Tip of the Mitt

Not twenty-four hours after pulling in to Niles at the of April, it was time to hit the road again.  I had a wedding to attend in Northern Michigan.  My best friend from high school, Dan Hadley, was getting married in Petoskey, Michigan.  With nowhere to be the week following the wedding, I extended my stay in the region a few days.  Growing up I enjoyed a fair number of trips to the area, but this was my first visit to the area as an adult.  Hence, it was the first time I had the freedom to set the itinerary.

I stayed the first two nights at the Perry Hotel in downtown Petoskey.  A great, historic hotel that Dan and his bride, Rachael, picked for the reception on Saturday.  They had a wonderful ceremony at the local Presbyterian Church just a few blocks away.  In addition to enjoying the wedding festivities I found time to explore the town on foot and attend mass on Sunday morning.

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After checking out of the well appointed Perry Hotel, I based my explorations the next few days from more austere accommodations in Traverse City.   Being so close to Mackinaw, I didn't want to head south without first seeing the Mighty Mac and buying some fudge to take home.  I got a little exercise in with a modest hike through Wilderness State Park also at the tip of the Lower Penninisula.  Monday, I explored the Leelanau Peninsula and Sleeping Bear Dunes, ending the day with a short, post-sunset hike to Empire Bluffs, which offered a spectacular view of the towering dunes to the north.  Tuesday, I checked out Hartwick Pines State Park, site of one of Michigan's largest and oldest virgin pine forests, before driving back to Niles.

Statistics
Miles: 1,257.2 (1,233.6 driving, 23.6 hiking)
Days:5
States:1
Total Counties:41
New Counties: 14
Pictures Taken: 178
Pictures Archived: 70
Fuel: 37.762 gallons
MPG: 32.7
Cost: $572.20

Perry Hotel

Cieslak-Hadley Wedding

Canada Goose Pond
Wilderness State Park

Mackinaw Bridge

Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Empire Bluffs

Hartwick Pines

Effigy Mounds

After nearly three days on the road, I finally made it to the Mississippi; but before crossing it, I had a couple more things to see.  Across the river from Prairie du Chien, I paid a visit to Effigy Mounds National Monument.   After browsing the museum, I hiked a trail the led up a bluff overlooking the river valley.  Along the trail were a number of prehistoric native American mounds of various shapes & sizes (e.g. conical, linear).  The most interesting were a those that looked like bears.  I hiked a little further to see Twin Views Overlook, but found the best vista at Fire Point closer to the trailhead.

Cripple Creek

After spending the morning and early afternoon in the Garden of the Gods, I stopped in nearby Manitou Springs for a leisurely lunch and then drove west on US-24 to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.  I got there an hour before closing so I didn't have a much time, but am glad I stopped.  I watched a short video that explained why this particular area is so rich in ancient fossils.  Then, I walked the mile-long Petrified Forest Trail.  Along the route were a half-dozen enormous Redwood tree stumps fossilized from 35 million years ago.  Though stone, they looked like wooden stumps.

Leaving the monument at five o'clock, I drove twenty minutes south to Cripple Creek, site of Colorado's richest gold camp.  There is still an active gold mine southeast of town.  Like Central City, the town itself has hitched its star to limited-stakes gambling.  I was more interested in the gold mining history so set-off on the Gold Camp Trail, which winds up Poverty Gulch, site of the original gold discovery in the district and home to a number of the most profitable mines of the gold rush era.  The most interesting sites were concentrated in the first third of the trail.  Panels along the way described the significance of each site.  I might have skipped the last two-thirds of the trail had I known the historical interest tapered off.  At the top, they did have a small exhibit of old mining equipment.  I also got a great view of the western side of Pikes Peak from there.

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I finished the hike shortly after sunset.  There was another trail nearby that I wanted to check out and thought I had just enough twilight to tackle it.  It was short loop up Little Grouse Mountain right next to the modern mining operations.  Plenty hungry after finishing that loop, I drove back to Cripple Creek and found a great deal on a late dinner at one of the casino restaurants.  After eating, I easily resisted any urge to recycle my savings in the slot machines, left Cripple Creek, and started the long drive back to Denver.

Gold Camp Hike Statistics
Length: 3.8 miles
Ride Time: 1 hours 44 minutes
Trailhead Elevation: 9,500 feet
Maximum Elevation: 10,335 feet
Met Elevation Gain:  885 feet

Gold Camp Hike Elevation Profile

Manitou Springs

CBig Stump
Florissant Fossil National Monument

Poverty Gulch

Gold King Mine

Sunset over Cripple Creek

Bierstadt Lake

Yesterday, I went snowshowing for the first time.  It was easily the most taxing five miles I've ever traveled, but the spectacular scenery, amply rewarded my exertions.  I went on the invitation of my friend, Dan Hadley, who provided not only the expert guidance, but also a laundry basket load of extra gear, that I needed for this particular outing.

The adventure really began three days ago.  I had one assignment to prepare for the trip, rent snowshoes from a local sporting goods shop.  But on Friday, a huge snowstorm was busy dumping a couple feet of snow in Denver.  After excavating the car from the accumulation, I carefully drove to the store rented the equipment and carefully drove back.  The next day, I had to clear the more snow, including what plows repositioned, so I would be ready for an early start.

