travel Archives - Page 5 of 13 - ETB Travel Photography

Segment 7 of The Colorado Trail

With Segment 7 of the Colorado Trail complete this weekend, I have now finished Segments 1-10 (170.5 miles) over the past two summers. Only 315 miles more to go…I suppose I’ve made a small dent.

David and I visited Breckenridge Friday night which coincidentally coincided with Oktoberfest (in September) and were fortunate enough to meet Cat for dinner at Blue Stag. After a great meal, Cat was nice enough to shuttle a car with us to our pick-up point at Copper’s East Lot. Continue reading “Segment 7 of The Colorado Trail” →

Labor Day Weekend on The Colorado Trail – Segment 6

We waited until the end of school Friday to tackle segment 6 of the Colorado Trail over Labor Day weekend. Our first stop was Gold Hill to drop off the pick up car. Then we shuttled to Kenosha Pass. It was 6:45 pm before we were able to start our hike. We planned on getting 3 miles under our belts so that we only had to average 10 miles a day the rest of the weekend.

Hiking at Dusk

Our hike began in large aspen groves. We were about a week or two too early for the magnificent colors, but the leaves were beginning to turn yellow. After emerging from the aspen grove, we enjoyed a nice view of South Park at dusk before we clipped on our headlamps.

We passed two small creeks, and likely the ideal campground in the dark. A car camping group with bright lights and music were situated near the suggested camping spots, 3.1 miles into the segment, so we continued on into the valley and set up camp just as sprinkles fell. Continue reading “Labor Day Weekend on The Colorado Trail – Segment 6” →

Engaged on Segment 8 of the Colorado Trail! Also Backpacked Segments 9 and 10…

David and I set out to hike segments 8-10 of the Colorado Trail (the “CT”) from Copper to Leadville over five days which averaged just under eleven miles a day after including our side hike to the fish hatchery. On the sixth day, we tackled Mount Massive, the second highest peak in Colorado. It was an eventful trip! Continue reading “Engaged on Segment 8 of the Colorado Trail! Also Backpacked Segments 9 and 10…” →

Awesome Fourth of July Weekend at Estabrook!

Estabrook

David and I made it up to Estabrook on Wednesday and set out for a short reconnaissance hike since we had heard all the bridges along the creek had been knocked out by all the high water this spring. The first two bridges made of a steel trellis and wood planks were washed aside. At the first bridge we waded through the cold creek which was still a few feet higher than normal. At the second bridge, other logs got knocked into what could be used as a crossing so we carefully stepped across the logs to one of our old kids’ campsite. The next bridge was out as well, so after searching for edible mushrooms, we turned around and took the logging road up to Eagle’s Rock and an overlook over Johnson’s Gulch. The road was intermittently marshy sometimes with a light stream of water flowing down the slope.

The meadow beneath the aspen stand was home to countless wild flowers and a cool looking yellow spider. I think we found seven varieties of mushrooms. David knew that a few were edible, but without his mushroom book we stuck with one variety which he knew the name. They went quite well on pasta! I supposed the bear wanted some mushrooms too as it visited us for the fullmoon night.

Upon our return, the rain began falling harder with every step. The road even wetter, we didn’t even bother removing our shoes to wade through the creek. By the time we reached the porch, we were soaked and cool, but it made for a nice afternoon by the fire.

dinner

Brian, Erin, and Ellen arrived Thursday night while Mike, Mario, and Moria arrived Friday afternoon. David and I, along with our Thursday guests found a nice hike for Friday morning, Silver Dollar Lake. It is only 1.5 miles one way to the lake and 2.2 miles one way if we wanted to extend the hike to Murray Lake. I have wanted to complete this hike for sometime. I tried this winter, but the trail wasn’t decipherable.

Silver Dollar Lake and Murray Lake

After an hour drive with David speeding along the dirt roads, we arrived at the trailhead. We began the hike climbing a few switchbacks through the evergreen forest. Soon we reached treeline as we overlooked Naylor Lake. The trail turned to a muddy mess at times from the recent snow melt. We slowly made our way to Silver Dollar Lake after stopping along the way to admire more magnificent wildflowers. With all the spring rain, the wildflowers will just get even better this summer!

