About 12:30 I stepped outside for a quick run and —

Wow! I thought I was back in Colorado, from where I had returned the evening before with the itch to hike. There, the overnight lows were already dipping into the upper 40s, the daytime highs in the 70s. Coupled with the state’s trademark dry weather it was perfect hiking weather — much like what I felt when I stepped outside today around 12:30 for a run: High in the low 80s, light breeze, dry air … .

I came back ready to hike in large part due to a 10-mile day hike I took Friday in Rocky Mountain National Park. The area I explored: Lumpy Ridge. I wrote about the hike in Saturday’s post. Today, a quick slide show (keep in mind that the temperature was in the upper ’50s, the aspen were starting to change and fall could not have been more in the air) to jump start your hiking genes as well.

Enjoy!