Anyway, Lookout Mountain. What a challenge! It wasn't that the terrain was so tough or the trail too steep . . . it was all covered in snow. In some places I was walking in a foot of snow. I followed the Boy Scout Trail . . . or I thought I was following the Boy Scout Trail. In actuality, I was following the trail of those who had walked before me and stomped down the snow. (What would Robert Frost say about this?) After 2 hours of trekking upwards, the trail of the guy with the big feet and long strides stopped. I tried carrying on for a ways but had a tough time locating the trail. During the 2 hours up, I had seen one trail sign and I knew that there was a trail that went 3 miles to Lookout Mountain, another trail that went 16 miles to a mesa, and one that went somewhere in between. I decided for my own safety, I should head back down. I know that I can always try it again during warmer weather. That being said, when I do try it again, I think some of those hiking sticks are the way to go with this trail. On the way down, especially close to the bottom, there were some south facing areas where the snow had melted. It was slick red clay. Very slick. I almost wiped out several times (I did land on my ass in the snow twice). So, note to self for next time, two hiking sticks, two bottles of water or more, and some trail mix. The pictures below are of Lookout Mountain. The first is taken from the parking lot of my hotel which is a few miles away. The second is take from the shopping center parking lot which is a few miles closer. If you look closely or click on the pictures, you'll see towers on the top of the mountain. I think I made it to the forested area to the lower left of the peak . . . but I'm not sure.
After 2 hours up and and a little more than an hour going down Lookout Mountain, it was time to find some Mexican food. This time I ate at Fiesta Guadalajara. It was another good meal. I had the fish tacos. Surprisingly, they chopped up the fish and mixed them with a bunch of vegetables. I think cabbage was in there too. Imagine my surprise when I liked it!
After the late lunch, I headed out to check out the old neighborhood where my mom's cousin used to live. I was disappointed to find that the large empty field near them now housed condos and a school. The mountain near their house that was my first Rocky Mountain hike is now covered with a subdivision. I have a negative attitude against new development anyway so this did not sit well with me. Thus, it was time for another hike. Below is what used to be an open field. Behind it is the first mountain I hiked. On the back side of that mountain, there is now a subdivision.
For my second hike of the day, I chose to hike up to Doc Holiday's grave. He was buried here in Glenwood after he died of tuberculosis. He came to Glenwood Springs thinking the Hot Springs would be good for his lungs. They think the sulfur from the Hot Springs may be what did him in. I know it almost did me in when I was swimming the other night. So up the trail I went. I was disappointed to find a sign that said this certain area was restricted and under renovations. I took that to mean that the really cool stuff was up ahead and so I stepped over the little sign and kept on walking. The area that I came upon was Potter's Field or the part of the cemetery for the destitute, the undesirables, and of course anyone who was not white. It was there that I found the headstone of Kid Curry, who ran with Butch Cassidy. The headstone looked brand spanking new and my guess is that it was not original to his 1904 death.
I must say that I had not originally realized I was visiting a cemetery on Halloween . . . not until I saw the ghost of Doc Holliday. Ok, it wasn't technically a ghost. It was a guy dressed up as Doc Holliday or maybe Wyatt Earp (I think he had a badge on) who was going to be leading a haunted tour. I found him at Doc's grave and we chatted a little. It was a little spooky though. After a few pictures, back down the mountain I went.
I spent the rest of the evening relaxing and using Google Earth in an attempt to figure out exactly where I'd walked on Lookout Mountain. That was futile. The trail Google Earth has marked does not look like the trail I walked. And you could see that there are many many trails on Lookout Mountain. Perhaps there were signs under the snow that can guide me next time.
Today's agenda includes a drive to Boulder to watch my nephew play some soccer. I also hope to get a little more hiking in. My shoes, Under Armour, and hiking pants from yesterday are still wet so we'll see what I can accomplish without them.
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