At the lake, a young boy was flying a drone around! It was sort of cool, since he had a camera, but we were in the wilderness for some peace and quiet so we kept climbing to Murray Lake which was lovely. Only one other person sat along its shore, and he joined us for lunch as the approaching clouds cooled us off. It was time to head back to the cabin. We hung out on the porch, enjoyed happy hour, and eventually settled in for a tasty BBQ dinner prepared by Moria in honor of July 4th!

Naylor Lake

Silver Dollar Lake

Murray Lake

Eagle Rock and Johnson’s Gulch

Our next day’s hike was an adventurous one. Everyone was game to at least wade through the creek twice, so we took the same hike as Thursday morning up to Eagle Rock and the Johnson’s Gulch overlook for magnificent views and a bonus spotting of wild turkey. Some of the boys wanted to venture up the creek without the bridges, so a few folks headed back to the cabin while the rest of us looked for creek crossings. We waded across not far from the next bridge that was out and made it to the bear’s cave. If there is anything positive to say about the flooding waters is that they knocked the ugly logs that were stuck in the creek near the bear’s cave down river which made for a much prettier view at my favorite place in the world.

Finally we found a few newer bridges in tact, but one crucial one was out. The creek was just low enough to cross. Any higher it may have been harrier than it already was as we David had to rescue Mike’s dog, Marley ten down the creek. After stopping for a few photos at the hanging bridge, we waded through the water once more at Johnson’s Gulch to take a higher path along another logging road back to the house.

I think we probably logged 8 miles, enough to work up an appetite for taco and margarita night at Estabrook, a must! Dessert of S’mores, cards, and some dancing followed for a fun night! What a way to spend the Fourth of July, in the mountains with great company! ETB

SHOP

For notecards and key chains, visit My Shop on this website.

Backpacking Through the Lost Creek Wilderness

We arrived at the Goose Creek Trailhead around 11:30 after a long winding drive along a well maintained dirt road. We were surprised to find so many cars in the parking lot as upon calling the ranger station it sounded like some of the trail conditions would be challenging with high creeks, mud, and snow. We took that sign as a glimmer of hope we could make it across the ridge between Bison Peak and McCurdy Mountain, both above 12,000 feet.

After chatting with a few fellow backpackers, we set out on Goose Creek Trail, and immediately found a group of six backpackers that had just finished the loop along Brookside-McCurdy Trail and Hankins Pass Trail. The young college-aged group said they used snowshoes for about half-a-day, but thought most of the snow would be gone by now as they passed through the area a few days ago. They also said they were able to cross the creek on a submerged log with a line tied across the creek. Things sounded somewhat promising given Colorado’s crazy spring weather.

With our late start, we planned to hike around 5-7 miles. The trail took us along side the raging creek that looked more like a river of brown rapids that in places left its banks and watered down the trail. We walked through the shade of conifers before we began climbing the granite path. Soon we reached a volunteer group who was attempting to improve the water damaged trail as large rock outcroppings and snow-capped mountains came into view.

We took our first break a few miles into the trail, as my fellow flat-landers weren’t quite used to the altitude at roughly 8,000 feet. I certainly had an unfair advantage. In intermittent showers that stayed around just long enough for us pull out our rain gear only to strip it off minutes later, we followed the undulating trail to a junction, where we could detour to see historic buildings and mining equipment. The girls weren’t interested in “old stuff” and I doubt if I was at that time, so they chilled out at this four-mile stop while David and I went for a short exploration after leaving our packs with Heather and Jaz.

The buildings, constructed for employee housing in the early 1900’s by The Antero and Lost Park Reservoir Company when the company attempted to build a reservoir by damming Lost Creek were just a short distance from the trail junction. A quarter mile down the path was some rusted machinery. Of course, upon leaving our packs, storms threatened again with dark clouds rolling in, thunder, and a few rain drops falling, thus our visit to the historic sites were quick.

