sunrise   That's just the name of the song written by Gordon Lightfoot.  It was actually -13 F when I got up this morning (wind chill -24).  Tucson may have pulled back into the lead!  There's a lot of weighing pros and cons of Colorado vs Arizona by the wood stove.  Not much else to report. I did enjoy a few games of pool and a beer with my brother this week.  We don't get together very often, so it's good to try to keep the lines of communication open, especially with my mother celebrating her 86th birthday next month.  He lives in Milwaukee and just started semi-retirement.  Our opposing politics and lifestyles keep things very casual and surface-level.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.   It's important to find common ground.  He and his wife have started going to concerts and recently saw the Steve Miller Band.  Music is one of our common interests.      

Kruger Rock

All of the neighborhood scouting and a weekend of open houses in Fort Collins/Loveland had us looking up into the mountains for a day hike. Dogs and Rocky Mountain National Park are not a friendly combination with the former banned, except for parking lots and roads. So we looked to Larimer County and found Hermit Park Open Space near Estes Park with dog-friendly trails. 

After paying the $10 for a 24 hour day pass, we drove up to about 8300 feet and parked at the trailhead. There was only one other car parked; we ran into only one other group on the way up to Kruger Rock.


It was a spectacular hiking day with temperatures in the sixties, sunny skies, changing fall colors, and excellent trail conditions. 




We gained about a thousand feet to reach the top. The final ascent included a short and narrow rock scramble.






After such a great hike, we felt like we had earned a beer. Unfortunately,  it was only 11:30 am when we finished up and drove into Estes Park. No problem! Not only was Rockcut Brewery open, but the bar was full by the time we finished our one beer. 

Rockcut Hazy IPA




Comments

MFH said…
HUUURAYYY! Great hike!

You've never mentioned whether you like green chili or not but here's a tip: the finest roasted, ready to add to burgers or whatever is from the Frontier Restaurant on Central across from the University and/or their satellite locations called Golden Pride - on Juan Tabo Blvd and on Lomas Blvd. Ask for the 16oz container of chopped green chili...around $6.00. It may not be shown on the menu.
John said…
I like green and red chili. Will plan to check out Frontier restaurant. Nice insider tip!

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