It is not too late to purchase an entry for a drawing we are having as part of our Hike for Discovery fund raising effort.  For $10 you may purchase a chance to win one of two prizes, or for $25 you will get three entries.  The entry is full tax deduction and all proceeds go directly to the Leukemia & Lynphoma Society .

The prizes are as follows:

• One weekend night at the Marriott Denver City Center.  This includes breakfast for two.
• One weekend night at the Marriott Denver West (Golden, CO).  This includes breakfast for two.

If you would like to purchase an entry, please contact me .  If you don’t think you will be able to take advantage of these prizes, you may also donate by visiting my fund raising page .

Thank you to everyone who has donated as part of the Hike for Discovery effort so far!!!

This Sunday July 20th, Images of Neil Corman Photography will be part of a silent auction at a fundraiser here in Denver.  The proceeds from the sale of this limited edition framed print will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as part of the Hike for Discovery fund raising.  It does cost $20 to attend the event which includes one glass of wine, and the entrance fee is all directed to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

If you are in Denver and would like more information about this event, please let me know by e-mail or phone .

Due to the holiday this past weekend in the United States there was no Hike for Discovery group hike to report.  However, I am pleased to announce Neil Corman Photography will be donating 10% of all sales from now until the end of August to the Hike for Discovery program as part of my fundraising goal.

If you have thought about purchasing an image, now is the time to do so.  This also includes all portrait or commercial sessions through the end of August as well.

Please keep in mind you will not be able to take any of this as a tax deduction, but you will know that part of the purchase price is going to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society .  If you would like to give a tax deductible contribution to support my fund raising for Hike for Discovery this may be done at the Neil Corman Hike for Discovery page .  You may also contact me by e-mail or phone to discuss offline donations.

Thank you for support and helping out the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Matthew/Winters Park was the destination for this past weekends Hike for Discovery group hike.  This was also a Friends, Family and Fido hike as participants in Hike for Discovery were able to invite others on the hike.  Located next to Red Rocks Amphitheater just off of I-70 at Morrison Road Matthew/Winters Park is quite popular with hikers but also mountain bikers. As there was not much shade on the trails here it was nice it was a cooler day than the hikes the last few weeks.  With blue sky over the foothills and threatening skies towards the city it made for an interesting contrast in the skies as we started to hike.

We started off on the Red Rocks trail and headed into the park going through meadows, small gulches and finally to the junction of the Morrison Slide trail.  As we headed up the switch backs of  the Morrison Slide trail we were greeted with more views of the surrounding area and out towards the plains.  We also found less mountain bikers to contend with on this trail.  At the top of the switch backs there was an open meadow leading towards the foothills west of the trail and the vista in the other directions.  Descending down the Morrison Slide trail we reached the trail junction of the Red Rocks trail and took this over to the end of the trail near Highway 26.  As we crossed the highway we quickly made up any elevation we had just lost as it was a steady climb up to the top of Dakota Ridge (aka hogback).  Like last week at Heil Valley Ranch , it was quite obvious on the trail as we passed through the different layers of rock making up the ridge.  As we reached the top we were welcomed with a view of C-470, as well as Green Mountain shown below.  There was also signage showing us the different layers of rocks making up the ridge and other details about the area.

For the last two miles we hiked on the top of Dakota Ridge rolling with the terrain and contending with a rocky trail.  This was one of the first trails I attempted to mountain bike upon moving to Colorado 11 years ago, and whenever I hike along the ridge I question why I did this trail first.  Reaching a junction for the Zorro trail, we stopped and waited for the rest of the group to catch up for one last uphill section of the ridge and then back to the parking lot in the final mile.  While waiting I took the following image of Chad (a fellow hiker) and his friend Tiffany who hiked with us this week.

As this trail was quite close to the city it was nice it was a little cooler, as the summer brings some additional warmth to our hikes.  But overall the 6.8 mile hike was a nice short hike, as the upcoming group hikes will easily be twice this distance.

Hike for Discovery is the endurance hiking fundraising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society . If you would like to donate as I raise money for the LLS visit the Neil Corman Hike for Discovery Donation page . I thank you for supporting my hiking this summer and more so the LLS.

Heil Valley Ranch north of Boulder, Colorado was the group hike location this past weekend for Hike for Discovery gang. This nearly 5,000 acre open space park is in the lower foothills of Boulder County and attracts a wide range of wildlife, from rabbits and deer to bears and mountain lions. In the winter Elk migrating from the Indian Peaks Wilderness find their way to this open space location as well. With this wide range of species present there are plenty of warning signs for people using the open space.