We continued, this time following the steep path up and down over a few ridges before we finally settled on a campground located between the trail and the creek. Our dehydrated camping meals couldn’t come fast enough after setting up our tents. David, the master chef, boiled our water for our nourishing meals.

With nightfall, the air cooled and the stars shined magnificently in the sky. The big dipper twinkled right above us. I feared I would freeze, and I can’t think of a time I haven’t while camping, but David brought a two person bag that goes down to ten degrees. Admittedly, I sweat all night long, but I am not complaining because as soon as I sat outside the next morning eating my oatmeal, I was already cold.

With frozen toes and fingers, we set out on our next days hike around 8 am. We started with trouncing through some muddy terrain. Soon we crossed the creek and began climbing. It didn’t take long to strip out of our “winter” clothes. The trail led us through open views, neat rock formations, a couple gorgeous aspen groves and past some sparse wildflowers. Each hiker and camper we met this morning had turned back from the creek crossing. Some had found the submerged log and thin line, but felt it was too difficult to pass. Others never found this spot. And others had heard one guy fell in while trying to cross…hmmm.

We met a couple who had hiked the loop numerous times, and they said they had never seen the creek so high. They tested the log and decided it wasn’t worth the consequences should something go awry. In their description, we learned of some nice campgrounds, so we forged forward, temporarily claimed a campsite as we left our packs with the girls, and went to scout the crossing. Just as we arrived, we met a couple that made it across the eight-inch wide log that was slightly submerged in water. They claimed the log moved slightly, but it was passable. We felt encouraged, and with it only being around one pm, we decided to plow ahead so we could tackled the next five uphill miles faced us on the way to McCurdy Park.

As he held onto the line, David stood on the log first. It bent and sunk significantly under the weight of he and his pack while his arms moved back and forth with the flimsy line. Though he made it across and back. The way he made it was enough of a sight for me to chicken out and say “no way”! Grabbing hold of the line required us to lean upstream. If we fell forward, we could have easily gotten trapped against the log in the water which was at least five feet deep. If we leaned back, chances were we would land on a submerged boulder. Finally, the log really wasn’t connected to the other side. It was being pushed up against the willows by the force of the water. Fortunately, the girls sided with me, so I didn’t have to be the spoiler. We each stood on the log without our packs, and didn’t feel safe, so we opted out and returned to a shaded camp for an early day.

We had only hiked six miles today, so we chose to hike out twelve miles tomorrow and spend a few days at our cabin in Estabrook. We didn’t feel too disappointed as we probably could have brought a little more food too. While we had enough for every meal plus snacks, Jaz and I have high metabolisms, and I think we would have wanted larger portions by the end of five days on the trail.

Since we were packing out the same way we came in, the girls wanted to do a “solo”. They were packed up and ready to go by 6 am. After we cooked oatmeal for breakfast, the girls headed out. We made plans to meet up at our old campground six miles down the trail. The girls got an hour head-start before we got the camp cleaned up and enjoyed some Taster’s Choice Instant Coffee (better than Via and regular brew)!

The girls took their time, and we moved quickly in order play a little catch up. At our morning lunch spot, we gave them some food, a lighter and compass just in case they got lost, though it seemed unlikely. Since they didn’t have much of a head-start, David and I strolled along the trail taking photos, restroom breaks, and filtering a bit more water. Other hikers had seen the girls along the way, so all was going as planned until the trail that the volunteer group was working on was closed and re-routed. When we arrived at the car, the girls weren’t there!

We had discussed the Hankins Pass/Goose Creek Trail junction located at the end of the trail and thought perhaps the girls continued. It was 1:30. I told David to go down the Hankins Pass Trail for 1 hour and then turn around to be back by 3:30, as without a pack on, he would have caught them. In the meantime, I waited at the trail junction in case we somehow missed them. At around 2pm, the couple that crossed the log yesterday finished their hike. They hadn’t seen the girls, but about fifteen minutes later the girls, hot and sweaty, showed up. What a relief! The trail closing confused them as the trail they were on didn’t seem familiar so they turned around to find us, but somehow ended up on a different fork, and we missed each other. After some mis-direction from some guys down by the creek, they eventually found their way safely after crossing a log twice.