I arrived at Dan's place about eight o'clock yesterday morning where he outfitted me with the extra gear.  We departed for Rocky Mountain National Park together, through the scenic foothills and freshly snow-covered forests of the Rocky Mountains.  After a quick pit stop in Estes Park for some last minute beverages and snacks, we entered the Park proper and made our way to the Bear Creek Trailhead.

Although we arrived before ten, it took over a half-hour of prep work before I took my first step in a snowshoe.  I needed no special instructions.  It's as intuitive as walking, although I did recall the advice my guide gave on the glacier hike for walking in crampons: "keep your steps high, wide, and flat."   The biggest adjustment is the additional weight and friction encumbering each step.

Dan picked a good trail for my inaugural trek.  A steep climb, followed by a gentle descent to Bierstadt Lake, a small, frozen lake with grand views of  the mountains that make up the Continental Divide and a few glimpses of Long's Peak, the tallest mountain in the park, thrown in when the clouds dispersed.  The trail was packed pretty tight from previous snowshoers.  At our destination lake, Dan lead me off trail on to some fresh unpacked snow, which is magnitudes more difficult to walk on, or to be more precise, though.  Perhaps, I achieved as many as twenty successful steps before I stumbled and while falling down contorted myself into an odd position half buried in the snow.  Dan commented, "Now, you're in trouble."  Somehow, I managed to right myself and continue to the frozen lake surface, which provide much easier going.

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We rested on a perfectly situated log on the north edge of the lake for around thirty minutes, then crossed to frozen surface to its eastern outlet where we admired the expansive view the many peaks to the east. We returned using the same trail on which we came.  The gentle descent became a challenging ascent. I was most relieved when we reached the highest portion of the trail, which meant an easy descent to the trail.  We did add a loop around Bear Lake, the trailhead's namesake, before packing up and heading back to Boulder.  I had a tight deadline to return the snowshoes, but we managed a quick dinner in Boulder, before I went on my way.



Trip Statistics
Length: 5.2 miles
Total Time: 4 hours 18 minutes
Min. Elev.: 9,452 ft.
Max. Elev.: 9,869 ft.
Net Gain: 417 ft.
Total Ascent: 1,040 ft.


Elevation Profile

Front Range at Sunrise

Trail to Bierstadt Lake

Dan on Bierstadt Lake Pitchers Mound

Snow Covered Peaks beyond a Frozen Bierstadt Lake

Highest Section of Bierstadt Lake Trail

Bear Lake and Half Mountain

Emerald City

I'm on the move again. Yesterday, I flew from Denver to Seattle. Flying to Seattle in the dark there wasn't much to see until we reached the Cascades. The moon reflected the snow on the tops of the mountains a cool blue, but left the valleys deep black. A couple of strands of fog hovered  over and snaked through the range like ghostly ftentacles.  It was a scene enhanced by the fact that I knew it couldn't possibly be captured in a picture.

This morning, I poked around the oldest section of downtown, walking through the two historic train stations.  My first major site was a museum run by the National Park Service that is devoted to Seattle's role in the Klondike Gold Rush.  Then, I scouted out the tallest building in town which has an observation room on the 73rd floor. 

I walked over to Pike Place Market to find lunch.  The market is an expansive warren of stalls and stores that spreads out in three dimensions.  I ended up eating at a pizza shop a couple blocks away.  I had about an hour to kill so I hopped in the aquarium.  The highlight was probably the sea offers.  I don't know that I've ever seen any in person before.  They're a lot bigger than I expected.

Capulin Volcano Rim Hike

One of the highlights from my recent trip was a stop at Capulin Volcano National Monument. The small park centers on a cinder cone volcano, the easternmost such feature in the US. Once in the park, I drove the two-mile road to the top of the volcano and hiked trail that the loops around the rim of the volcano.

The winds that day were some of the strongest that I have ever experienced. My hat blew off shortly after starting the hike and knew it would be pointless, counterproductive if I wanted to keep it, to put it back on. Later in the hike when I lost my sunglasses to the same force, I drew the same conclusion.

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Rather than detract from the experience, the winds augmented the stark beauty of the landscape. They certainly didn't impede the spectacular views across the landscape. To the west, more volcanic features stretched out toward the snowcapped mountains resting on the horizon. To the east, one imposing mountain, Sierra Grande, marked the far edge of the volcanic field. Beyond it, dry grasslands dominated. The trail was only a mile. After finishing the counterclockwise hike, I reversed course and doubled back to enjoy the views in the opposite direction. In between, I hiked the short trail in to the interior of the crater, which offered a short respite from the winds.

Capulin Volcano

Volcanic Landscape from Capulin Rim

Capulin Rim Trail

Lonely Pinyon on Capulin Rim

Capulin Volcano Interior

Trip Statistics
Length: 2.3 miles
Time: 2 hours 33 minute
Elev. Change: 410 ft.
Max Elev.: 8,200 ft.

