It was sometime in late June when the realization hit me. I had lived in a Colorado mountain town my entire life and I had never invested in a pair of hiking boots. I figured the dent in my budget would soon be worth it with all the hikes I was going to embark on this summer.

So here before you I write, successfully having conquered many a trail in the beautiful mountains of Summit County (and beyond). Hiking has been one of the best things I have stuck to this summer as it has brought me so much closer to the roots of the land I live on. I just have to share with you all the wonderful places I have journeyed to this summer even if they are just steps outside of my front door.

Here are some of the most beautiful, fun and over-all wonderful trails I blazed this summer. Though I did not reach my goal of summiting a fourteener this summer, I will continue working to that in the (hopefully) near future.

The Flower Valley

(Upper Straight Creek)

This trail is more than appropriately named as the flowers in mid-June were absolutely breathtaking. This hike was positively my favorite of the summer. Hiking down from a valley up to this beautiful Ridgeline was incredible, especially since I had no idea what sort of view I was in for. I had no idea that a hike that started by Eisenhower Tunnel and the rush of cars on the interstate was going to lead me up to these incredible views (and Loveland Ski Area!).

A flower that baffled fellow hikers and I. It looked so similar to a bluebell but was just a bit too purple and closely structured. Luckily there's a guide a for alpine flowers! This one turned out to be the Sky Pilot orPolemonium viscosum (Flower guide!)

And here was a Marmot that was quite curious about these hikers treading by on a skinny trail on the edge of a mountain! He almost got away before I could take a picture!

Loveland Pass

4:30 am

We begin the drive up Loveland Pass in the hopes of catching a glimpse of some sort of sunrise.

5:45 am

We reach the perfect spot to lay down blankets, unscrew thermoses of coffee and eat some breakfast. The sun then rises creating an spectacular, vivid display of light and color.

A tiny pika visits us in a pile of rocks at the top of our hike. This little guy has the best view on the market and he doesn't have to pay a penny!It was pretty dark and I was not about to lay on my stomach in the dewy, cold wildflowers to take this, so this picture is nothing short of a miracle.

That little mound of a mountain was the true summit but we decided to stop at this spot so we could settle in before the sunrise. I'm quite ashamed to say this hike beat me up pretty badly altitude wise. I was pretty much screaming the whole way up about how much my lungs were burning.

Just another picture, slightly further on in the rise. After the sun rose completely, we headed down the trail and decided to grab a giant breakfast at the local spot "Sunshine Cafe." How fitting.

Mayflower Gulch

This hike was actually one of the easier ones I had the good fortune of hiking. There was a fork to take me up onto a Ridgeline instead of in this quaint little valley, but I respected my parents protests and stuck with them and the pups.This trail was the host of copious amounts of dogs! I mean they were everywhere. This German Shorthaired Pointer joined me right as I came out of the predominately forested trail and onto this gulch meadow.

I think my favorite aspect of this hike was the small, abandoned cabin that called this gulch a foundation.

And this view of the backside of Copper was phenomenal.

Angler Mountain Trail

I'm sure this trail would be even more awesome in early July, but it was quite a good early August hike as well. Lots of flora was present but no longer in bloom. The coolest thing about this hike would have to be the little signs along the trail identifying the many plants of Summit County. This hike was heavily travelled by super photogenic bees as well, so that was definitely a test of my courage.

P.S. We would have made it the whole 2.5 miles (that's nothing!) if it weren't for the rain!

The view was totally worth it! This hike featured a pretty steep, consistent incline in such a short distance, so it was a great workout! Power lines blocked the prettiest view...thank God I can see past imperfections.

Old Lake Dillon

This hike is by far the shortest hike I've done, probably ever. However, because of its short length, fewer people walk this trail (let alone know about it.) I may be a bit biased since this trail is the only one I had hiked before and its got a few childhood memories attached to it, but it's still a cool find in reference to Dillon's history.

This hike leads up to one of the best views of Lake Dillon in the county. There's a small bench right at the top of this trail that allows one to munch on an apple and attempt to comprehend the beauty of this county. Behind me is a small lake, now with a road round the edge as opposed to the lakeside habitat that once existed there.

This hike was also great because of my dear friend, Lily. We ended up going far beyond the trail onto some unknown dirt road that lead us to a precarious edge overlooking Silverthorne. We couldn't help but feel like this deserted trail to a satellite tower station was a bit like the setting for a horror flick.

Baker's Tank

Though known first as a mountain biking trail, this was a trail that took me and fellow hikers deep into the forest off of Boreas Pass. I absolutely love forested hikes. However, we didn't make it to the end of the path. (This one was a bit spontaneous and we just happened upon this trail so one couldn't expect us to be very prepared.)

Look how beautiful and green! I adore forests, though my father and I couldn't help but comment on how great of a "Hunger Games" arena this would be. This trail also provided us with some pretty nifty, natural furniture. It was quite the comfy rest stop. When will Mother Nature release this product line? I'm sure these chairs would be in high demand.

From hikes through meadows and forests, on ridges and in valleys, I will never regret my summer splurge on a simple pair of hiking boots. Those shoes took me further than I've dared to venture before and gave me a summer I will never forget and will likely repeat for years to come.