Where do I begin?
On Friday night I decided that Teddy should get a hike somewhere new to him. You know... enrich his little life by mixing it up a little, just like I do for myself!
We chose Meyers Gulch (Walker Ranch) because it was less than 30 mins drive and it would be just about an hour before sunset. The parking lot here closes after sunset.
A short and sweet mile out and back. Beautiful light, fresh air, a little elevation goodness and temperatures a least 10 degrees cooler than back in Boulder.
It was on the way back that our wee hike took an amazing turn...
Weeks of searching for moose at every pond and stream I've hiked, hours spent scanning the geography for tracks, poop and moose at RMNP. Nada. Then low and behold, not one but TWO moose not far off the trail here, no where near water. LOL
Teddy was amazing. Sat still and quietly as we waited from a distance for the moose to cross our hiking trail and move off. And did I have my big camera with me? No. No I didn't. So this is all you get in the way of proof:
You bet your bottom dollar I went back the next day with a more impressive lens!
I hiked to the end of the trail, 5+ miles return. The midday heat was relentless - well, that may be a bit dramatic. It was toasty but manageable - and I took lots of pics... but alas there was not a moose to be found. Drat!
This hike turned out to be a warm up for what transpired the next day:
Twin Sisters Peak with Sue!
I mean... after I made us 7am peach-melba pancakes with whipped cream, of course :-)
We landed at the Lily Lake adjacent parking lot just before 9am. Technically, part of RMNP and requiring a timed-entry reservation to park there if we had arrived after 9am, but I don't see how that is checked or enforced, if I'm being honest. The parking lot is right off highway 7 between Meeker and Estes Park. It's a gorgeous area any day of the week but right now with leaves starting to tinge gold and orange, it's even more so.
Lily Lake sports a stunning reflection when it's calm and clear.
Lily Lake is also the last chance for a pee break supported by an actual toilet. If this sounds like I recommend it... then you are mistaken. Use the woods! Much cleaner, nicer smelling and I'll even venture to say, private. (Unless you actually prefer the pungent aroma of ammonia first thing in the morning.)
This hike has us literally ascending 2400+ feet via a trail that switch-backs up a mountain. First through the worlds straightest pine forest - with zero undergrowth. Then over roots and rocks, across an old avalanche path, through aspen groves catching the wind and the morning sun and finally up above tree line for a little scrambling amongst lichen covered boulders to the peak.
The uphill is relentless... but it's really probably the most gorgeous of trails too and at our pace of just under 1.5 mph, completely doable with a smile on your face for hours at a time.
We ate a picnic (that was all Sue!) at the top and admired the changing sky. What once was all blue, now was a moody and dark picture with maybe rain 10 miles from us. Was it coming our way? Hard to say.
But when the temperature plummeted 15 degrees and the wind kicked up, us with 3 layers on now, we said goodbye to the pikas at the peak and started down. We still had 4 miles to hike back to the car.
Ok... there *might* have been a few more pika pictures on the way out of the boulder field!
(Do you blame me?!)
Then we made tracks back down the trail, across the avalanche scene, through the forest and... less than a quarter mile from the car, the weather arrived.
Just sayin' ... the timing of Sue and Dallice hikes when it comes to weather is pretty special!
More special than the Lily Lake toilets, which I had to use again!