Elevation Profile

Capulin Volcano National Monument

I started today with a visit to Capulin Volcano National Monument in northeastern New Mexico.   The park's central feature is a 1,000 foot tall cinder cone volcano.    I drove the road that spirals  up to the top of the crater in order to to hike the one-mile trail that loops around the rim. 

The views were spectacular, but I had to battle a gusty wind in order to enjoy them.  One blahst was strong enough to knock my sunglasses off, fortunately not too far.   The wind was chilly, but I was bundled up enough to handle it that aspect of it.  After finishing the loop, I hiked down the short trail to the bottom of the crater.   Then before leaving the park, I walked a short, much calmer path called the Lava Flow trail at the base of the mountain.

Bristlecone Pines

By truncating my Wheeler Peak hike, I saved time to see a grove of Bristlecone Pines.  After retracing my steps down the mountain, I turned on to a new trail that led pass a couple of alpine lakes toward an short interpretive trail.

Bristlecone Pines are the oldest living things on the planet.  Some that I saw today were over 3,000 years old and they do show there age.  They grow in twisted & contorted patterns that are marvelous to look at.  I enjoyed it so much I hiked the loop trail in both directions to get more than one perspective. For the most part it was quiet, but occasionally a wind would howl through the trees to remind me that I had a two-mile hike back to the car.

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain in Great Basin National Park, and the second tallest in Nevada.  I hoped to finish on a bang by hiking to the top.   I did fairly well under the circumstances, but stopped a mile short and 1,000 feet under the summit.  There was a a lot of snow and a blustery wind to make the going unpleasant.  I'm glad I attempted it, got as far as I did and decided to turnaround where I did.

Lehman Cave

Today, I visited Nevada's only national park, Great Basin.  A relatively new park--it will celebrate its 25th birthday in 10 days--one of the main attractions is a cave filled with elaborate formations. They actually have 40+ caves in the park, but only one, Lehman, has so many formations. 

Before the park service took over during the 1930s, it was a privately run show cave.  Now, it is only accessible on a ranger-led tour. The tour lasted about 90 minutes.  The ranger in charge did a very good job.  He encouraged interaction and got it.  I've only been to a couple caves in my life.  This one was by far the most ornate.

The Grand Canyon

Our first stop in Grand Canyon National Park was Desert View Watchtower at the eastern end of the park.   It was a great place to get our first glimpse of the natural wonder.   Located where the Colorado bends west, it allows you to see far in both the upstream & downstream directions.

We continues following the south rim downstream (west) stopping at some but not all the many viewpoints.  We wanted to get to one lesser known spot in particular that required a mile hike.  Once we reached the rim, it felt like we had the whole canyon to ourselves.   We were both struck by the extreme silence of the place.

For sunset, we rejoined the crowds;  this time at Mather Point near the main visitor center.  After the last splash of sun left the farthest reach of the canyon, we walked a mile or two along the rim in the fading light to an excellent evening program whose topic was the introduction of condors to the canyon area.

Mossy Cave

Our next stop was a short trail to a waterfall & small cave.  Mom got ambitious and hiked a social trail up the ridge further than I cared to go.  The trail is actually in the national park, but is accessed from highway 12.  It follows a man made stream built in the part 1800s to carry water to the nearby town of Tropic.  It was a nice feature to follow a day after all that hiking in the arid main part of Bryce.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Yesterday, we woke up early to see the sunrise from Bryce Point in Bryce Canyon National Park.  Low clouds prevented us from receiving the full effect of the early morning light on Bruce's unique, colorful hoodoos, but we struck around and enjoyed the scene when the sun did emerge. 

After breakfast, we split up for the really for first time on the trip.  I hiked a series of trails that added up to about 14 miles.  Mom did a few shorter loops & listened in on a couple ranger programs. 

We rendezvoused about 5:00 PM & drove to Rainbow Point at the southern end of the park's scenic drive.  There, we walked the Bristlecone Pine Loop through a pine forest to a great viewpoint looking.  We stopped at a few more viewpoints driving back to the visitor center where we watched a short film about the park & bought souvenirs.

We left the park after sunset, having literally spent the whole day there.  On the way back to the hotel, we detoured to try a restaurant recommended by the owner of th hotel, Hatch's Station.

Snake River Float Trip

Mom suggested, we use part of our time in the Tetons to join a float trip down the Snake River.  We called a couple places in the morning and were able to secure a reservation for the same day.  In total the trip allowed about two hours on the water.  The company shuttled us 10 miles upriver & we floated back down in a rubber raft with 13 other people (including the guide).

The trip was great fun.  It was a great activity for this time of year.  The riverbanks were lined with golden-leaved cottonwoods.  We saw 4 bald eagles including 1 pair.  Mom made a new friend, a fellow educator, who once taught in Alaska.  Oh and off & on there were these magnificent mountains visible to the west.

String Lake

To be clear, we didn't take any long hikes in Yellowstone, not because mom was not capable, but because there were many other things to do & see.  A decent hike however is a quintessential part of a trip to Grand Teton.  We found a good challenge in a loop that used a couple different trails to circle String Lake, one of the glacial lakes at the base of Mount St. John, in about 4 miles.  A more critical stat is that we climbed a total of 550 feet along the way.