Square Top Mountain

 I don't think it was too ambitious... it's just that picking a fight with the weather Goddess is silly. It's a fight you can't win and when things appear to be taking a turn in the mountains, it doesn't pay to put your head in the sand and hope it will just resolve, it pays to run. And run we did!

Let's go back to the beginning:

At 6:30 am we had consolidated into just my 4-runner and were headed up to Georgetown, the turn-off to Guanella Pass. The sky was a gorgous clear blue, the traffic was minimal and I honestly felt full of beans this morning; itching to hike and excited to have my "real" camera with me. 

Square Top Mountain round-trip is about 7 miles and 2400' gain. It starts off downhill, and so you can only imagine the pain that follows in order to get 2400' out of about the next 2.5 miles. Or can you? I didn't!

Stunning as it was - and I do have a lot of pictures to prove it - it's hard to capture the way the earth bears up in front of you. A dusty gravelly trail that wants to send you backsliding at every opportunity, flanked with an abundance of wildflowers (giant distraction) and annoyingly lacks the common switchback design to ease the grade!

We soldiered on for hours and at the false summit, with thunder in the not-so-distance, paused to picnic with a diligent pika who really was making hay while the sun shone. 

This was the decision point. To go on up another hour or so to the top or to make tracks downhill before lightning scorched our britches.

Live to fight another day seemed most sensible and we were not the only ones high-tailing down the mountain...on a trail that at starts near 12,000' is in no way below treeline. 

The last mile, which consists of a little downhill, a couple of creeky crossings and then an ascent to the parking lot was timed just as the heavens began to roar. Thunder surrounded us and lightning was coming. We tried appeasing the weather Goddess with banter, bargaining and sweet words of gratitude. Alas, things had already been set in motion as we pushed ourselves at a ridiculous pace up those final steps, pelted by what looked like a white bird poop, but in fact was some hail-snow merger raining down. By the time we dove into the car, it was a torrential downpour and we were just a tad wet.

I know what you are thinking... "thank goodness you called it a day when you did". Yes, but shockingly there were still people setting out from the parking lot into the thunder as we were coming in! I really don't get it. 

The day ended with moose and big horn sheep sightings.

Photo Courtesy of Sue Ossmann

And then a 2 hour parking lot event on I70. Just the reminder we needed to NEVER EVER try our hand at Sunday afternoon commutes on I70 again. We planned to hike again next Saturday

They're Back!!!

 Before I get to WHO is back and where... let's frame the day.

Sue and I have officially made a deposit on a Tanzanian adventure in October. Our itinerary has us trekking Kilimanjaro for 8 days then switching gears to rest and recover while on a luxurious safari at 3 National Parks for the rest of the trip. 

2025 training has recommenced! This past weekend we killed two birds with one stone by re-upping National Park Annual Passes AND absorbing some Rocky Mountain energy.

Here is what I loved in the first minute of entering Rocky Mountain National Park:

The ranger who sold us the annual pass was gushing with enthusiasm and gratitude. She proclaimed that she has never seen a year where so many visitors were as eager to "throw money at us" as this year. That's right folks, the upside of uncertainty about our National Parks' welfare and that of the park rangers and their fellow workers is that the community (and by community, I mean park visitors, from near and far) is rallying to show support in whatever large or small way they can, and it is being FELT.

In the following minutes before we arrived at our trailhead, we glimpsed bighorn sheep, deer, mating hawks and a couple of wild turkeys. It was going to be a good day!

The trail of choice was Ypsilon Lake, high above the Alluvial Fan area. It was a 4.5-mile trek uphill, and the lake was the intended picnic destination. 

Near the bottom, 4 youngsters passed us. They had snowshoes tied on to their packs and munched on Cliff Bars. It is true that we laughed about how far they would have to climb to put to use the snowshoes - after all, the trail was dusty dry at this time. They were going to have the last laugh though!

The day was gorgeous, the birds sang, the squirrels and chipmunks scurried by. We crossed the cascade of water and kept climbing. At first the snow was patchy and not deep. With every 100' though, it got deeper, less firm and more like quicksand either side of an 8" wide packed trail. At just shy of 3.75 miles in and at an elevation of 10,200 feet (having climbed 2000') we called it. Better to live to fight another day!

It was meant to be. The universe was about to provide exciting times with wildlife!!

Check this out:

We (Sue!) named this superb find, a Rocky Mountain Forest Chicken. I believe it is also known as a sage grouse. Almost invisible in the woods if you don't catch the movement as it puffs up its neck. Without two super nice young men on the trail to point it out, we would have passed right by without seeing. (I wonder how many animals have quietly watched us go by?!)

As we moved to exit the park we found the bighorn sheep in plain sight high on the steep hill above us and for the first time, I got my elusive bighorn sheep pics!

Just 15' before we left RMNP, there were the first elk of the season. In velvet! Their beautiful nubby antlers catching the early evening light, their shaggy winter hair sloughing off. And they looked super relaxed. 

Further out of town, more elk.... A LOT more. They are migrating back into park right now. It's time for babies to be born and families to move into the high country for summer. 

If you are contemplating a visit to RMNP, go soon! Timed Entry reservations are required starting May 22nd. But right now, you can wing it, and I'll guarantee both stunning vistas and wildlife are the treat you didn't know you needed... until it's bestowed upon you.