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Collegiate Peaks area Kyjen backpacking trip
August 24th, 2010 | 
Author: A few of us at Kyjen did a short backpacking trip last weekend to a beautiful lake in the Collegiate Peaks area of Colorado, outside the town of Buena Vista.
Because the hike was a short 3 miles, we thought it would be no problem to bring some extra gear and good food. Boy were we wrong! Several of our packs weighed over 60 pounds making for a tough hike both ways. It did not help that we also had to carry some extra kids gear with us too.
While camping at around 11,000 feet, several of us froze at night as we did not have adequate tents or sleeping bags. Despite warm sunny day time temperatures of 75, the night time temperature dropped to 38 degrees.
We caught and ate wonderful fresh poached trout (just cooked with water in a pan with some lemon salt added). Not the slightest bit fishy tasting, even those that were skeptical to try it loved it!
One problem though… we were so busy having fun, we forgot to take enough pictures! But, enjoy the few here that we did take. And don’t forget to plan a trip to Colorado before you die!
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New Dog Exercise Toy! Exercise your dog even when you don’t have the time to Get Out and Play!
When you are planning outings to “get out and play”, make sure your dog is in shape and ready to go!
With our new Tail Teasers, you can exercise your dog almost anywhere and anytime! (Even when you can hardly get yourself off the couch…) Remember, dogs need daily exercise to stay fit. Also, a tired dog is not likely to participate in destructive behavior.
About the Toy . . .
This is an innovative, one piece design comprised of a flexible rod encased in a woven nylon cord. The joint is reinforced by a durable rubber collar. Therefore, super durable! Check it out!
Don’t forget to order yours online today!
Herman Gulch Lake hike 1.5 hours from Denver
A few of us, and McMoose, participated in a hike this past weekend to Herman Gulch Lake. This hike is about 90 minutes from Denver, right off highway I-70 just past Georgetown and right before Loveland Ski Area and the Eisenhower tunnel.
This 7 mile hike is fairly difficult, you’ll be breathing hard as you hike up this trail with almost no switchbacks. We also found this trail to be quite popular, as we heard it is listed in some of the more popular hiking books. It was also the weekend during peak summer in late June.
As you will see from the pictures below, the rewards in terms of scenery at the end of the hike make it worth the tough workout hiking uphill.
We met two amazing folks hiking 3,100 miles (the entire Continental Divide Trail) this weekend!
At the end of our hike to Herman Gulch Lake we were very fortunate to run into an amazing couple trekking on a 7 month, 3,100 mile hike, for cancer. They are hiking the entire Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada!
See their web site blog here: http://cancerhike.com/
They are amazing people. Both kind and a pleasure to talk to. On average, these two are hiking 22 miles per day! Wow!
You can make a donation to their cause too! Kyjen just made one!
Dog backpacks remind dogs of their importance, proven to prevent run-away dog problem too!
At Kyjen, we design and create Outward Hound backpacks. We have always believed in the benefits of dogs wearing a backpack. Dogs aim to please their people. By wearing a backpack they can assist in everyday tasks… Even if the job consists of carrying your kids’ books to the bus stop!
We discovered an interesting article this week. Some claim that by wearing a dog backpack, it can prevent dogs from running away! Could this be true? This is a good read if you know of any runaway dogs: http://thethreedogblog.com/how-to-stop-dogs-running-away-cheap-dog-backpacks.html
Mount Antero- our first Colorado 14er hike
Colorado has 53 peaks that are over 14,000 feet in elevation. These are popular peaks for avid hikers and are often referred to as “14ers”. Read more about the Colorado 14ers here.
Since we have dogs, we prefer to do easier and more forested hikes along streams, rivers or lakes. Recently, we decided to finally conquer a 14er (Side note: we got snowed out half way up our first 14er attempt last September!).
We hiked Mount Antero in the Collegiate range outside of Buena Vista. It was a tough 8 hour hike, with almost no breaks (we assumed it would take us about 5 hours). McMoose could not make it up the last section near the top due to rocky ledges that we thought would be unsafe for a dog.
Enjoy the pictures though! Then get out and play with your dog!
Lake Hike near Buena Vista Colorado
We took this hike on one of the longest days of the year in June. We did not leave the trail head until almost 6 PM. The hike is to Cow Lake, 6 miles below the top of Cotttonwood Pass near Buena Vista, Colorado. It was a bit less than 6 miles, and well worth it! We saw a beaver in the beaver ponds (missed getting a picture of it), walked along a stream for a good portion of the hike, and had many more spectacular views along the way. We only had about 30 minutes at the lake in order to get back to our car before dark. But in that short period, I caught two nice-sized trout. Enjoy these pictures!
After work Glacier hike mid-June about an hour from Denver!
Yesterday after work, a few of us participated a mid-June hike. This hike to St. Mary’s Glacier is only about 50 miles west of Denver and is only about a mile long. Check out the scenery in the pictures below. Also, see the photo below of the fish Mike caught- we think it’s an endangered greenback cutthroat trout. He was released back into the wild after we took a quick picture of him. The greenback is the only trout native to Colorado!
