Springtime Hiking - Take Advantage of the Windows of Opportunity

Springtime in the Rockies makes hiking a true adventure. The weather forecasts tend to be all over the map and that is what they were this past week and right up until this morning. Luckily the sunshine was there to greet me when I woke up (instead of the non-stop rain/snow they predicted). The key to hiking in the spring is all about FLEXIBILITY! Not knowing what the weather might do also makes the exploration that much more exciting. Always be prepared for changing weather conditions.

After a low of 28 degrees Fahrenheit last night, it took a little while for the temperatures to reach a point where I might consider hiking this morning. After sleeping in a little, having a great breakfast and catching up on email, Google reader and facebook I was ready to get outside. I called the Roxborough State Park phone line and asked about the status of the trail to Carpenter Peak. After a brief pause the response was "the consensus is that it is probably ok - you may encounter some mud in the shade but it should be ok." I was a bit flabbergasted that no one in the office had hiked the trail recently - wondering if they are tied to their computers or the visitor center or ??? Was this a potential opportunity to volunteer or even be paid to hike the trails and provide trail conditions? I can dream...


Roxborough State Park is a true gem in my eyes. It is an easy 20 minute drive from my house and offers great scenery, hiking and wildlife. You can either pay the daily entrance fee or purchase an annual pass that is good at all the Colorado State Parks. I usually purchase an annual pass. Although I may not use it to it's full potential I believe it is a good investment and supports our parks. There are many trail options in the park so if you just want a quick 0.5 mile hike or a long 8 mile hike it offers both. The hike to Carpenter Peak is 6.4 miles from the visitor center and is a great workout in the spring and fall. Since most of the trail is exposed it tends to be a bit too hot in the summer months.

The drive into the park is along a washboard dirt road for about 1.5 miles and then you suddenly hit pavement and have decent road to the visitor center and parking lots. I always wonder about those sort of roads. Did they start to pave and run out of money or ???


I saw two different tours going on while driving into the park - Roxborough offers a wide variety of programs - most of which require advanced reservations - today they had a general birding program in the morning and a hummingbird program in the afternoon. I'm not sure why they don't have the programs listed on their website. I receive an email newsletter (Roxborough Ramblings) quarterly which identifies the activities, but apparently they don't post the schedule on the website. Here is a sample but it doesn't have the year stated so it isn't current...

The visitor center was renovated last year - I didn't notice much of a difference inside so I'm not sure what they did, but it does offer several informative exhibits, a children's corner, books and samples of wildlife that may be found in the park. They used to have a board that stated what wildlife had been seen recently in the park but I didn't see that today - maybe it was in a new location.

The trail to Carpenter Peak starts at the visitor center and an informative exhibit shows you the trail system, wildlife you might encounter and the tracks of animals that are commonly found in the park. The first section of the trail is very easy, and travels through a scrub oak forest. The calls of mountain chickadees and Rufous-sided towhees are delightful. Be sure to look for wildflowers along this section. There is a signed nature trail along this route as well.
I've seen many deer in this section of the park.

The spring beauties were in full swing and were very plentiful throughout the whole hike. I did this hike about a month later last year and was stopping constantly to photograph a huge variety of wildflowers. Since the grip on winter has not quite released this year, the flowers are not quite that plentiful yet, but I did see Common Mouse Ear (chickweed), a lone early larkspur plant, a single pasque flower, sand lilies, yellow violets, a few bluebells (loving all that moisture) and a yellow flower growing out of a woody branch that I haven't quite figured out yet. (photo below)

The trail gets a little more challenging once you cross the main trail that appears to be a road and head uphill. It is evident that the park has had a lot of rain as there are gullies along the trail for a short distance that you have to swagger up carefully. But once you hit the switchbacks it's just a matter of having enough lung capacity to move ahead. The trail is very narrow in places and this time of the year you will be brushing up against the scrub oak so long sleeves are helpful.

It takes awhile before you actually see Carpenter Peak (your destination), but the views along the way are phenomenal. The red rock formations in the park are breathtaking and the fact that you can see all the way to Denver and beyond is always amazing.

Once you reach the bench shown below you are only about 30 minutes from the peak. It looks like a long way but it isn't. You are rewarded with a short amount of downhill travel before the final ascent to the rocky outcrops on top. Although I had passed a ranger who said there were many people ahead of me on the trail, I managed to reach the summit and enjoy it to myself for about 10 minutes. Soon the chatting foursome who was behind me drowned out the sounds of the hawks soaring overhead and the chattering chipmunks.


