09/05/01 Paddling Lake Granby:
I continued down CO 72 and picked up CO 119 down to I 70. While another pretty drive, still not much in the way of free camping opportunities. I70 is pretty too with steep canyon walls rising up.
Taking US40 north from Idaho Springs brought me into the Arapaho National Forest. Now all the private roads and such gave way to real forests. Steep, heavily forested slopes rise 1000-1500 feet on both sides. I also noticed several free camping opportunities now.
I got to the Arapaho National Recreation Area just outside the Rocky Mountain National Park west entrance and was disappointed with all the development around Lake Granby. I followed the road around the south side of the lake anyway for 8-9 miles and things improved dramatically as development fell away. I decided to spring for the $12 for a campsite.
I usually like to relax in the afternoon after doing whatever in the morning but launched the kayak at 12:30pm. I turned west into a 0-10mph wind (if I was on land it would be a nice breeze, when padding its a wind). Water level in the lake seemed to be way down with sandbars and steep banks visible. Semi-arid, partially forested slopes came down to the lake from the south while steeper, fully forested slopes came down from the north. Off in the distance to the west, peaks and ranges rose up to meet big white clouds, contrasting against the deep blue sky. More ominous looking clouds stood in the background. The camp host said it rained every day here in the late afternoon so they were something to look out for.
I paddled west for 1.5 hours as the peaks and ranges became more visible. At this point the developed areas were becoming the predominant feature. The big white clouds were also turning grayer so I turned back.
Now I got the real view. Steep slopes come down to meet the water at the east end of the lake. In the V of the slopes I could see 4-5 peaks clustered together. Towering behind them, a large, long rocky crag. Big white clouds with blue sky peeking through here and there added one more dimension to a great view. Great Stuff!
The wind picked up from behind and I found myself surfing down 9-12 inch wind waves. Looking behind, I could see dark clouds beginning to chase me. And they were chasing me right into another set of dark clouds in front. We had lots of dark clouds the rest of the afternoon but no rain.
I had selected a campsite with no one around. When I got back a whole caravan of old geezers had moved into each campsite around me. That wasn't conducive to outdoor bathing so I had to find another site. I'm not particular about campsites. If its level, has late afternoon shade and is reasonably quiet it's OK by me.
Several trails in the area appeared interesting but I'm not going to spend $12 per night for a campsite.
09/06/01 Paddling Shadow Mountain Lake:
Today the plan called for finding some free camping near the Grand Lake entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park. I've already explored the areas around the east entrances with no results. If I can't find any on this side, my visit to the park will probably be just drive through.
I did find a national forest access road at the north end of Lake Granby and followed it three miles to the Arapaho National Forest. From there I found several campsites. Since that didn't take long at all I turned north on US 34 again, figuring I'd head on into the Rocky Mountain National Park a few miles up the road.
First I came to Shadow Mountain Lake at the north end of Lake Granby and decided to check it out. This is another fee area but my Golden Eagle Card covered that. At the boat ramp, a fully grown red fox came trotting out of the woods and headed for a group of fishermen along the shore. It sat down and waited patiently, probably wanting to be fed. When that didn't happen it lay down and waited some more. That's the closest I've ever been to a red fox. It's body was kinda skinny but its tail was really bushy.
Shadow Mountain Lake is 4 miles long and a mile+ wide. The shoreline is flat or heavily forested hills. Much taller hills or mountainettes rise up behind them on three of the four sides. Beyond the north end, hills are backed by some fairly rugged mountain peaks. A short paddle brought me to 4-5 islands. Several osprey were flying overhead and I later found signs indicating the area was closed May 1 thru September 1 because of nesting osprey. I paddled along looking for their large nests at the top of the trees. I didn't see any until I heard a parent chirping at me. Then I saw an adult and two chicks peeking down at me. The nest was at the top of a tall spruce and so well camouflaged it took me a second to find it. A pair of osprey made a couple passes at me. I tried to get a picture but the sun was behind them.
Lots of nesting Canadian Geese on the islands. Many more scattered around the entire lake too. As I approached the north end of the lake, a 10mph wind began kicking up 6 inch wind waves. I didn't go to the end of the lake, just far enough to get a view of some new peaks I hadn't seen before.
