Grindstone Escape Con't & Finished...

We were only going for an overnight trip so why not go luxuriously.  A little whisky and wine for the night before, a special breakfast the next day, we were in no real hurry to hit the trail, lounging and relaxing were a high priority for this trip.  The trees shaded our tent from the first morning light and the valley provided a false horizon keeping the air cool.  However, once the sun did come out so did the flies.  We hung anything still damp from the night before in the first sunny spots and watched the steam rise off them.  Once all was dry, we packed up to begin our ascent out of the valley.  We would start with a mild ascent for the first couple miles, then climb over 2,500 ft. elevation in just a few more miles.  With the afternoon storms being the only real concern, because we again would pass up and over the treeline completely exposing ourselves to any errant lightening, we didn't want to lolly gag in camp too long.  The flies helped with that motivation!

The Breakfast of Champions!

Better than Wheaties that's for sure.

Tang, Poor man's Mocha (coffee with my special blend of powdered milk, sugar and cocoa powder), Skillet scramble with sausage, potatoes, broccoli, onions, eggs and Parmesan, and corn tortillas.  The body needs good fuel if you expect it to perform at this level.

 

Jim was channeling his inner compass and aligning his pure manly magnetism!

 



With a heart rock in hand, Jim hugs the trees that sheltered us through the storm the day before.  We always like to pay respect to Mother Nature and all she provides for us.  He left the rock between the two trees as a reminder of our love for them.

 



We camped near Bear Creek and hiked along it's east bank up through the valley.  When it came time to cross, we found this beautifully constructed log bridge.  Who knows how old it is but we were grateful for it's help in avoiding soggy socks.

 

Remember those crazy screeching sounds that haunted the night I described in the previous post?

Well, here are the culprits... Newborn Elk!

On our hike up and out of the valley, Jim and I stumbled into the middle of a HUGE herd of elk.  It was attended by 2 bulls (that we saw) and numbered probably around 50.  It was hard to count because of the trees and it spanned both sides of the trail.  There were many ages represented, but once they sensed our presence it was the newborns that screeched with alarm as their mothers moved.  The startled herd moved up the valley and we followed, not because we wanted to but because that was the direction of the trail.  Proceeding with caution, I tried to get a few pictures of these magnificent creatures as we all co-mingled in the woods.

 



This small group of cows, adolescents and babies soon crossed the trail in front of us to join the larger group as they moved away from us.  We stopped hiking for a while to let them get far enough way that everyone felt a bit more comfortable.

 

We hiked to the top of the valley and connected with the trail we had hiked a month earlier.  (The hike that inspired this trip.)  Oh My, What a difference a month makes!  Look at these wildflowers and foliage!  I was trying to get a picture of the grand scheme of the growth, with Jim in the distance.  When I was going through pictures later for this post I realized that I had captured a picture of our little dragon friend from the previous trip! (center right)  Crazy I didn't see him then but the leaves are above his head now.

 

What a stunning array of color and diversity.

 



Descending the saddle and heading towards Taylor Lake for the final stretch, the thunder rolled to remind us to hustle up.

 



Ah!  Icy Beers!

I packed a treat in a cooler and stashed it in the truck before we departed to surprise Jim.  Nothing celebrates a great escape like a couple of cold beers and getting to the truck before the rains came.

 

On our drive back home we were stopped by a couple of begging marmots.  Curious little fellows, I am sure they were only looking for a hand out of trail mix or uneaten goodies from our packs.

 

Thanks for joining our journey.

Remember, if you ever make it out this way we can take you to these places too!

Our Grindstone Escape

 Grindstone...

Doesn't that sound relaxing to you?

Ok, maybe not at first but after the last couple months filled with road trips, a wedding, a graduation, family visits and work crammed in between Grindstone was just what Jim and I needed to reconnect.  The idea came about on our trek into the high country to cool off last month.  Often times as we hike we see trail signs and intersections with names that look familiar but we have never had the time to explore.  Such was the case when we stopped for our lunch on the aforementioned outing.  When we arrived home that day I poured over maps and books.  I came up with a loop and an alternative route for bad weather.  I planned out an approximate camping area just over half way. We set it in our minds that the next time I scored two days in a row off we were hitting the trail.  Well, low and behold, the schedule came out on a Wednesday and I had Saturday and Sunday off.  Short notice, but we 're good like that!  Beef in the dehydrator for jerky, bake some quick savory cheddar/pecan energy cookies, mix up breakfast makin's and we were on our way out of civilization bright and early Saturday morning.

 

 ~needless to say but I will anyway... click to enlarge photos~

 

 Driving up to the trail head, the flowers pay their respects the the rising sun.

 

 Columbine - our State flower

 

 Jim with our new found friend from New Jersey and his dog.

On our way up the canyon, we came across him and offered him a ride to the top.  He had driven as far as he could in his car and gladly hopped in the back of our truck for the rest of the trip to the trailhead.

 

 Entire Loop - 17 miles

Well, add in the distance from the trail head to this sign, then the fact that there was a tree downed across the road so we had to hike to the trail head and our "Entire Loop" ended up becoming over 21 miles!

 

 Look at the variety of wild flowers at almost 12,000 ft!!

 

Where's the safety railing?!

I'm calling OSHA.

 

 It's an eerie feeling while hiking a ridge line the way the clouds catch and hover right over you, not to the left or the right but dead center down the ridge line.

 

 Jim disappearing into the sky.

 

 Descending?

Don't be fooled, only a short down then another up - you can see the trail winding up the next climb across the saddle.  Averaging above 12,000 ft for most of the ridge line, we wouldn't dip down and out of the clouds until lunch.

 

 Another stunning Columbine

 

This is where we stopped for lunch, about 6.5 miles into our first day.  The storm clouds along the ridge stayed at bay until we were down.  Stopping for lunch amongst the trees we listened as the thunder rolled around us.  Ahh... the sound of nature letting us know whos' really in charge.  This is also where we saw the last person we would encounter for the next 27 hours.  From here on it was the Jim & Seana Show, no other hiker, biker, hunter, etc.

Let the Real Escape Begin!

 

Check back for the rest of our weekend adventure,

too many pictures for one post.

To Be Continued...