Sunday, August 23, 2026

The "M Climb" Event at the Colorado School of Mines


We live close to the town of Golden, Colorado. It's a wonderful place to visit, full of attractions and things to do. Coors Brewery is located there, as well as the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, the Colorado Railroad Museum, the Golden History Museum and Park, and many other attractions.

 I've visited and blogged about all these places in the past, and if you are interested to learn more about them you can find those posts by using the search feature on my blog's sidebar.


Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak gold rush on June 16, 1859, the mining camp was originally named Golden City in honor of Thomas L. Golden.




The entire state of Colorado has a long mining history. My husband and I have enjoyed learning more about this history and its associated traditions as we have traveled all around the state in the past 13 years that we have lived here.




Located to the west of Golden is Mount Zion with a large letter "M" near its summit.



The large white "M" is maintained by the Colorado School of Mines. There is a tradition over 100 years old in which incoming freshmen climb 3 miles up the mountain carrying a 10-pound rock from their hometown, which is then whitewashed and added to the "M" design. 

This M Event happened this week! 

The freshmen students are given a hard hat to wear on their climb up, and many sophomores, juniors, and seniors, who are called by their nicknames the "Orediggers," line the route to cheer them on and teach them to sing the college's "fight" song, along with many who douse the climbers with water to cool them off!

The "M" has been permanently lighted at night since 1932 and is visible for many miles in the area.


Please click on both of these informational placards, which will enlarge the photos for easier reading about the "M Climb." 



Placards around the town tell stories about the tradition, and the letter "M" stands as a symbol for the prestigious engineering college, the Colorado School of Mines.



The Colorado School of Mines is a public research university that offers programs in engineering and applied science.
 
It is also home to the National Earthquake Information Center, and nearby is the National Laboratory of the Rockies, a federally funded science institution.




The Colorado School of Mines also has a very interesting, free-to-visit Mines Museum of Earth Science filled with over 7,400 square feet of rocks, minerals, fossils, and other fascinating Earth Science-related objects. It is definitely worth a visit!




This short YouTube video shows the fun M Climb Event!

Graduating students are invited to take a rock from the M as a souvenir of their time at the college.

One-room schoolhouse at the South Park City Museum in Fairplay, Colorado.

It was also "Back to School" time for our grandchildren this week!
We have two grandchildren who are in Middle School and two in High School, and they were all excited to begin a new school year and see their classmates again.

I loved this quote:
“School is a building which has four walls with tomorrow inside.”
 ~ Lon Watters


As summer winds down, I am really looking forward to the fall season and cooler temperatures ahead. Autumn has always been my favorite season!

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Sunday, August 16, 2026

"Snow" in August!


This summer, actually this year in Colorado, has been an unusual one. In winter, spring, and most of this summer, we have been experiencing warmer-than-usual temperatures and extreme drought and wildfires, many caused by dry lightning. Normal snowpack in the mountains was subpar, and rainfall was low to nil. 

Weather-wise, the West was in a "La Niña" weather system, and now we are told by meteorologists that we are headed into an "El Niño" weather system. These systems both have to do with the effects of Trade Winds and Pacific Ocean temperatures--you can read more about this weather phenomenon and how it affects different parts of the world at this link.



 Now, we have finally entered the monsoon season in Colorado.

The North American Monsoon season usually starts June 15 and runs through September each year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This year, as weather patterns change, it has come later, and we are beginning to see heavy cloud formations every afternoon, bringing thunderstorms and rain to many areas.


Yesterday, the monsoon brought a powerful hailstorm to our area! 

View the short video above.

One of our neighbors was hosting a baby shower at her home, so many of her guests' cars parked on our cul-de-sac. Happily, the hailstorm brought high winds, thunder and lightning, but the hailstones were not giant-sized, so they did not do as much damage as they could have. If you read a past post I wrote about weather in Colorado--this link--you can see photos of how large hailstones can become!


It looked like snow in August! I asked my husband to please push my pot of basil under our outdoor table to save it from losing its leaves. I have harvested the basil plants once to freeze for the winter, and this was my second growth. Fortunately, it survived!


The neighborhood deer enjoyed eating the bounty of leaves that fell on the ground from the hail, so they were happy!


Did I lose flowers from the hailstorm? 
Not really, as you can see that 
trying to grow much of anything here when deer frequently roam through our yards is a losing cause. 
They seem to think anything growing is good to eat.


But how could I be mad at these adorable faces?

The twin fawns born in my backyard in June are growing up fast, and they will soon lose their spots when they grow their winter coats.

Will winter bring us a lot of actual snow this year with El Niño weather? 

Time will tell!

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