Colorado Trail Series

Colorado Trail Series

 Day 4
Blackhawk Pass to a Dry Camp
(below Cape of Good Hope)

Hiked: 16 miles
Camp: 11,060 elevation

Day 4 was a loooong haul.  We had "a long way to go and a short time to get there..."  Ok, bad lyrical movie reference and kudos to those who get it.  Actually, we had from sun up until sun down to make the hike but it was a longer mileage day and we had to stop to filter water in the mid-morning.  Enough water to last us that day and the next, for tonight would be a dry camp with no water source until camp the following day.  Let's see....... water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon, hiking is a sweaty physically demanding activity, altitude is a dehydrating factor, hydration is the key to good muscle recovery..... yeah, let's just say there was a lot of water to be filtered and carried for the next two days.  Buck up and carry on!

As always click to enlarge photos!
 

Thank goodness the highest point of the day was first thing in the morning.  As I might have mentioned before, I don't do steeps very well.  Looking back down towards the cozy little stream side camp we left, you can see the switchbacks of the trail that tried to break me before I was even fully awake.

Jim was waiting at the top to document my arrival.

 We paused to catch our breath and I took the camera for a while.
Here's Jim in all his glory with the rising sun behind Blackhawk Mountain (12,681ft).

 

 Lots of traversing today.

 

 Sweeping views.

  

Finally a bit of shade to rest in.

Downhill is not Jim's favorite. (his knees don't like it)

The remaining hardy wildflowers were so beautiful in contrast to the tender frostbitten leaves around them.

 

Salt Creek Trail Intersect

Yay!  An actual sign to judge our progress by.

By my best interpretations of the guidebook, we were 3.25 miles from where we were planning on making camp.

A little dance of joy to celebrate!

But not much time to linger, calculating the amount of daylight we had left buy the lengthening shadows we had better keep moving.

Whoa! 

Looks like we had some company lurking about the woods with us.

A fresh mountain lion print in the mud.  There were quite a few tracks but this was the best one we could get a picture of.

 

Camp!

Best use the flash on the camera 'cuz it's officially dusk!

 

We found the well used campsite as described in the guidebook just as twilight was wrapping it's way around the trees.  Settling into our campsite routines, Jim got the tent and beds ready while I bundled up and made dinner.  Exhausted, we eat by light of our headlamps and crawled into our bags for the night.
 

We no sooner fell into the deepest of deep slumbers when we both sat straight up to the sound of a bunch of sorority girls screaming as in a horror film.  I looked at Jim and matter of factly stated, "Coyotes."  He replied,"Yep, killing a rabbit."  With that, we flopped back down and instantly back to sleep.

 

End of Day 4

3 Days Ahead - 43+ Miles Behind

(Our trip was officially more than halfway over)

 

 

 

Colorado Trail Series

Colorado Trail Series

Day 3- Part 2

Lunch to Blackhawk Pass Camp

 

Hiked: 2.5 Miles

Camped: 11,700 evelvation

 

After lunch we continued on our way south towards our camp for the night.  Moseying along with no sense of urgency we took many more pictures that afternoon.

 



(as always click to enlarge photos - it's worth it!)

 

Another stunning view.

One last look back to the mountains we left behind to the north yesterday.

 

Then a look forward from the same point and catch the first glimpse of the ridge line we are headed to for the night. 

 

Amazing what you come upon while silently passing through the woods.  I stepped right into the middle of a small ptarmigan family.  The hen and her four young seemed rather indifferent to our presence.  They scooted just far enough off the trail to feel safe but not so far that Jim couldn't get some great pictures.

 



Mother Nature knew exactly what she was doing when she painted these lovely ground birds.  Can you see why I almost stepped on the little brood?

 



Closer... we're getting closer!

I can the saddle we will be sleeping under tonight.  Just on the edge of the treeline and hopefully next to a stream according to the guide book.

 

Camp!

Backpacks are dumped out.  A clothesline is strung. 

Laundry is washed. 

 

There was a stream! 

So after laundry and a frigid mountain stream bath, I set my chair in the sun to soak up some of the last warm rays on my bare skin.  Of course I wasn't idle in my sunbathing, there's always something to be done such as the filtering of water for the night's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast.

Albino hairless Sasquatch?!

Oh no, that's just Jim taking his turn in the icy waters doing laundry and freshening up.

 

An early moon rise over the sensationally striped bluff to the east of our camp. 

 It was a short relative easy day.  An early arrival at camp allowed us to unpack, clean up and cook at a leisurely pace.  I had enough time to fry up enough fresh corn cakes for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day.  These served alongside hot minestrone soup with bite of chocolate and a cup of wine for dessert (or a shot of bourbon for Jim) made for a nice end to a nice day.  Although, camping on the north side of a mountain means a false sunset that comes quite early and brings with it the chills of the shadows.  So it was early to bed for these weary travelers.

 

Good Night from Day 3!

(but remember there are 4 more days of trails, trees and trials....)