Day 64 8.10
Today is a really big big day….Claire starts Kindergarten! It may a Covid crappy 2020 year, but it’s still a really big exciting day for her! And, I got to FT with Emma! She & her Nanny, Miss Rose, were up in her room while Sara & Claire were downstairs “in school”. It’s rare I just get Emma-time & I loved every minute of it! She’s changed so much since February…the last time we were able to visit. She’s talking in long big sentences & having conversations. She has a tiny quiet voice, but I love to hear her talk!
Today I was hiking up to Copper Lake. It’s not a hard hard hike…except for the last mile & it’s difficult. And, you have 4 or so big water crossings so early in the summer it’s a pretty nerve wracking hike. But, this late in the season with the water levels lower than I’ve ever seen them & no rain, it was a good time to hike it.
As I drove slowly through Gothic, the Marmots came out to say hi!
The trailhead is the same for Judd Falls…never too many photos of this wonderful waterfall!
Then it’s hike hike hike until you get to the lake…but you’re surrounded by these beautiful mountains the whole way!
The lake sits below East Maroon Pass which you can take all the way to Aspen (Danny I backpacked this once…I do remember that trail & I didn’t like it!)
Precarious Peak looms in the background.
As I ate my lunch at the lake, I started thinking where the lake is in relation to all the other hikes I do off Gothic Road. I got out my map & verified what I’d been thinking…Rustlers Gulch must just be on the other side of this peak. I wondered if I could see that peak from that trail? I love love love connecting these places in person & once I get an idea or question in my head, I have a hard time letting it go until I find the answer or hike the trail in question.
One of the now super mellow water crossings on the way back. Boy I love my Altra Lone Peak hikers…just blow thru the water & they dry as I walk!
I was super tired once off this trail…it’s 10 miles RT. I took myself to the Brick for dinner & a beer. So nice to visit with the bartenders there & I managed to score one of the seats at the bar (theres only two & no one else can sit at the other one unless you’re together)…it’s the best outdoor bar anywhere!
Then I enjoyed a nice quiet night in camp….I was beat, full of yummy food & great beer!
Day 65 8.11
I knew yesterday, while at Copper Lake, what trail I’d hike today. I asked Talie last night if you could see Precarious Peak from Rustlers Gulch & she said yes. I’ve done this hike probably 20 times so I’m sure I’ve seen it before. I just didn’t know what I was looking at. I hiked this trail earlier this year with Jen, but we didn’t go all the way to the end….just to the big snowfield. But, today I wanted to hike it all the way up to the end & find that peak!
There are multiple water crossings on this hike too, but this is the biggest one & it was mellow today too.
This is the huge tree that came down a couple of years ago when there was a giant mudslide here. I’d hiked the trail two or three days before the slide. It’s amazing to see what came down the mountain in the mud.
I love this hike! It’s very popular, but today there weren’t hardly any other hikers on the trail with me. You can see that most of the Skunk Cabbage is dying out for the season.
And the snow is all gone…but look at those views!
There were still a lot of flowers blooming! Yay! Fireweed!
Ok…guess there’s a snowplug down there over the water.
The views just get better & better as you hike up.
And the view behind you is wonderful too! Look at all those flowers!
There was an old mine up here….so much damage that will never be natural again.
And, I think the peak on the right is Precarious.
After my wonderful hike, I drove back to camp to cook dinner. When I pulled onto the road that leads to my campsite, I could tell something was missing…it was my Castle tent! It was totally gone! My chairs & table were still there, although they were knocked over. Had someone swiped it? I didn’t think so. Didn’t think the Forest Service had taken it…I was way within my 14 day camping limit. So, what happened to it. I pulled in & parked & started to look around. Then I spotted it. It was mangled & sitting way down off this little ridge & in the willows. I headed down there to retrieve it. It must have been the wind. We’ve had some huge winds this summer, but I had 10 stakes holding down this tent & 2 pieces of new firewood inside. I drug it back up through the willows (not a super easy task, because there were still some things inside the tent), got back up to my site & assessed the damage. I pulled everything out. The bottom corner had ripped away from the pole, there’s about a foot long gash near the bottom of another corner (I think the wood did that), & one of the guy wires had ripped totally off, but that looked like all that was wrong. I slowly started to set it back up, hoping the poles were still good & not ruined. I found a few of my stakes, but about 1/2 of them were gone.
Yay! I managed to make it mostly right again. Happily the poles were in tact & I have extra stakes with me. I’m not sleeping in the tent, just using it for privacy to change clothes, take care of ‘business’ during the daylight & sit inside if it’s raining too hard for me to sit in the ‘lounge’ in Camper. Yikes…my tents have all taken huge hits this summer.
