Barr Trail gains 7,400 vertical feet over 13 miles (one way). Because of afternoon thunderstorms in the summer, it is important to leave early enough in the morning to be back down below treeline by noon.

I arrived at the trailhead in Manitou Springs at 5:30am. Even if you don't plan to hike all the way to the summit, it is still nice to leave early because the first section of the trail is not well shaded and becomes very crowded with runners coming down from the Manitou Incline by 7:00am. I didn't take any pictures for the first portion of the trail.

 The half-way point! My camelback was less than half full and warm, so I was excited to be almost to Barr Camp so that I could refill. At the camp, there is a cold stream nearby and the camp has water filters available to rent. I was too preoccupied with my short break that I didn't get any photos of the camp.

After refilling my water, I took a quick detour to go check out Mountain View, which is a small station for the cog wheel rail that is situated on the side of the mountain. If one of the trains passes by while you are there, expect a lot of people hollering encouragement from the train.

After my little detour I continued up the mountain until I reached the A-frame emergency shelter, which is right below treeline. At this point I checked the sky to make sure there were no storms rolling in early. The sky was clear and I decided to keep going.

Past the treeline, you will enter a boulder field. I was lucky enough to briefly gain some company. Besides this lovely buck, I saw lots of marmots dashing around and barking when I ventured to close to their boulders.

Only two miles left to go! I felt exhausted, but at the same time I was thrilled.

As you might notice, it was also around this time that the sky was starting to look ominous. Part of what makes these storms so dangerous is that they can form very quickly. I weighed my options and decided to keep going up since I was less than 2 miles from the summit.

I think it was the most difficult 2 miles I have ever hiked. The winds were strong and cold. Even though it was July, sections of the switchbacks were still covered in snow.

These snow crossings were very slippery and required care when crossing so that you didn't step wrong and fall through the snow and into the water flowing underneath.

As soon as I reached the summit I had to layer up. It was so cold! 

West Indian manatees can be seen in the warmer water of the springs during winter months. Unfortunately, we arrived in early spring and were told by the park ranger that we had missed the manatees by 2 days. Manatees or not, the freshwater spring is beautiful.

There is a cave entrance at the bottom of the spring, making it a popular spot for scuba divers. The water is very clear and numerous fish can be see swimming around, making it a great spot for swimming and snorkeling.

There is a boardwalk through the swamp that leads to a dock on the river. There are benches at the dock and it is a very nice place to sit and relax.

There are also kayaks and standup paddle boards available to rent at the park. You can either pay a little extra and have them shuttle you up the river to put in, or you can just paddle from the springs to get to the river.

While it is not likely to see any alligators in the designated swimming area in the spring, alligators do frequent the nearby river. I saw two sunning themselves on logs while I was kayaking on the river. There were also a lot of turtles and aquatic birds on the river. Other wildlife within the park include armadillos, birds, and frogs.

In addition to the spring and river, there are a few short trails in the park. There is also a maintained campground for tent and RV camping. As someone used to primitive camping, it was an interesting change. The campsite we got didn't have much privacy, but it was clean and had a picnic table and grill.

     

White Sands National Monument has 10 primitive campsites that are accessible by hiking along a backcountry loop trail. In order to camp at White Sands, you must register and get a permit at the visitor center.

      Because it was the Sunday before Memorial Day, we arrived 45 minutes before the visitor center opened to make sure we were able to get a campsite. Advanced reservations are not available, it is first-come-first-served. There was already four other people waiting in line for the doors to open. We took our place in line and chatted with the people in front of us.

      Once we secured our permit, we spent the morning hiking through the glistening sand. During our exploration, we came across these large ant mounds, exposed by the wind and shifting sand. We cooled off in the shade of these mounds and the trees growing on top of them.      

We returned to the car and gathered our camping gear onto our backs. We soon discovered that climbing the gypsum dunes with camping gear strapped to your back is not the easiest task. Our site was one of the farthest spots from the parking lot. Eventually we made it to our site and set up camp.

      In the evening and at night is when the real magic of the dunes happens. We climbed to the top of the nearest dune and watched the sunset. As the sun moved behind the mountains, the wind picked up and the temperature began to cool. That night it was overcast and no stars could be seen.

      Our initial plan was to stay only one night, then continue on our journey. However, we were disappointed we did not get to see the stars, so in the morning we went and reserved our campsite for another night. It was worth it!      

That night, we were treated with the beauty of the light of an almost full moon reflecting off the grains of sand. It was so bright we didn't need flashlights. Once the moon moved below the horizon, the milky way began reaching across the sky.

Last summer I had a 10-week internship in Colorado. Because I don't like dealing with a lot of luggage and waiting around at the airport to claim my baggage, I decided to pack light. Very light.

1.) Figure out exactly what you will be taking. If feasible, I suggest picking clothing items that are made of thin fabrics. Select items that can be mixed and matched for the widest range of outfit options.

2.) Don't fold. Instead, roll all your clothing. This will save you a lot of room and your clothes won't wrinkle as much.

3.) Now start putting your clothing into the suitcase in layers.

4.) I forgot to take a photo, but all my solid beauty/personal care items were placed in a makeup bag that I put in the center of the suitcase with a "wall" of clothing on all four sides. Any liquids were placed in a ziplock bag and put into the front pocket for quick retrieval. Don't bring items that you can inexpensively purchase at your destination (such as sunscreen and toothpaste).

5.) I put my notebooks, folders, and tablet on the top since flat items tend to fit really well here. I wore my bulky shoes with me to the airport. The white shoes shown in above photos were placed on top of the notebooks.

St.Mary's Falls Trail, trail #624, is a moderate hike in North Cheyenne Cañon/Pike National Forest near Colorado Springs, CO.

The trailhead is located just above Helen Hunt Falls. At the end of the trail awaits St. Mary's Falls, a 300ft waterfall. The distance to reach this waterfall is almost 6 miles roundtrip with about a 1,300 foot elevation gain.

Before reaching the trail for St. Mary's Falls, you will hike along Upper Gold Camp Road. Along the way, you will be treated with scenic views of the surrounding canyon and mountains.

The first portion of the trail is fairly easy with gradual elevation gain. A mountain stream runs alongside the trail and there are numerous small waterfalls.

When you are about 0.2 miles away, the trail becomes much steeper and more difficult. After some switchbacks you will reach a sign that says the base of the falls is 500ft away.

I went in the late spring, when the snowmelt was cascading down the side of the mountain. The icy cold water spray was so refreshing.

At the base of the falls, there are benches to rest at. We ate our lunch here and relaxed before heading back. Another option is to continue up the mountain for another 3 miles to reach the summit of Mt. Rosa.