Keystone, Colorado - Day 3

Day three started with all of us getting up for a little breakfast before we all headed out for the day. Jill decided to dive into the 10 lbs. of pancake mix (I'm not sure if we even put a dent in the bag). Jim and I filled our bellies, loaded up the camel backs and headed out for a hike along Lenawee Trail. We arrived to the trailhead to find a long, bumpy and rough road. Since we were unsure how far back the trail was we decided to follow the other fools in their cars to find the trailhead. The road was extremely rough with potholes the size of my car. I wouldn't recommend driving a small, low-profile car unless you enjoy the challenge of dodging potholes and large boulders....

At last we found the trailhead!

So a little about Lenawee Trail. The beginning elevation is 10,320 feet (Des Moines elevation is 817 feet) so the air is quite thin....Jim of course didn't know much about the trail except that it had some great views. Well after huffing and puffing up the steep incline (elevation gain of 3,500 feet) we hike 3.2 miles to the top. The views were amazing and it was a very peaceful hike as there were very few other hikers. After taking in the views and stretching the legs we started the hike back down. The weather was acting a little goofy today as we encountered light rain, heavy rain with some thunder and lightning, sunshine and pee-sized hail! It was crazy how the weather changed over the course of the hike. The hike is rated difficult so I'd recommend you give yourself some time to acclimate to the thin air before attempting this one.

The starting point

I was hoping we were almost to the top.. nope about 1/2 way!

Finally leveled out for a bit.

Beauty from above

At last the top - only rocks and grass at this point.

We met up with the rest of the crew at the condo for a quick bite before we headed out for our next adventure - McCullough Gulch. Jim decided to skip this hike and played a round of golf at Keystone Ranch. The girls loaded up in the car and headed for the mountains. Apparently if you are only going to do one hike in Summit county, McCullough Gulch is the one to do. The hike is approximately 2.8 miles roundtrip and has majestic waterfalls. Sadly we didn't make it to the top of the trail which apparently finishes with a lake. Instead mother nature decided to surprise us with a thunderstorm which included significant lightning. During a thunderstorm the last place you want to be is on top of a mountain..... So all of us huddle together and got down as the rain came pouring down on us. We were able to see part of the majestic waterfall from where we huddled together but it wasn't as majestic as it would have been if the sun was shining. This one will be on my list for the next time we visit the area.

A little Dirty Dancing??

This sucks! Rain go away!

Majestic waterfall

After the hiking I was exhausted and looking forward to some dinner at Snake River Saloon in Keystone. Jim and I sat in the bar and enjoyed a couple cold beers with our delicious food. It was an early night for us as the hiking and golfing sucked up all of our energy!