Flattop Mountain & Hallett Peak  
Though only a 10 mile round-trip, this is a challenging hike as you gain 3,238 feet in altitude to end at an elevation of 12,713 feet.  For people who live at sea-level, this can easily bring on symptoms of altitude sickness.  Luckily we had a couple days to acclimatize in Denver before attempting the hike.  The real challenge on the day was the weather.  There was a howling headwind, making the climb much for difficult and causing the temperature to plummet.  We met many hikers who'd turned around ... but we donned our fleece and wind-breakers and carried on to the top.  

Andy's watch records the elevation (in meters).  Below you can find our progress mapped against the time, and follow the "photographs" link at the bottom of this page to see the views.

Chasm Lake
This is an 8.4 mile hike gaining 2,360 feet in altitude and ending at 11,760 feet in elevation.  You reach it from an off-shoot of the trail leading to the famed Longs Peak, but Chasm Lake is a much safer option!  However we did fall victim to the frequent thunderstorms that come to badger Longs Peak in the afternoon, and found ourselves racing down to the tree line immediately upon reaching our destination.  (Three hikers had already died this year from falling accidents on Longs Peak... and that doesn't count deaths from lightening strikes.) 

Andy's watch records the elevation (in meters).  Below you can find our progress mapped against the time, and follow the "photographs" link at the bottom of this page to see the views.

Photographs