THIS time, we really did the whole hike, accompanied by my upstairs neighbor, Sam. The weather couldn’t have been better, but we were about a week or two too early for the peak of Fall color. Guess it’s been too warm this year.

Maya and Sam, in front of a sample of how this hike got its name. I was laughing that this could be a kitschy hike for when Maya’s older…we’ll bring our own pancakes and syrup and do brunch on the rocks.

Another example. For an idea of scale, notice the hiker sitting toward the right side of the rock formation.

Artsy shot of a twisted pine — this one would probably look great in b/w, but I only shot color, so that’s left to PhotoShop.

A bit of Fall color — but only the yellow. Give this area a week or two, and orange and red will join.

The hike’s end overlooks a valley that’s filled with aspen trees, but they were mainly still green. Again…give it another couple weeks, and this will be amazing. Problem is, after reminding myself of how un-fun the switchback are (you know, the ones I did a couple months ago without getting to hit the top?), I’m not sure we’ll go back this season. A drive through Phantom Canyon in the next couple weeks will be good, though.

Maya and I are headed to the Pacific Northwest to meet up with Alison and Baby G! We’ll be back next Tuesday, and I’m sure I’ll have a ridiculous number of photos to post.

Update: Yes, I really am home…but the idea of picking only a few photos out of the 200-plus images kills me, so I’ve put off blogging. Yet. Check back here for pics in the future — I’ll likely date the posts with the actual dates of the photos.

Tomorrow is the 34th anniversary of the arrival of a precursor to Maya’s existence. The gathering to recognize this auspicious event is today, so no meander this morning.

We’ll go wandering tomorrow if we can get something in before a noon mommy-group potluck.

Click the photo for a slide show.

The city website’s description of the trail is below; I couldn’t find an online topo of this trail.

While the “actual” trail is fairly short, the walk to the trailhead from the car (and back) adds about 1-1/2 miles.

The trail itself was a little easier than I’d like (maybe a bit short), but we also didn’t make it all the way to Jones Park. Shortly after the 7th bridge, the trail changed from a normal hike trail to rock scrambling. It didn’t feel safe enough to cover with a baby, and several other hikers I encountered confirmed that the top portion is too dangerous. Oh, well.

Seven Bridges Trail (Pike National Forest):

Length: About 1.6 miles from the trailhead to Jones Park.

Elevation Gain: Trailhead 7600’, Jones Park 8900’

General Description: The trailhead is directly off the closed portion of Gold Camp Rd (on the west side). Park at the intersection of Gold Camp Rd, High Dr and Cheyenne Cañon Rd. Hike past the gate to the northwest of the parking area and follow the closed portion of Gold Camp Rd .7 miles to the trailhead. The trail is a moderate hike, which criss-crosses Cheyenne Creek over a series of seven bridges.

Well, sort of…

On the way out of my complex, I spotted a doe carefully *ahem* cleaning herself. Then I saw these guys. Bambi x 2!

Sweetheart, after all that work, you may clean yourself to your heart’s content.

Here’s the topo map for today’s trail:

The trail starts out at 9700 feet above sea level at the highway, and ends at about 11000 feet. Click here for more info.

Western view from the highway.

Maya’s ready to get moving.

As innocuous as this first section of trail *looks*, it’s STEEP!

The east-heading first section of trail planes out as we approach Horsethief Park. Those meadows look like a perfect spot to camp!

The meadows continue with magnificent rock formations off in the background (which my camera didn’t do justice…time to learn the manual settings). The mountain behind this view amuses me — it looks as if an oversized two-year-old created his own rock pile.

Finally, we reach the turnoff for Pancake rocks — this is the point on the topo where the trail heads south.

I stop for a breather on the southbound switchbacks — they’re murderous — and take in the view.

You can see that the sky was clouding up. By the time we reached the top of the switchbacks, the wind was howling. There wasn’t any rain, but it could happen at any minute, and I still haven’t purchased the rain canopy for Maya’s pack. My gut — the mommy in me — said to turn around. My ego insisted that it was nothing and we could keep going! Ego lost, and we headed back down, after reaching the very top of the switchbacks. Pretty much, we did all the vertical work, but didn’t get to enjoy the views…SIGH.

Chagrinned Allison.

Katie and Clay, aka Thing1 and Thing2.

Back at Horsetheif Park, we come across a mom and her 2-year-old son, and they allow us to join them for the picnic I’d *planned* for at the end of the trail. Maya immediately dumped her Cheerios out and found the container much more entertaining than mere food.

Mom and son, Conrad. Conrad showed off for Maya, and Maya sang for him — making him giggle at the silly baby.

Heading back westward on the trail, Maya and I fall into step with Makayla and Terri, another mother and daughter pair off for a hike.

