B-17 Crash Site

Its mid-August which means heat in Colorado. That typically means hiking up high in elevation where it's cooler to beat that heat. So when we were planning out our weekend hike, that's where we were looking. But the weather up high had chances of thunderstorms on both days this weekend which isn't great for hiking (let alone safe). However, the weather has been extremely mild for this time of year the past week, so we thought we could get away with hiking a little lower in elevation. With the chance of rain still being present, we had to pick something where we would be below the treeline, but we could still enjoy the hike even if it was cloudy.

Hiking to the B-17 Crash site that starts at the Colorado Mountain Campus seemed like a good fit. We've done this hike once before in 2022 and I've always wanted to go back. This hike doesn't have spectacular views or a nice lake, but instead some rusty metal. When we were there last in 2022, it was fully sunny, making photographing metal things difficult. So since it was going to be overcast with a slight chance of showers and moderate temperatures, this seemed like a good day to do it. It's also 6 miles, a further distance than Katie has hiked since her accident, but a moderate elevation gain of around 1,200 feet. That distance and elevation combination meant we could push her in distance without pushing her overall since the elevation gain was less.

The weather was nearly perfect for the hike. It was low 60's when we started with a slight breeze and overcast skies. At the crash site, we put on our jackets because we weren't moving and the breeze was a little chilly, but it was overall still quite nice for me to photograph and for Katie resting and lounging while I was finishing up. On the way down, the sun came out and started to get a little warm, ending the hike in the low 70's. Overall, we couldn't have asked for better hiking weather. It was overcast for when we were at the crash site for perfect lighting and we didn't sweat too much.