Cooler temperatures and clear blue skies make September a great month to get out and get active in Rocky Mountain National Park. And with seasonal closures looming, the window for fun is narrowing.

Most seasonal campgrounds will be open through September 25; however, Glacier Basin will close after this Monday. Those with thick skin and warm sleeping bags can continue camping at the Moraine Park, Timber Creek and Longs Peak campgrounds all year long.

Trail Ridge Road is expected to remain open until October, unless early snowstorms yield overly hazardous conditions.

For more information, head to coloradoan.com.

There’s something about the first day of school. The air smells differently, I think. Fresher and cleaner, full of potential.

Seems ironic, then, that instead of hiking or biking or just being outside, we students instead tromp indoors to closed classrooms to hear about syllabuses and schedules. Alas.

This year, however, as a Master’s student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, I got up early to get outside before the school day began. Hiking Mount Sanitas in the early morning helped both to settle my nerves and center my mind, preparation measures equally important as buying books and registering for class. I recommend some sort of heart-thumping activity to anyone feeling tense about looming tests.

To those of you who won’t be smiling at new friends and yawning up at new professors this fall, my message is the same: get outside. Whether it’s for a trek, a hike, a walk or a stroll... even if it’s only ambling down the driveway to pick up the mail instead of snagging it through your car window... get outside. Smell the air. Breathe.

Photo compliments of Mike Berenson from Colorado Captures. Visit his website at www.coloradocaptures.com.

Hiking isn’t what you’d call a fast sport. You likely won’t get anywhere particularly quickly; steps are generally taken slowly, methodically and sometimes with great care; rushing winds don’t whip into your face at high speeds by your own accord.

Rather, heading out for a hike is a chance to see nature in its natural state; to leave humanity for a while; to venture out and up, over and beyond.

Someone I care about deeply isn’t as enthralled with this activity as I am. He loves the outdoors, and he’s an incredible and accomplished athlete. But to him, hiking is just a little too... well, just a little too slow.

So when I suggested the other day that we go for a hike, his excitement level could have been described as “lacking.”

But he came anyway. He came hiking because he cares about me, and he knows how much I love it, and because he desires to know me more.

I think that’s another testament to why hiking is wonderful, even if it isn't fast, even if it is slow: it allows conversation and facilitates the deepening of relationships.

And I guess Mike is pretty wonderful too.

We made it seven miles into the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park to the beautiful Lake of the Clouds.

That's Abby, Paul and me on a short hike to Mills Lake. It's fun to enjoy nature, but be sure to be aware that RMNP is a national park, not a theme park.

Rocky Mountain National Park has seen more search and rescue action this summer than in years past. Since May, 17 different operations have been categorized as “major incidents,” as compared with eight last year within the same time frame. Journalist Kirsten Silveira reports for LovelandConnection.com: www.coloradoan.com/article/20100802/LOVELAND01/100802005.

Planning a quick trip to Boulder? Looking for a quick hike that will give you a gander of the city from above? May I make a suggestion?

Mount Sanitas is a three mile loop that will have you back at the base in 2-3 hours. You’ll gain 1,255 feet of elevation in that short distance, so be prepared to sweat and breath heavy, but the path is well-traveled, so heavy hiking boots aren’t necessary. Bring water to quench your pallet and to use as an excuse to rest (“Hey, we’d better stop for a second to rehydrate” sounds better than “I’m tired and need to take a break.”).

Sanitas is a popular trail among the locals, many of whom hike it every day. Don’t get discouraged if a woman with chiseled abs in spandex runs past you, easily gliding up the rocky assent, on her warm-up before a 50 mile bike ride and three mile swim. She’s from Boulder; these people are machines.





The Flatirons off in the distance.



Tennis shoes suffice for a well-worn trail.



Big mountains tower to the west.



I sometimes pretend that I know what I'm doing with a camera.



View from the top.



Looking south.