What better place to beat the heat than the Indian Peaks wilderness? The Brainard lake area is above 10,000', and the high alpine valleys stay cool late into the day. Plus I learned today that my American the Beautiful national parks pass is good for free entrance to Brainard lake. Normal fees are $10/car, which is still a bargain.
Today I did two hikes from the Mitchell creek lot. The first was a gentle hike of 6 miles round trip, which took me past Mitchell lakes
... along Mitchell creek
...and finally to Blue lake
When I got back from this hike I was able to make a pit stop at the Mitchell creek lot before starting on my second hike. How convenient is that? The Mt Audubon trail took me above Mitchell lakes, eventually breaking out of the trees into alpine tundra. En route I heard several pikas, and I finally got a photo of one from about 10' away.
As I climbed the wildflowers kept getting better and better. First scarlet gilia, then purple fringe*, then columbines, then king's crown*, and finally vast carpeted meadows.
* Okay I had to look these up.
From a distance Mt. Audubon looks like a big pile of rocks. [Yes, the guy in red plans to ski down a snowfield.] However as you near the summit of Audubon, it still looks like a big pile of rocks.
But when you finally reach the summit, it is freaking COLD! Or at least it was today. A gale force wind was blowing, so everyone put on warm clothes and made for the stone wind breaks. One group actually brewed hot tea. Great views of peaks near (Paiute) and far, but I confess that I didn't stay long.
As you might gather from all the snow, it's still early season in the Indian Peaks. Some trails are still snow covered, and in fact the Mitchell creek lot opened just a week ago. I'd like to return for a long loop hike. Today's hikes totaled 14 miles and 3500' elevation gain. Almost forgot to mention: after the hike I saw a moose from my car. There may have been another moose, as two groups of cars were pulled off the road to watch.
Today I did two hikes from the Mitchell creek lot. The first was a gentle hike of 6 miles round trip, which took me past Mitchell lakes
... along Mitchell creek
...and finally to Blue lake
When I got back from this hike I was able to make a pit stop at the Mitchell creek lot before starting on my second hike. How convenient is that? The Mt Audubon trail took me above Mitchell lakes, eventually breaking out of the trees into alpine tundra. En route I heard several pikas, and I finally got a photo of one from about 10' away.
As I climbed the wildflowers kept getting better and better. First scarlet gilia, then purple fringe*, then columbines, then king's crown*, and finally vast carpeted meadows.
* Okay I had to look these up.
From a distance Mt. Audubon looks like a big pile of rocks. [Yes, the guy in red plans to ski down a snowfield.] However as you near the summit of Audubon, it still looks like a big pile of rocks.
But when you finally reach the summit, it is freaking COLD! Or at least it was today. A gale force wind was blowing, so everyone put on warm clothes and made for the stone wind breaks. One group actually brewed hot tea. Great views of peaks near (Paiute) and far, but I confess that I didn't stay long.
As you might gather from all the snow, it's still early season in the Indian Peaks. Some trails are still snow covered, and in fact the Mitchell creek lot opened just a week ago. I'd like to return for a long loop hike. Today's hikes totaled 14 miles and 3500' elevation gain. Almost forgot to mention: after the hike I saw a moose from my car. There may have been another moose, as two groups of cars were pulled off the road to watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment