It's the goats or "girls" as I call them that welcome you to the 59er's trail hike. They walk with you, around you and among you. Mimi is pregnant. BABY GOATS will join us on the trail in FEBRUARY 2020! We begin our tour at the STAGE STOP homestead 20 minutes from Boulder for our hike through history. Starting with a talk about the history of the area we will then walk through the pioneer homestead in Cloud City mining district. Then we set off on the miners’ trail up Arkansas Mountain, named for the Acansa Indians. Retracing the trail of the '59ers, we'll see old mine portals, the Cloud City school house, Cornish stone walls built to shore up hillsides, mine portals and donkey-cart chutes, blacksmith forge, and more. I'll point out blow holes where miners tested for gold and the triple pine tree trunks growing over old mining tunnels. The land reveals many secrets of our past when you know how and where to look. Along the way there will be time for photos and a trail stops for breathing and storytelling. Our hike ends at the STAGE STOP, where we began. The STAGE STOP was named for the blacksmith services offered to the mining community. A review, "The hike with Valerie and her goats was the highlight of our trip. We went to Boulder, when their location and her stories offered everything to experience the real beauty and history of Colorado."