We found the snow!

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to head to the Boston Mine trailhead to see if we could bag any peaks. Needless to say, since it has been so dry in Denver, we underestimated the amount of snow above 12000 ft. There wasn't a lot by any means, but when snow has obscured the spaces between large rocks, and created some very slick conditions, more gear is needed. Normally, we would go a bit more prepared with micro spikes and poles, at least. But it has been so warm in Colorado this fall...so we missed out on the larger peak, but we had a great hike on and off trail in some beautiful late fall weather conditions. 

The trail started off through thick willows, it was not very well defined and headed upward quite heftily. It was in the balmy low 20s when we started. 

Pretty soon, what few trees in this area thinned out and we headed up into a valley, following a very faint trail. Ahead, Tom and Dallas saw an albino pika!!  Unfortunately, I did not. Bummer. Clouds obscured all the higher peaks, as you can see. That cloud ahead is hiding a centennial peak. 

We decided on a lower peak after realizing that without some sort of traction on our hiking boots, getting up the large field of talus to the the taller peaks would be agonizingly slow. So, we started up and off trail, heading for a lower summit. 

One of the boys crossing the ridge to the summit. 

One of my favorite pictures below, Tom taking in the incredible view. 

It was really beautiful up there and we were the only people around. The ridge to the left below is what we considered tackling, but as I said, we were a bit unprepared this time. 

We headed back down with cold faces and fingers and decided to check out the old mine buildings. 

Through the cabin window, the sun popped out for a few minutes on Jacque Peak, across the way. 

All in all, a nice late season hike above tree line, it was nice to be snowed on, since it's November!  Pretty soon, full on winter gear will be required when exploring in the mountains. Not to mention, it's almost time to dust off the skis!  Wahoo!!

Pacific Peak - strike 2.

My friend Andi and I set off to try to get one last 13er before the snow flies out here in Colorado. We'd attempted to get this particular peak a few weeks prior (see "Cold and Rainy"), so when the weather looked chilly but clear, we decided to take another crack at it.

We met nice and early one Sunday morning and headed for the Spruce Creek trailhead just south of Breckenridge. It was a 4wd road, but a relatively easy one. After parking at what we thought was the trailhead, we headed off into the trees on a good trail. The trail started out winding through early morning forest, passing many ponds and along the way, we startled some wildlife - deer, birds & other invisible scampering creatures, probably because we were two of the first few folks on the trail that day. The trail eventually came at the parking lot we should have parked at earlier, as it turned out we could've went further on the 4wd road and saved probably 30-45 minutes of hiking, oh well.

After that parking lot, the trail started to climb in earnest. Up up up through trees and winding around the creek. This area also has a lot of old mining equipment, some in ruins, and some in very good condition. Below is an old miner's cabin and the top of a pulley system.

After a good bit of climbing we leveled out for a bit at Mayflower Lakes - a smattering of smaller lakes that were almost perfectly still in the morning calmness. The sky was just SO BLUE that day. Quite a contrast from all the late fall colors of brown, yellow and orange we get in the Rocky Mountains.

Between the Mayflower Lakes and Mohawk Lakes the trail, of course, climbed higher, topping out at around 12,100ft for Upper Mohawk Lake. Such a beautiful setting - there were some backpackers enjoying the solitude, fishing and hot camp coffee at these lakes. We also were lucky enough to see a mama and baby mountain goat. One of the camping couples had 2 dogs and that mama was keeping a super close eye on the canines. Her kid obediently laid by her side the whole time she stood over it and watched. It really made me wish I had a much better camera than my iPhone. They were on top of a huge rock (of course) and were highlighted from behind by the morning sun. It really is a moment I'll remember forever, so majestic and still - I could've watched them for quite awhile if we wouldn't have had a lofty goal still looming ahead of us.

So, we left the lakes and headed up (of course) into the final basin with an unnamed lake. Below, you can see our target, Pacific Peak, in the distance, just saying hello above the ridgeline. We had quite a climb ahead of us, but the weather was holding. For now.