The wind was minimal today, the chipmunks were scurrying around looking for handouts (not encouraged), and the butterflies that are usually prevalent were remarkably absent (probably too cold). You get a great view of both the front range and the snowy mountains beyond on this hike. The climb is mostly gradual and the trail was in good shape for May 1st. I only encountered a few muddy sections, one or two meandering streams and a step or two of snow remaining on the trail.

If you know of any other great hikes this time of the year please share them with us! Next weekend I think I'll try to take the Elk Valley junction since I've never traveled into that section of (and out of) the park.

Happy Trails!

"Travelnoids"

I’m just finishing up a great trip to the Canyonlands of West Texas and have a few observations I’d like to share and get comment on – Andy Rooney style :)

So why do hotels put the ice machines near the office instead of on each floor near the other vending machines? Really now – we are paying some outrageous amount of money plus some inflated amount of service tax to sleep in a mite-infested bed for a few hours and you need to police how much ice we take? Are the ice machines really so lame that if I take a bag of ice and 5 others take a bag of ice that the ice machine will no longer be fertile? What’s up with this tradition? Why do you make us feel like we are stealing something from you? Why not sell bags of ice at the front desk as a convenience if this is a problem vs making us spend more money on gas hunting down a bag of ice than the $2 bag of ice is worth?

Why do most of the gas stations in New Mexico make you come into the store to get your gas receipt? The obvious is that they want you to come in and buy some of their junk food. For those of us that eat healthy you aren’t going to make a sale either way – you are just going to piss us off because we have to wait in line to get a piece of paper for something we already bought from you. Since the gas stations are few and far between we are likely going to come into the store anyway to use the restroom so if we were going to buy some junk food, we are already parading down those aisles to find the relief station and are probably having to stare at the processed food while we wait for the person in front of us to finish bathing themselves or doing whatever it takes them forever to do in those “rest rooms”… One of the restrooms in TX had a sign on the door: "Women Only - the Mens room is outside." And once you were in the room it had a sign above the stool that said "You Are In The Ladies Room" - love to know the story behind this issue! Is it a translation problem?

What is your favorite travelnoid? Inquiring minds wanna know!

James Creek Adventures

James Creek near Winter Park offers a great variety of adventures in the winter as well as the other seasons of the year.

If you hit it at the right time you can get some great macro photography of hoar frost forming on the vegetation along the trail. You will not believe your eyes when you see the uniqueness of all these tiny crystals. I could have stayed and photographed all day but my friends said "Jan - you haven't moved more than an inch or two in the last 10 minutes!"

We were able to both hike or snowshoe over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2009, but the higher up the trail we went the more we wished we had had snowshoes. For the sake of the cross country skiers it's probably better to snowshoe and stay away from their tracks as much as possible to avoid the deep ruts that hiking boots can cause.

See my album on facebook for more photos of mother nature at her best!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=123142&id=605733800&l=ee7b548a0e

Weekend Excursions in San Francisco

San Francisco has many interesting tourist and local spots to explore. We arrived on a weekend in October armed with a long list of potential places to explore and photograph, but found it difficult to see them all.

The first tactic in planning a trip is to visit your local library and check out as many guidebooks as you can find on the place you want to visit. It is also helpful to ask folks who have either lived there, toured there or were prior city tour guides - most of my San Francisco information was gleaned through chat channels, email forums or on facebook. Of course you should also pick your favorite search engine and "google" online for places of interest. Then take the best combination of all the research and recommendations, noting your key areas of interest, to come up with potential itineraries for the duration of your stay. We went for a long weekend but could have stayed for weeks.

It is also very helpful to grab a San Francisco AAA city map and a highlighter to mark the locations of each photo op, along with notations of points of interest in each area you plan to visit. The most difficult part of our itinerary was figuring out what local transportation would get us to each site. Luckily our hotel had a concierge that was very helpful in telling us which bus, streetcar or cable car (BSC) to hop to each destination. The transit map is quite busy and somewhat difficult to understand and the highly visited tourist areas have jam packed BSC's.




Everyone loves to ride the cable cars on the hilly roads to get a great tour of the city. We really enjoyed getting on at the end of the line and watching the operator turn the cable car around.



There are many choices for great food in San Fran. We stumbled upon a very festive "world famous" cafe near our cable car stop called Pat's Cafe and had a fabulous breakfast before heading out for the day. The walls inside the cafe are filled with artwork and it is a small, friendly place.

We decided to take a ferry to Sausalito and roam around the quaint little town for awhile. Ferry tickets are available at Fisherman's Wharf. We were able to walk up to the ticket counter and buy round trip tickets on the spot for the next scheduled departure. The ferry ride takes you past the famous Alcatraz Island and offers plenty of opportunities for photos of the prison as well as the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge.

When we returned from Sausalito we moseyed over to Pier 39 for some non-stop entertainment and great photo ops of the hundreds of sea lions that hang out and basically take over the place. The Wharf is also a great place to people-watch and find some delicious seafood, as well as plenty of boutique shops. This is a very busy area so have a few options in mind for mass transit if you do not want to wait for a specific bus or trolley to take you to your next destination.

High on my list was to photograph the murals of the Mission District. We had a long, interesting bus ride to the heart of the district but it was worth it. There are some fantastic artists displaying their talents alongside many buildings, garage doors and pretty much any paintable surface. It is a diverse neighborhood so be aware of your surroundings at all times. It was fun to try to find all of the murals - we barely scratched the surface but saw quite a few.

We spent a good portion of one day at Golden Gate Park. There are numerous places to see and plentiful activities in the Park. We spent quite a bit of time photographing the Dahlia gardens - tons of variety and absolutely gorgeous flowers. The Conservatory of Flowers was under rennovation so we did not get a chance to visit. There was also a local fair going on with musicians, craft booths and plenty of food. You can go to the top of the De Young Museum tower for a free view of the city - it is a great place for panoramic shots and to see what is going on in the park as well. The architecture is quite unique and there are many photo ops on the grounds near the museum.

This is just a sampling of the many places we visited over a long weekend. Have a great time if you plan to visit and be sure to drop me a line if you find another great photo location!

Happy Trails!

Jan

Let the Hiking Season Begin!

Spring has sprung in the Front Range area of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and it is time to get out and hike again. I wanted to do a hike close to home since it is mud/snow season in the high country and I need a little time to get my body adjusted to climbing and altitude. I left the camera at home to reduce the amount of weight I was carrying as I am still recovering from surgery and wanted to offset the difficulty of the trail with less on my back.

My choice today was Deer Creek Canyon. There are a multitude of hikes to chose from at this park - most are rated moderate to difficult, some are hiker only trails. From C-470 exit at Kipling Blvd and head south. Turn west, (right) on W. Ute Avenue, then west (right) on Deer Creek Canyon Road. Turn left on Grizzly Drive, then right into Deer Creek Canyon Park.

Detailed park trail maps and trail profiles are available online. I suggest printing the map and profile to take along with you since the trailhead did not have any maps available today. They had a wide assortment of other paper products, but no maps of the trails. There is a large kiosk with a map of the trail system at the trailhead, so worse case you can photograph it with your digital camera to use it as a reference on the trail.

I headed up the hiker only Meadowlark Trail and soon had a fabulous view of a Golden Eagle perched on one of the picnic shades. It was scanning the meadows for a nice breakfast snack. The birds were out in numbers today as the temperature was in the mid-50s and it was slightly overcast - mostly a "ziggy cloud" that hung over the foothills. It was blue sky for as far as you could see to the East! We had a little rain Friday evening so the ground was fresh with dewdrops.

I was serenaded by Rufous Sided Towhees most of the way up the trail and was pleasantly surprised to see a number of Black-Billed Magpies which seem to have disappeared from my neighborhood. I was also treated to a bird of prey doing a fly-by at the end of the trail - it had white spots on the tips of its wings but it was too far away for me to identify. I also got a glance of a beautiful blue Western Scrub Jay at the end of the hike and there were plenty of finches and robins singing their songs. I cannot really say that I heard any meadowlarks here but I have seen them on the trails near my house. Maybe it was a wee bit too cold for them today.

The Meadowlark trail had a surprising number of wildflowers already in bloom. The shrubs and trees are just starting to bloom and a few were flowering. The scrub oak was still struggling to get out of winter mode.

