BerryPicker, Hanging Lake, and a Hike with Dad

A few days in Jess and I hiked up Berrypicker trail to the summit of Vail Mountain. We were the only people headed up, it seemed. A crisp 3000ft elevation increase over about 3mi. Moving again felt good. I did not take pictures at the summit due to the fact that the summit of Vail mountain is covered in buildings and lifts. I did, however, take pictures of the journey up, which only lasted 2 hours. It was a joyous time.

This summer has been an unusually wet one in Vail. Rainstorms rolled through for roughly half of the three weeks I spent in the valley, though only a couple days were completely rained out. The storms combined with our lack of a car made traveling a bit rough. Biking and hiking were our sole modes of transport. Luckily the area is full of bike trails and hiking opportunities are literally everywhere.

The second hike of note is the notorious Hanging Lake, which is a short hike (~2mi) up what is basically a staircase. I think the vertical was near 1500ft. The heavily traveled path is well-worn and full of hikers. It is overall a simple hike which leads to a confusingly beautiful location.

Dad flew into Denver two weeks after I got to Vail. Another joyous experience. Jess and I joined him on a hike to Booth Lake, which is north of Vail. The trail head itself is just across the highway from the resort, but due to a crowded parking lot we were forced to park about a mile down the highway and bushwhack our way in. Though we didn't make it all the way to the lake, it was worth the effort. Most activities out there seem to be worth the effort.

So we hiked up a ravine onto a ridge, followed the ridge to it's end, and more or less slid down a slope to the actual trail head. From there we hiked about halfway to our destination before turning around. I have some pictures from there that I can't upload yet. Later.

Overall the Vail Valley is a great place. I will be back. Today I am seated in Denver International Airport on my way to Seattle and Bellingham, WA before heading into the Montana wilderness.