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Tag Archives: RMNP

Fall River Road

25 Friday Mar 2022

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Snowshoe

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

MAID-RITE, RMNP

We couldn’t start at the trailhead to the Aspenglen Deer Mountain Loop trail. The camping road was still closed for the season. So we parked about fifty yards down from the Fall River ranger booth in a wideout and walked down the campsite road until it came to the trail, just past the bridge over Fall River. That was today, on a windless morning.

Colorado is deep into spring break mode this weekend.  We figured the crowds at ski resorts would be bigger this year, so Karen booked us into a lodge on Fall River Road, one mile before the ranger booth. Estes Park is asleep compared to the ski resorts. We can hear the Fall River running outside our window. The sound is of peace and bliss.

I expect to hike the same trail tomorrow. We’ll steer right on the loop instead of the left we took today. And we’ll aim to hike further. Then, we will pause for lunch before ending the afternoon with pedicures. I’m a gentleman hiker.

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Deer Mountain

20 Saturday Mar 2021

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Snowshoe

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Estes Park, RMNP

Longs Peak in the background

Deer Mountain is an easy to moderate hike with a trailhead right at the intersection of Hwy 34 and Hwy 36 in Rocky Mountain National Park. There were other hikers with snowshoes but I don’t think there was enough snow for them. The trail was mostly hard-packed snow with some ice in spots. I wished I’d taken my trekking poles, especially near the top. The trail rises 1000 feet over three miles for a six mile round trip.

The trail largely side-hills through switchbacks and while it’s mostly in the trees, there are plenty of clearings with incredible views. Longs Peak can be seen to the south in both of my photos.

I turned around shortly before reaching the peak because I was on a timeline, but I got in two glorious hours of Rocky Mountain sunshine. I selected Deer Mountain because there wasn’t any parking at the other trails I wanted to try. Tomorrow I’m going to shoot for Bierstadt Trail. I think one needs to enter the park by 7am to be confident of a parking spot at the trailheads. All the trails are good though. I recommend getting up to the mountains this spring. There’s more snow on the way.

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The Wedding Hike

01 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Britt&Eric, Colorado Trail

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Estes Park, Flattop Mountain, loveatfirstwright, RMNP

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Estes Park was an ideal wedding venue for out-of-state guests who enjoy the outdoors, because the town is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Eric’s father Doug, and my niece Jessy’s husband Bryan, went fly fishing.  No doubt, some of the most gorgeous fly fishing in the world is in RMNP.  I took four Texans on a massive nine mile hike to the summit of Flattop Mountain.

You can see how well-groomed the trail is here at the start.  The Bear Lake trailhead was packed with over 100 cars, but very few hikers took our trail up to Flattop Mountain.  With 3000 feet of elevation gain in the 4.4 mile distance, it’s one of the park’s more challenging adventures.

Steve

I extended invites to the two dozen or so friends on our private wedding FB group, and I had four takers – all from Austin, Texas.  I was confident these four could do it.  My brother Steve, pictured above, was the oldest in his low 60s, but he’s a Mahoney so I knew he was up for it.

Steve C

Karen’s brother Steve, pictured here above tree line, still rocks Austin with his band the Rite Flyers.  He lives for epic stuff like this.

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An avid athlete, Laura doesn’t shy away from adventure.  She is so fit, I don’t think she noticed the altitude rise from 9400 feet at the trailhead to 12,200 at the summit.  She did comment on the cold winds up top, but then she had just left 105° in Austin.

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Laura’s seventeen-year-old son Zac is so fit, he appeared to climb this hill sitting down.  I’ve been on trails with him before and he’s an experienced hiker.

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With Longs Peak as a backdrop, Laura clearly won an August snowball fight with her son.

Laura n Zac

Laura and her son were naturally the first to summit Flattop Mountain.  The two Steves and I maintained a more gentlemanly pace.  Other wedding guests still enjoyed the outdoors by wandering around Estes Park and some of the nearby trails.  The five of us will remember Brittany and Eric’s wedding for this epic hike.

 

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Flattop Mountain

14 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Britt&Eric, Colorado Trail

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Tags

RMNP, wedding

bear-lake-map

Don’t you think this is an easy enough route?  On paper, it’s fairly straight-forward.  Park at Bear Lake Trailhead, as big and well-groomed a thrailhead as you will ever find.  This trailhead presents numerous options for more pedestrian hikes to various lakes.  I took the less-pedestrian trail that runs above treeline to merge into the Continental Divide Trail in a photopunk moonscape of alpine flowers.

flattop-mountain-elevation-profile

I drove through the ranger gate at 6:15am, and it was open for free.  Rangers have told me before that parking fills up by 7am. There are other trailheads along the drive, but this trailhead is a great place to start so many hikes.  The difficulty of the hike depends on which direction you go onto the Bear Lake Loop Trail.