The white sand lily was prevalent in large clusters and is often one of the first wildflowers of the spring. Carpets of small purple weed like blooms were also plentiful, but I always forget the name of this tiny flower. I was surprised but delighted to see a few Early Larkspurs scattered about the trail. There were a few tufts of Common Mouse Ear (chickweed) on the lower sections of the trail. It was hard to find a decent photo of this wildflower (apparently a noxious weed) online - yet another reason to always carry my camera. This is a pretty small, delicate flower on a long stem so it can be difficult to get a great shot of. The dandelions were plentiful for you wine and salad lovers and a few other yellow flowers were just starting to bloom, but I only saw one or two plants, which were difficult to identify since they were not in full bloom yet.

The Meadowlark trail is a gradual uphill climb through meadows, scrub oak and meandering switchbacks. After about a mile you have a great view of the Denver skyline, Chatfield Reservoir and the surrounding red rocks of the foothills. From here the trail is very mild and rolling until you head downhill into a heavily forested area. Once you reach the Plymouth Creek Trail junction you can either head uphill for some grueling steep climbs and access to other great trails or head downhill to enjoy the sound of the gurgling creek. Watch your step as this section of the trail has lots of rocks and steep sections. Also be on the look-out for mountain bikers grunting their way up the trail. The Plymouth Creek section of the trail had many more people and bikers than the Meadowlark Trail today but all in all it was a great way to get out and enjoy the sunshine and cool temperatures of the spring.

Happy Trails!

Jim Creek Snowshoe

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Jim Creek Trail near Winter Park

If you are looking for a nice quick snowshoe (or cross country ski) trail near Winter Park Jim Creek is the place for you. Park at the trailhead for the Discovery Trail at the Bonfils Outdoor Center off of US-40, just across from the ski area. A signpost describes the different loops available as part of the handicapped Outdoor Center trail system. Take the trail to the right of the sign that soon crosses the creek over a fairly long bridge. Travel up the wide, well traveled trail for about 0.6 mile to the James Peak Wilderness sign and a small signpost denoting the Jim Creek Trail. The trail narrows here but it is a lovely walk through forest and shrubs.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - James Peak from Jim Creek Trail

You will soon have fabulous views of James Peak in all it’s glory. The hiking books I’ve read say the trail distance is about 3.0 miles in length before it reaches private property. I’ve always arrived too late in the day to explore the entire trail so if anyone else out there has, please comment on what you know about the potential distance and sights to see on this trail.

Monarch Lake Loop - Snowshoe or Cross Country Ski

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Lake Granby Road to Monarch Lake Trailhead

Although the temperature gauge read -4 degrees below zero today as I passed through Tabernash (the Icebox capitol of the world), I was determined to do a nice backcountry snowshoe near Lake Granby. It took a little under an hour to travel from Winter Park to the end of the plowed section of the road on the Northwest side of Lake Granby where I parked my vehicle. After donning every piece of clothing I had with me I headed up the rest of the snowpacked road ~1.4 miles to the Monarch Lake trailhead. Luckily I realized my camelback was already frozen just a few yards from the car, so I went back and got a Nalgene bottle to hook on my pack to ensure I’d have hydration along the way.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Beware of Aggressive 1200# Meese :)

I was the only one at the trailhead and a little spooked by the signs warning of aggressive Moose in the area, as well as mountain lion tracks noted by a hiker who had been on the trail about a week ago. Fear be damned I headed up the trail towards “High Lonesome Ridge” – a nice undulating climb through the trees. The brief section of trail that crosses the lower section of Monarch Lake was numbingly cold due to a brisk wind, partly cloudy skies and lightly falling snowflakes, but the views of the icy stream that fed the lake were breathtaking. With my head on a swivel like our flexible owl friends, I kept an eye on my surroundings – watching for moose and mountain lions. This section of Arapahoe Pass trail was up a fairly steep slope from the lake, which didn’t seem like the territory for either critter, but I read all the warning signs posted below and pumped my adrenaline to be uber-aware. My snowshoes made a lot of racket in the squeaky cold snow, so I stopped every now and then for a photo and a brief moment of silence to see if I could hear any moose grunts in the trees.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Winter Wonderland

The bitter cold soon claimed the lives of my electronic devices one-by-one. First the GPS unit screen went blank, then the cell phone died when I was trying to tell another friend about the trail, then my camera texted me “send hot-chocolate” and the battery croaked. Luckily I had spares for all but the cell phone, which I mostly brought in case something happened to me out there.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Awesome Views!

