AMAZING morning sunrise. Watched for half-hour before rustling up breakfast – eggs & chicken-apple sausage (sadly, warm runny eggs/pan-fried 20 minutes). Brushed teeth, shut up the tent, tethered Ro to my belt – HIKE day!
Mile/mile-half drive DOWN from my camp site. Secured parking near Rotary Park, short tenth-mile walk to Garden Creek Falls.
Previously trekked this trail, day-before the Casper Marathon 2015.
[June 2015] …hiked Casper Mountain. Not the Rockies experience of the Bighorns, but a good 5-mile day hike. Probably not the best prep, day before a marathon but…I’m a lover of mountains.
Bridle Trail: 5 mile loop up/over the Falls. June 2015 vs August 2017? Today, whole lotta hikers. Whole lotta COLORADO hikers. Appears much of the Front Range arrived in Wyoming overnight & were doing what Coloradans do – get OUTDOORS. Literally met only ONE Wyoming-based family on today’s trail. [Thanks to Ro – everyone stops & says hi. He’s a very pet-able Pup. 🙂 ]
Englemann spruce, Rocky Mountain juniper, Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, Green Ash, Cottonwood, Chokeberry, Quaking Aspen. This trail’s a tree BONANZA, landscape more reminiscent of Boulder County than Central Wyoming.
Bridle hiked counter-clockwise, finishing over the Mountain’s rock-canyon outcropping. WIDE-OPEN Casper 2800 feet below, today’s WOW shot (‘though skyline bit hazy due to BC/Western Canada forest fires).
Picnic’d by the Falls, then drove into town before roads closed for tomorrow’s eclipse. YMCA-showered (FREE/very much appreciated!), check’d out the Cowboy Code of Ethics, shopped Wyoming’s (dog-friendly) Eclipse Festival.
7pm ‘til after next day’s TOTAL Eclipse (noon-ish) – Mountain gated off from Casper.
Dusk-walked Ro by our camp owner’s wild mustang rescue. BEAUTIFUL horse. Another pink, high mountain sunset. Dinner plans? Shrimp, mushrooms & olives in a wilted bed of spinach. Camping B-I-G on BIRTHDAY weekend ❤
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- SUNRISE
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- I’m a lover of mountains
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- Garden Creek Falls
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- waterfall SELFIE 🙂
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- 5 mile loop up/over the Falls — crazy BEAUTIFUL HIKE!
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- tree PARADISE
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- 1957 crash (mountain curve)
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- Boulder County reminiscent
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- Casper 2800 feet below
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- Cowboy Code of Ethics
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- SUNSET
Bridle Trail, Casper WY
Holiday weekend. Add Monday as a vacation day & suddenly you’re 4 days from the office. Mentally scheduled this weekend’s trek a year ago, when PS’ CEO (my employer) made the journey. Hotels in two towns – both sides of this epic mountain crossing adventure.
Aspen to Crested Butte.
By car it’s a 3 ½ hour drive. On foot, one can be there in under 8. Waist-high fields of wildflower. Hike start at Maroon Bells, Colorado’s most photographed peak. Sign me up!
Lazy morning start, couldn’t drop Pup at the kennel ‘til 9am. Lunch in Georgetown, Hwy 24 south to Leadville, west over Independence Pass (open ‘til October or first snow). Late afternoon arrival in Snowmass Village, 20 minutes from downtown Aspen (& much better on the pocket book). Carb- loaded for dinner. Hiking all day tomorrow, why not? 🙂
Sunday morning. What I didn’t know? Only access to Maroon Bells trailhead [in summer] is by bus. No cars allowed. No drama, surprises happen…but later trail start than expected.
Maroon Bells. Never been in summer. Trees all leafed out, lush meadow undergrowth – whole lotta green. Maroon-Snowmass Trail #1975 to Crater Lake, 1.4 miles. Busy hike path. Trek canopied in Colorado Aspen. BEAUTIFUL!
Snapped photos & snacked at Crater Lake. Couple of hikers shared their topo map (thanks!) – soon after, switched trails. Next landmark: West Maroon Pass. Path broke from rock to mud. Long patches of pack snow. Continued to lose trail, backtrack, regain trail. Snow-melt waterfalls, beautiful landscape though sometimes frustrating process to maintain forward momentum.
Biggest trail miss? Came across a large swath of glacier remnant & fresh snow. Fast-moving water rushed underneath weakening the base, making it precarious to cross. Trail couldn’t be on the other side, right? Bush-whacked 45 minutes (half-mile) UP UP thru dense willow & snow-covered pine. Zero path, nada. Continued to push thru thicket, trek UP/over, listening for human sound. SUCCESS! Group of 6 hikers stopped for lunch high ‘bove a scenic glacier – unfortunately not trekking to Crested Butte, not on trail. ARGH! Obliged to snap a group photo, then far far in the distance saw 2 hikers snow-crossing. TRAIL! Backtrack, restart.
Most harrowing water crossing? Used a fallen pine to ford West Maroon Creek. Fast-moving waist-deep water. How cold would a complete submersion be? Yep, that thought entered the brain. Slow & steady. Luckily, no drama 🙂
Elevation increased, temps dropped. Deep shoe-sucking mud, emptied into seasonal streams, trail ultimately lost under pack snow. Snaked thru a large boulder field, cairn-marked between competing 13- & 14er peaks. Less than a mile UP to West Maroon Pass, then another 4 [miles] down to the trailhead. Transport on the other side leaves at 4pm – mighty tight timing. Yikes!
