After a decidedly subpar cross race on Saturday, I needed a break from two wheels and wanted to explore one of my favorite trails during this year’s peak foliage weekend.

We left at 6:30 am in an attempt to beat the leaf peeping crowds, which was moderately successful. Luckily nobody seemed to mind being greeted by an overly friendly Golden Retriever. The hike started at the Hessie Trailhead just outside of Nederland, a little over an hour from Denver. Hessie is an old mining townsite at 9,000 feet so I believe we got up to around 10,000 feet when we made it to Lost Lake.

I’ve created a gallery below that shows today’s hike, as well as a few snaps from the last time we were at Hessie for a snowshoe day in March. Quite a contrast! Colorado has a way of keeping life interesting.