I made dinner, read awhile & then took a walk up the road with Talie. Another day in Paradise (well, except for the tent part!)
Day 66 8.12
Today is my 50th day of hiking this summer…spectacular! I rolled out of Camper & was headed out by 6:45am. I stopped at Paradise Cafe on my way out & got some coffee to go. I was hiking Scarp Ridge again today so I needed to get there early to get a parking spot that couldn’t be blocked in & I wanted to get on the trail before the masses. I scored my fave spot, then changed clothes & finished my coffee & hit the trail. I’ve done this twice this summer, both times going up the longer way. So, today, I hiked up the shorter but steeper way to the top.
You can’t see the top from this photo.
The trail takes you up just to the left of that pointy knob in the center of the photo…but that’s still not the top.
Yay! I made it to the top & hadn’t seen one other hiker on the trail. It was beautiful weather & I had the views all to myself. So, I made the most of it & stayed on top, FT Danny because oddly enough, you have service up here & then just enjoyed it all.
I was checking out Blue Lake, which sits below the ridge. That would be my big long hike tomorrow. Up the Oh Be Joyful valley & making the climb up to this little lake.
Scarp is one of my top favorite hikes & I was happy to be hiking it one more time this summer!
As I turned around to go down, the hail started for only a few minutes then stopped & the skies cleared. Mountain weather is so unpredictable!
I never saw another hiker until I was 1/2 way down to the trailhead. Then they seem to come in waves…big groups. I was just happy I’d had the trail mostly to myself all morning!
I had a late lunch/early dinner at The Last Steep…they have the best burgers in CB. Shawn, one of the owners & originally from Kansas City, came out & visited with me while I was waiting for my burger. He’s a pretty cool guy & I’m glad the place is surviving Covid & all it’s ramifications. And, boy! That burger was great!
Then I had to get some laundry done, buy ice & water & then head back out to camp for the night.
I had my night time walk with Talie then finished a book & hoped for a good nights sleep!
Day 67 8.13
I left camp early…the hike to Blue Lake is about 14 miles RT. It’s not a hard hike until about the last 1 1/2 miles…then it gets really steep.
August 13th is always an emotional day for me. It was the day my Mom was killed in a boating accident & I was severely injured. Scars both inside & outside & a broken heart are always reminders, but death days always seem bitter. So, I was hiking the longest trail I knew, one I’ve done before, but not for several years. Out of cell service, just me & my thoughts & this spectacular beauty surrounding me.
You take the Oh Be Joyful trail to get to the lake. I hiked past the gate (see Random) for another bit, then picked a big rock to sit on & have a snack. I’m not a big snack eater on the trail…really long or difficult hikes though, I do usually eat something. But, since Danny left, I’ve gone back to my old ways of eating which is about once a day, in the middle of the day. And, I’d decided I would give up camp beer, bourbon & port. I was still going to have a beer if I went to the Brick or a Margarita if I went to Bonez, but I was trying to shed a few pounds since I’d seen myself in the mirror at the hotel when I took Danny to Denver. Hiking miles & miles every week was doing nothing for my weight…I’d been eating breakfast, lunch & dinner mostly this summer & having a drink everynight. But that wasn’t working well, so I’d gone back to my way quirky of eating.
But I’ve hiked this trail before & it takes all day & the mileage is long. I didn’t want to get too tired, so I told myself I should stop & eat along the way….before the really hard part.
So, I found a random big rock, took a seat & got out a bar (I hate bars!) Then I heard a noise that sounded like a really loud meowing cat…high pitched but loud. I looked around for the source. I’d been looking up high as I’d been hiking, on the ridge to my right for Elk. But as I sat on this rock, I looked across in the trees on the side of the mountain that was to the left of the trail. In an open spot, I could see a herd of elk. I got out my binoculars & took another look. There were maybe 30 I could see & babies! Several Elk babies! They kept up the noise for about 15 minutes then moved into the trees where I could no longer see them but still hear them. What a gift! I love it when you just randomly pick a spot & something magical happens right in front of you! Just perfect.
I packed up my stuff & started hiking again with a huge smile on my face!
Once the trail gets up high, it’s opened up. I don’t know if this is a basin or what, but if you hike it in June or July (usually), this section of the trail is under water or very very wet & muddy. But not today. There’s so much water up here because the snowmelt is big off these huge mountains. But the trail was not wet today & I enjoyed dry shoes, nice views of Scarp Ridge above & still water in some of the waterfalls.
The thing about this hike that always feels a little overwhelming, is the lake sits up so high above the trail. See that big waterfall tumbling down? That water is coming from the lake. So, now that you’ve climbed slowly up through the valley, you have to climb way up higher to get to the lake.
But, it’s so worth it!
