Standing tall at 14,115 feet, Pikes Peak is one of the ‘fourteeners’ of the Rockies – this was to be, quite literally, the ‘pinnacle’ of our hiking boot camp! Driving from Boulder to Colorado Springs, with Rockies stretching alongside the highway – Colorado has really impressed us with its untamed beauty! We slowed down for a closer look at the planes taking off and landing at the US Air Force Academy – and then, first things first – lunch!! About an hour before we reached Pikes Peak, our GPS led us to a charming little mall – with a number of upscale restaurants and boutiques. We ate some excellent burgers at ‘Bad Daddy’ – and then a little retail therapy at a Lululemon outlet. Of course, Lululemon has been trending for a while now, but I could never bring myself to spend that kind of money on tights, of all things!! Tried them on at the store, though, and oh, heaven, I’m a believer!! Now, I’m not going to say how much we spent – let’s just say that these tights are easily the most expensive piece of clothing I’ve ever owned!!

Taking advantage of the road that goes right up to the summit, we decided to ‘summit’ first, and hike later.  The 19 mile Pikes Peak toll road is an absolute feat of engineering, with precarious hair-pin curves and heart-stopping switchbacks – almost no guard rails, or shoulders – and gorgeous, gorgeous views!! There’s also a cog-rail that runs up to the summit, and although we have ridden more than our fair share of cog-rails, I was still a little disappointed that they were closed for renovation. Straight to the summit, got our ‘must-have’ pictures – including a great shot of a Cat hard-at-work!! What can I say – that yellow runs deep in our blood!! The temperature had dropped almost 20 degrees and it was a brisk 50degF at the summit – good thing we had brought along our coats!!

Touristy part of the day checked off – now for the hiking. We drove down the mountain to the 16 mile checkpoint – very evocatively named the ‘Devil’s Playground’! We were soon off to a good start – the plan was to walk to the top, and then take the shuttle back to the parking lot. Well, it was much easier said than done! I hadn’t anticipated the trail being so narrow, and so steep, and so, so very close to the cliff’s edge. While Ajey and Manasi could climb steadily, my Asics were slipping and sliding all over the place, keeping me uneasily off-balance.And then – we paused for a water break, and I sat down with my back to the mountain, the valley opening up like a chasm beneath my feet. Ok, I’m done! At this point, I was fighting to hold onto my shredded nerves – and I’m going to blame it on the oxygen deprivation and altitude sickness – I had to get off that mountain, like, right now!! Fortunately, Ajey is a rock of calm and reason – and he managed to flag down a shuttle headed down to the parking lot – and that was it, Day 3 of our hiking had come to an abrupt end.

Our last day in Colorado was meant to be a leisure day – downtown Denver, shopping, lunch. But to make up for our lost day, we decided to put in one more hike, a moderate one that would leave us with enough time for an evening in downtown Denver. There are so many trails to choose from in the Denver area – we finally decided on the Beaver Brook and Chavez trails. Compared to the rugged, wind-swept Pike Peak, this felt almost like a nature walk – a gentle trail through the woods. It was still quite a hike, though, plenty of ups and downs, and we were scrambling over rocks at one point. We didn’t see too many people here, and it was a really good way to end our hiking bootcamp! And we managed to get in some of our fun jumping pictures, as well!!

Last evening in Colorado, and finally, Denver downtown!! While looking fora souvenir shop, we found ourselves literally, in the heart of downtown – 16th Street Mall. The entire 16th street is dotted with restaurants and upscale stores – withe cobblestones, and cafes with outdoor sitting, this street had a very European appeal. As we sat down for dinner in a Mexican restaurant, we could have been back in France, enjoying a cool evening outdoors. The Colorado State Capitol building is where I wanted to go – I wanted to get a picture with the ‘Mile-High’ plaque, exactly a mile above sea level. Well, I was expecting a  plaque, but didn’t realize that the sign was just a carving on one of the steps of the Capitol building – almost impossible to see in the dark. Oh, well!

It was back at the Denver airport next morning, early next morning for what we hoped was an early flight back to Chicago. Delays, and further delays – our 6am flight actually left at 1pm – making for a really really long day. Still, what an absolutely wonderful vacation! I don’t know who was more surprised – Ajey or me – that I actually didn’t chicken out, and kept up on all the hikes! What can I say, the mountains were calling!! We’ll be back, Colorado!!