Orient Mine & Sunset
In the morning I woke up and decided to do some morning photography. I grabbed my stuff and quietly left the cabin a little after 7am. I started heading to the bat caves, which I didn't think was too far away. About an hour and a half later, 2 miles, and 700+ feet in elevation gain, I made it to the bat caves on an empty stomach in the freezing cold with no water. I wouldn't recommend doing that again without being prepared, but it was a pretty gorgeous hike and very peaceful that early in the morning in the middle of winter.
4 mi
2.5 hrs
9,414 ft
768 ft
Snowy Path
The path was pretty snowy. The first half of it was snow packed and not too bad for tennis shoes. The second half was a little looser and harder to hike without the proper shoes. But I made it.
Small Ridge
This formation reminded me a lot of the Devil's Backbone trail that is in Loveland.
Orient Mine Cave
This is the opening that was created during a mine collapse.
Over the Ridge
The lighting in the morning provided spectacular photos of the Western slope.
The Valley
There was a huge valley separating the two mountain ranges.
Animal Tracks
The hillsides were covered in animal tracks. If any of these animals were dangerous, I'm sure they could have gotten me pretty easily.
Sunny Day
It turned out to be a pretty nice day, considering the night before being pretty cold.
Bridge
In the evening, Katie and I walked along one of the trails and found this bridge by one of the hot springs.
Frosty
I loved the way the frost crystals grew on this pile of snow.
Bright
I had Katie staring directly into the sun. I don't think I got any spectacular photos of her but I thought I'd share this one.
Boring Mountains
The sun set behind the worst spot in the mountain range. The Mountains look pretty much flat. I guess we'll have to come back a different time of year when the sun sets in a different spot.
As the Sun Set
Soaking Pond
This was one of the several hot springs that they had.
