Chicago Lakes

This was an ambitious but very fun plan that didn't really come together... but you know, the universe provides and things turn out the way they were supposed to. In the end, there was no shortage of joy!

A month or so ago, I secured a parking permit/entry permit for Mt Blue Sky's Summit Lake trailhead. This 14-er is one of just a couple that had a road to the top, but for Scott and I, the adventure was going to be parking a few miles back down and hiking to the top. Extra special perhaps because the road and trailhead had been closed since 2024 - under construction - getting a little facelift, so I had not ticked it off last year. 

The permit was for 5-7am entry on June 25th. The plan was to arrive at Echo Lake early on the 24th, hike to Chicago Lakes, disperse camp overnight and hit Mt Blue Sky the next morning.

Chicago Lakes Hike

Perfect! We packed and left on time at crack'o'dawn and were on the trail by about 7:15am. It was quiet. Only 3 cars parked. Only a couple of people on the trail and none appeared to be going all the way up.

Check it out; Beautiful weather, wildflowers, this here hare, a very friendly marmot and changing scenery all the way to the top. Its a moderately hard hike. 

A bit up and down (mostly up) and a wee bit on the cool gusty side at the summit where we picnicked behind a large wind-stopping rock.

 We had company... a hungry little companion with a craving for granola bars and trail mix. His little monkey paws and twinkly eyes made me go "Awww!"

He was soon upstaged by the arrival of the goat gang. They were shedding and they had babies in tow so that's kinda hard to compete with when you are a common ground squirrel with few actual tricks in your playbook.

The way back down was easier of course and even with stops for "meese" (yes!) it was quicker too. The last push uphill to Echo Lake was nowhere near as bad as I remembered it from 2025.

Dispersed Camping:

Along Hefferman Gulch Rd there are a handful of stunning campsites in the forest. We pitched the tent, blew up the mattress and marveled at our good fortune to be all alone there. It was time for burgers and fries in Idaho Springs. Mmm... pretty darn yummy!

By 7:30pm there was a game of Phase Ten going back at camp. Did I win? I don't remember, but probably not. LOL

And at 8:30pm, snuggled up in the tent, the pitter patter of rain sounded wonderful. 

Hmmm. Pitter-patter was a fleeting description. Torrential is what superseded it. All. Night. Long.

I guess we were alone because all the other campers checked the forecast?!

At 5:30am, when the alarm went off, in the mostly dry tent, we both felt the most relaxing course of action was to stay in bed - the slightly deflated airbed was becoming hilarious and kept us off the ground only if both remained firmly on it, so unanimous commitment to the cause was required.

Mt Blue Sky would be there next time and there was no urgent need to hike in the rain for a view of nothing but clouds.

At 8:30am, we used a slight slow down in precipitation to quickly dress and take down camp. All the wet things got thrown into the truck and the new plan was a meandering trip home via Evergreen while eating banana bread and drinking milk.

And here is where the universe rewarded our relaxed attitudes and rolling with the weather; 10 minutes into the drive, low and beyold, mama moose and her teeny baby on the side of the road at a very convenient pull-out! Camera-candy for this gal! Scott was, as usual, so patient as I took my mandatory 100 pictures of wildlife before we could move along. Mama moose was super-chilled as cars and cameras came and went along the road.  Ahhhhh... bliss.

The best laid plans should often be upstaged/replaced by funny incidents, surprise weather, wildlife encounters and scenic drives with your favorite person, IMHO.