You take the left trail—the epic hike ends, you see pretty new lakes every mile or so after cresting shallow hills. You take the right trail—you climb this hill, and I show you Colorado from the top. Remember: all I’m offering is the truth.

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The trail hits treeline about half way up, time and distance-wise.  Treeline is also about two-thirds up the 3000 feet of vertical.  The rocks are covered in alpine flowers here that should still be around in late August.

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This section of trail, just before cresting Flattop Mountain, is convered by snowpack still. I suspect some of this will remain in late August too, but it’s passable.  I’ll have a few pairs of trekking poles for those who want them.

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The top is surreal, like Mars with grass and flowers.

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The views were great the entire hike.  At the top here, you can see Longs Peak behind me.  There is an awesome view of the Keyhole and the Ledges on the northwest side of Longs Peak.

I know Nancy, Steve, my brother Steve, and really, most of you could make this hike.  It took me a little under four hours.  Expect five.  Like this post if you’re interested Sunday morning.

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Two Girls Eating

30 Sunday Jun 2019

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Ellie Rose

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Tags

RMNP, Sandbeach Lake

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The only two things a girl needs when hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park is water and her smartphone.

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This is what we saw at the end of our hike in Wild Basin.  Sandbeach Lake is considered deep at fifty feet, and it has a deep-blue reflection.

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Two girls eating a sandwich, after a couple of hours of hiking, is basically the goal of hiking.

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Sky on Fire

16 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

bulletproof, CDT, Colorado Wildfires, continental divide, hiking, Never Summer Wilderness, RMNP, Willow Creek Pass

Never Summer

La Plata and I rejoined for a second hike this summer along the Continental Divide Trail.  We met at the Bowen Gulch trailhead off Hwy 34, inside the Rocky Mountain National Park.  We left my car there for our finish and drove through Granby for Hwy 125, which took us up to Willow Creek Pass.

The yellow and burnt orange aspen were much thicker here than in RMNP.  La Plata said the colors were incredible between Durango and this valley.  Their color was echoed by the sun setting under plumes of smoke from the Kremmling fire as we drove up the pass.  The smoke filtered blues on top of hot pinks, mirroring the inferno below, telling the story of our summer with the sky on fire.

Willow Creek Pass

We set off at 6:30am and tracked forty-five minutes of fast-paced progress before I discovered I’d left the keys to my car back in La-Plata’s car at Willow Creek Pass.  This added ninety minutes to our twenty-two mile trek, and a good four more miles.  Today would be a marathon.

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I discovered a new 200 calorie snack bar that I highly recommend – Bulletproof.  I ate their lemon cookie for breakfast.  Yum.  I doubt there is anything else on the health food market anywhere close to this tasty.  The Kremmling fire smoke is in the picture below – those aren’t clouds.

Bowen Pass 2

Hiking with La Plata is like trail running with anyone else.  Fortunately, the section of the Continental Divide Trail between the Willow Creek trailhead and Bowen Gulch near Grand Lake is mostly below tree line.  My breathing seemed good despite the altitude and La Plata’s torrid pace.  He schooled me with this unyielding pace for the earlier blunder with the keys, not slowing down until we crossed Bowen Pass, our high point a little above treeline.

Bowen Pass

Can’t thank him enough.  Always the coach, and actually a personal fitness instructor, this training will serve me well for the three days of trail half marathons in Utah and Arizona next month.  I did have to run at times to catch up with La Plata in the early going.  I took advantage of downhill sections of trail.  We maintained a strong two mile per hour pace.  That’s good for high altitude mountain trails.  Standard walking pace is about three miles per hour.  I don’t expect the Trailfest to be nearly this challenging, except that it’s three days in a row for a total of thirty seven miles.  Recovery will be paramount.

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I missed the photo-taking for Ellie’s homecoming dance.  The kids looked good.  The first photo is with Ellie and her boyfriend Will at Chautauqua.  The second is the group shot.

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From the Depths of Hell

12 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Longs Peak, Mount Meeker, RMNP, Twin Sisters

girl on the mountaintopRan ten miles in 86° Saturday.  I think the humidity is up because it felt like 100°.  Carried a camelbak for the first time this year.  My pace slowed down to a crawl the final four miles.  I was happy to see the irrigation ditch flowing strong again, allowing me to dip my hat in the cold mountain snowmelt.  A refreshing respite after running through Hell’s kitchen.

snowFrom the depths of hell Saturday, Ellie and I climbed 11,400 foot Twin Sisters on Sunday.  As the photo shows above, the trail is still covered with snow at higher elevations.  Glad we took trekking poles.  This is Ellie’s first real mountain peak hike, if you don’t count the Flat Irons overlooking Boulder.  This is a seven mile roundtrip hike and a real accomplishment.  Our plans this summer are to work ourselves up to a 14er, likely Grays and Torreys.