I told the girls to wait at the trail junction, which they happily did, while I went to get David. I felt like he would feel much better the sooner he knew his girls were OK. The Hankins Pass Trail with several creek crossings was significantly different than Goose Creek Trail. He kept going to try to find another hiker on the trail just to confirm no one had seen them as the trail was so different they would have known they had gone too far. After an hour, as we discussed he turned around, I caught up to him and we were back to the trailhead to meet the girls before 3:30 pm. Needless to say, the final hour put a slight damper on our three day camping trip.

But we made up for it at Estabrook. Upon arrival Jennifer and John had a “kitchen sink” salad ready for us. Fresh vegetables hit the spot after multiple days of dehydrated food. The salad included two cheeses, broccoli, avocado, two types of tomatoes, apples, dried cranberries, seeds and more. I think we all had two or three servings!

The next day, we took the classic Estabrook hike to the Bear’s Cave and the hanging bridge. Craig Creek was out of its banks and soaking the trail in a few locations, but we made it to some of my favorite spots in the whole world. After lunch in town and quick stop at the Knotty Pine for some clean T-shirts, we enjoyed a lazy afternoon playing Settlers of Catan. When the evening arrived, it was time to celebrate Heather’s 16th birthday. Car keys, a watch, and tickets to the Violent Femmes and Barenaked Ladies playing at Red Rocks the following night complemented amazing s’mores and charades for a fun celebration. We bought jumbo marshmallows and Jaz had the BRILLIANT idea to stick the chocolate in the marshmAllow and then roast it. YUM!! Jaz even roasted marshmallows on the woodstove after breakfast the next day!

We capped off Heather’s birthday at Red Rocks the following day. One of her favorite bands is Violent Femmes, and one of my favorite bands is Barenaked Ladies. And of course, watching live music at Red Rocks is epic. Even the bands get excited about playing at the venue. We had a fun five days before hanging out in Denver for the rest of the week. ETB

Shop

Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.

photographic note card, mountain goat in colorado — MOUNTAIN GOAT

Fredericksburg, Texas and Beyond

What a wonderful early birthday and Easter weekend rendezvous! David found a cute little apartment over one of the shops on the main street of Fredericksburg and planned a fun two night stay.

Fredericksburg holds a special place in my heart from winning my first medium pony championship at the Gellespie County Fairgrounds to spending time around that area when I attended camp Mystic as a kid. I was so excited to return as an adult, especially given the last time I tried during my road trip around the USA the weather was lackluster at best. Sleet blew sideways, and VANilla’s doors froze closed!

Admittedly, the forecast called for dreary weather this weekend, so I hoped my luck would be slightly better than February 2011. It wouldn’t take much as we headed northwest from San Antonio beneath cloudy skies. Our first stop was outside of Boerne at the Cave Without a Name.

The Natural National Landmark is a limestone, solution cave which is created by a combination of water and acid that erodes the rock. The cave is tens of thousands of years old as evidenced the remains of prehistoric animals, though the cave went largely unnoticed until the 1920s when a moonshine distillery was installed in the uppermost cavern during the Prohibition. It wasn’t until 1935 when local children found the cave and were the first to enter its main chamber 90 feet below ground!

The owner of the property, Jim Horn, decided to open it to the public in 1939. As part of the opening, Mr. Horn held a state-wide contest, offering $250 for the best name. A young boy suggested the cave was too beautiful to have a name and was awarded the prize.

As we followed the 126 step staircase to its main cavern, I couldn’t help but think of the children who clambered down and back up the walls with only the light of a lantern. We took an hour tour of six chambers which covered only 0.25 miles of the 3.5 mile cave. Researchers are still exploring the cave which requires diving in the underground extension of the Guadalupe River which runs through it. They still haven’t found its end.

