The Pike’s Peak Hazing. Colorado day 2, part 1

Sigh

Due to some wildfires, the whole day was a hazy shade of yuk.

This is what today looks like on top of my favorite mountain, Pike’s Peak.

Fortunately, I have pictures from the previous two years at Pike’s. This is what it is supposed to look like (2010 picture)

 

There is snow in today’s picture which was GREAT. Last year, we saw maybe one patch of snow and Pike’s was a dust bowl. The moral of this story…it really doesn’t matter what the weather or conditions, I love Colorado.

Instead of hazy pictures of scenery, how about two interesting events?

This guy is a soldier training to go to Afghanistan. He climbed up the whole thing starting at daylight. That’s 6,000 to 14,000 ft. He asked if he could catch a ride down on the cog rail and we were honored to accommodate him. He was carrying 65lbs on his back in preparation for the terrain and elevation of his next tour.

 

Next…donuts.

Now, this is something I had never thought about in previous visits when I saw the counters full of donuts. High altitude means difficulty baking. Ever see the “high altitude” directions on a box of cake mix? Baking can be very difficult, but at 14,000ft, it can be impossible.

Food Network’s show Unwrapped did a spotlight on the Summit House Donuts at the top of Pike’s Peak. Their recipe can ONLY be made at high altitude so this is the only place in the world to get these. And I must say, they are outstanding.

The Cog Railway.

This is the other way to see the summit if you don’t want to drive or hike. I’m not sure about all the details, but I know this little car can go up a mountain and at one point, the first car is 3 stories higher than the last car. There are only 3 cars connected in one rail train. So yeah, we were going straight up.

After we came down, we had to hit the road to Telluride. So far, other than the haze which hurts my little photographer heart, this trip is off to an outstanding start.