A Hike with Paul

Paul rarely consents to hike with me, much preferring to walk by himself so he can enjoy the solitude.  But tonight was different; tonight we did a short but fun hike up to the summit of Bald Mountain, a nearby picnic and scenic area with a "spectacular panorama of the Great Plains and the Continental Divide."

Here's the view south towards the Flatirons, Flagstaff Mountain and Bear Peak.

And here we're looking east towards the plains.    

As we neared the summit Paul took off charging up the hill!  Okay, I agree, he can hike faster than me!

By the time I caught up with him he had found a perch from which to watch the sun setting near the Continental Divide. 

 We did the one mile loop twice, marveling at how the sky kept changing as the sun continued to set below the mountains.

On the way down we got a reward besides the scenery -- a small herd of deer crossed directly in front of us.  As much as I'm not crazy about seeing them in our neighborhood, it's thrilling to run across a wild herd while hiking.  

They were certainly pretty as the headed up the mountain under the moonlit sky.

Besides the exercise and the scenery, the hike encouraged us to talk more freely and closely than we have in a while.  Seems easier to chat and catch up when you're doing things together and I really appreciated spending an hour with Paul outside on this beautiful evening.