MudsildeThis photo shows where the trail crosses the massive mudslide from the Great Flood of 2013.  Karen and I hiked up to this point two years ago, and turned around.  Ellie and Brit went further, but the trail was in disrepair and they didn’t make it to the summit.  The trail is still an extremely steep alternate route, but safe and manageable.

charlies angels 2Ellie’s friend, Esme hiked up with us today.  The cool mountain air made for a perfect hike.  You can see the Diamond Face east cliff wall of Longs Peak over Ellie’s head in this photo.  The views were awesome of Mount Meeker and the Mummy Range.  We could see Estes Park and Longmont as well.

yogaIf anyone wants their kids to get in some hiking this summer, let me know.  I’m scouting 12,000 and 13,000 peaks next.  A 14er by end of summer.

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Under a Full Moon

24 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Snowshoe

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Tags

Bear Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Estes Park, Nymph Lake, redrum, RMNP, Stanely Hotel

Nymph LakeKaren and I returned to the Bear Lake Trailhead last night, this time with a 3 car caravan of friends, to hike under a full moon.  Doubtful you can make anyone out from my blurry photography, but there are 15 of us, standing here on the frozen Nymph Lake.  Beautiful night for a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Karen under a full moon

Following a snow covered trail at night, even with such a large moon illuminating the path, isn’t easy.  We took some wrong turns at times but most of them ran back into the main trail at some point.  Karen and I turned around half way between Nymph Lake and Dream Lake while the main group forged on.  The sides of the trail were fairly steep in this area.  The right bordered by ice covered cliffs and the left dropped off into the darkness.  The trail is wide in this photo above but got fairly narrow in places.

ice on Dream Lake

This photo looks like entering light speed in space.  Susan took this looking down on the ice while standing on Dream Lake.  It’s air bubbles trapped in the ice.  The rest of the group turned around here.  The trail continues to Emerald Lake but it’s slow navigating in the dark.

redrum

We reached the Stanley Hotel near 9pm for dinner.  Jen and her precious daughter Lauren pose here in the Redrum frame.  I said something morbid to prompt grim faces but Jen began to crack up instead.  The food is very good at the Stanley but it’s possible we were simply starving for dinner.  We attacked our food like the Donner family.  I quaffed a Shining Pale Ale with mine, locally brewed.  Super fun night.

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Sprague Lake

09 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Snowshoe

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Tags

Ed's Cantina and Grill, Golden Leaf Inn, RMNP

sprague lake TH

Karen and I wake before dawn to sit in our chairs by the fire and look out over the meadow to watch the sun rise.  The clouds have cleared and we see Twin Sisters, Longs Peak, Mount Meeker and countless other peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park.  I bring up a french press and two coffee cups in time to see two elk mingle with the horses in the meadow.

bridge

We are the only guests this weekend at the Golden Leaf Inn.  Next weekend is booked for a winter festival.  Our exclusivity allows us to get to know our hosts, Dave and Jane, over breakfast.  Dave and Jane are Inn-sitting for Monica, the regular hostess, while she holidays in New Zealand.  They are retired and previously volunteered at the YMCA of the Rockies for five weeks.  By working at least 21 hours per week, they received full room and board.  Karen visited this camp as a child while her father attended medical seminars.  Today it’s more of a resort with 5000 beds and a convention center.

tree

Five miles down Bear Lake Road is Sprague Lake where Karen and I hike this morning in the fresh snow.  There are numerous trails here.  We select a three mile loop.  Once again, we leave our snowshoes in the van, choosing instead to wear our hiking boots over the lightly packed snow.  It’s deeper than yesterday at Bear Lake.  I post-hole occasionally but the boots work well and are much speedier as we complete a 90 minute jaunt in the woods.

rock

We lunch at Ed’s Cantina before leaving Estes Park for home.  We barely make it back in time for our scheduled recovery massages.  Rough weekend.