I expected the continuous 66 degrees would feel cold, but the cave was a nice temperature for us and several cave critters including bats, cave frogs, and salamanders. I loved seeing these species as I think it is fascinating that an animal evolves to be blind or are born blind since the darkness provides no use for eyes.

The cave is home to a variety of formations including stalactites, stalagmites, cave bacon, soda straws, draperies, columns and more. I particularly liked a dome structure, not because it was the prettiest formation, but because it was a type of formation I hadn’t seen in other caves. It is truly amazing to realize how long it takes for the formations to grow. We saw a small blob on the ground, not even an inch high, and it is 80 years old!

Another awesome feature in the cave is the rimstone dams. One area looked like terraced rice fields in China only the small dams held crystal clear water in pools. The water was so clear that at times we couldn’t see it, and at other times we thought a four-foot deep pool was only one-foot deep.

It was nice that cave tours took place upon arrival as well. There were not any scheduled times so the group was really small, just four of us. To see the cave on a scheduled time, however, it is possible to go in the evening for a concert like Italian Pops. Apparently the acoustics are great.

Upon finishing up our tour, we continued north to arrive in Fredericksburg for a late lunch. We squeezed into thebuzzing bar area at the Fredericksburg Brewery. That is about the best description I can give to the place. We should have heeded the TripAdvisor reviews. The room temperature beer was fair and the food not much better, maybe worse. I ordered the fish tacos which were decent, but David ordered the fish and chips which frankly tasted like a fish dock. I don’t know how he ate them. Overall, I suppose it didn’t really matter. We were both hungry and just trying to get some sustenance before we wandered along the crowded main street with a German influence.

Window shopping is our cup of tea, so we weaved between the shoppers as we glanced through the glass. Occasionally we found a boutique interesting enough to stick our head inside, including the fudge shop and a gallery owned by an artist David knew. What surprised us the most, however, was to find the National Museum of the Pacific War in such a small Texas town.

In 1971, the Nimitz Foundation was founded to establish the original Nimitz Museum in the former Nimitz Hotel. These efforts slowly evolved into the museum today. Not being a World War II history buff, I didn’t know anything about Nimitz. A Fredericksburg native, Nimitz was serving as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation in Washington, DC when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was handpicked by President Roosevelt to relieve Admiral Kimmel at Pearl Harbor. He commanded an aggressive combat team that made all the right moves in the Battle of Midway which is considered the Navy’s greatest victory to this day. In 1944, he was promoted to Fleet Admiral, only one of four at this time. He also signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the United States while stationed on the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. I can only believe I have never heard of him because I couldn’t stand history as a kid, as he seemed like one impressive guy.

The skies had cleared and with the weekend forecast sounding dreary, we didn’t want to spend any time inside the museum’s walls. We thought we might have time for that later in the weekend, so instead, we simply enjoyed the sun while walking around the peaceful courtyards. We also checked out the massive propeller, canons, a mast, and submarine that lined the front of the building. Soon after our stroll, it was time to check into our cute apartment, The Angel Inn, and relax before David took me for a lovely early birthday dinner at the Vaudeville Supper Club a block away.

Dressed up a little more than necessary in Fredericksburg (or Denver for that matter), we walked to the restaurant to be seated for our 6 o’clock reservation. The entry to the Supper Club is through a lovely courtyard complete with a fireplace and fountain that we enjoyed after our five course meal. The tasting menu included a variety of dishes that I wouldn’t have expected to go together and even included some items I probably wouldn’t have ever tried. That being said, the fusion worked well, and the meal was spectacular…especially the pork belly ravioli topped with lobster and resting in an asian broth. What a way to cap off a great day!

menu (forgot to take picture of the sweetbreads)

toasting

tuna

pork belly ravioli with lobster

short rib croquette and tenderloin

pineapple cigar and pistachio ice cream

the bill

Our next day included another adventure to a cave, only this time an entirely different kind of cave. We joined the masses at Enchanted Rock State Park as we waited in rather long traffic line just to get in the park. Since neither of us enjoys crowds on the trail, instead of following everyone up the path to the top of Enchanted Rock, we chose to take Loop Trail to Echo Canyon Trail and then find our own way to the top of the rock. Plus, walking around the weathered dome, which was thought to possess magical and spiritual powers by several Indian tribes due to its night-time creaking and groaning noises, added some distance. I think we were able to get in a full 3 mile roundtrip.

