6 weekends consecutive marathoning – not sure who needed a mountain break more, me or Pup? Light-bulb idea💡 VRBO rental in the Colorado mountains, one where I could bring Ro. If I could spend hotel $$ in rural Midwest America, I can afford a weekend in Colorado paradise.
Friday night drive, 2 ½ hours due west. US 285 to Fairplay, 15 miles on Colorado 9 toward Hartsel. Pitch dark, no city lights. Dirt road, just short of the Divide. Creep’d along after Maps App crapped out – luckily, no more than 200 feet from my pinned location. Isolated, no cell service, COLD too!
Backpack, 2 bags of food. Pronghorn & deer [heads] mounted in the entry, written warning ’bout moose. I’d explore in the morning. Tired; shuteye calling. Are there bear here?
Vibrant pink start. GREAT day to be a dog: NO leash all weekend. Where first? Nearby snowbank or fast-flowing stream; Colorado paradise. I retreated inside for a jacket. 29 degrees 🙂
Hike. Afternoon ride into Fairplay. ‘nother hike, DirectTV in the cabin. Lazy mental retreat away. Couple of chipmunks, fish in the stream but notta lotta visible wildlife.
Warmed up 20 degrees during the day, warm enough for Ro to river explore. Brrr. After initially slipping into the water, Pup decided stream-drinking the only way to go. LOL>
On the drive home, explored Colorado’s oldest working courthouse (9964ft elevation). Colorado addicted: trail running & thin-air hikes ALL summer. LOVE LOVE my Colorado life ❤
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- 2 days away
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- Colorado paradise
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- quiet, peaceful, no drama weekend
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- open Western sky
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- GREAT day to be a dog 🙂
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- NO leash weekend
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- vibrant early morning pinks
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- Colorado’s oldest working courthouse (circa 1874, 2 years before Statehood)
mountain retreat, Fairplay CO
YIKES!
No ‘whale of a thirteener‘ hike, no ‘Debbie Gibson’ Lake, no bighorn sheep. Small garter snake, remnants of Aspen yellow, SNOW & Grave Danger RADIATION. What?????
Alarm buzzed at 5am. Dark outside but could hear rain.
Alarm buzzed again at 6:30. Felt my age this morning. 32 miles yesterday, slooooow start. Cup of Pappy’s sassafras tea. Unpacked yesterday’s gear, re-stuffed the backpack with hike essentials. On the road by 8am. New day, new month, promised Ro high elevation.
Plan A: Whale Peak (elevation 13,078ft), Plan B: Gibson Lake. Hour-half drive on Hwy 285. Morrison, Conifer, Bailey…dirt-road right, just past Grant. BEAUTIFUL autumn drive. Had I woke ‘on time’ today, would have all been dark. Everything happens for a reason 🙂
Dodged potholes 5 miles to Hall Valley Campground…dirt road/lotta seasonal use.
ATV-road hike. 1.2 miles to Gibson Lake Trailhead. The panorama? Colorado Autumn – one of the last weekends of Aspen YELLOW. Snowy mountain backdrop. Today’s WOW shots came early.
Gibson Lake Trailhead coated in ankle-deep snow. Continued UP the ATV-road. [in hindsight] Should’ve looked a little harder. Back of the parking lot, no visible path – but on my hike return, spotted the weathered trail sign. Gibson Lake → 3 miles. Ugh.
Snow got deeper, off-leash joy for Ro. UP, UP, UP. Took more than a few water breaks. 50K day-after: legs weren’t exactly bounding effortlessly. LOL>
Trees stunted, wind blew. Into the Backpack: treat for Ro, GLOVES for dad. Trail snow thinned, precip blowing to the side in drifts. Still no Lake but could make out a vault toilet, far in the distance. Gonna top the next hill, lunch at the Lake, contemplate next steps. Based on snow conditions, not sure how plausible summiting a 13er was gonna be.
