THE FLATIRONS

Recently, I lucked into a 3-day job assignment in Boulder, Colorado. Even though it was February, I decided to spend a few extra days out there. Luckily, Christy was able to join me! I booked her flight separately, using frequent flier miles. I used hotel points for the last three nights of our trip. So, the only real expenses were the additional 3 days for the rental car, dog sitting fees, and our meals and entertainment.

We flew to Denver early on Monday morning. The flight was mostly smooth, although we had to circle the Denver airport for a bit due to a sudden, unexpected snow squall. We picked up coffee and our luggage, got the rental car from Avis, and drove an hour to Boulder. Christy dropped me off at the office where I was working and headed out to explore Boulder.

The first three days of the trip were mostly about work for me. Christy swam laps at the local YMCA the first two days, and also managed to squeeze in a short hike one afternoon despite sub-freezing temperatures. We stayed at a nice Holiday Inn Express on the north side of Boulder, where we were upgraded to a suite for free.

I finished my job early Wednesday afternoon. Christy picked me up, and we stopped at Yellowbelly for a yummy, filling lunch. Afterwards, we drove up into the Flatirons for a warm up hike. Our plan was to hike from Flagstaff Road to Green Mountain. On the map it looked like a fairly short, easy ridgeline hike. That was mostly true, except for the trail conditions. There was a little snow on the ground in Boulder, and more up in mountains above. The Green Mountain Trail was packed snow, but with many icy sections. We hiked only a short distance before putting on our Yaktrax. Even with the Yaktrax, there were numerous stretches that required caution. In particular, the final steep ¼ mile climb was quite treacherous.

The ridge is mostly wooded, but there were several nice views along the way. Most of the views were of Boulder and the plains to the east, but in several places larger mountains were visible to the north and northwest. The summit provided the best view, but the wind was howling there, so we didn’t linger long. I would have liked to explore the Sacred Cliffs to the south, but that area was closed for Peregrine Falcon nesting season.

We considered continuing beyond Green Mountain and making it a loop hike, but the trail down the other side of the peak looked even more treacherous. Our pace had been slow due to the conditions, and we weren’t sure that doing a longer hike was a great idea. As it was, we finished the hike after the sun had dropped behind the mountains to the west.

That evening we had a nice dinner at Fresh Thyme Eatery, which is entirely gluten-free. The wings were amazing, and my vegan chorizo tacos were pretty good, too. Afterwards we drove out to Broomfield to the Holiday Inn Express. This hotel wasn’t nearly as nice as the one in Boulder, but it cost fewer hotel points.

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