Archive for the Environment Category


Spirit Renewed on a 2015 Christmas Hike

Some how I have gotten away from posting my hikes here. Talk about them on Facebook, but need to keep this site more up to date. I have taken many hikes since my last post. Also considering putting them into a book format . . . On this Christmas day, I needed a “spirit renewing […]

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Hike Along The Platte River Near Deckers 2015

Hiking above the Platte River in Deckers Colorado can be a bit adventurous. Some of the trail is very steep and covered with scree. This made them rather challenging to stay on one’s feet and not go slip sliding down the slope. I hadn’t brought a hiking pole, but found a lovely hiking stick to […]

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Siamese Twin Trail in the Garden of the Gods

When we found ourselves back at the Spring Canyon Parking lot, we still wanted to spend more time hiking. So we headed up the Siamese Twin trail in the Garden of the Gods. I usually hike up from the Northern part of the trail, but since we were at the Southern end, we just started […]

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Signs of Spring in Ute Valley Park

There were many signs of Spring along the trails in Ute Valley Park. Some more noticeable than others. There were many of these purple flowers and the prickly pear cactus were greening up along some sections of the trail. Ah, cactus are every where we hike. Gotta be careful when stepping off the trail to […]

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Ute Valley Park is an Urban Trail in Colorado Springs

Although Ute Valley Park is surrounded by homes, most of the trail seems as if you are deep in the wilderness. The most spectacular landmark is a hogback ridge, but it also has many sandstone cliffs and mesas and plus some flat and wooded areas. So hiking in this park has many rich experiences of […]

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Lizards and Rocky Sentinels in Williams Canyon Above Manitou Springs

There is white rock outcropping that I have taken pictures of many times when approaching the Williams Canyon Trail head. And above it is a few rocky creatures that have a keyhole to the sky between them that I have also taken pictures of from both directions. My hiking partner pointed to the opening in […]

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Vibrant Water Colors in Williams Canyon Above Manitou Springs

The water in the creek seemed to be more colorful than I remembered. And so did the rocks. The colors must be created by new minerals unearthed and carried down from above. I need to go back and look at some of my past photos from hiking in Williams Canyon, but that is probably something […]

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Williams Canyon Beautiful Devastation Above Manitou Springs

I went hiking up Williams Canyon with someone I had never hiked with before. She had grown up in this area and had hiked Williams Canyon many times as a youth and into adulthood. Earlier this Spring, she had gone up just a short ways before, but it had gotten dark, and she was alone, […]

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Winter Flora Along Trails at Calhan Paint Mines in Colorado

We walked among a very dry landscape at the close of winter and the beginning of Spring. Its stark beauty is quite different from what we would have seen in the summer at the Calhan Paint Mines. Some trails led off onto the prairie, others took us above the formations and the final part of […]

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White Chalk Formations with their Yucca Companions

 It was hard to fathom how beautiful pure white formations could be unless you are walking among or above them. We hiked for a long stretch of Prairie, then looked down to see these are views that resembled looking into White Sands in New Mexico, but much harder lines and more colors intermingled in the […]

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