The trail passes through lush Spanish moss forests and tall lodgepole pines until you reach the James Peak Wilderness boundary, where a meadow or two magically appear. The open space does not last very long and you are back in the beetle kill trees once again.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - One of many signs to guide the way

Eventually, (around 2 miles) you reach the turning point for your journey and start heading back from whence you came. Once you reach the Wilderness sign you start seeing National Forest signs for the other hiking options in the vicinity, as well as a note and arrows that tell you that you are still on the Monarch Lake Loop. A stern warning at the ranger cabin tells you to have some backcountry trail sense since they are not staffed for wilderness rescues.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Map of the route

The 4 mile loop around the lake includes stretches on the Arapaho Pass Trail #6, Arapaho Pass Spur Trail 6.1, and the Cascade Creek Trail #1. Monarch Lake is not always within view so pay attention to the signs as you travel along the route. The Continental Divide trail junction appears some distance up the trail (my GPS was dead so I don’t have mileage points) and several other junctions to Junco Lake, Crater Lake and Gourd Lake appear along the way. This looks like a great place for a base camp in the summer with opportunities for many days of hiking excursions.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - "Steam Donkey"

An old boiler (“Steam Donkey” on the map) from mining days gone by appears along the route on the south side of the lake off the Arapaho Pass trail. Although it was covered in a lot of snow it was the most complete system I’ve seen to date. It even had some wood in the lower section where they apparently fired her up.

The snow on the Arapaho Pass trail was soft, fluffy and plentiful and the terrain would have made x-c skiing a blast for an experienced skier. The trail is very narrow and winding, with an occasional downed tree to negotiate, so beware. The snow on the Cascade Creek side of the lake was very crunchy, sun-baked and bare in spots. I was glad I was on snowshoes when I reached this section. This part of the trail is definitely more like mountain lion territory. There are lots of big boulders on the slopes above and several game trails leading down to the water sources. The trees are not quite as dense on this side either.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Solitude at its best!

I highly recommend this hike to anyone interested in some solitude and great exercise. The ride along Lake Granby road and across the Granby Dam is quite scenic with views into Rocky Mountain National Park and entertaining snippets into the lives of the ice fisherman perched on the icy expanse below. The ~8 mile distance from US-34 takes a bit of time as the road is snowpacked and the speed limit is 25 mph. It looks like fly fisherman also take advantage of the easy route on the closed section (the last 1.4 miles) of the road to venture downslope for a bit of fishing in the icy river. Be sure to register at the kiosk near the ranger cabin – there is a nice map of the Monarch Lake loop trail inside the register box, which came in handy as a digital photo in my camera when I reached some of the trail junctions.

Fall Hike to Arapaho Lakes

Moffat Tunnel One Week Later...

It's amazing how much a place can change in the course of a week. If you look at my blog from last week you will see a very similar photo except the trees are still green and there is snow on the peaks. Winter tried to slide in last weekend, but Mother Nature straightened things out and we are back to the crisp days of fall and the kaleidoscope of color produced by the temperature changes and shorter days.

James Peak Wilderness

I was very happy to see the aspen trees changing to their warm shade of yellow. I had been worried that the leaves would just turn brown and fall off after that early blast of snow.

Turn off from CO 72 to Rollins Pass Road

I returned to the East Portal trailhead for another hike for a number of reasons. Mostly because there are several trails I have never explored, but also because access is easy (CO Hwy 72 avoids bumper to bumper traffic on I-70), and I can drive my gas saving Prius to the trailhead instead of needing a gas hogging 4WD.

I had a difficult time finding much information about the trail to Arapaho Lakes. I poured through many guidebooks and searched the web. The only description I could find was on this website: http://protrails.com/trail-print.php?trailID=113 which I just noticed has actually been updated since I pulled down the information in August. The old version was written before the trail was re-routed, but this current version looks pretty accurate except for mileages. My GPS recorded the round trip distance as 8.5 miles where they state it is a 7.1 mile hike.

Frosty Lupine Leaves

The first part of the hike shares the same trail I took for last weeks hike to Heart Lake. The temperature was in the 40's and a layer of frost appeared on much of the vegetation and some of the wooden trail crossings. After about 1.3 miles you branch off and take the Forest Lakes trail to the right. This is where the climbing starts. If you are seeking solitude this is the trail for you, I had the forest to myself the entire way up. The first human beings I saw were about 1/4 mile from the lake and they were heading down. I'd definitely rate this as a strenuous hike which is probably why there were not many people on it. I think I saw a total of six people and one dog.

