I figured the rainbow was a good sign for the start my hike.
The forecast was for rain, falling temps and then snow. At least the trails would start out dry.
Starting from the South Boulder Creek West trailhead I followed the South Boulder Creek trail to Mesa to Big Bluestem and back to a junction with the Mesa Trail.
I followed the Mesa trail north past NCAR then took off on a series of trails I’d never been on before.
Skunk Canyon is my new favorite trail in the area, but I also put in some mileage on Kohler Mesa and McClintock before hitting the Mesa Trail again. Having hiked some 8-9 miles already it was time to head back. It was also time for the weather to change.
My hike back included a side trip partway up the Fern Canyon trail then a slalom through the North and South Fork Shanahan trails and a few connectors to the Lower Big Bluestem. Wanting just another mile, I hiked uphill on the Big Bluestem to reach a junction I’d been through earlier in the day. And now the snow was really coming down.
Back at the trailhead my GPS app said I’d nearly hiked 17 miles, a respectable training hike for an upcoming marathon.
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