I spoke too soon when I said that my Achilles tendon was mostly better. The hike to Lion lakes (or at least the downhill slog) caused it to swell and become sore. So for now I'm on a hiatus from hiking, as I need to allow this injury to heal before I take off for the Grand Canyon in 6 weeks. Unfortunately tendons heal very slowly...
Monday, August 15, 2016
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Lion lakes
This may be the first time I've hiked to Lion lakes, which are in the Wild Basin region of RMNP. Previously I've hiked to nearby Thunder lake. The trail starts at the Wild Basin ranger station, following N St Vrain creek west up a gentle grade. At 1.8 miles the trail crosses Cony creek at Calypso Cascades, then at 2.6 miles it crosses Ouzel creek just below Ouzel falls. This 40' waterfall (sorry, no pix) is a popular day hike/picnic destination.
Early in the hike a chipmunk stopped by to say hello. He was so sociable that I had to shoo him away. I suspect that he was after my chocolate brownie Clif bar.
After the Lion lake/Thunder lake junction the trail gets steeper and passes through a spruce forest. The trail is well marked and easy to follow, so I really didn't need the teeter totter cairns.
Below Lion lake the trail levels off as it winds through a marshy meadow. All the vegetation was lush and green, with a few wildflowers and even one big mushroom near the trail.
Lion lake #1 is nearly 7 miles from the trailhead, and when I arrived the waters were calm and crystal clear. Postcard quality mountain peaks frame the lake. The orientation of these photos is: south (Tanima peak?), west (Mt Alice), north (Chiefs Head peak), and down (H2O).
A faint trail continues along the eastern side of Lion lake #1, leading to Lion lake #2. Here the cairns were genuinely useful as there are several paths to the lake. Below the lake are some rivulets, a small sheltered snowbank, and the world's most relaxed marmot.
To reach Lion lake #2 I needed to bushwhack through some willows, but it was well worth the effort. The lake looks like a gemstone, and the south slope of Chiefs Head peak boasts many striking rock spires.
Heading back to the trailhead I saw a rather shy mule deer, who hid behind a tree before ambling away.
Even with the bushwhacking this was a moderate hike, 14.5 miles RT with 2900' elevation gain. Once again I wore trail running shoes, which worked out pretty well though they're marginal on rocky sections.
Early in the hike a chipmunk stopped by to say hello. He was so sociable that I had to shoo him away. I suspect that he was after my chocolate brownie Clif bar.
After the Lion lake/Thunder lake junction the trail gets steeper and passes through a spruce forest. The trail is well marked and easy to follow, so I really didn't need the teeter totter cairns.
Below Lion lake the trail levels off as it winds through a marshy meadow. All the vegetation was lush and green, with a few wildflowers and even one big mushroom near the trail.
Lion lake #1 is nearly 7 miles from the trailhead, and when I arrived the waters were calm and crystal clear. Postcard quality mountain peaks frame the lake. The orientation of these photos is: south (Tanima peak?), west (Mt Alice), north (Chiefs Head peak), and down (H2O).
A faint trail continues along the eastern side of Lion lake #1, leading to Lion lake #2. Here the cairns were genuinely useful as there are several paths to the lake. Below the lake are some rivulets, a small sheltered snowbank, and the world's most relaxed marmot.
To reach Lion lake #2 I needed to bushwhack through some willows, but it was well worth the effort. The lake looks like a gemstone, and the south slope of Chiefs Head peak boasts many striking rock spires.
Heading back to the trailhead I saw a rather shy mule deer, who hid behind a tree before ambling away.
Even with the bushwhacking this was a moderate hike, 14.5 miles RT with 2900' elevation gain. Once again I wore trail running shoes, which worked out pretty well though they're marginal on rocky sections.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Never the same hike twice
I've hiked the Mesa trail more than a dozen times this year, but the experience is always a little different. For today's hike
- By arriving early I scored a coveted parking space in the hikers lot at Chautauqua.
- The foothills were wrapped in low clouds, with the top of the Flatirons peeking out.
- Squirrels were busy gathering pine cones, and chattered noisily when I passed.
- A trail runner with a running blade artificial leg powered his way uphill.
- BTW female trail runners seem to outnumber male runners two to one.
- Near S Mesa trailhead a guy was flying a large drone quadcopter. His dog barked at it.
- For the first time I took the Upper Big Bluestem trail, which has great views of the foothills including S Boulder Peak and striking rock spires.
- Mesa is never a difficult trip, but man -- after hiking Pikes peak it's super easy.
- Elapsed time for 13-mile round trip hike: 4 hours, 10 minutes
Did you know that trail runners post the "fastest known time" for popular trails? FKT for the Mesa trail round trip is 1 hour, 34 minutes.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Easy hike
Because my stoopid Achilles tendon is not yet 100% I did an easy hike today, just the Mesa trail from Chautauqua to the south trailhead and back. The weather was mild and overcast, so a good day to hike a lower elevation trail. No wildlife sightings today, just a boatload of trail runners.
I blame the tendon injury on two things: First overuse from hiking Pikes peak and Bear peak back to back. This caused the tendon to swell. Then further aggravation due to my fairly new Oboz Sawtooth hiking shoes. The back of the shoe is higher and stiffer than I'm used to, and it rubs the tendon when I'm hiking downhill. So for now I'm hiking in Saucony trail runners.
As for the tendon, I'm continuing with rest, ice and Ibuprofen. Hike stats: 13 miles, 1600' elevation gain.
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