Spanish Moss Covered Trees

One section of forest was covered in Spanish Moss. I actually lucked out and had beams of sunlight streaming through and was able to capture a decent photo. Forest shots are one of the toughest subjects for me. I felt like I was constantly stopping to take photos the first few miles. The diversity of subjects was phenomenal! I was trying to hustle a bit to stay ahead of a huge group of boy scouts who had a lot to talk (and scream) about.

Fireweed and Lichen Rock

I'm glad I took the time to grab some of the colorful vegetation shots as the early morning conditions are typically the best for saturation and pleasing photographs. The 1.5 mile hike to the turn off for the Arapaho Lake trail is mostly in the trees but you do get a glimpse of the valley below. Here you can see not only the fall colors but the devastation that continues to spread through the Rocky Mountains from the pesty pine beetle.

Beetle Kill (Red is Dead) Trees

After what feels like a never-ending climb you finally reach the fork in the trail where the Forest Lakes and Arapaho Lakes trails diverge. I was hoping for an estimated mileage from this point but no such luck.

2.7 miles from the start of the trail to this junction

Although it is only about another 1.5 miles from this junction it is the toughest part of the hike. The narrow trail climbs straight uphill through heavily forested, damp terrain, with lots of downed trees to negotiate and various types of navigation skills required. The nice thing about this section is the beautiful Arapaho Creek which stimulates your senses with constantly running water and many scenic sections where you can stop and catch your breath.

Challenging Water Crossing

This is one of the few stream crossings that required a bit of balance and care. Luckily the water was not very deep so if you did miss a step you wouldn't get too terribly wet :)

After a lot of huffing and puffing you eventually reach timberline and start getting great views of the mountains and tundra. The waterfalls continue to weave through the meadows and alpine fields. You still have a bit more distance to walk but once you turn the corner and see the prize you realize it was definitely worth the effort.

Panorama of Arapaho Lake (4 photos)

For the second weekend in a row I had an entire alpine lake to myself. After taking a few dozen photos I sat on a rock and enjoyed some lunch. The wind starting picking up, the clouds started building and my visit was cut short by impending weather. Seems like I rarely get more than about 30 minutes at my destinations in the high country. Good thing I left when I did because the drizzle started about 1/2 mile from the car just as I was photographing the last flowers of the season - the blue gentian.

Blue Gentian

I'll be back to this area again to explore the Forest Lakes trail so stay tuned for another photo journal of the James Peak Wilderness area trails.

Happy Trails!

Jan

Signs of an Early Winter?

Last Wildflowers of the Year?

Fall officially begins on September 22nd but you would think that winter had already arrived in the Colorado high country! I had a feeling a hike after a solid day of rain in Denver would be a dicey proposition when they were predicting snow above 10,000'. Especially after the photos shown on the local news stations of snow covered peaks and slushy highways. But I've been really been wanting to hike up to Heart Lake and even though it is perched at 11,300' I just had to give it a shot.

Private Property at the Trailhead

It has probably been at least 20 years since I've hiked to Heart Lake. A great friend from my days at Martin Marietta who passed on at much too early of an age, used to lead us to fabulous hikes every weekend. Heart Lake really stuck in my mind as a phenomenal place, but I wasn't sure why, so I had to hike it again. Most of my hiking buddies like the shorter, less strenuous hikes, so this was a hike I decided I had to do on my own. Luckily the trailhead starting point has changed for the better. When I hiked it with Wayne and his wife Clairesse we had to climb over a fence and cross private property. Since then the James Peak Wilderness area has undergone a lot of trail work and a trail now goes around the property of the Union Pacific Railroad. When I hiked to Crater Lakes last fall I was fortunate to see a train coming through the tunnel and the many railroad enthusiasts that awaited its arrival. On this trip I saw not only one, but two trains headed toward the tunnel as I departed. The second train was an interesting collection of nothing but engines - probably 10-20 of them in a row! But alas, my legs were too tired to stop and take a photo!

Moffat Tunnel, East Portal

This trailhead now offers many hiking choices in the James Peak Wilderness area which is adjacent to the Indian Peaks Wilderness. I plan to go back for several more hikes before the snow socks the trails in for the year. The Heart Lake trail follows the South Boulder Creek most of the way. It starts around 9211' and climbs to over 11,300'. Most guidebooks say it is about 8.4 miles round trip but my GPS (and my legs) recorded my hike at over 10.5 miles.

