In a van down by the river

After two weeks in the Denver area, I thought it was time for a road trip. After looking at the map and hearing such great things about the area, I decided to drive to the Collegiate Peaks region by Buena Vista. After an amazing 2 hour drive, I began searching for a campsite. After driving by 5 "full" campsites, I began getting desperate. Thankfully, I drove by a hillside with an abundance of tents just randomly dispersed. I liken the accommodations to an outdoor hostel, although I didn't pay anything. Since it was already getting dark and I was getting up early anyways, I just slept in the back of my Explorer. It was surprisingly comfortable and I could clearly see all the stars in the sky through my windows.

After waking up at 4:00am, I pulled away from my "campsite" and went in search of water for my hike. The campsites near my trailhead only had old-fashion water pumps, which I'm sure were not what the campers wanted to be hearing that early in the morning. Serves them right for taking all the campsites! (By the way, it was very irritating to see empty campsites which were supposedly "reserved." Grrrr!)

Mt. Princeton

My destination was Mt. Princeton, #20 peak in Colorado, at 14,197 feet. Rather than taking a jeep trail along much of the path, I chose a less traveled route to the top. Hiking along a trail while a 4x4 kicks up dust on you didn't sound like fun. The peak rose 5,000 feet from my trailhead in only 3.5 miles. That is steep!! The famous Long's Peak climb is the same elevation gain, but twice as long a hike and on a much better maintained trail.

The trail was very rugged and steep. There were no switchbacks or man made steps. Just a path leading you straight up. Thankfully I didn't notice any altitude related issues. The views were amazing. I uploaded my pics for anyone interested in seeing more cool scenery.
http://picasaweb.google.com/N.Marshall.80/MtPrinceton

When I finally reached the summit, I walked around a bit to see the entire panorama. I was amazed to discover a Golden Retriever sitting happily next to a few hikers. I had never seen a dog at this high of an elevation, although most of my hikes have been at National Parks, which generally don't allow pets on trails. "Moose", like all Goldens, seemed to be in good spirits. I don't think a dog could have taken my route, unless if he was part mountain goat or something.

The only people I came in contact with were folks on top who had taken the other route up the mountain. Not a single person took the route I took on a pleasant Saturday. Amazing!

The hike was pretty dang tiring, but still a good adventure. Two 14ers down, 53 to go.