This was my first Colorado summit. I know it's not much of a climb by any nature, but it got me out into the foothills. I had recently moved to the Denver area from Idaho, so I figured baby steps were a great idea for someone as out of shape as I was.Bill Couch Mountain (BCM) can be found in the foothills just west of Littleton, Colorado. I have found the Jefferson County Open Space Parks to be a wonderful place to start with some easy hikes as I get used to the new area. BCM is in the Deer Creek Canyon Park about a 30minute drive from my apartment.
There is a nice set of trails in the park. I started this hike on the Meadowlark Trail which is a hiker only trail. Believe it or not I have ran into mountain bikers on these trails covered with snow and ice. After a nice stroll on the trail it levels out traversing across the west side of BCM. I found what looked to be a good starting point to climb directly to the summit through the snow and rock and headed for the summit. I must say how out of shape I was for this one, because I was almost certain my heart was going to explode. But, this is what I love about hiking and climbing up mountains. This was a short climb on the ridge, maybe took a half hour which always seems much longer.
Once on the summit I had great views of the Denver area. I found a couple geocaches near the summit had a snack, then headed down the ridge back to the trail. After meeting back up with the trail I decided to continue on the loop to where the Meadowlark Trail intersects with the Plymouth Creek Trail. The Plymouth Creek Trail is in a canyon so there was a considerable amount of ice. I found out on this trip the way to go was to wear micro spikes, so I had a trip to REI planned for the way home. After another mile or so I found myself back at the parking lot completing a nice loop hike with a easy summit climb.
Date: 11/8/2011
Starting Elevation: 6,080 Ft.
Summit Elevation: 7,057 Ft.