Dark clouds from the West. Weather change.
Passed a guided group of climbers; they had turned back. 20 feet of snow at West Maroon Pass. IMPASSABLE.
15 minute discussion with my hiking mate. [good/bad trait] I’m a determined, focused individual – not easy to redirect once I’ve got a game plan cemented in the head. Lost the battle today; turned around we did. In hindsight OF COURSE we had no choice…but at the time, disappointment overwhelmed any happy endorphins. Hiked a good 2 miles in silence.
This too shall pass. AND it did ‘bout the time we reached Crater Lake.
Caught the return bus back from Maroon Bells, headed back to my Snowmass digs – hoping to find a spot in the Inn. 3-day holiday weekend, not a chance. Nor another hotel in Aspen…or Snowmass Village…or Carbondale…or Glenwood Springs (an hour out).
Of course I DID have a hotel reservation tonite – in Crested Butte, 3 ½ hours away by car. Fueled up, purchased a bag of gas station snacks. All part of the journey. 9:30pm rolled into my HIKE destination.
New town, new adventure awaits in the morning 🙂
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- key word: lung-busting
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- Snowmass Village
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- iconic Maroon Bells
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- BEAR season
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- Maroon-Snowmass Trail #1975
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- Colorado Aspen ❤
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- rock, snow & MUD
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- Crater Lake
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- snow-melt waterfall
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- unexpected fast-flow (in July)
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- UP UP UP
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- snow & glacial runoff
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- bush-whacked for half-mile, then watched hikers FAR in the distance cross the snowbank & pick-up the correct trail — ARGH!
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- over the boots, past the ankles, shin-deep shoe-sucking MUD
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- tricky river crossing
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- hike ended in people-deep snow near West Maroon Pass, IMPASSABLE
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- multi-hour late-night DRIVE to our HIKE destination
Aspen to Crested Butte
12:30am arrival – even the best of friends say ‘take an Uber’ after midnight. My Canadian bestie? Short cat nap, greeted me just past Customs…then hit the highway. HUGE surprise. Middle-of-the-night trek to Niagara Falls. Hotel slept, woke directly across from North America’s greatest free falling water. Chilly a.m. mist but whatta morning run!
GREAT to wake in Canada! Purchased 2 tickets on Hornblower Cruises. Would be seeing the Falls up close & personal. Donned my plastic ‘Hornblower pink’ rain jacket & boarded the boat (America’s competing ‘Maid of the Mist’ provide jackets o’ blue).
Niagara Falls is actually comprised of three waterfalls: American, Bridal Veil and Horseshoe Falls. The first 2 lie in the U.S., the latter straddles both U.S. & Canada borders. Elaborate walkways built on the American side provide ‘a’ view of the Falls. Canada however, positioned directly across from the Falls, claims BEST view…by far.
Cruise first passed by American & Bridal Veil. Lotta opportunity for selfies, water crashing over large boulders below. Seagulls darted in & out of the Falls, diving into the water below fishing for dinner. Provided some of the day’s favourite shots.
When folks think of ‘Niagara’ Falls, it’s Horseshoe Falls we’ve seen. Powerful, thunderous water, tinted green of mineral-eroded limestone. The force of falling water created a wide spray across the entire boat. Whatta memory – SUPER FUN (& wet)! One of the most wondrous, magical, ‘take your breath away’ places on Earth. I was here, May 6th 2017. Could not stop smiling ❤
Boat disembarked. Slow-walked 2 miles down the boardwalk, past flowering Queen Victoria Park. Watched fast moving water pour over Horseshoe Falls, self-surrounded by a swath of daffodils. Hot chocolate at Tim Horton’s. a WOW kind of day!
Rode the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way), over Burlington Skyway Bridge, then the 407 – to Sarah’s flat in Brampton. Impromptu pull-off to view an old grounded ship on Lake Ontario. Unplanned excursions, highly recommended. Many thanks Sarah, much LOVED!
The Grounded Ship was a replica of the Grand Hermie used by Jacques Cartier in 1535-1536 and 1541-1542 to explore Canada. This ship was built in 1967 for Expo 67 [in Montreal] as part of the nautical theme as Expo 67 which was on islands in the St. Lawrence Seaway. The ship was taken to Quebec City and abandoned in 2001.
Marathon in early a.m. – but not before dining fancy in North America’s tallest building, the CN Tower. No regret, B-I-G life 🙂
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- Welcome to Canada!
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- comprised of three waterfalls: American, Bridal Veil and Horseshoe Falls
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- Cruisin’ Niagara
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- selfies in ‘Hornblower pink’
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- American Falls
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- seagulls darted in & out of the Falls
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- thunderous Horseshoe Falls
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- LOVE this SMILE!
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- American side of Niagara
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- FAVE pic of the day!
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- one of the most wondrous, magical, ‘take your breath away’ places on Earth
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- impromptu QEW pull-off
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- replica of the Grand Hermie used by Jacques Cartier in 1535-1536
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- an AMAZING O’ Canada day
Niagara Falls