As it turned out, the threatening rain never happened, and the skies returned to blue. We could have done the full hike. Just the same, we made some acquaintances we might not have otherwise, and it was a great day.

We’ll return to do this hike again another time — likely in September, when the fall color makes the switchbacks worth all the work!

Trail Description: Forest Service #640, 7-mile balloon loop, including about 2 miles to beginning of 3-mile loop, then 2 miles return. Elevation gain 1,280 feet, rated steep at first, then easier. Features scenic route through wooded canyon.

For today’s hike, my upstairs neighbor joined us. It was so *odd* to have company…someone to steady the pack as I put it on, someone to chatter at (and listen to) along the way. Sam’s granddaughter is just a few months older than Maya, so he loves talking to her.

He was amazed that yes…chubby thighs and all (my words, not his), I hiked the whole thing, with a baby/water/gear on my back. Hey, I may still have 10 pounds of babyweight left on me, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a hiker. There’s muscle in those legs of mine! He’d anticipated that I’d give up after the first steep climb, and was stunned that I did the whole thing. It never dawned on me to do anything else…

Maya was such a trooper! She watched quietly for the first major hill climb, then napped for the next couple miles. After she woke up, she was TALKATIVE and sang as we made our way. Eventually, she’d had enough, though, and as it got to be naptime, she fought it. Hard. I’ll tell you what, hiking with a baby crying in your pack, even if it’s only for maybe 1/2 a mile, is torture. Poor thing. She eventually nodded back off for the remainder of the walk.

We’ve had a good bit of rain lately, so the flowers were everywhere! This, of course, means I took a ton of photos, so instead of posting them, click the photo below for a slide show.

While Maya and I have made many visits to Palmer Park, we hadn’t yet done any “real” hikes together until today. This morning, we hit Section 16 and the Palmer-Redrock Loop. This trail is one I stumbled upon during a business trip to Colorado Springs the summer before I moved here, and in some ways, I think that hike sealed the deal that I’d eventually move here (or at least somewhere not FLAT like Houston).

click for larger image

Topo map of the trail — I start at the top right arrow, and make a complete counter-clockwise circle (roads connect the two trailheads).

click for larger image

Here’s a description of the hike, except I do it from the right side to the left, opposite of the description here. This info covers from arrow to arrow — doesn’t include the linkup on the roads.

Trailhead — about a five-minute drive from my condo.

The pups enjoy some offleash time as we start on the first, relatively innocuous part of the trail. This won’t last for long.

Just look at the sorts of rock formations we pass. It’s a gorgeous, clear day, and it’s early enough that the (soon to become) oppressive heat hasn’t hit yet.

Within the first 10-15 minutes, Maya’s OUT. My theory is that I hiked enough while pregnant that she finds the movement calming now.

FINALLY, I can see blue sky above the hillside! By this point, we’ve gained more than 1000 feet in altitude over the space of 1.5 miles, and I’m dying.

After we hit the top of the first big climb, Little Miss decided to wake. She quickly learned how the Camelbak worked…sort of. She still hasn’t gotten that whole “sucking” think down (go figure), so for her to drink, I’d bend over and squeeze the mouthpiece just over her mouth. (Funny…I give the dogs water the same way!) After a sputtering false start, she got the hang of it, and learned that if she wanted water, she could just grab the hose, and I’d figure it out.

Flowers along the trail.

View to the east about halfway through the loop — that’s the city down below, giving you an idea of how high we climbed!

We reach Hunter’s Run, a small stream feeding into Bear Creek. The dogs are delighted to drink heavily (instead of waiting for me to Camelbak them), and I pray that they don’t encounter giardia.

View back down the trail over the stream bridge.

Hiking is such strenuous work, Maya decides to rest a little more. I keep plodding along — no rest for the wicked, you know.

More flowers along the trail — these grew in large patches. They’re actually the same flowers as I have in my garden, just much, much, smaller and more plentiful.

Ah, High Drive…we finally pass the higher trailhead and make our way along the road back to the car at the lower trailhead. The dogs are *definitely* leashed by now — day-trippers often zoom down this road after a drive in the mountains forgetting about us unsuspecting hikers!

Back at the Jeep, Maya’s just waking up again, and I’m HOT. Not only did I have a baby on the front of me, I had a Camelbak on the back of me…not a whole lot of breathing space! After this first (real) hike, I realize that a frame backpack is in my immediate future.

I turned on the car to hear the CD player pick up on Toby Lightman singing “Angels and Devils,” and laughed when I realized it’d been stuck in my head the entire hike… walk on, walk on, keep my feet movin’ on…walk on, walk on… How…appropriate, eh?

We wandered around town through the afternoon, and I picked up a pack from REI that actually has space built in for a hydration bladder. Even after all that naptime during the hike (and in the car while running errands), Maya STILL fell asleep in the frame backpack during a test-drive. Yeah, that passes the baby test.