Mt Flora (13,132’) is located 3.2 miles from Berthoud Pass along the CDT. It stands high over Ethel Lake and the Mad Creek drainage with exceptional views in all directions. Visitors will enjoy miles of lofty alpine travel and diverse tundra ecology with easy access to nearby Breckenridge Peak.

View of an unnamed peak (12,845') and the Mad Creek drainage from the CDT to Mt Flora

Oxygen percentage is the same at high elevation and sea level (21%); the problem for people is that there are many fewer molecules of everything at high elevation, including oxygen

While no trail leads to Ethel Lake, it's possible to improvise down to it from Mt Flora

Byron Lake (12,050') is located below Ethel Lake but fed by a separate stream in the drainage

Alpine sunflowers, also known as 'old man of the mountain'

Drainages to the east are tempting, but precarious cornices may limit access

The hike to Breckenridge Peak adds 1.8 miles and 550' of total climbing from Mt Flora

Alpine tundra plants grow low to the ground to increase stability and minimize exposure to harsh conditions

When wet soil freezes it expands and pushes surface-level rocks up in a process called frost heaving

View of Mt Flora (left) and the Ethel Lake cirque from the trail leading to Breckenridge Peak

Ptarmigan belong to the genus Lagopus (Greek for 'hare-footed'), a reference to their feathered feet which create buoyancy in the snow

About 2/3 of Colorado's water drains east of the Continental Divide

View of the Ethel Lake cirque from the short off-trail scramble to Breckenridge Peak

As with many segments of the CDT in Colorado, the east side drops precipitously while the west slopes gently down

Marmots give birth only once a year with an average litter of 3-5 pups

Looking west across Berthoud Pass at the ridge leading to Stanley Mountain