Herman Gulch, summer version

A little over two years ago, I attempted to snowshoe Herman Gulch. I only made it about 1 mile in before I had to turn around due to deep snow. It was beautiful and I made a mental note to return in the summer. It took me entirely too long but today I decided to revisit the hike. Summertime in the Rockies is fantastic; the mountains are a chilly escape from the hot, Denver days. The snow-melt makes the landscape lush and green, and causes wildflowers to burst into bloom. It is my favorite time of year. The nights in Denver are cool and dry and the sunsets are always on fire.

 The hills were littered with clusters of Columbine

 Crossing a bit of snow near the top; hike started at about 58 degrees and was about 45 degrees at the lake at the top.

 Small lake near the top before the final, large lake.

 The most perfect Columbines

 Shooting star flower

This might be my new favorite summertime hike!