Buck Gulch Trail
On my way to Buck Gulch Trail, number 772 in Pike National Forest of Colorado’s front range, I came across a sign “Shooters: Be Considerate. We Live Here. & Been Shot”. Hmmm…and I’m going on a hike 2 miles from here!?! My drive continued past a homemade shooting range in a burn area from the High Meadow Fire that raged out of control in 2000.
The Buck Gulch trail weaves through the pines and through open burn area down to Pine Valley, 2.25 miles away. It connects with a park of trail systems that hikers, cyclists, and horseback riders all use. The park, which the Platte, cuts through, also includes picnic areas, a lake, and an observatory.
I followed Buck Gulch Trail to a few others, but stayed mostly up above the park and look down on the river that was roaring after 12 hours of relentless rain the previous day. I turned back to hobby I haven’t done in while: geocaching. I found two caches hidden slightly off the trail while I enjoyed the view of distant mountains.
Once again, instead of doing 2.25 miles out and 2.25 miles back…curiosity got the best of me and I wandered around for at least an hour more checking out the sights and sounds of the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
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