This route was lovely. We probably only ran into ten people as we meandered along the wildflower lined trail past Moss Lake and the climbing areas to a place on enormous pink pluton batholith that looked scalable. For the most part, we could scramble up with relative ease and didn’t need our hands to help. Therefore, make-shift route turned out much easier than I expected. There was no way avoid the crowd on the top of the rock, though fortunately it is quite large, so we settled for an area slightly protected from the wind if that exists. The last time I was on top of this rock my hair was blowing sideways.

First picture ever of me in the bluebonnets

On the west side of the rock, we found the sign that pointed to the “cave” entrance. It wasn’t hard to spot as the ranger said, “Just follow the 10,000 people going up to the top and then follow the 5,000 that go to the left!” The cave was more like a giant crack in the rock which required some flexibility. We entered after a group of four who weren’t prepared. The area was pitch black, and a headlamp is highly desirable. Worst case, the flashlight on the cell phone comes in handy, but maneuvering through the cave definitely requires both hands at times.

Not everyone in the group ahead of us had lights and one person had significant problems laying on her back and sliding through holes not much bigger than David. We waited so long, I felt like we’d get trapped in between groups. With a slight tendency toward claustrophobia, I found myself uneasy at times while wishing they would speed up! Fortunately, no one caught up to us until the very end so we got play around with photos and even enjoy an apple in the middle of the narrow cave. A little wet and dirty with a few bumps on our heads, we eventually exited cave near our make-shift path.

the entrance

the exit

Instead of turning down, we returned to the top of the rock along our previous trail and finished our lunch before following the masses to the parking lot. It was awesome, and we finished in time to enjoy some wine and the view of Fredericksburg’s bustling main street from our balcony.

For dinner, we tried the “second best” restaurant in Fredericksburg, Cabernet Grill, on Saturday. Its outdoor atmosphere with a water wheel and fish pond was neat. The cuisine was tasty, though the difference between the #1 restaurant and #2 restaurant on TripAdvisor is substantial! Regardless it was a fun day and lovely atmosphere.

We had to wave good-bye to Fredericksburg on Sunday, but not before we enjoyed a fantastic lunch at the Vaudeville Bistro. I had the lump crab quiche while David devoured buttermilk fried chicken. Both were excellent, especially David’s jalapeno cornbread. I ate most of it off his plate.

Before we reached San Antonio, we stopped at Guadalupe River State Park, a place where David sometimes rafts and kayaks. With the drought, the water has been relatively low, so he hasn’t gotten to do too many river sports of late. The water level didn’t affect us today, however, as we just hiked along the river banks on Bald Cypress Trail. The river was lined with enormous trees whose roots and trunks were smoothed by the river’s flow during rainier times. In jeans and a sweater, we weren’t dressed for a big hike, so we weren’t at the park long. We were really just planning to take a look at the river because for some strange reason I wanted to check it out. Of course, I always find it peaceful to walk by water, I can’t say I have too many fond memories of actually swimming in the Guadalupe while at camp. The lovely spring, aqua color turns mossy green by summer and it is home to snapping turtles and water moccasins! I took free swim at camp just for a free period, not to actually swim. Being near the water, however, did give us the idea to go to Texas Coast on Monday though.

I was surprised to find out Corpus Christi and its beaches are only two hours away from San Antonio. After a leisurely morning, we packed up David’s paddle board and headed to the coast. We stopped for lunch at Snoopy’s and chowed down on some tasty fried seafood platter before we set up our chairs on the beach just ten minutes away.