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Bear Lake

08 Friday Jan 2016

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Snowshoe

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Tags

Estes Park, Golden Leaf Inn, RMNP, Stanley Hotel

trailheadI take Friday afternoon off from work, arguably early in the year for vacation but I’m finding the transition back from two full weeks away difficult and believe pacing myself is the best path forward.  Karen suggested that we snowshoe in Rocky Mountain National Park over the weekend.  The one sport we do well together.  As you might know, Karen is a little bit dancer and I’m a little bit runner.  Snowshoeing is where we can come together.  So Karen booked a night at the Golden Leaf Inn, and we head up just after noon.

karen

Nine miles from the Beaver Meadows park entrance is Bear Lake.  I’ve always wanted to run here.  The setting is so incredibly stunning, you have to get up here and see it for yourself.  The snow around the lake trail is packed well enough that we hike in our snow boots rather than snowshoe.  The clouds lift a bit to reveal the mountains.  The dull disk of the sun could be mistaken for the moon as it filters through.  It’s about 20° and the air is still, perfect conditions for hiking through the trees.  A soft snow falls.  This is ideal.

ed on lake

We check into the Heavenly Room at the Inn.  We’re sitting now in the two comfortably overstuffed, wingback chairs by a fire, with a southern view out over the valley.  I suspect if the snow stops and the clouds lift, in the morning we’ll be able to view Longs Peak and the Continental Divide.  Next stop is dinner at the Stanley Hotel.

karen at bridge

 

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Longs Peak

31 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail

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Tags

14er, boulder field, Estes Park, keyhole, Oscar Blues, RMNP, the narrows

momma rosasI set out Saturday afternoon with my neighbors, Keith, Jen, Steve and Scott, to hike Longs Peak.  We are pictured here eating in Estes Park before camping out near the trailhead.  The allure of Longs Peak has been haunting me for years now.  Ever since I climbed my first peak back in 2008 – Mount Garfield. I say “haunted” because of the apprehension this trek stirs in hikers as they commit to plans.  As the northern most 14er in the Colorado Rockies, I  see it every day outside my window.  The trailhead in RMNP is a 45 minute jaunt from my house.  But not a year goes by without reading about some hiker in bluejeans and cotton hoodie dying from exposure.  Or being blown off the peak by a gust of wind.  To be fair, this trail takes its share of experienced hikers and climbers too; although there is a strong correlation between victims and cotton wearables.  Every section of trail is popularized by name.  The Boulder Field.  The Keyhole.  The Ledges.  The Narrows.  Those names alone will spook you.

wildWe reserved a 7 camper backcountry permit to camp at Goblins Forest.  Turns out, there was 8 of us as Steve invited 3 friends, Parker, Robert and another Keith.  The rangers were none the wiser as they close at 4pm and we didn’t pitch our tents until around 8:30.  Goblins Forest is a little over a mile in from the trailhead.  It turned out to be an awesome site with plenty of room, even a vault toilet.  Smoke from the Western State forest fires obscured the stars but the weather was fairly warm.  A couple of the guys slept in hammocks.  Jen imitates Reese Witherspoon here in Wild with her backpack loaded up.

goblins forestWe initially planned for a 3am start.  There are several reasons for this.  As one of the most difficult class 3 14ers in the country, Longs Peak is crowded with most hikers hitting the trailhead between 1am and 3am.  It’s a long, slow hike, mostly above treeline, and the early start is needed to avoid the typical afternoon thunderstorms.  Steve’s buddies had some experience hiking Longs Peak and recommended we wake up at 1:30.  We did and hit the trail by 2:30am.  As you can see in this photo, we’re all wearing headlamps.

Ed on KeyholeThe headlamps weren’t always needed above treeline as the full moon illuminated the trail.  And we weren’t alone.  We followed a trail of lights from other hikers climbing up the Mills Morraine into the Boulder Field where the sun finally rose.  This photo captures the sun rising over Mount Lady Washington and the Boulder Field as I scramble over the Keyhole to the western side of Longs Peak.

Scott on LedgesOur timing was perfect in terms of light and crowds.  Our campsite was a little over a mile from the trailhead, giving us a 12.5 mile hike.  This made us part of the main wave of hikers.  Anyone driving up and arriving by 1am will easily find a parking spot at the ranger station and trailhead, but will have a 15 mile hike.  Arrive after 3am and you will find yourself parked a mile down the road; possibly still fine in terms of beating the afternoon showers but you’ll have a 17 mile hike.  For us, the sun began to rise as we entered the Boulder Field and gave us ample light as we passed through the Keyhole and traversed the mile or so through the Ledges, Trough and Narrows to the peak.

