Over in our neck of the woods, took a hike to St. Mary’s Glacier recently. Mind you, the trail is only 1.4 miles (that’s to the lake and back, but you can continue the hike past the lake, which we did), and it’s labeled as easy on All Trails.
I’m no ninny when it comes to hikes, and we’ve done our fair share since we’ve moved to Colorado, but this was not easy. The altitude (you’re at 10,848 feet at the base of the glacier) probably has something to do with it, but the steady incline and slippery rocks don’t help, either. Now is it worth it? Spectacularly yes! The views are amazing and if your breath isn’t already taken away by your hike to reach it (which it likely will be), the lake and glacier will certainly do the trick. We had thrown Lotte in the Ergo and brought her with us, of course, but there were definitely times, especially on the descent, when I questioned how safe the whole thing actually was with a baby.
Chris, of course, felt perfectly safe the entire time. What can I say, it’s my momness kicking in.
Anyway, if you can push on through the altitude and rocky climb (if I can, you can!), here’s some of what you’ll be blessed with:
She looks excited for another adventure, doesn’t she
Look at that sky?! Have you ever seen anything so blue and clear?
Dangerous indeed. In fact, the whole time we were taking a short rest and snack break at the lake before heading back, a team of about five or six rescue workers were trying to figure out how to get a snowboarder down who had injured himself up on the glacier. Yes, snowboarding is allowed on the glacier, but of course it’s entirely dangerous. Hence the injury.
See those two tiny little snowboarder flecks in the white snow and ice? Crazy!
After the hike, we stopped off in Idaho Springs on the way back for lunch at Tommyknocker Brewery.
Other fun articles if you love nature, Colorado and to hike:
- On Colorado
- The Glorious Magical Colorado Rocky Mountains
- Pure Prestine Energy and Nature in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains
- Discover Ancient Polynesia Culture and Tradition in its Mountains
- A Look at Fort Collins Colorado
- Colorado’s Hanging Lake
- Hiking Colorado’s Stunning Rocky Mountain National Park
- Idaho’s Beauty & Views
- Hiking Taiwan’s Snow Mountain
- Things to know about altitude sickness
- The Mountains of Peru
- Great US Nature Spots
- Walking the Himalayas
Thank you for the information.!Colorado camping is a fun way to connect with nature. Excellent camping is nearly everywhere in Colorado.Summer in Colorado equals time to get outdoors and enjoy all that the Centennial State has to offer.Nice collection of pictures,thank you for sharing this post..!!