Oh the Rocky Mountains...Mount Cutler Trail

Garden of the Gods-RVC Outdoor Destinations
Colorado Springs, CO
July 1, 2014

Its great to be outdoors! We woke up to cooler temps today and mostly cloudy skies, but that didn't deter us from exploring on Mount Cutler. High temps in Colorado Springs will only be around 72* this afternoon so we dressed warmly knowing it would be cooler at the summit...so glad we did, as it was only 54* at the top.

The drive thru North Cheyenne Canyon was a pleasure too.




 I do love twisty, winding roads with beautiful rocks and trees and the peaceful sound of running water.




We are still "acclimating"...
trailhead elevation is 6,800 ft. and the summit is 7,200 ft. The roundtrip is 2.4 miles.

The 400 ft. gain in elevation is gradual...






The trail is well maintained...mostly wide and smooth. There is a bridge in place where the side of the mountain was washed away.

It wasn't long before we were looking down on Colorado Springs and Gold Camp Reservoir.

But the real beauty came when we turned the corner to face South Cheyenne Canyon...

Seven Falls

We also spotted Seven Falls. We had picked out several hikes there, but Seven Falls is "closed until further  notice due to inclement weather and flooding conditions".












I cropped a close-up shot and was surprised to see it doesn't look like much water in the falls.

 The summit was a great place for a snack with a view.  We could see in every direction...





north...

east...

west...

and my favorite, south.

 

There were spots of purple...

Mountain Harebell

 

 and yellow...

Yellow Stonecrop

but the trees stole the show...

There is something therapeutic about walking in the forest. The fragrance of evergreen, the birds chirping, the old and the new...

What a terrific Tuesday and first day of July. Can you believe it is July already?

Sally had her stitches out yesterday. Dr. Clevenger at Pikes Peak Vet Clinic was a little concerned that the wall of her bladder was still hard (it should feel like a water balloon) so she suggested another round of anti-inflammatory meds. We will take her back next week.

Until next time, take care and...

happy trails!