Trail Markers on the Tree

The trail is very well marked the first 2 miles or so but as you climb higher the forest becomes dense and trail options are confusing. Luckily they have placed trail markers on the trees to help you find your way and have tried to block social trails with obvious 'wrong way' signs. In the photo above you see not only one red circle but also a blue marker and a slash into the tree to mark the trail. Look up a bit - this trail is also used in the winter for snowshoeing and cross country skiing so the markers are up higher since the snow gets pretty darn deep up here. :)

Snowy Footbridge

It does get a bit confusing as you climb through the perrenial streams, downed trees and muddy/wet conditions. I was very pleased to see that several people were ahead of me this morning so I could follow their snowy footprints. The first 2 miles were mostly damp but the snow started appearing well below 10,000'.

Snow Packed Trail/Stream

By the time I reached 10,000' the trail was mostly snow and some of the uphill climbs were very slippery. I was very happy to have at least one hiking pole with me to help climb without falling. It was also very beneficial on the slick rock stream crossings. I wasn't looking forward to the downhill approach but luckily the sun and more people traffic made it more of a slushy/muddy mess then an icy slide down.

Lower Lake of Rogers Pass Lake

The first lake you reach is small but sits beneath a beautiful peak. A few more slushy maneuvers uphill and you reach Rogers Pass Lake. It is very large and hard to photograph up close so it is definitely worth the climb up toward the pass and Heart Lake to get a better photos of Rogers Pass Lake.

Rogers Pass Lake

Only two other crazy hikers were ahead of me after Rogers Pass Lake. They actually headed up to the pass - I bet it was a very scary ascent without ice axes and other self arrest gear. The short distance I had to go to get to Heart Lake was plenty for me. I had thought about bringing my winter boots but didn't, so every post-holed step into the deep snow made my feet colder and wetter. I was the only person that climbed to the lake at that hour (noon-ish) so I had to make my own trail through the snowpack. Cold as it was it was actually a pretty cool experience to have a lake to myself. I journeyed over to the only rock that looked like it might be flat enough to sit upon. Finding a good route there was half the battle as the willows and pine trees were weighted down in snow and footing amongst the hidden rocks was very questionable. Since I was hiking alone I was extremely careful about where I placed my feet.

View of Heart Lake

I shot a few photos of the lake once I reached the high point and was not able to capture a good close up of the lake due to it's size and shape. It is shaped like the human organ, not the typical shape we associate with hearts. It was a peaceful, tranquil place, nonetheless, and I spent over an hour contemplating my navel (I mean my Nikon), and just enjoying the serenity of having such a beautiful piece of God's creation to myself. The sun was warm enough to fend off the biting nip of the wind and I eventually meandered across the shoreline along the length of the lake watching every step I took into the mysterious depths of the snow below me. Although I could have stayed there a long time, I left once I knew the two people who were climbing Rogers Pass in front of me were not heading for the dangerous looking cliff of windblown snow guaranteed to avalanche with the first foot stepped upon it.

Close Up View of Rogers Pass Lake

The descent was dicey as the slope was pretty extreme and the snow made every step a real experience. I eventually got down to the trail made by those before me and stopped for a moment to enjoy the beauty of Rogers Pass Lake. Several fisherman were trying their luck at snagging a fish that wasn't frozen to death or in a semi-coma.

Muddy Trails

I was pleased to see the trails were more muddy and wet than icy. The Rocky Mountain sunshine was doing a great job of melting off the snow - the resulting mess was a kids delight. I gave up trying to keep my feet semi-dry and just plunged through it to the delight of my inner child. It was a long way down - I didn't have to struggle to breathe like the way up but every step was a strategic one to keep myself from slip sliding down the hill.

As I finished up the last few miles I was filled with gratitude for the friends who have shared the beauty of this country with me. Our lives are filled with stressful, time consuming activities but if we just stop for a moment or an hour or two we can find the peacefulness and beauty in the world around us by spending a little time in nature. I was in awe of the numerous people headed uphill with backpacks full of gear at 3pm. I couldn't imagine where they would find a dry, warm place to spend the night but I suspect that just being alone in this majestic wilderness was all they needed to cleanse their souls.

Enjoy the colors of the fall wherever you may live or explore!

Jan

PS - is anyone else struggling with the formatting issues of blogspot? Everytime I add a new photo it hoses up all the formatting associated with either the photo or the text. Adds tons of extra lines. Any ideas?