Jen on LedgesClick on the photo above to see Scott making his way across the Ledges.  You’ll be able to make out a path marked by bullseyes painted on rocks.  There is no trail, simply these paintings for you to target as you make your way over a steep slope of rocks generously termed a ledge.  Trust me, this was some scary shit.  I can’t imagine people hiking this at night with headlamps, unless perhaps it’s better not being able to see the 1000 foot drop.  Click to enlarge this picture of Jen hiking the Ledges and tell me if this doesn’t scare you.  Longs Peak is considered a class 3 hike for scrambling but no ropes.  But the level of scrambling is intense – over a mile non-stop to the peak.  And the Ledges is just a warmup for the really scary stuff.  Next comes the Trough, an 800 foot climb over loose boulders.

troughThis photo captures Steve’s buddy Keith at the bottom of the Trough.  Note the bullseyes – here again there is no discernible trail.  You just make your way the best you can.  The crowds of hikers slow down at this point to under one mile per hour.  If you arrive late, then the wave of hikers will be coming down while you ascend, kicking an avalanche of small boulders down at you.  Heads up.  Scott turned back at this point as his knee gave out on him.  He was fine since he’s hiked to the top of Longs Peak before.  It is said only 20 percent of hikers ever complete the trail to the top.  I suspect it is a much smaller percentage who ever consider hiking it twice.  In terms of difficulty, the Keyhole is a portal to hell.  Several levels through Dante’s Inferno with increasingly dangerous and brutal scrambling.

climbSeriously, check out this photo of Keith and Jen climbing this granite wall made slick from thousands of previous hikers’ boots.  If you don’t have some basic mountaineering skills, don’t consider hiking Longs Peak.  I didn’t see any kids on this trail.  This is not a family hike.  Just imagine hitting a wall of granite on your path and looking up to see a bullseye painted 20 feet over your head suggesting the way forward.  The 1.3 miles from the Keyhole to the peak was a series of increasingly scarier challenges.  This was more an obstacle course than a hike.

Longs PeakOne point in the Trough is termed the Hoist, because there’s no way the average hiker can climb it without a little help.  Beyond the Trough was the Narrows.  This is where Jen sensibly turned around.  I nearly did and would have if Jen had asked me to stay with her.  The Narrows aren’t termed a ledge because you can’t stand straight up on most of it.  You have to lean into the cliff wall and grab onto handholds as you make your way across several hundred yards of slick granite.  It’s mostly single file and ends with the Homestretch, a several hundred foot climb to the peak.  The return was just as brutal in reverse.  I had to slide down much of it on my bottom.  I didn’t begin to appreciate this hike until hours later while safely drinking beers at Oscar Blues in Lyons.  I’m crossing this 14er off my list and won’t be coming back.

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Indian Peaks Wilderness

23 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Running

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Tags

Brainard Lake, forest fires, Indian Peaks, Longs Peak, Mount Audubon, RMNP


Wow!  What a difference dropping my mileage down to normal makes.  After dropping from 100 to 50 miles, I’m running fast again.  It doesn’t hurt though that the temperature has also dropped – down to what I consider football weather.  Call me foolish but I even ran without my hat and sunscreen.  And the kids returned to school this week.  It just keeps getting better.  I ended the week by hiking in the Indian Peaks Wilderness with Ellie today.  A bit blustery up there.

Brainard LakeIn fact, the intense wind kept us from climbing to the top of Mount Audubon.  Couldn’t complain though because the wind also swept out the smoke from the Washington State forest fires.  You can see the smoke in several of the photos if you click to enlarge them.  The high altitude smoke was thickest north of us over Rocky Mountain National Park.  Ellie has some asthma related issues so I checked the Colorado air quality index before committing to the hike.  We saw a bull moose here next to Brainard Lake during our first few minutes starting out.
Ellie and I found ourselves constantly adding and removing gear.  The temperature was fairly cool starting out, although the trees shielded us from the wind.  The climb quickly warmed us up so we stowed away our coats and hats in our backpacks, only to put them back on along with gloves once we rose above tree line.  Same routine in reverse on our descent.  The flat topped peak above and to the right of Ellie’s head in this photo is Longs  Peak.  I’ll be hiking up there next weekend with some buddies.

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This is Mount Audubon directly over Ellie’s head in the photo to the right.  We climbed nearly up to the snow field before turning back.  On the way down we turned north onto the Beaver Creek trail for a short ways and bushwhacked over to a rock cropping to catch the views.  The entire hike was about seven miles because we started from a parking lot one mile before the Mitchell Lake Trailhead.  Looks like a brand new parking lot with restrooms on the east end of Brainard Lake.  They’ve done a great job improving the parking in the Brainard Lake Recreational Area.  I didn’t see any cars parked on the road like in days past.
This is Beaver Lake behind Ellie in this photo.  Karen and I have snowshoed near there on the Sourdough Trail before.  Ellie and I also hiked around Brainard Lake a bit on the return.  Ellie couldn’t get over how blue the water was.  Mountain lakes are absolutely gorgeous.  I can’t wait to get back up here next weekend to hike Longs Peak.

