Wheeler Peak

Today was the day to drive to the top of Wheeler Peak road--about 12 miles from the campground. But first coffee and breakfast! I made a scrambled egg concoction with mushrooms, red bell peppers, onions, and pepper Jack cheese. Yum.

The drive took longer than I thought. I passed all the overlooks and kept heading up. At about 9000', I started seeing snow patches along the road, and in the shade. The parking lot is at 10k feet. It was definitely cooler up there! The trailhead to summit Wheeler Peak was there. It takes about 10 hours, round trip. I opted to walk further down the road, which was closed to cars. There is a campground there, but it's closed. I went about 1/2 a mile and decided to head back as I was worried about my knees. It was a nice leg stretch, nonetheless.

On the way down, I did stop at all the viewing areas. It's really a treat to be this close to the top of mountain--without having to climb it!Read more