Did a small backpack along the eastern-most section of the Colorado Trail. Technically the trail terminus is at the end of Waterton Canyon - the last 6 miles follow an old RR grade that is now a oft used walking/biking gravel pathway (and doubles as limited access road to the Strontia Springs Reservoir and dam). It is currently closed with C19 restrictions, but that wasn't a concern as we've walked and biked this before and its not all that great. So we took a 'bypass' route for those miles heading up from Roxborough SP past Carpenter Pk and then joined the CT just past Waterton canyon where the CT really begins as a hiking trail.
Heading up the front range from Roxbourogh SP - if you look closely you can just make out the skyline of Denver in the background. The red rocks are the Fountain Formation - same as at Red Rocks amphitheater a bit to the north and some of what is in Garden of the Gods to the south a ways:
Jen at the top of Carpenter Pk (a somewhat non-descript little bump along the front range ridge).
As many of you know, the Rampart range is most uniquely characterized by the prominent loose, red gravel (known as grus) of the Pikes Peak/South Platte Granite. Its often a hot, dusty, dry range that isn't high enough to get much snow, and surface water tends to percolate down through the permeable gravel. Often the area doesn't have much lush vegetation...so we were surprised to find amazing lush meadows and old homestead pastures after passing carpenter peak.
After camping the night at Bear Creek - we experienced the more traditional dry conditions expected in the Rampart/South Platte region, but had excellent views of the Mt Evans massive most of the day.
And one last view of the Strontia Springs Reservoir and dam....most people never see this reservoir and there is no public access to it. You can hike down a mile or two from the west along the old RR grade from from the S Platte river road, but access on to the reservoir is not permitted. The section of river flowing into the res is good whitewater, but you have to carry your kayak back out along the old RR grade. There was also great whitewater that is now buried under the res...some old guidebooks and stories about people 'poaching' it the last couple years as the dam was being built to get claim as the last person to run it.
I love to travel to amazing places, but sometimes it good to remember that Colo has some amazing stuff literally in our backyard...We started this trip literally 30 min from our house in urban Denver.