“Go bak” – scribed on a large boulder. ‘Vault toilet’ reality: 3 buildings & an American flag. Large purple gate (middle of absolute nowhere) tagged: ‘Keep OUT Mine Property’. Today’s deal breaker? “Grave Danger: Very High Radiation Area”.
Hadn’t seen THAT sign before. 4.4 miles in, good enough today. Kicked back 20 minutes (ironically, against the RADIATION gate), downed a turkey sandwich (both halves), fed Ro. Might be GLOWING, but my stomach would be full 🙂
2 roadside stops on the drive home: unplanned, unexpected, unrelated – but both SUPER cool.
- photo opp: Christ of the Rockies statue (Camp Santa Maria)
- food LOVE: foot-long w/ sauerkraut at Coney Island Boardwalk (Bailey)
Crazy FULL weekend – GRATEFUL to be working tomorrow. Monday, REST day.
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- Plan A: Whale Peak, Plan B: Gibson Lake
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- last remnants of Fall
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- Aspen YELLOW ❤
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- Colorado postcard
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- Sno’ Ro
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- Happy October!
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- bak?
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- ‘VERY HIGH RADIATION AREA’
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- FULL weekend: 50K trail RUN Saturday, 8.7-mile trail HIKE Sunday
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- Christ of the Rockies — erected in 1933, was the 2nd tallest Jesus in the world
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- shared half-a-dog with MY dog 🙂
Master went to Grasshopper.
Too much time on the road Monday in Wyoming. Wanted to hike this weekend, just didn’t want to drive to get there. Ash recommended Herman Lake, an alpine hike above tree-line – chock full of wildflower & only an hour-half from home. Check, done.
Early Saturday start. Full tank of gas, backpack, Ro in the backseat. Beautiful Colorado day.
Handful of exits past Georgetown, one away from Grays. Dirt trailhead parking lot right off exit 218: Herman Gulch Trail. Steep hike on the CDT (Continental Divide Trail), BESTEST way to celebrate National Dog Day 2017!
Forewarned ‘bout 2 Start complaints: highway noise & a HUGE initial climb. Check & check. Butted right against I-70, traffic noisy/distracting/easy-to-hear from Colorado’s east-west thruway. Drops off quarter to half-mile in.
1000 foot grind UP UP UP from the parking lot. Think daughter felt vindicated after I shared my elevation stats. AND no Colorado switchbacks this trek, just a direct push UP. Settled/caught my breath, sucked down a liter of water, elevation bit shy of 11,000ft. Trail emptied into high alpine meadow. AWESOME hike!
Steady gradual UP ‘til our lake destination, never really noticed. Mountain decorated/dressed in colour. Lush summer vegetation. Evergreen: pine, spruce, juniper. Wildflowers EVERYWHERE, every shade. Absolutely beautiful.
Good for the head. Surrounded by sheer MASS, felt small again. Inner peace.
It’s not Herman Lake’s size, but its location – spongy tundra border, framed-in by Pettingell Peak. Cold wind blew, snow a short 3 weeks away. Nature knows. Backed against a boulder, Ro tethered to my belt, lunched in the Colorado Rockies at 12,000ft.
No other place on Earth ❤
UPDATE: Home by 2pm Saturday. Grocery shopped, cleaned house/laundry, Sunday church – AND Patsy Cline. Ok, not THE Patsy Cline (she’s been gone since 1963) but a 2-hour two-Act matinee of the lady’s music at Longmont Community Theatre.
I’m not just ‘marathon man’, I’ve got an artsy side too 🙂
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- only an hour-half from home
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- National Dog Day 2017
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- sunshiny Colorado day
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- Wildflowers EVERYWHERE
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- spongy tundra border, framed-in by Pettingell Peak
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- it’s not Herman Lake’s size, but its LOCATION
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- high alpine WOW hike – thanks Ash!
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- UP UP UP
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- 2-hour two-Act Sunday matinee
‘Today, Tomorrow & Forever‘, a Celebration of Patsy Cline (audio only)
