Typical Day in Colorado

I was going to post this earlier. No excuses though ... I just didn't :) . Now that ski season is over (kinda stinks, because there's still plenty of snow to go skiing in the mountains), I've been spending my time outdoors on the weekends hiking. I'd made up my mind to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park this past weekend..about an hour and half away from my apartment in Golden. I woke up in Golden to a typical day in Colorado on May 1st, which is funny because there is no such thing as a typical day, and fully enjoyed the snow covering the new leaves and green grass that had been coming out the past few weeks despite the frequent snows mixed in with 70 degree days. Drove the truck up to Rocky Mountain after getting stuck once in a ditch in 8 inches of fresh snow trying to take a picture and then parked up at Bear Lake in the park. And yes, I loved it. Bear Lake is still completely frozen over, and there's still at least a good four feet of snow on the ground at 9000 feet. I attempted Flattop mountain, but I left my sunglasses believing there was no need for them since it was dark at 9000 feet. Unfortunately at about 11,000 feet the sun began peaking through alot more than I expected. Snowblindness I've been told by a few guys who've had it around here, which is alot more common because of the thinner atmosphere at high altitude, is real and is not fun, so I decided reluctantly to head down. Nevertheless, I enjoyed spending what felt like a full winter February day in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan outside. Well, it's sunny, green, thunderstorming, and in the 60s today (Wednesday) ... all on a typical day in Colorado.

-Chitwood