The paddle back was against a pretty steady 10mph wind that would gust higher. The waves plus my speed plus the wind wasn't enough to get me wet, just an occasional spray. The sky had become filled with light and medium gray clouds with just a little blue poking through here and there. I didn't hurry but maintained a slow but steady pace all the way back.
The west side of the lake, along US 34 is all developed as is the north end.
05/17/02 Paddling Shadow Mountain Lake:
I'm sticking this in here so I don't have to create a new file for just one trip. Got turned back from the Rocky Mountain National Park because higher elevations snowed and iced in. Lake Granby is way, way down from last October and looks more like a prairie than a lake. Shadow Mountain Lake seems about normal though.
And it is a pretty lake, surrounded on all sides by small, forested mountains with snow capped peaks and ridges farther back. Several (some kind of) pine covered islands held nesting osprey, mallard ducks and Canadian geese. Gawd do those geese make an awful racket.
I only paddled an hour or so. Strong winds have been coming up in the afternoons and I didn't want to get caught on the wrong end of one. Sure enough, they did come up and I did have to paddle against them, but only a half mile or so.
09/08/01 Hiking Cascade Falls Trail:
After returning from the Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday, I continued up County Road 4 where I'm camped. 20-25 cars, trucks, horse trailers, campers, ATV trailers, etc. were heading for something Thursday night. I couldn't believe the traffic. So I went to investigate 6-7 miles before getting tired of driving and of the washer board road. The Never Summer Wilderness is back there and I found 5 trailheads and some views equal to, though not as large, as the Rocky Mountain National Park... also good views of Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain Lake and Lake Granby. I never did find where everyone was going. Must've have been another fork in the road or I just didn't go far enough.
I awoke last night to the sound of large raindrops beating on the truck. I awoke a second time 2-3 hours later. Looking outside I thought the ground was being lighted by the moon. Looking closer I found an inch of snow on the ground. By morning another inch had fallen and it looked like it might last a while. I was just a short distance from the dirt road and since another 25 cars, trucks, horse trailers, campers and ATV trailers passed by last night and another 10 early this morning, I figured that road would be packed down and I wouldn't have any trouble getting out with my 2WD.
The forecast was for clearing weather so I headed off to Grand Lake Village to do the Cascade Falls Trail. This is a 3.5 (one way) trail up to a a falls cascading down over a series of rocks. The first mile of the trail is along a dirt road or rather a muddy road. Puddles spanned the road in several places. After 1.25 miles the road turns into a foot path by a summer home. The next mile is pretty easy but the last mile to the falls is a moderate climb.
The trail continues past the falls and from there is known as North Inlet Trail. Snow covered meadows, trees, slopes with clouds swirling around the peaks made for a pretty trip. I saw a surprising number of robins standing around wondering what all the white stuff was. It clouded over a couple more times during the day and snowed like it was going to last forever. No accumulation though.
I had left my water jugs with a sign saying the campsite was occupied where I had been camped. When I got back the water jugs were gone. That screwed my day up pretty good. I saw some ATV tracks so it was probably one of those dorks.
09/10/01 Hiking Monarch Lake Trail:
I was still pretty bent out of shape yesterday from losing my water jugs. My sum accomplishment the whole day was to go into Granby for a couple of gallons of water and grab a shower on the way back.
For the 3rd or 4th night in a row it went down into the 20's and everything was frosted over this morning. I'm getting smarter, though. I don't get up now until the sun has been shining on the truck for 20-30 minutes. That way the frost melts and I know it's warm enough for breakfast.
I drove along Arapaho Bay Road next to Lake Granby to the end. I had seen some hiking trails there earlier. I wasn't going to hike where I'm camped although there's 5 trails up there. There's also an untold number of elk hunters waiting to shoot anything that moves. The locals start coming in at 4am and there must be 50+ campers, tents, etc. back in the national forest.
Monarch Lake is a only a couple hundred yards long with steep, forested slopes rising up from it. In the background are the Indian Peaks, all covered with snow. This is the kind of scene you see on a postcard, very pretty. I followed the Monarch Lake Trail along the side of the lake for 45 minutes and then it veered away.
Five minutes later a sign proclaimed I was entering the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. Right after that I came to the High Lonesome Trail which apparently is a section of the Continental Divide Trail. Having crossed the Continental Divide Trail several times I never hiked on it. Now I can add that to my bragging list of things I've done.
