Ice in August: Hiking St. Mary’s Glacier in Idaho Springs, Colorado

People in Colorado love the outdoors with a fervor I’ve not seen elsewhere. My company, Sovrn, is particularly outdoorsy; my coworkers enjoy everything from bouldering to rafting to high-altitude scuba-diving.

Which I love- not only do I have built-in hiking buddies, my coworkers also inspire me to see new places in Colorado.

One morning at the office, I heard two girls talking about their hike to a nearby glacier. A glacier? With snow? In August? Intriguing. I quickly put it on my shortlist of Colorado destinations.

One Sunday soon after, my coworker Jen and I made the winding drive up to St. Mary’s Glacier.

Once we parked and paid, we walked to the rocky trailhead. As we began ascending, I was soon out of breath- will I ever be used to the Colorado altitude? (And yes, I’m still using that excuse, ha.)

Soon we started to see wildflowers, from tiny yellow ones to tall purple lupines. I loved the feel of the cool, crisp mountain breeze on my skin, a welcome respite from Denver’s city air.

After about a mile, we arrived at St. Mary’s Lake. Countless people were jumping from cliffs, but as soon as I touched the frigid water, I knew I wouldn’t be joining.

Next up was photo-time as I’m making an effort to bump up my Instagram as well as preserve more memories. (I’ve taken only like two hundred photos while in Colorado- how is that possible?)

Jen and I took turns posing, and I went for the classic arms up in the wilderness pose. Always a safe bet.

Of course, I was wearing a white tennis skirt I somehow managed to get dirty but some things never change. And there’s always Picmonkey.

Once we finished taking photos of each other, I turned my lens to the nature all around us. I particularly loved this little waterfall cascading down from the glacier.

As I snapped photos of the waterfall, I saw many people schlepping up their skis and snowboards up to the glacier. That’s dedication.

Me? I’ll wait for ski season.

I don’t know about you guys, but after hiking, I love me some barbecue. So post-hike we stopped at Smokin Yard’s BBQ to refuel.

I had sliced brisket with cow-tippin’ barbecue sauce, accompanied by collard greens and baked beans. Jen had a pulled chicken sandwich with mac and cheese, and we both raved about our meals- SO good.

YAAAS.

Overall it was a pretty ideal Sunday- full of nature, glaciers, and sunshine, and finished off with barbecue brisket.

Essential Info for Hiking St. Mary’s Glacier

Bring hiking shoes as there is a lot of loose rock on the hike. I was slipping in my tennis shoes.

Bring snacks and water! There’s nowhere to eat anywhere near the glacier.

Bring a $5 bill for parking as you have to pay cash and with exact change.

And most importantly, have Smokin Yard’s BBQ after the hike!

Have you ever hiked a glacier?