Starting off at the first trailhead location we counted off and prepared for a warm day on the trails. Our first destination was the Lichen Trail which allowed us to see the changes in the geology was quite well with the different color of dirt on the trail. Upon completion of the 1.3 mile loop we ended up back at where we started and quickly joked about being done for the day, which was far from the truth for today. It was at this time we started up the Wapiti Trail now in some instances yielding to bicyclists. Hiking up a fire road, across meadows, over a small bridge with wild grapes growing near and into the ponderosa pines we progressed up the trail for 2.5 miles. As we reached the Ponderosa Loop some of the group went along the Ponderosa Trail to the overlook, while I was with the group which took the Wild Turkey loop to the overlook. The difference between the trails was the Wild Turkey loop added a little bit more distance to the hike as well as some greater elevation changes. After hiking the first part of the loop we noticed the hikers across the ridgeline that had gone on the Ponderosa Loop at the overlook meeting spot. The overlook was the spot for lunch, snacks and more so water during the hike. From the overlook we could see Longs Peak once again in the distance, some other peaks in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, as well as the general area of last weeks group hike.

After the break we completed the Wild Turkey loop which was a total of 2.9 miles and started back down towards the trailhead on the Wapiti Trail. Towards the end of the trail we left the pines and emptied out into small meadows which allowed us to quickly feel the warmness of the day, but an occasional breeze did help the situation.

As we made it back to the fire road our hike leader Zoe decided to throw in another Lichen Loop for us so we could add another 1.3 miles to the hike. With the gradual up and down on the trail it seemed more like interval training at that stage of the day.

Anyways we completed the loops and were ready to head back to the trail head for good this time and go to a nearby Mexican restaurant to get a bite to eat, a drink of water and possibly something stronger. For the day we did a little over 10.5 miles in summer conditions, which weren’t that bad as they originally forecasted the day being warmer.

Hike for Discovery is the endurance hiking fundraising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society . If you would like to donate as I raise money for the LLS visit the Neil Corman Hike for Discovery Donation page . I thank you for supporting my hiking this summer and more so the LLS.

This past weekend as I continued on with the Hike for Discovery program, we did a group hike at Button Rock Preserve and Hall Ranch near the town of Lyons.  Starting out with a two mile hike towards the dam, we then proceeded to hike up a trail from the base of the dam to get to lake level and see Longs Peak in the distance.  Longs Peak is one of the options for us on the finale hike in Rocky Mountain National Park this September.  After spending some time at lake level we headed back down to the base of the dam and on the Sleepy Lion Trail.  As we climbed in elevation and higher than the dam we were rewarded with views of the reservoir as well as Longs Peak.

We then reached the cutoff to Hall Ranch where we hiked in the Boulder County Open Space for two miles.  As we headed through trees and finally out into an open meadow we did not realize the view until we turned around and were treated with an unexpected view of Longs Peak, Mt. Meeker as well as other mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

After a short break we hiked a little over four miles back to the cars and then on for a well deserved drink and meal on a warm June day.  For the day we hiked just over nine miles.

As a reminder, you may take part in my Hike for Discovery experience my donating to the cause on my event page.  The money directly helps the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and is tax-deductable.

This summer I am taking part in Hike for Discovery , an endurance-hiking program where I train during a 14 week period towards a final hike at Rocky Mountain National Park. While training, I am raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) which is used for vital research so blood cancer patients live longer, better lives.

I was quite young when I first heard about Leukemia. The boy who lived next door to us, Ben, had Leukemia and even though he was more around my sisters age I tried to hang out with them. Of course when a boy around the age of three is hanging out with the two of them he was not always welcome. Especially when the two of them four and three years older than me were planning their whole future together. Anyways, when I do this hike I do think back to those quite early years even if one of the reminders was being tied to a fence so the little kid wouldn’t bother them.

Even with that reminder of the early years, I ask you to visit my hike page at the link below and consider making a tax-deductible donation towards this worthwhile organization. This will help enable me to achieve my fund raising goal and place money directly towards the society’s mission.

http://pages.hikefordiscovery.org/rm/rockymt08/neilcorman

I thank you in advance for anything you may be able to contribute and will keep you up to date on the progress of the training as well as the hike.