Saturday in the mountains

This is one of my favorite routes when I want to go to the mountains without driving too far. Taking Squaw Pass Road all the way from Evergreen to Echo Lake will refresh you and recharge your batteries.

 

Echo Lake in March

It happened a long time ago. We drove to the mountains to see how Echo Lake looked frozen and covered with snow... But first we stopped to watch some buffaloes... Aren't they gorgeous?

 

Fall colors - Echo Lake

Fall colors in Colorado are bright and bold. To enjoy them all you need is to drive up to the mountains and look for the aspens. Echo Lake is one of the most popular destinations to look for the orange and gold...

 

So many colors, so many shapes... mushroom's portraits ;)

We rarely look down and register the small objects that surround us. But once you look at ones that usually don't really attract our attention you can find some fascinating details. Let's do it today, should we? Let's go to the woods and collect some... mushroom pictures (or, I'd like to call them mushroom's portraits).

 

Yeah, that's mushrooms again ;)

Honestly, I didn't really plan to go hiking that Saturday. My intention was more practical - to go to the mountains and look for some mushrooms. But the road I intended to use was closed until 9AM and I had about an hour to kill, so I decided to look for the mushrooms around Three Sisters park, because I was close to this place. So I turned my wheels and soon parked my car and was walking in the forest, hiking and looking under my feet in hope to find something edible. And... cuz I didn't plan on hiking, the only device to register surroundings was my cell, so don't be disappointed with the pictures ;)

 

Where the hell are you going?

It was a nice and sunny Sunday in August and I wanted to go for a nice hike someplace cooler than downhills. And as usual I was torn between two opposites - didn't want to drive for a long hours but also wanted something gorgeous. And I found an ideal place - Echo Lake (surprise-surprise). Fits the requirements just perfectly - just over an hour to get there and at an altitude of 10,500 feet it is cool enough to bring some relief... And... also everything around there is just beautiful - water, woods and mountains... everything you can dream of in one place!

But when I got there I had a better idea (there is what I thought) about hike to be. I decided to walk a bit further and see the Chicago Lakes... The trail was starting just at the parking lot and was beckoning to me ;) "Good idea" I thought at the moment without realizing that it is not a good idea to start the hike without knowing what to expect from it ;(

 

Squaw Pass Road and Echo Lake hike

4th of July is a great day for a picnic or easy hike. Probably hike to gain some appetite and picnic or barbecue later ;) And I know the place! So I just jumped in the car and half an hour later turned from Evergreen to Squaw Pass Road climbing toward Echo Lake...

 

Mmmushroommmms ;)

 Do you like wild mushrooms? I like them... And I love going to the woods and picking them up...