I sat at the lake on one side for awhile, then I hiked over to the other side on that sketchy little scree trail you see in the photo below.
The other side of Blue Lake.
Looking back up towards Star Pass (the most sketchy pass I’ve ever hiked over…I think I slid down the top part on my butt).
I tried out my new LifeStraw that Sara gave me for my birthday…sucking up water directly from the lake. I posted a video on Instagram (@vik.hill) & I never got sick from the water, so it all must be good, right?
There wasn’t anyone else around, so I stayed up there for about an hour. The hike hadn’t felt as hard as I remembered…I was so glad to have chosen this trail for today.
I happily hiked back down for the rest of the afternoon & got back to Camper. I drove into town & ate dinner & had a beer at the Brick, visiting with my friend that was one of the bartenders & Brian, one of the owners.
Once back in camp, Talie invited me to walk over to another campsite where some friends of hers were having a campfire. I said yes. We were all spread apart, but they were really an interesting group. I probably talked too much because 1) as stated, they were interesting people with varied backgrounds & all traveling, & 2) it feels like this summer, I’ve hardly had any conversations except with a few people. It may not seem that way from reading about my travels, but some of my days are filled with no conversations except on the phone. I love to meet new people & talk to old friends. I think that’s why I am cherishing my walks with Talie…it’s human interaction. So, I was enjoying the night meeting some new people & having a campfire. But, after about an hour, I felt exhausted! I’d been hiking some big miles (for me anyway) almost everyday, some nights sleeping—sometimes not much sleep. So, I headed back to camp & tucked in bed!
Day 68 8.14
I still wanted to hike the other end of the Deer Creek trail, so I thought I’d go walk part of the crazy road this morning to see if I could drive it to the trailhead. It didn’t take long for me to realize, I didn’t want to drive this road. It wasn’t edgy, but it’s narrow & very very slanted. I took that trail off my list until Danny is with me…he would probably drive that road.
I drove out to Kebler Pass all the way out into where the biggest Aspen groves are in the country. Theres a lot of camping out here, & it was easy to find a spot to pull off the main road & settle in. I made a nice big salad for lunch, a big glass of ice water, found a rock with the perfect aspen tree behind it to lean against, ate lunch then read a book for a couple of hours. It was so hot today, but in the aspens it was cool with a nice breeze & that beautiful sound the leaves make when they blow in the wind.
On my way back, before I got off Kebler, I stopped & hiked on the Woods Walk trail, which goes through the aspens. It’s a short walk that’s usually filled with locals or tourists that don’t want to go far, but it was quiet today. Once you’re out of the forest, there are big views of Gothic & the mountains that sit above the East River Valley. You can really see the smoky skies in these photos.
I had a super mellow night in camp. It suddenly feels like the days are getting shorter…the sun doesn’t come up in camp for another 30 minutes now, & it’s getting dark earlier at night. There are some changes in the colors of the foliage around…not sure if it’s because of lack of rain or it’s just time for things to die for the season. Thoughts of winter always make me mellow. Thoughts of summer ending always make me sad.
Day 69 8.15
I never mind getting up in the middle of the night to go pee…the skies have been magnificent this summer. Most nights, it’s filled with a million stars, some bright planet that is the first to shine each night & the milky way. I love to stare up at it. Even when I’m not outside, if I’m awake in the middle of the night (which happens too frequently) I can see the sky from inside Camper. I park my car so I can see the milky way from my window. This is one of the things I love so much about car camping & dark skies…the views at night may not be the big mountains or colorful flowers, but they are breathtaking in their own way. And, it’s as much of my experience as my days of hiking.
But when I got up tonight, I smelled smoke. There are currently big fires in Colorado…Grand Junction & Glenwood Springs. And while I didn’t think something close was on fire, it’s disturbing to smell it. We’ve had some hazy skies on & off throughout the past couple of days, but I hadn’t smelled it before. So awful & sad the destruction the wildfires cause. It's horrible…the firefighters risking their lives, people whose property is being destroyed, the magnificent forests that burn & the wild animals who suffer.
In the morning, I drove back up to Slate River road. It’s the weekend & I’ve been trying to do hikes that I thought most people wouldn’t be hiking. I’ve done Gunsight Pass road twice before. It starts off Slate River road & snakes up the side of the mountain to an old mine & then the sketchy climb up Gunsight Pass. The first time I did this hike, I said I’d never do it again…I hated it! Then I did it again (I rarely stick with things I tell myself) a few years later & didn’t hate it quite as much, but thought I’d never hike it again.
But, here I am again today with my feet on this old road & no other hikers. The Slate River & its wonderful mountain reflections.
The smoke is getting thicker this morning & the views are hazy at best…they look more like the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee than Colorado mountains. But even with the smoky haze, I think this is a beautiful view.
