I'll begin with the weekend of July 18th...
I had to wait until the wife got home at 3:00pm before departure. At the time it didn't seem like a big deal. But after working our way through Fort Collins and west on HWY 14, the clog of touristy trailer haulers set the pace for the next 40 miles. Some people were absolutely insane on that road. The most memorable instance happened when a diesel pickup came rushing up alongside everyone from four cars back hauling a trailer at what must have been 75-80MPH. He went
TWO whole blind turns in the oncoming lane trying to get around all the cars. After which he proceeded to stop (yes stop), holding everyone up so his buddy behind us could pull the same dumb$#!+ maneuver.
Once that drama was over with we continued on somewhat jealous that those guys got around the rock gawkers. Nearly ninety friggin' minutes later we finally found a campsite and unloaded. Since the entire region around Chambers Lake was choc full of campers, I had to drive about six miles back to the highway to meet my friend who was joining us. Night fell quickly after about three beers and it was off to bed early for another 4:00am alarm.
Waking up the next morning was difficult. The dogs were placed perfectly around me and my bed felt so comfortable. But the mountains were calling and I groggily stumbled around bent over trying to get dressed. The trailhead was about 1/2 mile down the road and by the end of the day I would be grateful we didn't just walk there.
At the trailhead. Doggies are getting better with every passing weekend. Soon they might be presentable in public...
The beginning of the trail system starts on an old road that winds it's way around the base of the mountains at 8400 feet. One thing making me a little nervous was the horses. There were trailers at the parking lot and lots of scrumptious droppings on the trial...
Shortly after starting out there's a left off the road for Blue Lake Trail (including three other trails) and things look like this for pretty much the entire route...
The area up there is one of the most unique I've seen in Colorado. Growth of every kind was abundant. Judging by the size of the trees, this area must get a decent amount of moisture every year...
West Branch Creek is your constant companion up the trail...
I can't quite remember the exact details anymore. But it seems like it took nearly two hours to get out of the trees enough for any sort of view...
As we began to enter a huge alpine bowl, the trail turned south and we were presented with a decision. The winter had not been kind to the bridge across the creek. It was about 10 feet downstream and bowed to the point of being useless...
After sucking it up and fording the creek things got steep. This made for several breaks upon which the mosquitoes went into blitz mode. By the end of the weekend I would be covered in a greasy layer of OFF and still sporting 115 bites. At least we were gaining elevation...
Coco was getting mad at the bugs. So was I...
Sioux was still going strong. He didn't know what the additional breaks were for. He Kept creeping away while I watered everyone else...
Approaching treeline, it was obvious how small the Medicine Bow Mountains are compared to the rest of the Colorado Rockies...
We got to the top of the pass on trail and everyone was hurtin' and worn. There was to be no summit that day. The GPS wasn't working on the way up so the mileage was an unknown that we decided not to push. Ended up taking time for lunch and breathing. Still amazing views from our position in the saddle between Clark Peak and Cameron Peak...
Clark Peak is getting moved to next year's schedule. Amazing how fast the window closes on clear trails above treeline. Maybe I can find a way to cram that one in still...
More views...
11,000 feet feels like such a failure anymore...
Longs Peak seems to loom in the distance on every single hike...
They always seem so satisfied after the trip up...
With a solid GPS fix and lunch down, it was time to start back...
¿Did I mention that some parts were a bit steep?...
More fording...
Bubba was kind enough to take Coco's pack and let her have a break...
The road part of the trail was one of the most welcoming things I've seen in a while...
Sioux was unstoppable this hike. The others flopped down in the shallow banks for a drink while Sioux had a short swim...
Back at camp with calves-a-flaming. Tambi makes that face that says, "when do I get to go dad?" I probably will take her at least once this year. Still about three to five hikes left...
I DID IT!!! I finally found Ridik's breaking point. That stupid dog goes and goes and goes. He ended up carrying all 12 pounds of weight for the entire
14.2 mile journey...
This pic pretty much sums up the hike...
We had a great time up there even though we traveled almost double what we were thinking. Our campsite was superb, the dogs were dead tired and behaved accordingly plus we had plenty of liquor and one more night to decompress and enjoy.
Fin.
