From our location in Colorado, the eclipse was going to reach around 90% totality at around 11:20 am. We knew we wanted to view the eclipse on a hike, but which hike was the question. The top of a 14er sounded like a good idea, until we thought about it and realized we'd be hanging out on a peak when thunderclouds typically start rolling in. We considered James Peak, but not only is it at 13,000 feet, it's off of I-70 and we wanted to avoid getting stuck in the country's worst traffic jam in history.
Luckily enough, we found the perfect hike to Square Top Lakes. It starts on Guanella Pass, only about 10 miles down Highway 285 from where we live, which allowed us to avoid the interstate and not have to wake up too early. We got to the trailhead by 9:00 am. There were a few cars in the parking lot, but across the road at the Mount Bierstadt trailhead the parking lot was packed.
We had over two hours until the eclipse started, so we took our time on the 2.3 mile trail in and stopped to admire our surroundings.
Luckily enough, we found the perfect hike to Square Top Lakes. It starts on Guanella Pass, only about 10 miles down Highway 285 from where we live, which allowed us to avoid the interstate and not have to wake up too early. We got to the trailhead by 9:00 am. There were a few cars in the parking lot, but across the road at the Mount Bierstadt trailhead the parking lot was packed.
We had over two hours until the eclipse started, so we took our time on the 2.3 mile trail in and stopped to admire our surroundings.
We found a spot above the lake, threw on our glasses and realized the eclipse had already begun!
When the eclipse hit its peak, an early dusk replaced the sunny day and the temperature dropped into the 40s. Then Annie started to whimper. Then bark. We thought maybe she noticed the subtle shift in light, and we told her it was okay. But she kept barking. Kenny looked above us up the hill, and sure enough, there was the culprit: a coyote coming out to feast on the chubby marmots who had been squeaking and sunbathing only minutes earlier.
He hightailed it out of there once he saw us, and then a red-tailed hawk came out for an early dinner.
And Annie was like, "Ugh, you guys never listen to me."
We started to shiver and decided to head back down. We hadn't really known what to expect during a partial eclipse - I thought I might need a headlamp, which was entirely off base. All in all, we had a great hike and got a good reason to stare at the sun. Hoping we make it to the next full eclipse!