Welcome to my Mount Elbert Hike!

My trusty steed....

Ahhhh, the morning sunrise beaming on Pikes Peak, one of the most famous mountains in Colorado. The peak is clearly visible from many points in the town of Colorado Springs, my home base. I had to leave early in the morning to make it to my destination, Mt. Elbert, the tallest mountain in Colorado at 14,431 feet. When I finally returned from the trip, it was after sunset.

Below, I've crossed South Park and I've nearly arrived at Mount Elbert. This is a panoramic view of Johnson Village and Buena Vista, two small villages in the mountains. I believe Mount Elbert is the tallest peak on the right, but you can barely make it out.

Here's a slightly closer view of Mt Elbert..... almost there! Can you find the peak with the small snowfield near the top?
		Near the base of Mt. Elbert, I found a cool log cabin with these two hummingbirds darting about near the feeder.
After hiking for nearly 2 hours, I finally made it up to the treeline.
		And looking back at the trees...
Hmmm.... hiking above the treeline is hard, but it does have its rewards!!!! This cool cactus was in full bloom. Notice the other hikers up ahead of me? I caught up to them here at the cactus as they were resting, but then I rested for about 30 minutes while they resumed their hike. I ended up beating them to the summit! By the way, I'm currently facing North. The next picture will be when I reach the top of this ridge, looking West to the left.
		Whew, I finally made it to the top of the ridge. Now, looking West, you can see the first sub-peak I have to reach (on the far left) and then the final peak (just to the right of center). Of course a quick peak South (picture below) helps motivate me for the extra distance...
		Oh my gosh! The view South from the first subpeak along the ridge was absolutely breathtaking!
Ok I finally caught up to the other hikers again. Hehe, they proved very useful as tripods... This last part of the hiking was difficult! The large, loose jagged rocks made very unstable footing... I wish I had proper shoes!
		I'm almost at the summit now. It's really cool how I'm nearly up as high as the clouds... How about some snow? Oh yeah, I'm at 14,000 feet now and it's early September... yup it's chilly. Notice the gloves? I know, I look dorky. Don't even think about sending me email to tell me that!
Ok, maybe a bit more snow?
		Alright, I know you didn't really want me to ruin a perfectly good picture, so I had myself removed!
Although I'm almost at the summit, I had to look back from whence I came (looking South-East). Whew, I'm glad I didn't slip when walking along that ridge! Geez that north slope is steep!
		On the other side there are also cool valleys....
... and green basins! While admiring the view from up top, I realized that I no longer had the keys to my motorcycle. OOPS!!!!!

Click here for a 360° panoramic view