Denver Seminary

This comes from Robert Jones:

Mt. Antero is named after a Native American chief of the Unitah Nation and sits in the southern portion of the Sawatch Range. Antero is more famous among gem collectors than it is among mountaineers. The mountain is well known for producing topaz gems, aquamarines and quartz crystals. While it was great to get out on the side this mountain, it was discouraging to see the 4x4 trails and prospecting sites cut into the side of such magnificence.

The high alpine flowers are just starting to come to life with the arrival of warmer longer summer days above tree line. There are not many more beautiful sites on the planet than an alpine meadow bursting forth with color and life.

Here is a view of large meadow at the base of Antero’s western side. Had the weather permitted, I would have enjoyed spending just a little time soaking up some of the splendor of this place.

Approximately 14,000 and nearing the top.

The Wayward Bottle on top of Mt. Antero at 14,269 feet! As you can see over my left shoulder the clouds were rolling in and Mother Nature was getting ready to serve the mountain a bowl of soup (foul weather). By the time we reached tree line on the descent it was raining and the summit was socked-in and snowing on top. We passed several folks heading to the summit (some wearing cotton!), and I have been wondering how these folks fared. I hope they were able to get off the mountain safely.

It was a great day to meet and hike with several people. The various personalities mixing in with the personality of the mountain made for a very fine day of fellowship and laughter. And to round the day out, we are able to catch a ride with “Mike,” an MBA student in Denver. It was raining hard and none of us felt like forging Baldwin Creek and hiking the remaining three miles off the mountain, so we all jumped in Mike’s Tacoma pickup truck and bounced our way back to civilization. My internal organs may have been bruised in the process, but I appreciated the ride.