International Mountain Day

The brightness of the holidays continue, even if storm clouds are just over the horizon. After it recently stopped snowing, the storm clouds stuck around, hanging over the Foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Dark and ominous, the clouds provide a backdrop to Lakewood, Colorado, welcoming the first rays of the sunrise.

December 11 is International Day of the Mountain, ever since it was declared by the UN in 2003, if I have the correct reference. Today, the local mountains draw us upwards for recreation in winter. In the past, the nomadic people who lived here followed the herds down to the plains for the winter, but back up to the mountains for summer.

Several creeks stream their way down mountain valleys and canyons to the plains, and following Clear Creek to its western source can take you towards the James Peak Wilderness, above Berthoud Falls, and next to the pass of the same name. While that pass will take the modern traveler to “Winter Park” in the high alpine areas, closer to the plains, mountains come in all shapes and sizes.

Green Mountain could be considered a “hill” in comparison to the other mountains nearby. The intermontane environment at the top of Green Mountain is like a rolling meadow, and in spring can be covered with wildflowers. After the recent snow, the Foothills take on their seasonal pale coat, and in the photograph below, are contrasted with dark clouds left over from the recent storm.

The north face of Pikes Peak is very familiar to me, shown below from above Castle Rock. Its craggy appearance appears atop its very own massif, the southernmost edge of the Front Range. Further south is the Sawatch Range and the Spanish Peaks. But before this newsletter will feature any HIGH SKY south of Pikes Peak, there should soon be an article featuring Castle Rock, itself.

So far, we’ve been looking at mountains. The view from the mountains are also spectacular! Visiting the Foothills is very convenient when traveling from Denver, following roads built upon the trails that have been used for millennia. One such trail is Juniper Pass, above Upper Bear Creek, west of the sleepy suburb of Evergreen, and just south of the mountain valley town of Idaho Falls.

The Upper Bear Creek is one of my favorite places to visit. The first time I traveled here was part of a school camping trip as a ten-year-old to spend a week at “Outdoor Lab.” While Bear Creek itself is south of this view of Beaverdam Creek, this is part of the same drainage basin, connecting with Bear Creek flowing down from its source at Summit Lake on Mount Blue Sky.

The view north from over Juniper Pass shows the Clear Creek drainage basin and the historical mining sites above Idaho Falls and Central City. The view of the Indian Peaks Wilderness features a collection of mountains that make for dramatic panoramas. Access can vary all year because of seasonal changes, but the twisty and turning roads are plowed in the winter for the few residents and businesses located near the wilderness.

After all these articles, and dozens of photos, let’s take a moment to bring out the tireless worker drone, or at least one of them, for a photo of their own. In a dramatic reveal, if you’ve followed the last two pictures of Upper Bear Creek that have been in shadow, the valley reveals its contours in the morning sunlight. Much closer to the camera, a single DJI drone hovers while its portrait is taken.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end, where I will leave you with just one word: Mountains!