Escaping The Nutshell

On the hot morning of July 13, 2026 we started up the St Vrain Mountain Trail from the St Vrain Mountain Trailhead. It’s a 3000 foot (914 meters) climb, and the sweating was intense but we got rewarded at the top with temperatures in the lower 60’s (17 celsius). The distance from the trailhead to the summit is about 5 miles, and it took us 2.5 hours to get to the top. We’ll blame the slowness on the heat.

Besides YouTube, this video is also available at archive.org.

We hiked from the Twin Sisters Trailhead at 9,040 feet (2,755 meters) to the north summit at 11,428 feet (3,483 meters), for an elevation difference of 2,388 feet (728 meters). The distance traveled was 3.7 miles (5.95 km), and it took about 1.5 hours (90 minutes). The view of Longs Peak is spectacular.

Besides YouTube, this video is also available at archive.org.

After a night of stargazing at the Moraine Park Campground, we started at the Bear Lake parking lot and hiked down to the Glacier Gorge Trail then up to The Loch, scrambled up the rock near Timberline Falls, and stopped at Lake of Glass thinking it was Sky Pond, before turning around.

Besides YouTube, this video is also available at archive.org.

A hike from the Button Rock Preserve parking area to the Coffintop Mountain, and Little Coffintop Mountain summit on May 31, 2026.

Besides YouTube, this video is also available at archive.org.

View the GPS tracks.