The trail, however, was all up. Fairly easy for the most part but to me, the length of the ups turned it into a moderate climb. I followed switchbacks up for an hour or so. I came to a tree down over the trail. I got one leg over it and then just sat down. After munching on some pretzels I turned back. The switchbacks yield some really great views of the snow covered Indian Peaks.
09/11/01:
As soon as I turned the radio on in the truck, the first terrorist plane hit the first World Trade Center tower. Then the rest of the story unfolded in the coming hours. Wrap the freakin' fanatics in pigskin and then hang them all.
I had to drive into Loveland, on the other side of the Rocky Mountain National Park. The quickest way is on US 34, right through the park, but it would be closed till 2pm today. They're working on rock slide prevention. So I had to go down to Granby and pick up US 40 to CO 125 and then CO 14 to Fort Collins. Fort Collins was in the 90's.
As I left the national park, several female elk crossed the road in front of me and the a big old guy with a four foot rack went zooming across. I saw him coming and had the camera out but he was too fast for me. After finishing my chores, mail pickup, laundry, medication pickup, replace stolen water jugs, etc. I returned via the national park. This time I saw a couple of herds of 20-30 female elk.
09/12/01 Paddling Lake Granby:
I planned on hiking again over at Monarch Lake today. The first order of business was to fill up the new water jugs which ain't always easy. I drove through Stillwater NF Campground on the west side of Lake Granby off US 34 and found a faucet. I also found a boat ramp and the view onto Lake Granby was pretty good. So instead of hiking...
Last night in the 40's and still in the 50's under cloudy skies but no wind when I launched at 9:30am. I turned south towards Indian Peaks where the best view is. Soon another set of peaks I hadn't seen before appeared off to the right. All the peaks and their butt ends (where the sun don't shine) were partially covered with snow making for some great views.
Development along the shores didn't seem as bad as I thought but then again I was paddling away from them. Canadian Geese seemed to be flocking together more, presumably in preparation for their migration. A continuous Gawd awful noise from a turbine or generator spreading out over the lake came close to ruining a nice day.
Just a little tiny breeze was blowing, not enough to ripple the water. It mirrored the hills and peaks and sky well. I spent more time looking at the reflections than I did the real thing. Aspens, scattered among the predominate spruce trees, had all turned yellow, adding a taste of fall to the day.
On the way back the waters were even smoother than when going out. Boat waves on otherwise smooth waters can be disorienting. The reflections tend to undulate and you get dizzy looking at them.
09/15/01 Hiking Cascade Trail:
The other night I awoke to a scratching, scrabbling sound. It had been raining and it seemed to me it was some critter trying to climb up into the wheel well to find a dry spot. I banged on the tailgate a few times but it was pretty persistent. Eventually it did go away. In the morning I found mud all over the driver's side door and that part of the roof. I had left the window open an inch or so and had also left some cinnamon and raison bagels on the front seat. What could it have been? A bear? You tell me. If I had even the slightest though it might have been a bear I would have had the pepper spray out. I was, after all, lieing with my head by the tailgate with the window open.
Yesterday was heavy fog all morning. In the evening I spotted my first confirmed red tailed hawk. He was kinda stubby but the top (skyward) part of its tail was a bright red as if someone had painted it.
More heavy fog down in the valleys this morning after a night in the 20's. Windows were frosted from my breath. I drove through a lot more fog on Arapaho Bay Road beside Lake Granby to get to the trailhead. The temperature was in the 40's at 9am as I started up the Cascade Trail on the left side of Monarch Lake. This is not the same Cascade Trail in Grand Lake Village.
30 minutes brought me to the end of Monarch Lake and into the Indian Peaks Wilderness. 45 minutes and I was at some cascades as the creek tumbled over a series of short drops. 1.5 hours and I was at the Buchanan Trail Junction at 3.3 miles. Thinking I had passed the cascades and not wanting to get dumped on by the dark clouds overhead I turned back. As it turns out, Cascades Falls was another mile or so up the trail.
When I left the parking lot, 8-10 cars were there ahead of me, people who had backpacked into the wilderness area the night before. On the way back I passed many more backpackers as well as many day hikers too. None seemed concerned about the dark clouds that kept passing overhead.