Life sure can get hetic!

It has been almost six years since my last post.  I could try to enumerate all the reasons I have not posted, but at this point it does not really matter.  I am just glad that I can once again post about "Taking it outside."

Lake in the Sangre de Cristo mountains near Cuchara, Colorado

During the years I was still able to do some camping and hiking.  I had some great trips and purchased some new gear, I just did not find or take the time to post.

Hammock camping is awesome!

Trinchera Peak (13,517 feet) - Colorado

I am now in position to be much more consistent with posts on campgrounds, hikes, gear, restaurants...  I hope all the info will be useful and interesting.

 Hummingbirds at North Park KOA near Gould, Colorado

An Enchanted Hike

244 miles southwest of Dallas, Texas sits one of the biggest rocks in the USA, Enchanted Rock.  Enchanted Rock is a batholith, a large protrusion of cooled volcanic magma.  This huge rock rises 425 feet above the surrounding area to a height of 1825 feet above sea level.  It is also the largest pink granite monadnock in the USA.

Enchanted Rock from park parking lot

The rock is part of the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.  The park is located 15 miles south of Llano, TX and 15 miles north of Fredericksburg, TX just west of TX 16 on FM 965.

Hiking is popular in the park.  There are two main trails, Summit Trail and Loop Trail.  Loop Trail is 4 miles and goes completely around Enchanted Rock and crosses Sandy Creek a few times.  Summit Trail is only 6/10 of a mile, but it rises 425 feet.

On Summit Trail look up Enchanted Rock

The Summit Trail starts on the northeast side of the Interpretive Center (map of the trail) and quickly crosses Sandy Creek.  The creek is easy to cross unless there has been a heavy rain recently.  The last restrooms on the trail are east of the trail after crossing the creek.  A little pass the restrooms is a stationary telescope that visitors can use to look up the rock.  A little after  1/10 of a mile the trail turns north and begins to ascend through some boulders and plants. 

My son looking a little worn from the climb

After the 3/10 mark the trail splits with the Echo Canyon Trail continuing northwest to meet the Loop Trail and Summit Trail veering northeast and becoming very steep as the trail is solidly on the barren rock.  The trail continues to the summit of Enchanted Rock where the 360 view of the Hill Country is amazing.  The average incline on the trail is 30%.  

There is a lot of room on the summit for the hikers.  There are numerous fissures and hallows that can be explored.  Some are very steep and narrow so caution should be exercised.  There are some cave-like features and areas that are fun to explore.  My son and I spent time exploring the features.

We explored the fissures and canyons while at the summit

We hiked to the summit during March and took water with us.  If one was hiking in the summer months they would need a good amount of water because the heat on the rock can get intense.  There is not much shade to be found on the rock.

A great view of the countryside

Wildlife is common around the park, especially deer since Gillespie County has the highest concentration of White-tail deer in the US.  The wildlife is more likely to be seen in the early morning or at dusk.  Wild Turkey, wild boar, bats, squirrels, and fox are seen often in the park.  My son and I saw deer early that morning on the way to the rock, but only birds and lizards once at the park.

The park has 46 camping sites near the visitor center with shower facilities and three primitive camping areas. This is a great park for camping and hiking.  The Hill Country is a great place for lovers of the outdoors.  Enchanted Rock is a unique geological feature and well worth visiting.

Not as famous but awesome!

When this Texan was planning our trip to Yellowstone National Park a friend insisted in visiting an area outside the park that I had never heard of.  Reluctantly the side trip was included in our plans and I am so glad it was!  The Upper Mesa Falls and Lower Mesa Falls in Idaho do not have the name recognition that Yellowstone has, but they are beautiful and well worth visiting.

The falls are located on the west side of ID 47 a.k.a The Mesa Falls Scenic Byway.  From the west entrance to Yellowstone NP to the parking lot at the Upper Falls is about 50 miles.  If you are coming from the south part of Idaho you will take US 20 from Idaho Springs to Ashton and then turn east on ID 47/Mesa Falls Scenic Byway.  About 14 miles later the entrance will be on the left side of the road.  If you are coming from West Yellowstone you will travel US 20 to Island Park and then south for about 8 miles out of Island Park to the junction with ID 47.  Travel about 13 miles to the entrance to the Upper Falls.

Upper Falls in the morning light

The road to and the parking lot at the falls are well paved.  You will find restrooms, visitor center with exhibits, and a gift shop at the Upper Falls parking lot.  Access fee is $5/car or $1/motorcycle.  There are 9 campsites at $12/night with tables, fire rings, restrooms, and water available. Camping, hiking, backpacking, picnicking, and winter sports are allowed. More info and even more info.

A walkway from the parking lot/visitor center will take you to the overlook of the Upper Falls.  Upper Falls is 300 feet wide and plunges 114 feet creating a thunderous roar and a far reaching spray.  It is very impressive and is actually higher than the Yellowstone Upper Falls by 5 feet.  The spray keeps the sides of the canyon moist which produces a small ecosystem of its own. We saw numerous species of wildflowers and birds including osprey.  Eagles, deer and bear are known to frequent the area.

