Pike's Peak or Bust!

The photo is Pike's Peak taken from the visitor center of Garden of the Gods.

Today's plan was to climb Pike's Peak, all 14,110 feet of it. We elected to do it via the cog railway that takes you to the top. The railway has been in existence since 1891. The train travels about 8 mph and portions of the grade are 25%, a 25 foot rise every 100 feet! It is an impressive ride. We did not have reservations and were surprised to find that all trips were booked solid. Fortunately they had sufficient demand to add an extra car and we were able to take the trip. The depot is around 6500 feet above sea level so you experience about a 7600 foot climb to the summit. We traveled through four distinct life zones, saw numerous aspen groves and pine forests, huge granite boulders strewn all about. We were fortunate to see some Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep near the summit. We were informed that one Bristlecone Pine we saw was 2400 years old! We had a fabulous day, weather wise, and could see Denver, Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, The Continental Divide, and The Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We could also see the gold mining region of Cripple Creek and Victor where we had been yesterday.