After I completed the Cub Lake hike, it was still pretty early in the day so I decided to give Deer Mountain a try.  Parking at the trailhead for Deer Mountain is limited and I was a little worried that I might not find a place to park for this late a start.  There was room when I got there though.

Be sure to click on these thumbnail photos for larger versions.

---

1. This picture of Deer Mountain was taken from the Cub Lake trail earlier in the day as I was completing that hike.

---

2. The trail early in the hike.

---

3. Good views of the front range soon open up as you hike. Super Size It!  (249kB).  Photo only. Super Size It!  (263kB).  With peak identification.

---

4. Mount Chapin, Mount Chiquita and Mount Ypsilon.

---

5. More of the trail.

---

6. Horseshoe Park.

---

7. More of the trail.

---

8. I've reached the summit.  This is looking toward Estes Park.

---

9. In this shot the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center is in the foreground and Marys Lake is in the background.

---

10. On the way back down, I stopped in an area that had a good view of the Mummy Range and watched the helicopter activity for a while.  Ranger Jeff Christensen had been missing for a few days now and his last known location was in the Mummy Range.  There was considerable helicopter activity and this one was concentrating his search on the southern slop of Bighorn Mountain.

---

11. This is Bighorn Mountain in the foreground.  Behind and to the left is Mount Fairchild.  Behind and to the right is Hagues Peak I think.

---

12. This helicopter is flying past Mount Ypsilon.  He's not as close to the mountain as you might think and not searching there.  He's just flying past the peak, apparently in route to some other location that was hidden by Bighorn Mountain.

---

13. Back to the trail and not far from trailhead.  Two hikers a short distance ahead of me.