Squaw Mountain

«We have ways of getting you to the summit,» said my high school pal with a smile and wink, who insisted it was an easy, 2-​hr hike up Chief Mountain.
Bad News: Chief Mountain was closed on Memorial Day because of too much snow.
Good News: We didn’t know it until after we thought we’d hiked to the top.
«Damn, the trail head must be here somewhere,»…“hmmm, ah… the hell with it. Let’s just bushwack this and go straight up.“
And, we did. My high school pal and two other intrepid Boulder locals revealed to me that it had been 5 years since they’d done this «hike,» and they couldn’t exactly remember where trail head was located.
The consensus of the group: start climbing. OY! It was steep, even traversing. My Chicago wind and stamina didn’t fail me, but oh, boy, did I ever feel it. I wasn’t gasping but I was … well… sucking wind big time.
It was beautiful, too. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. There were birds everywhere. I saw a Blackbird, a Cormorant, an Oriole, a handful of crows, doves, ducks, geese, hawks, a grouse, a Great Blue Heron, a hummingbird, a mountain pelican and a woodpecker.
We saw jackrabbits, squirrels, deer, scampering pikas, two wily foxes, and we were pretty sure we saw elk in the distance. The skunk: meant to be smelled and not seen.
There were running streams and snow drifts. There was a hearty breeze that dried my sweat, which became profuse toward the top as we covered a jagged boulder field on all fours.
The Summit: 11,800. Views of the front range, Mt. Evans, Pikes Peak, and the plains.
Perfection and supreme exhaustion.
We ate p&j sandwiches, and oranges. We took pictures and relaxed. We marveled at how simple, cleansing, and energizing a thrill knocking yourself out can be.
We were exhausted. We chose to walk down the fire road we found off the back of the summit. We walked down a bit and saw the sign: «Squaw Mountain, Summit: 11,800.»
Ha! We weren’t even on Chief Mountain and my local pals didn’t even know it.
If you want to walk up the back fire roads rather than macho out like we did, here’s where to find the SQUAW MOUNTAIN trail head location:
From the intersection of CO-​74 (Evergreen Parkway) and CO-​103 (Squaw Pass Road), go west for approximately 12 miles. Just after you pass the turnoff to Echo Mountain Ski Area, there is a dirt road on the left side of the main road. Park here or, if the parking area is filled, continue up the hill and park at the intersection with the old Squaw Pass road. You will have to hike back down the old Squaw Pass road to meet the other road.
Got that?