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Grand Lake

09 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Running

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Tags

Boulder Marathon, CDT, continental divide, IllegalTrailRunners, massivemileage, RMNP, training plan

north inlet trailThe last thing I remember Friday night was looking up at the stars, undiluted from urban light sources, high in the Rocky Mountains outside Grand Lake.  Sleeping cowboy style, I dodged fallin’ stars aimed straight at me.  I finally tucked inside my tent after midnight once the temperature dropped.  Rob and I camped out here to hike a 25 mile segment of the Continental Divide Trail.  The accuracy of CDT maps are specious as my Garmin captured 29.5 miles.  Fortunately the weather was cool, between 40° and 60° so that our water lasted through those final four unplanned miles.

Grand Lake sits at the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, and is also part of the headwaters to the Colorado River.  A quaint mountain town with wooden boardwalks and expensive but good restaurants, it’s worth a stop if you’re near Rocky Mountain National Park, or the Winter Park ski resort.  Grand Lake anchors the southern end of Trail Ridge Road.  Rob and I ate surprisingly good Mexican food at El Pacifico.  After two large margaritas, I was seeing stars.

Flat Top MountainThe 25 (29.5) miles would complete my 90 mile running week, for a total 510 miles of my massive mileage Boulder Marathon training plan.  I run 20 miles today to begin my 100 mile week – the final week before I begin my taper.  I can still report no muscle strains or injuries.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  I’ll start some strength training and work on my pace once I cut my miles by half.

We got some decent running in Saturday on the trail.  This section of the Continental Divide Trail is a loop that begins and ends at the North Inlet Trailhead outside Grand Lake.  It’s contained within the southwest corner of Rocky Mountain National Park, so permits are needed for camping.  We stealth camped, setting up our tents shortly after dusk to avoid the Park Rangers.  We encountered a number of group backpackers who camped along the trail.  One father was trekking his kids on a 3 day outing, targeting 8 mile days with their heavy packs.  There is a Big Meadow trail that shortcuts the CDT, forming a slightly shorter 24 or 25 mile loop.  Sporting light packs, we ran about two miles worth of the big loop.  The coolest part was running across the alpine tundra among the rock cairns above 12,000 feet.

burn zoneAnother cool section of trail was this burn area on the northern part of the loop.  Would have been hot without shade but we benefitted from partial clouds and 60° temperatures.  I’m happy mixing up hiking with my running.  I count the miles toward my training plan because hiking with Rob at high altitude is little different than running.  We maintained a 3 mph pace for essentially a 50K ultra.  Ascending above tree line had my cardio going.  I imagine I burned well over 3000 calories over the ten hour hike.  Once I finish my coffee this morning, I’ll set out on a 20 miler on the LoBo Trail to begin my 100 mile week.

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Wild Basin

18 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Running

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Tags

Denver Marathon, Lyons, Oscar Blues, Ouzel Falls Trail, RMNP

Wild Basin TrailheadMy marathon eve workout today consisted of hiking with my in-laws in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park.  We hiked along the Ouzel Falls Trail, which Karen and I first explored back in July.  The weather was ideal – crisp air and full sun.  The Aspen leaves have all fallen at 8500 feet, but the scenery was still stunning.
We made it as far as Calypso Falls.  Ellie was bouncing all over Upper Calypso Falls snapping photos.  The trail overall is fairly pedestrian.  Barbara surprised me with her spry gait, jumping across creeks and rocks.  My in-laws felt comfortable with both the terrain and elevation. It’s a great family hike.  We lunched afterward at Oscar Blues in Lyons.

BarbaraLater this afternoon, I drove into Denver to pick up my race packet at the Convention Center.  Race expos are big events.  Sometime before I got back into road races 5 years ago, the expo apparently became an integral component of the Road Race business model.  I wish I knew the percentage of sales generated from the expo vs registration fees and other merchandise ordered as part of the event sign up.  I just spent a few minutes querying online but didn’t find much.  The Rock & Roll race series, like many others, requires packet pickup at the expo.  I didn’t buy anything but did spend $12 parking.

I’m looking forward to a great day tomorrow.  I expect to run an 8:30 pace.  I’d like to run a bit faster but my primary goal is to run well the final six miles by holding my pace.  I plan to wear a camelbak in order to hydrate with my own electrolyte cocktail – Skratch.  I’ve been training with it.  I like the taste and my stomach does well with it.  I also expect to start out running the first couple of miles with my buddy Chris Price.  He maintains a very disciplined approach and runs the first two miles at a 9 minute pace.  He then speeds up to around 7:30.  His goal is to break 3:20 to qualify for Boston.  I’ll let him go and should finish 20 to 30 minutes behind him.

