Chautauqua Park: Bluebell Mesa

Hannah and I ventured out on another hike. We drove into Boulder and entered the land of pretentious hippies. We parked along the road surrounded by million dollar homes that back into the picturesque Chautauqua Park. The trails were full of hikers and rambunctious puppy dogs.  We immediately started on the Baseline Trail we were chatting and catching up on life. Things were going lovely until Hannah spotted a snake, YES A SNAKE!  She screamed, "snake!" and I of course started running.  She froze at the sight of the snake crossing the trail.  After our heart rates came down to an acceptable rate and we could physically discuss the situation- we decided to pick another trail that wasn't so snakey.  We of course did not stay around to catch a picture of the slithery creature.

We headed back to the trailhead and picked a new trail. We decided to start up on Blubell Mesa. The hike was steep at first and we were feel'n the burn. Then it flattened out and we could see a beautiful view of Boulder and the plains.  We continued on and headed up toward the Flatirons.  We entered a wooded area that resembled a scene out of the Hunger Games.  The hike then became a stair-stepping monster. Up, up, up, up, and then we got tired and decided to head back. We didn't know how far up, up, up we would continue to go.

All in all it was a beautiful hike and we accomplished 4 miles of scenic views with only one snake sighting.

Mt. Galbraith Loop- Golden, CO

Yesterday Hannah and I ventured out on our first hike of the season. After much deliberation we decided on Mt. Galbraith Loop in Golden, CO. It is an moderate hike that is about 4.2 miles long. The drive from town into the foothills is beautiful. We parked along the road because the parking lot was full. We thought the trail would be really busy, but we only passed other hikers periodically.

The hike starts with a incline that will get you out of breath, or we are out of shape, one or the other. The landscape is breathtaking with the trail being lined with wildflowers.  Throughout the trail there are spots that you navigate over boulders. This was a nice change of pace. There are also multiple look outs  for you to stop and take pictures of downtown Golden, Denver, and the range.

We finished the hike in a little less than two hours. Our leisurely pace was due to stopping, chatting, and catching up on life. We finished up with margaritas and burgers at the Table Mountain Inn. Felt like summer had finally arrived.

Overall, great easy hike. Would recommend to others for a easy fun day hike!
http://jeffco.us/jeffco/openspace_uploads/mtgalmp.pdf