I enjoyed a book and a walk on the beach while David surfed the waves. I would have walked farther, but the beach was peppered with Portuguese Man-O-Wars. Anyone who has grown up going to the Gulf in Texas knows to stay away from those guys as they deliver a super painful sting while alive or dead! Though its appearance resembles a jellyfish, it is a siphonophore and its stings leave welts on human skin for three days. Discovery on man-o-wars washed up on the beach can lead to a beach closure! I suppose we were lucky as I passed at least 100 of them and was careful not to step on their long, venomous tentacles.

David could have paddled boarded for hours (and probably much longer than I could have sat on the beach), but we needed to get back home for dinner with the girls. Delicious sushi and Rice Krispie Treat Eggs (that we made Easter night) called our names. What a great weekend in the surrounding areas of San Antonio, especially given how bad the weather was supposed to be (we hardly saw a sprinkle)! ETB

Shop

Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.

BNP Paribas at Indian Wells

What a great trip to Palm Springs and Indian Wells with my mom! We arrived on Sunday and after getting a tour of our boutique hotel, Hotel California with bikes, a lounge area, pool, fountains, and public kitchen, we toured the streets of Palm Springs. It didn’t take long to find the candy store. I’m not sure why we decided we needed a bunch of salt water taffy and “old-timey” candy, except we were hungry. We were trying to just eat a few pieces to tide us over before a very early dinner at Spencer’s, but that wasn’t enough as we stopped for a snack at one of the restaurants on the strip. Continue reading “BNP Paribas at Indian Wells” →

The Rockies: A Visit to Rocky Mountain National Park

My friend Tanya and her son August plan on a backpacking trip along the Colorado Trail later this summer. As such, she they have been planning some long hikes. Fortunately, my friend Diana and I got to tag along and go to Rocky Mountain National Park for a ten mile hike to Finch Lake.

Finch Lake is located in a less populated area of the park. The location coupled with the fact we went on weekday made it a perfect day for trail to ourselves most the way. The trail, supported by a rock wall, immediately ascended along the side of the mountain as it wended past lichen covered boulders situated beneath the cover of evergreens.

As we continued, we broke into more open spaces blanketed in wildflowers with views of Long’s Peak, one Colorado’s many 14ers. We walked at quick clip while stepping over countless rocks like we were climbing up a dry waterfall, we crossed the creek, and soon arrived at Finch Lake a few hours after our 10 am start.

The forecast called for afternoon storms which wasn’t a surprise since I think it has rained every afternoon all summer! Clouds accumulated as we snacked on lunch while sitting lakeside with a view of snow-capped mountains. Soon we heard claps of thunder in the distance. It was time to descend, even faster than we ascended, with the exception of stopping to dip our heads in the creek and watch the bunnies hop away.

We timed our descent perfectly, just as we left the tree cover, sprinkles of rain fell upon us. Amazingly, the storm must have circled around us as we had listened to the thunder and seen flashes of lightning toward the end of our descent, and the streets outside the park, just a few miles away, were lined in hail! What a lucky, nice day of hiking we had!! ETB

Shop

Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.

photographic note card, elk in rocky mountain national park — ELK

The Rockies: Exploring the Narrows In the Foothills

As a kid, my parents took me and my two brothers on a hike to the “Narrows”, a place in Pike National Forest on Craig Creek flanked by high boulders with a waterfall that tumbled into a pool. The challenge, however, became getting there. We never made it, as the path tapered off which required us to climb up and over imposing boulders.

Today, Bart Berger said he’d show me another way to the “Narrows” that didn’t require hiking up the creek. I looked forward to the hike all morning. We got started around 9:30, crossing the creek via a fallen log and wading through a marshy area where I soaked my feet before we even started on a logging road that I didn’t even know was on our property.

We followed the logging road up the mountain through the lodge pole pine forest. I’m not sure if there were more trees standing or criss-crossing the ground. I felt like a football player completing a “running through tires” practice drill as we veered off the road in search of a ridge connecting two mountains together.