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Ouzel Falls

27 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

hiking, RMNP, Wild Basin

Wild Basin TrailheadI return to the Wild Basin section of Rocky Mountain National Park this morning.  This time with Karen.  We drive two miles beyond the ranger station and Sandbeach Lake Trailhead to the Wild Basin Trailhead.  Tons of parking and good camp sites along the way.  This trailhead has nice facilities and ample parking, but is also quite packed.  The guidebook states the hike to Ouzel Falls is the most popular route in all of Wild Basin.  I now believe it.  Still, it’s like Bill Bryson’s description of the Appalachian Trail in his book, A Walk in the Woods.  No matter how many people visit the trail, they spread out and it never feels crowded.

Copeland FallsThis trail is popular for several reasons.  The trail is fairly pedestrian – well maintained with an obtainable elevation gain.  The guidebook rates it suitable for families.  The rushing creeks and spectacular falls are stunning.  Plentiful camping sites reward backpackers on their trek to Thunder Lake.  And then there are some nice views of the south side of both Mount Meeker and Longs Peak.  This photo of me sitting on a log is at Copeland Falls which is only a half mile beyond the trailhead.

Calypso FallsThis second set of falls is nearly as impressive as Ouzel.  These are Calypso Falls rising behind us in this photo.  It’s apparent some families are only walking to Copeland Falls.  Calypso is about two miles past the trailhead and would make a satisfying turn-around point.  We witness a little girl, maybe seven years old, get scolded by her father for climbing a rock.  Seriously, drive Trail Ridge Road if you don’t want to get out of your car and walk about.  Although that’s a great road to get out and climb some rocks too.

Ouzel Falls

We hear the roar of rushing water flowing over Ouzel Falls well before we arrive.  This site is 2.7 miles from the trailhead and not at all difficult for a short day hike.  We are almost meandering and it only takes us 90 minutes.  We see this really cool looking bird that I believe is a Steller’s Jay.  We are looking for the Water Ouzel – or American Dipper – for which the creek and falls are named, but don’t see any.  We don’t climb up too close for better views of the falls.  Quite a few people are on the trail spur and Karen’s not a big fan of bushwhacking.  We can’t go beyond this point either as the bridge is washed out.  There’s an alternate, in fact much shorter, route for backpackers headed to Thunder Lake; so the bridge is not an issue.

Mount MeekerWe return without stopping at all the sites.  Many more families are headed up – even though it is now lunch time and rain clouds are forming.  Besides the water features, several spots along the trail open up for nice views of the south side of Mount Meeker and Long’s Peak.  You might have to click on this photo to see it well enough.  The peak above my hat is Mount Meeker.  To its left is Longs Peak.  From our house in Longmont both peaks have the traditional triangle peaks.  And in fact are termed the Twin Peaks.  From this southern view you can see the flat top of Long’s Peak.  Karen has a dance audition in a couple of weekends and I think I might target that date to bring the girls up here.  This is one of those hikes that everyone in the family will love.  It’s 45 minutes from town.  Get your family up here.

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Sandbeach Lake

20 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Allenspark, Lyons, RMNP, Wild Basin

trailheadI wake up the girls at 6:30am this morning because they want me to.  We’re headed up to the Wild Basin area in Rocky Mountain National Park for a massive hike to Sandbeach Lake.  Surprisingly, we’re out the door shortly after 7am.  We stop by Big Daddy’s Bagels for something to start our engines before leaving the neighborhood and reach the trailhead by 8am.

rockThe girls climb the first big rock they see.  Brit’s been doing this ever since she saw Lion King as a three year old.  Ellie can’t pass up a good rock either.  She might wish she had because moments after this shot she slipped and slid down, scraping her leg.  She toughs it out though and doesn’t cry.  She toughs out a lot today because not only is our target lake 4.5 miles away from the trailhead, the entire trail is uphill.  Rarely is it overly steep, but uphill at altitude is never easy.
Nice trail for the family and we see several.  We see at least three groups of hikers returning from having camped out at the lake.  Others are returning because they simply started before us.  Smart as today is hot.  There are several camp sites like this one along the way with access to water from a small but strong running stream.  We find this camp sign ironic as the girl’s Uncle Steve has played at the Hole-in-the-Wall on Guadalupe in Austin a million times over the last thirty years.  We figure this camp site is a tribute to that dive bar.