All over this area were very cool rock structures and smaller rocks. The black ones below were something I'd never seen before.

Then, we arrive at the crux of the route. Probably 1000ft of severely steep, loose rock, topping out on the ridge below the final pitch to Pacific Peak.

We started to scramble up this gully, sometimes struggling to get a good hand or foothold. It is rated difficult class 2, but in some areas, it was approaching easy class 3. There wasn't any really exposure on this slope, but it was steep and unstable. There were large boulders intermixed with a lot of small scree like rock. On and on we went as the clouds built quickly in all directions. We stopped a few times and surveyed the weather. Lightning is always a huge concern above tree line, but we fully realized we were also on a steep, already slick (icy in some areas) slope that would become a lot more challenging if it was wet.

The larger boulders provided some good handholds on the way up!

The view on our way up.

You can see the clouds building in the background here.

So, when we were level with that upper left snowfield in the first picture of the slope, we called it. We didn't want to, but we did. We realized that we had another 1/2 hour of scrambling (or more) before we reached the ridge, then probably another hour until we summited. At that point, the rain looked closer than an hour and a half out.

Needless to say, we were disappointed to turn around, but we feel we made the right decision - and we did get rained on as we descended on the trail - justified decisions are always the best.  :)  This climb will be squirreled away for next season, and maybe we'll approach from the opposite direction so we can easily bag both Pacific and Atlantic Peak a bit easier.

So, we slid/hiked back down the steep slope and made our way out of some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen this year in our great state.

 

Just beautiful.  Seriously, amazing.

 

 

I arrived back home to see Tom diligently working on extending the chicken run roof - last year, the ladies were stuck with a relatively little area of snow-free ground during some of our larger snowstorms.  They will love this new addition!!

 

 

 

Back on the mainland.

Well, little did we know, but the seaman of Greece decided to strike while we were on Kefalonia. Luckily, the strike ended a full hour and 45 minutes before we had to catch the ferry off Kefalonia. We were both happy to see this bad boy pulling into port. 

So, on our way back to Athens we decided to do some sightseeing by driving south, first to ancient Olympia, then through the Peloponnese to Athens. Olympia was a cool site, not the best ruins I've seen, but to be there, at the site of the first Olympic Games, and where they currently have the torch lighting ceremony was pretty neat.  

All of the archeological sites across Greece were free today and will be tomorrow also, so that was a nice bonus. But even with that incentive, it's launching into the slow season here, so the ruins were quiet and it was easy to escape people.  Some pictures below from our visit. 

Between the pillars, the day was heating up when we were visiting, so we stuck to the shade whenever possible!

Original mosaics still preserved. 

Going for the gold (or let's be honest, bronze) at the original Olympic stadium. 

After a somewhat lengthy drive across the Peloponnese, we arrived back in Athens, returned our rental car and checked into our last hotel of the trip for a full day of sightseeing tomorrow.

The view of the Acropolis from our hotel room, we will explore that in the morning!

Mount Ainos

We hiked today. 9 miles roundtrip, 3600ft of elevation gain. Clouds, goats (wild and herded), up-up-up, fir trees and solitude - we saw no one else on the entire hike. Absolutely perfect. 

We got a very late start, around 11am, a lazy breakfast takes priority on vacation, of course.  But the days are cooler here because it's September and the temperature has broken, so heat wouldn't be an issue.  We hear it was well over 90 until a week or so ago, but now the temps are topping out in the upper 70s.  Anyway, we got a late start but tried to make up for it by hiking steadily to our destination, the summit of Mount Ainos, the tallest peak in the Ionian Islands. 

The trail started off rocky, exposed, and a bit uphill, then we caught a break on a dirt national forest road for awhile with amazing views of the surrounding countryside. 

Starting off.

Views. 

Then we started to climb (and I mean CLIMB at about a 45-50% angle) through an awesome forest of fir trees, moss was everywhere.  There were also tons of downed trees, the weather must get a bit windy up there.  We passed a small group of wild goats that scurried off when we got too close, and kept hiking. 

