We have this thing in the mountains called MTO- Mandatory Time Off. I don't know for sure, but I think it stems from when Vail Resorts HQ was in Avon and they encouraged non-mountain employees to work on the mountain during busy holidays. In any case, I love it! It is like an extra 5 days off a year and due to my lack of planning usually amounts to me taking Fridays off in the month of July in an effort to use up my MTO by the end of the fiscal year.
This year, I am taking advantage and planning my hikes for Fridays. This last Friday I decided to head up to the Missouri Gulch Trailhead (just S of Leadville) and summit Missouri Peak. I got a good night's sleep Thurs and woke up at 4am Fri to make a big breakfast and then drive up to the trail (about 1 hour from my house in Minturn). I arrived at the trail at 7:00 am and was greeted by a full parking lot and parked cars on the county road. Nor surprisingy for this time of year as most hikers favor this trail as an access point to Mt. Belford and Oxford (also 14ers that I knocked off last year).
After trekking the common first 1 mi of trail up a series of switchbacks I opted for the right turn on Elkhead Pass Trail towards Missouri while I watched about 100 people scuffle up the switchbacks towards Belford. Sometimes it is nice to break from the crowd. 3 1/4 hours after leaving the trailhead I found myself at the summit overlooking the Continental Divide Trail depsite the haze from wildfires on the western front.
Saturday, I got together with a couple of my girlfriends for a picnic at the local Bravo Music Festival held at the outdoor amphitheater in Vail. It was a perfect evening- sunny, warm, with a slight western breeze. We enjoyed the Philadelphia Philharmonic's rendition of a variety of classical pieces. While I admit that I am not a huge classical fan, I really enjoyed the entire evening and plan on taking advantage of the additonal performances this season.