creek crossingThe entire hike is in the trees with only a few spots for views of the valley or Continental Divide.  This is probably a good thing as the temperature soars well above 90° today.  We take advantage of several creek crossings to cool off.  Ellie is emboldened by her water-proof hiking boots and wades into deeper water than us to cool off.  Brit and I can’t believe her feet remain dry.  She pushes the boundaries often drowning her bootlaces.  My RMNP trail guidebook suggests there are some downhill segments, but no down slopes ever present themselves for more than 20 yards in length.  This is a long, hot, uphill slog.
Ellie’s patience wears thin as she discovers this trail will never go downhill until we turn around.  I learn later from my Garmin that we climbed nonstop 2000 feet in elevation over 4.5 miles.  Brit brilliantly provides Ellie a chocolate chip cookie (what do you pack for trail food?) and this enables Ellie to pull through for the final stretch.  Then the lake presents itself through the trees.  Even Ellie is wowed and says the hike is worth it.  Sandbeach Lake is one of Rocky Mountain National Park’s biggest and deepest mountain lakes.  The water is as clear as the sky.

brit n dadThe lake was dammed around 1900 to provide drinking water for our town – Longmont.  The dam was dismantled in the ’80s and returned to its natural state, once again displaying the sandy beach for which it is named.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a sandy beach on a high-altitude mountain lake before.  Sandbeach Lake offers stunning views of close-by peaks to the north and the Continental Divide to the west.  You can almost watch water run off the moraine on the northern peaks to a waterfall flowing into the lake.  The sound of flowing water is peaceful; this beach no doubt makes for a great camp site.

meeker park trailThis is only one trail of many in the Wild Basin area of RMNP.  The trails sit south of Mount Meeker, many leading to lakes and waterfalls.  Our plans are to return each weekend that we can this summer to explore the other trails.  The trailheads are less than an hour from our front door, just north of Allenspark, CO.  We stopped in that little mountain haven on our return for a cold beverage.  We later lunched at Lyons Fork in Lyons.  Nice Sunday.

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Twin Sisters

07 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Ellie Rose

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Tags

Estes Park Resort, Grags, hiking, Longs Peak, Oscar Blues, RMNP, Rocky Mountain National Park, summer camp

 

Twin Sisters THAfter the snow pack we encountered on last weekend’s trail, our objective today was to find a trail with southwestern exposure.  The Twin Sisters trail in Rocky Mountain National Park fit the bill.  Plus it starts out 1000 feet lower around 9000 feet.  This trailhead sits east of Lilly Lake just off Hwy 7, a few miles north of Long’s Peak Trailhead.  We spent the night nearby at the Estes Park Resort.  A very nice lodge and spa on Lake Estes.  We drove there Friday evening after picking up Ellie from the last day of her computer programming summer camp at CSU in Ft. Collins.  The drive to Estes Park from Ft. Collins is similar to the drive from Longmont.  You take Hwy 34 via Loveland instead of Hwy 36.

boulderingThe Weather Channel had us set for 50° and rain.  Instead it was gorgeous.  Clear skies and 60°.  Parking at the trailhead was nearly full.  Mostly for a wedding across the road at Lilly Lake.  This is clearly a very popular trail, but we got there early enough with our short drive from Estes Park.  The trail begins for a few hundred yards on a dirt road that’s closed to traffic.  It then veers off to the left with a large sign.  The first mile is a bit of a workout up to these cliffs.  The slope flattens out once it completes some switchbacks and turns south.  I think these cliffs are part of the Grags formation, which are more popular for climbers than hiking.

landslideKaren I turned around when we encountered this landslide that obliterated a hundred yard swath of trail.  Brit and Ellie were undaunted.  They maintained course for the saddle that sits between the Crags and the Twin Sisters Peaks.  This avalanche was pretty impressive.  Apparently caused from flooding, it knocked out trees clear down to Hwy 7 leaving quite an ugly scar on the mountain.  We reached our turn-around point at just over an hour of hiking which gave us a two hour hike total.  We waited for the girls on a bench over-looking Lilly Lake.

Lilly LakeBrit and Ellie took another hour or so to climb up the steep switchbacks that lead to the saddle.  They said they had to scramble a bit using their hands – the trail was so steep.  Doubtful Karen would have liked that.  I wouldn’t say this trail was crowded but we encountered quite a number of other hikers – including a couple of shirtless boys that Ellie said were eying Brit.  Brit told Ellie she thought the boys must go to CU – because they were “buff”.
I highly recommend this trail for family hikes.  The views of Long’s Peak to the west are awesome.  It’s definitely a workout but very doable by all skill levels.  And if you want to let the kids hike, you can choose to hang out at Lilly Lake.  There’s a short mile trail around the lake that I wouldn’t mind visiting for a run.  The trailhead has a restroom, and the scenery is stunning.  We drove back home along Hwy 7 and stopped for lunch at Oscar Blues in Lyons.  Looks like it might rain now but we had a beautiful Saturday morning.

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