Stick Goes to Colorado

[Centennial Trailhead] Red Rocks + Anemone Trail Part 2

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SEP 4, 2024 WED 11:02 am

26c/79f | Partly cloudy | 30% humidity | 6,314 ft highest point |

See part 1 here. I’m back to the same trail as last week to do the whole thing – this time, the plan is to speed through the first half without taking ANY pictures.

Well, things happened… and I took pictures in the first half. It’s not my fault animals and shit appeared!

Parking lot rating

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Well, this time there was a spot right by the entrance of the lot which I scooted into no problem. Didn’t even pay attention to how many were open overall, but it was probably pretty similar to last week. I would not attempt to come here on a weekend day.

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It’s quite a bit cloudier today than last week, when the sky was almost completely clear. I actually enjoy the atmosphere of this “worse” weather, though, as it makes the environment look deep and moody. Since the climate here tends towards sunny days most of the time, I’ve developed a special appreciation for these cloudy moments.

I don’t know how photos like this happen

There’s a magpie hunting for insects along the path. Magpies are corvids: the same family as crows, ravens, and blue jays. They have beautiful iridescent blue feathers, which you can see very well in the following video.

I find it amusing how it scurries quickly as it passes me on the trail.
The greens and blues are very aesthetic.
A reservoir with what looks like a long bridge
Red rocks indeed

I see some movement by a group of boulders on the side of the trail.

Google Lens: Eastern Fence Lizard. The way it makes direct eye contact at the end is kind of chilling.
There are two of them!
They really camouflage well against the granite.
There was also a Steller Jay nearby, but it flew away due to an approaching hiker. I felt kind of embarrassed for being seen filming it, but the guy remarked that they are amazing birds as he passed me.

There’s that weird rock formation again from the beginning of last hike. It looks even better from this angle.

I briefly stop at Reflection Point again to take a halfway break. There are two other people here, each sitting meditatively on their own little boulders.

Moody surroundings, approaching Reflection Point
Looking out over Boulder from Reflection Point
Rain in the distance
Carrying on with the trail
I like this little hill poking up from the valley.
Looking backwards
Bees!
The flowers kept swaying in the wind, making it hard to get good pictures…

As we climb higher, the mountains in the distance reveal themselves. There’s a lot to take in.

Love the way those peaks fade into the sky.
There’s some kind of “facility” on a hill out there.
Raining over the mountains
Looks like a river ran through there at some point?
Boulder Canyon Drive way down below
It’s incredible.
Denver is visible on the horizon.

We’ve reached the apex of this route now: Anemone Point.
Why is it called that?

The viewpoint is up on that hill.
Climbing up the hill and checking out the 360 degree view
There’s another trail visible in the distance that goes all the way up a mountain. I’ll have to find it and hike it sometime.
Looking back on the path we just came up
Rain appears like mist against the hills

There are so many different paths here that I definitely want to check out another time. The look of our immediate surroundings up here gives me the urge to explore, too. After taking in the scenery, we’re headed back down for today.

A patch of dead trees offers glimpses of Boulder behind them
They almost give a Halloween vibe.

Thank you for reading!

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