Horsetooth Mountain

August 4th, 2007- Well, Lindsey's parents arrived in town the previous night. So being the mean people we are we took them on a death march up Horsetooth Mountain their first morning in town. Horsetooth Mountain gains a mere 1700 ft of elevation, unfortunately for them it all came in 2.5 miles. We set off at a decent pace, but soon slowed as our Wisconsinite friends were searching for oxygen. It was a fun hike up to the top where the view is surprisingly beautiful. To the left you see many a foothill while looking to the northwest. Then to the right you see the four hikers on the top of Horsetooth with views of the peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park. You may even see a black dot or two which were some sort of fly that wreaked havoc by swarming when the breeze died down.

All in all this hike is much more than one expects and probably shouldn't be attempted on a first hike basis. The way down was uneventful and much quicker. Thankfully we had planned ahead and packed swimming gear for a dip into the Horsetooth Resevoir. The water was somewhere between cold/cool, but felt sooo good after sweating it out on the way up Horsetooth. Upon getting out you would actually feel cold.

Day totals- 5 miles, 1700 ft elevation, 3.5 hours