Bart wanted to keep the higher elevation as to not drop down and ascend again. After traversing the side of the mountain and enjoying the views, we crossed a portion of the ridge, but eventually ended up on another logging road that we climbed up and down, but not before wandering through fields of wildflowers and a lovely aspen grove! We also spotted a rabbit and a nesting grouse.

Once we reached the creek, we had to cross it. Bart succeeded at skipping over the rocks to keep his feet dry. I was too short for that, so I got to soak my feet. Surprisingly, the icy water felt really good. Just as soon as we crossed, we were at the Narrows, towering rock formations on both sides of the creek though we had to climb up and over the rocks to view the waterfall from above. The opposite direction was Windy Peak.

Unfortunately it wasn’t the best view, but I wasn’t climbing down again. We had been ascending for the better part of the last two hours, many times on loose pine needles and no path. We kept our elevation as we continued climbing over two more rock outcroppings.
We felt like we needed to descend soon and found an area that wasn’t too steep so we side-stepped down the mountain. At the creek’s edge, we were greeted by an overgrown mess. We opted to duck through it, brushing branches out of our way. By now, I was dripping blood from every extremity and thinking this would have been right up my alley when I was 20. I’m not quite as extreme now.

Soon we met our match, a rock ledge that required scaling or a creek crossing. Bart opted for rock scaling as his shoes were still dry. I wasn’t too enthusiastic over the choice, but watching him scooch by, I coaxed myself onto the edge, and only had one moment of panic when I felt I might slip off! I wouldn’t have fallen far, but I would have been very wet and ruined my camera (ie photos).

We continued on until we were forced to cross the creek, this time over another fallen tree. Bart wasn’t quite as graceful this time, but we made it, and enjoyed a partially cleared path. Wildflowers and ferns blanketed the area. We also stumbled across an animal skeleton and some funky looking beetles before we finally succumbed to continually crossing the creek.

I think we must have crossed the creek twenty times. Many of the crossings toward the end, when the path was clear, used to have bridges. It would have been nice if they were still there, though we became experts at wading across the slick, wet rocks!
We finally completed a 6.6 mile loop hike in 4.5 hours…yes, it was a bit rough and backcountry. I have the war wounds to prove it! Now I know why we never made it up the creek to the Narrows, it was one heck of hike down the creek.

Just as we arrived back at the houses, my friends Ramona and Mike from Memphis stopped in after their hike. No one can visit Estabrook without going to my favorite place in the world, “The Bear’s Cave”. We followed the path along the creek to the amazing rock formations and decided to continue on to the hanging bridge. This is always my zen hike, so I didn’t mind adding on another three miles to share my happy spots with Mike and Ramona.

Only eating a handful of cherries and goldfish on the trail for the day, I couldn’t get to The Cutthroat Cafe in Bailey fast enough. We inhaled our dinners before heading back to Denver. What a great day of hiking! ETB

Shop

Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.

photographic note card, lake in Yosemite — ENCHANTED

The Coastal Trail from Monterosso to Vernazza

Oh what day again! It took me nearly 30 minutes to walk down all the stairs, around the footpath, order warm chocolate croissants and coffee, and make the trek all the way back up to our “penthouse suite” in Manarola. I worked off my croissant calories before I even sat down!

Monterosso

After enjoying our breakfast on the balcony overlooking the town and harbor below, we took the train to Monterosso. This may have been the busiest place we’ve been since we’ve arrived in Italy. There were tourists everywhere, pouring down every street. Monterosso wraps around both sides of the train station with the busier side being to the east, so we followed the mobs from the harbor, along the stone path, and through the tunnel to check out the town.

Monterosso has a few main streets lined with cafés, souvenir shops, and of course churches while a few palaces perch on the hillside for protection. It also offers a coast of beaches for sunbathing. We were happy to find three ATMs too, as Manarola’s only cash machine didn’t work. Though so far, it seems restaurants have taken credit cards (we had heard otherwise).

HAPPY HIKING!