I kept trying to assess this road while I was walking. It’s got a couple of crazy places that would make my palms sweat, but if I were going to try to drive any of the crazy roads here, I might try this one. There’s a hike up at the top of this road, I’d really like to do someday, but I want to drive up here in order to hike into Peeler Basin…not hike the 5 miles, then hike more into the basin. Oh well, we’ll see if it happens some year…but not this one.
I did remember that there are a ton of wild raspberries along the road & I took full advantage of my talent for walking, picking & eating without slowing down too much.
I didn’t remember how wonderful the views are from this road. This pic is the Oh Be Joyful valley I hiked through a couple of days ago to get to Blue Lake (which is up that valley & then to the left). Wow! It was gorgeous!
The mine at the top is the old Daisy Mine…crap all over!
I have no idea what this is…..
Looking up towards the low point is Gunsight Pass. I’ve been up there before, but not from this side. Danny & I summited Mt. Emmons from Scarp Ridge & you have to hike across the pass to get there. The first time I hiked this road, I saw a biker, carry his bike up to the top of that pass…wow. Today, I haven’t seen any hikers on the trail, but two bikes passed me. I have no idea where they’re going!
As I sat down & looked around, I noticed another road going up the side of the mountain (if you look at the photo, the lowest road goes down towards the Peeler Basin trailhead; the second one & longest is the road I hiked up on; the one above that going back into the trees is the one I’m curious about; & the fourth one that is at the top but short, I couldn’t see where it went…maybe back up to meet up with the pass trail?) I pulled out my map & thought I found the third road goes way up high, but then back down to meet the Gunsight Pass road about a mile down. I didn’t notice any intersecting road on the way up, but that’s not a big surprise. I was looking out toward the views, not really up into the forest.
I kept hiking around checking it all out & enjoying the big views. I did see one other couple with backpacks on come up & hike towards Peeler Basin & another two bikers on the way down. It’s always sad to see how the mining ruined the mountains…but it’s the history of this town & a lot of this state. And most of it stopped along time ago, but the damage will never go away.
I enjoyed my hike back down this road…the sky had cleared of some of the smoke & I loved looking around. I guess the third times a charm for this hike. I didn’t hate it at all.
My GPS said I’d done 10.5 miles & I was tired. But I had a nice conversation with Sara over the phone & I always love talking to her. I also got photos from the boys. Pete & Leia bought a big house that they recently moved in to…Luke & Matt will continue to come & go & live there too. But today I got pictures of the new addition to the crew…three small goats! They’ll help keep some of the land under control, but I think they will quickly become favored pets. Peanut Butter, Jelly & Nutella seemed to already be loved by these three!
I went to enjoy happy hour at Bonez…thinking this would be my last time here this summer.
Talie messaged me that she had broken down her camp & moved into town to a friends house. The smoke freaked her out & too many people were building campfires along our road. I’d miss her, but I know she had a lot going on in town in the next few days before she’d be leaving CB for a couple of weeks.
I went back out to camp & read long into the night to finish another book.
Day 70 8.16
I spent a long lazy morning in camp, starting a new book & drinking coffee. I met my new neighbor Shirley & the best camp dog I’ve ever seen. Shirley is from Arizona & Talie had met her a couple of days before, but she seemed quiet & to herself so I didn’t bother her. But, this morning she came & said hi & I complimented her cool dog. His name is Charlie & he sits in front of her trailer, mesmerized by his view. He never barks. He doesn’t jump on people. She had him on a lead, so he never came & peed or pooped in my campsite. And, he never ran around to fight with other dogs. He seemed like the perfect camp dog to me! Shirley was also a solo traveler & seemed like a cool lady to know. We exchanged info & it was so nice to meet someone (from 6’ or more like 8’…but that’s how campers do it anyway….we generally don’t get too close & we’re always outside!). She was heading out the next morning towards a friend who lives in Paonia, then might come back to CB. I’d probably be gone by the time she came back, so we said hello & goodbye, but I was happy to have met her!
My short hike for today was off Ohio Pass road called the Beaver Ponds. I’ve seen this in my guidebook but never hiked it. I was tired from all my former hikes & this one said ‘its good for kids’…I thought that sound good for Vicki today too.
There were quite a few people at this little lake…one on his SUP & a couple fishing & a tiny little kid splashing in the muddy shore. It was a quick hike but pretty & I’ve always wondered about it. Now I know.
I drove through town, stopped at the Brick for another Ska Face then back to camp. Talie messaged me & wanted to know if I wanted to walk the road with her one last time before she left…of course I said yes!
As we said good bye, we hugged…my only hug since lockdown except for Danny & it felt great! I have been so grateful for time with Talie this summer & I’m so happy she’s doing great!