Friday, February 25, 2011
Watery Horsethief Park
One of my favorite hikes last summer was to Horsethief Park, which is on the western side of Pikes Peak (the opposite side from Colorado Springs). It's named because it's where horse thieves used to hide out in the days of the Old West. On this day, there had been some rain the previous night, making for some lovely reflections.
The trail travels up a valley near a creek, and at one point the land opens up and a beaver dam (on the left side of this photo) creates a pond.
This area is wet enough that moss survives, not a common thing in this part of Colorado.
If you continue up by the creek, the trail splits in two. A long climb to the right heads up to the wonderful Pancake Rocks, but that's not where I headed this time. Instead I followed the shorter trail to The Falls.
As I continued, I marveled at the wonder of nature around me, including this tree branch.
The views across the valley were terrific.
Finally I reached the waterfall, more of a cascade down a slab of rock.
This is one of my favorite places to hike, and I try to head up there a couple of times each summer. You may find more hiking photos from around the world at the Scenic Sunday meme.
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Such beautiful shots. I would visit Colorado Springs every summer as a kid--it was and still is one of my favorite places--always beautiful, summer or winter.
ReplyDeleteMickie
Looks like a beautiful place to hike. Thanks. For sharing some green.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great looking place, Al! Love the green, the waterfalls and lovely skies! Hope you have a great weekend! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
Gorgeous hiking grounds indeed, and what a rich history to boot. Those hills could definitely tell a few interesting tales!
ReplyDeleteawesome shots
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read that you don't have much moss. We could export some to you if you want!
ReplyDeleteLovely shots - I can see why you revisit.
Beautiful shots!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a lovely hike. I'm ready to get back into the mountains but I think it will be quite a while until my Sierra is free of snow.
ReplyDeleteWow, nature is so amazing. I love all the details you capture!
ReplyDeleteHi Al
ReplyDeletemi piace molto la foto n° 3
Ciao Myriam :)
Belle serie et cela donne envie d'aller faire une promenade, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteRemember, Every Friday, The Challenge "Walk In The Street Photography"
Did the thieves steal beatiful women too? I don't like to stay out in the forest with unwshed and unshaven smelly men. LOL
ReplyDeleteYour images always transport me to a place of quiet and beauty :-)
ReplyDeleteW
ReplyDeleteO
W
Extraordinary pictures, and I just love all of them!! :)
The moss is so lovely! We have a lot of moss in my country.. But I just haave to admire it each and every time I see it..
:)
It must be a beautiful place to hike; you certainly found a lot of photo ops there!
ReplyDeleteThat first photo is SO inspiring--and the last one of the waterfall is breathtaking...both fill my eyes.
ReplyDeleteFrom the first photo of a small puddle to ending up with the final pic where water cascaded against the rocks completed this photo story too. I thought it was cool sequence of events captured in the moment.
ReplyDelete