The only bear we saw was the rock below the falls that we thought looked like a bear

There is a mile hiking trail from the Upper Falls to the Lower Falls that takes hikers lower into the canyon and closer to the Lower Falls.  It runs adjacent to the Henrys Fork River and through some trees.  It is an easy hike.  You can view the Lower Falls from the Grandview Campground and Overlook or from the trail.  The Lower Falls plunges 85 feet creating a fantastic scene.

Lower Falls.  Notice the hiking trail in the canyon.

The two falls and area are pristine.  These two falls are the last two major falls in Idaho that have not be disturbed for irrigation or hydroelectric projects.  The low number of visitors make this an ideal location for hikers/campers wanting some time away from the masses.  The air is clean, the sound of the falls is relaxing, the surroundings are beautiful, and the neighbors are far away!

Henrys Fork River rolling toward the Lower Falls

It may not be Yellowstone, but that is a good thing and it is a beautiful area.  If you are in that area of Idaho I highly recommend you stop by the Mesa Falls and stay a while.

Hiking Pikes Peak

There are two hiking trails, that I know about, to the summit of Pikes Peak; the Barr Trail and the Pikes Peak from the Crags Trailhead. The Barr Trail is 13 miles one way while the trail from the Crags is 12.5 round trip. I chose to hike Pikes Peak from the Crags which is on the west side of the peak while the Barr Trail is on the east side.

I left my sister’s house in Colorado Springs around 4:30 a.m. and drove US 24 west pass Pikes Peak to Woodland Park. I stopped and grabbed a couple of nutritional bars for breakfast. I continued west on US 24 to Divide and then turned on CO 67 towards Victor and Cripple Creek. 4.3 miles later I turned left on a gravel road that took me to the Crags Campground where the trailhead is located. On the way I passed Mueller State Park on the right and to the left was a ranch and a sign for the Rocky Mountain Camp and Crags Campground (3.5 miles). The trip was about 30 miles total from Colorado Springs.

The trailhead begins on the northeast corner of the parking lot and it was well marked. I made sure I had plenty of water, food, trekking poles, sunscreen, and other necessary items for a big day hike. I had read that the elevation gain would be 4100 feet. I did not measure it with my altimeter, but I bet that is accurate.

The sun was just starting to rise, but the mountain kept the west side dark and shaded for a long time. The trail ascended about .1 mile before it split to the left for the Crags Trail or to the right to Pikes Peak. Before the split on the left there are three pipes sticking out of the ground. 100 more feet and the trail divides. Turning right the trail descended and crossed a steam via a split log bridge and then turned left and ascended for over a mile with very little change of direction. As I was walking up that portion of the trail I saw a mule deer at a small stream, once he saw me he paused and then took off. I crossed the small stream several times. I suspect in the spring and early summer there is a good amount of snow melt making the stream bigger, in July there was very little water.

The trail suddenly turned left and then back right and the trail will cross an opening that looks like an old road. The timberline is visible to the north. The trail reentered the trees and began a series of switchbacks that ended above the timberline. Before reaching the timberline I saw a couple of Dusky Grouse (later I discovered that they are known to be in the Rockies, but are not commonly seen). The trail continued up the ridge to the east/southeast. This part of the trail is the second most difficult part with the final 500 feet being the most difficult. During the first part of the hike I could see the Crags for which the original trail was made. Once above the timberline I could see the entire Crags area and Mueller State Park. The vistas were awesome!

At the top of the ridge Pikes Peak is visible and still over 2 ½ miles away. The trail turned northeast and then east on a small road passing between a series of huge boulders. The trail turned north again, goes through the parking lot of Devil’s Playground (12,000 ft  - so named because of the way lightening jumps from rock to rock during thunderstorms), crosses Pikes Peak Road and turns southeast beside the road for about ¾ mile.

From a natural lookout area at about 13,000 feet I could see in all four directions. To the East I could see Colorado Springs and Lake Moraine. To the North I could see the Manitou reservoir, Woodland Park and Pikes National Forest. When looking west I could see Sentinel Point (12,527) and Mueller State Park. Looking South I could see Sheep Mountain (12,397 ft), Bighorn reservoir and Wilson reservoir.

The trail became very faint as it turned east through rocky tundra and to the north of Little Pike (13,363 ft). Little Pike is to the right of the trail, steep cliffs are seen off to the left and Pikes Peak is straight ahead. ¼ mile past Little Pike the trail becomes very steep as it becomes more like rock climbing. Big sharp rocks lead up to the summit and the visitor’s center parking lot, the end of the trail.  The views are amazing.

On my way back down to the car I passed a heard of Big Horn sheep.

With any hike in the mountains one should be prepared. In the Rockies there will be cool temperatures and windy conditions. Thunderstorms can arise at anytime. The trail I took is snow covered in late fall to early spring. Be prepared for changing weather conditions and enjoy a great trail to the peak that inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful” in 1893.