| Lookout Mountain lies west of Fort Collins, high up along
Buckthorn Road near Pingree Park. From its summit, you can see Estes
Park to the south, the Never Summer Range to the west, the Medicine Bow
Mountains to the North, and Greyrock and Ft Collins to the west.
For all of these reasons it is aptly named. I have made five trips to the
area, and made it to the summit three times. The first trip was with
Chuck in June of 1997. We had very little trouble getting up there,
and the weather was very nice. The second trip was with Mark Ellsaesser
in July of 1997. We had planned on camping out near the trailhead
in an aspen grove. Before setting up camp, we rode our bikes up two
miles of rocky logging road to the trailhead, then cruised back down at
breakneck speeds. Mark hit a bump, went airborn, and came down on
his side, rolling. Blood welled up on his body in profusion, and
his bike was ruthlessly mangled. His helmet cracked into two pieces
and part of it was found several yards away. The trip ended abruptly
with me driving Mark back to Poudre Valley Hospital. The third trip
was made by Dave Burns and I in April of 1999. The weather had been
warm and snowless in Ft. Collins for weeks, so we were caught unprepared
for the feet of snow which lay up near the mountain. Without proper
attire, we abandoned the trail after less than half an hour. The fourth
trip was with Andra and Frank in July of 1999. We ran into very bad weather.
It got cold and wet and we spent almost no time at the summit because of
it. The fifth trip was with Dave Burns in October 1999, and was the
last hike we took together before he moved to NY. Frank went along.
Once again, the weather wasn't too nice, but although it was cloudy, it
did not precipitate. |
The only good weather ever encountered at the summit,
June 1997.
Continental Divide in the background. Sam in the foreground.
The view from my napping rock into Estes Park to the
south.
Lots of dead pines on the mountain top. Lightning? Old
age?
On the trail with Chuck Hostetler, June 1997. Look at
those aspen!
Mark's bike accident on July 4th, 1997.
The trail to the summit is heavily wooded with aspen.
Dave and Frankie at the summit in October 1999.
Dave and I on Lookout Mountain, October 1999
|