I spotted sunlight through the trees above us and thought we were near the actual summit, instead we popped out on the ridge, but we weren't up yet, we still had more climbing to do. It was pretty relentless. We were cheating a bit with our "we live at 6000ft" red blood cells, and I kept thinking that it would be darn hard without that advantage. 

Finally, finally, about 2h10min after we started, we popped out above the trees and in the clouds, on a very rocky saddle. To our left was a lesser peak of the mountain (2nd picture below) but we took a right and scrambled up to the summit. Tom ascending to the very peak below. 

Looking toward the other lower peak, in the clouds, the trail winding back down into the tree line. 

It was both surreal and peaceful up there. We were buried in constantly swirling clouds, and we would get glimpses of coastline, sea and the other peaks that surrounded us in quick succession. Truly bizarre. We just stood, turned in circles and watched the ever changing picture show. 

Same peak as above, a few minutes later. 

The very summit, from just below it. There was a register that we signed up there. 

After grabbing a snack, getting quite chilled and taking a quick break, we decided to head down. 

The bonus on the descent were the goats. Goat herders here put bells on their goats. But they aren't what you'd think of as livestock bells.  They're not clanky at all, in fact they sound like wind chimes, it is absolutely the most beautiful sound. On another hike earlier this week, a herder crossed our path with a small herd of goats. We simply stopped and listened, amazed. About 3/4 of the way down this hike, we ran into a large herd of goats, with many bells. We sat down, watched and listened quietly as they passed all around us through the trees. So very cool.  

We stopped on the way back at a small outdoor cafe for wonderful well-earned apple pie. Yum. 

Ancient trails and deserted beaches.

The past two days we've been staying in Fiscardo on the northern tip of Kefalonia. It's a beautiful area and has many hiking trails and tiny beaches accessible only by foot or boat. We chose foot. :) 

The weather was rainy our first day here, at least until the afternoon when it cleared up and we were finally able to explore the awesome huge rocks that makes up the shore here. We relaxed, swam and snorkeled for a while. Very beautiful. 

We also got massages and checked out the village of Fiscardo. Lots of great restaurants and a beautiful small harbor with expensive sailboats. I guess renting a boat to travel the Greek islands is quite popular, if you're rich. :)

Today, we woke up to blue skies. Yay!  So, we chose the longest hiking trail we could find and set off. It started out near town and quickly climbed into the forest. These paths are so cool, they follow old donkey and foot paths that connected villages now in ruins. Rock walls are EVERYWHERE on Kefalonia and this path wound through, and over, tons of them. Some were moss covered and clearly old, and some looked to have been more recently constructed. 

We found this deserted village along the way. Ruined buildings and old narrow pathways that we walked right through. 

We took a detour to a WW II battery and Tom poked around the gun mounts and the tunnel network that still exists below ground. 

The battery was set on the very northern shore, which had rougher seas than near our hotel on the northeast side.  Tom looking tiny below. 

We met a couple from Holland that we traded picture taking with...

Then came the beaches. Oh the beaches... accessible only if you put some effort into it. We stopped and swam/snorkeled at three of them, one of which we had completely to ourselves. 

Dafnoudi Beach, Tom heading out. 

A small inlet next to Kimilia Beach, no one in sight.

Kimilia Beach proper:

We probably hiked about 7 miles in total, most of the trail was well marked, but we missed a couple of markers and had to search around until we relocated the trail and headed on, so it could be confusing if you're not avid hikers. This is a wonderful, recently marked and cleared trail system that everyone should try out if you're in the Fiscardo area. There are three separate marked trails and many more unmarked ones. The three marked ones are different lengths, so something for all abilities. 

On the way back, we stopped in town for a late lunch and hung out on the rocks at the hotel until the sun went down. A great day!  Tomorrow, we move to the southwest side of the island for a few nights where we hope to hike up Mount Ainos and who knows what else. Westside = Sunsets here we come!