Postcards · Colorado Springs

Postcards fromAbove the Tree Line.

A view from 14,115 feet, a marmot on the rocks, donuts at the summit and the cog railway waiting in Manitou Springs, collected one postcard at a time.

Forested mountains, valleys and a few small lakes stretching to a hazy horizon beneath a deep blue sky, seen past pink granite boulders on the summit of Pikes Peak.

Postcard 001

Mountains upon Mountains

Pikes Peak, Colorado

Forests, valleys and shimmering lakes rolling toward the horizon in every direction. From more than two and a half miles above sea level, everything looked impossibly small.

A small yellow-bellied marmot resting on a speckled granite boulder in front of jagged rock spires, with forested slopes far below.

Postcard 002

A Summit Resident

Above the tree line, Pikes Peak

A marmot keeping watch from a granite boulder, perfectly at home in a place that grows more inhospitable to humans with every foot of elevation.

The modern Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center with a rooftop observation deck, surrounded by piles of pink granite boulders under a clear blue sky.

Postcard 003

Donuts at 14,115 Feet

Summit Visitor Center, Pikes Peak

Home to a beloved summit tradition: a freshly made high-altitude donut. Naturally, I obliged. How often does one get to enjoy a donut at more than 14,000 feet?

A bright red Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway car with large windows waiting at the platform, with pine trees and a mountain slope behind it.

Postcard 004

All Aboard

Manitou Springs depot

The bright red cog railway waiting in Manitou Springs, ready for its slow, 90-minute climb to the summit. Not known for speed, but it more than makes up for it in charm.