Welcome to the Sutton Team's website. It is Sunday August 11, 2008. The Woodland Park statistics that I had on this front page for the past several weeks, have been moved to an article at the bottom of this page, if you want to reveiw them. In a nutshell the local market is slow. On some properties the prices are adjusting down, but that is not a rule for all. And when there is a price adjustment it is NOT the 20% that is being reported in the national news. Those markets are in other states, but Colorado has a healthy market, just slow. The entire country is not in a buying mood for anything just now. I must admit this might be a healthy adjustment in the long run. People should think about where they spend their money, and what value they get for their efforts. If real estate is something you are considering there is good value right now, and a professional real estate person can help you find the best value for your needs. The Sutton Team is one of those professionals, and we are here to assist you if you want our help. Just get in touch.

I want to talk about hiking in Colorado, and hiking Waldo Canyon in particular. About a week ago my husband and I hiked the entire loop with our 11 year old granddaughter and her friend. We had done the first part twice before, but this time we set out to do the entire loop. If you have never hiked it before this is going to be good advice.

Waldo Canyon is 6.2 miles. It starts off as a hike along a good path curving around the hills just above highway 24. Then it progresses into the trees until you come to the loop itself. It will take you one hour to get to the sign of the loop, two hours to do the loop, and another hour to come back to the parking lot to your car. These times are estimates based upon normal people who hike occasionally. There are the athletes who ride their mountain bikes, and the runners, but I am talking about people in decent physical condition that do the occasional hike. This trail is not suitable for people that have handicaps or other special needs. It is not suited for strollers. And it is not suited for those dogs that have gotten old and want to sleep all the time. Dogs in good health should have no problem, just bring them some water.

The adults are going to need water too. You will actually need twice as much water as you think you will need. I have not talked to anyone that took too much water. We had over a gallon and we finished it off 30 minutes before we were done hiking. It would have been helpful to have a cooler with more water waiting for us in the car, but we did not think of that. So we had to wait another 15 minutes to drive home first, before getting a drink.

Since this hike is going to take 4 hours, pick your time well. We started walking at 6:30 am. The first part of the hike was pleasant, there actually was one spot that is a bowl and it was cool, and then we started up hill, and in the sun, and we got warm. By the time we got back to the car, parts of me were wet. If you wear something for the cool, you will be carrying it out. If you go later in the day, or later in the season, you may need something to put on.

When you get to the loop, you have the choice of right or left. We went right, and I am glad we did. Going right, takes you up hill, for an hour, and the trail has loose gravel. I have bad knees and going up on loose gravel is easier on me than going down hill on loose gravel. By going early in the day and then going right, we stayed in the shade longer. Going left is more in the trees and shade. If you are not planning on the entire loop, then go left for awhile, then turn around and hike back out.

This is a hiking trail, not a walking trail. At times the trail is narrow, brushing up against bushes. You will be walking over tree roots, small rocks, big rocks, loose rocks, loose gravel. On one of my previous hikes I slipped off the trail on loose gravel and stopped myself from falling down the cliff by grabbing some grass, and my husband grabbed my other arm. Cell phone service is spotty. So if you have an accident, you may have to hike out for help. The trail is busier on weekends.

Wear good hiking boots, and keep in mind that your feet will probably get hot before the hike is over. Make sure you are comfortable wearing these hiking boots for half a day. Don't buy them and then do Waldo Canyon. You want to make sure your boots won't cause you blisters.

There are no toilets. If you have to go, be prepared to go in the forest.

Bring food that does not need to stay cold. It will get hot. Pack out any garbage that you carry in.

Bring your camera. The picture on my website is from the Lovell Gulch trail and Waldo Canyon has views of Pikes Peak that are breathtaking! At different times of the year, you will see different wildflowers.

I am glad I hiked the entire loop of Waldo Canyon, but I have also determined that I am probably more comfortable with a two hour hike. At the end of the hike we were all tired, including the 11 year olds. My legs were tired for the next couple of days. I have bad knees, so I wore knee braces and they really helped. My husband has poor feet and his feet hurt for a couple of days after the hike. Don't take visitors that are unfamiliar with hiking on the entire loop while they are here. If they are not used to hiking or the altitude they could have issues. But if you want a secluded hike and a beautiful one, go during the week, take plenty of water and some food, and enjoy!

I hope you found this information helpful. I will keep it on my front page until mid September, when I will give another market update, and comment on the turning of the Aspen leaves. And please remember, The Sutton Team is here to help you with your real estate needs! Please let us know how we can assist you in building your real estate portfolio.