Breckenridge Part 2

On Tuesday we planned to hike Mohawk Lake. Things unfortunately did not go as planned though. We were confused about where to start the trail, and ended up hiking up a very rough dirt road a ways. After questioning other hikers and calling some family who had done the hike before, we decided that we were going the wrong way. We found the trailhead we had been looking for back at the first parking lot. We decided we didn't have time to do that long of a hike any more that day, so we moved on to some other things.

We decided to head up around a scenic loop up to Loveland Pass. On our way there, we stopped at the Sapphire Point Trail and walked around that loop. There were some really beautiful views along the way.

While at the main overlook, an older couple were feeding sunflower seeds to the squirrels. They gave Austin and Emma some seeds to feed squirrels with as well. We didn't let them feed many to the animals though, since feeding wildlife is something we always avoid. So, instead, our kids ate the seeds themselves. At the end of the hike, Emma said to me, "They forgot to put a see in one of my shells!"

After our short walk around the loop, we continued on to Loveland Pass. We ate lunch in our car here while it rained. The rain mostly stopped when we had finished, so we attempted to hike up the ridge.

The kids only got about a quarter mile up before they were done with the high winds and the cold. Nate went back to the car with them while I hurried up another quarter mile to the top of the ridge so I could see the view from there quick.

The storm clouds obscured the view a lot, but it was nice to see all the same.

After I hurried back, we continued back along the loop toward our hotel. We stopped once more at a scenic overlook dotted with some beautiful color.

After returning to our unit, we went for a swim in the salt water pool. There were some huge windows looking out to the Quandary Peak from the pool. It was a stunning view and I wish I could have captured it with the dramatic lighting it had that afternoon. But alas, I wasn't able to at that point. All I ended up with was this picture taken at another point in time. But the view of the mountains from our location was really awesome. We had a great view even from our unit window.

We returned to Spruce Creek Trailhead Wednesday morning to once again attempt hiking Mohawk Lake. This time we made it! Austin and Emma did awesome considering it was a challenging 7.5 mile hike for them. It was well worth it too...this hike was incredibly beautiful. We saw three gorgeous mountain lakes, witnessed the cascading Continental Falls, and observed the ruins of an old mining establishment...all amid brilliant fall colors!

A Gray Jay at Mayflower Lake

Mayflower Lake

Continental Falls

Continental Falls

Old mining operation equipment

Here we are at Lower Mohawk Lake - only four tenths of a mile more
until Mohawk Lake!

Mohawk Lake was particularly stunning with its deep blue hues. Under its golden ripples large rocks lay visible beneath the clear waters near closest to the shores until they disappeared in the depths of the mountain lake.

We enjoyed these views as we ate our lunch together here.

After lunch, Nate headed back down the trail with the kids while I attempted to go up the trail a short ways further to get a couple more pictures of Mohawk Lake from above.

 

By the time I reached the top of the ridge, I realized I was right next to the next lake...or really pond...along the trail. So, I took a few pictures of it too before turning back to catch up with everyone else.

The pond after Mohawk Lake

After we finally reached our car again, it was pretty late in the afternoon. However, having promised the kids ice cream if they did well hiking, we couldn't go back on our word. So we headed to town to grab everyone an ice cream cone from a fun little shop called Higgles before returning to our unit for dinner.