Sugarbowl

The Sugarbowl wildflower has many names including Hairy Clematis, Sugar Bowls, Douglas' Clematis, and the Leather Flower.

The Sugarbowl Clematis hirsutissima var. hirsutissima wildflower grows in Ponderosa forests and open grasslands. I photographed this specimen on the Evergreen Mountain Trail. Having never seen this flower before, I am seeing it in many places this year.

Spruce Mountain Loop

Distance: 5 miles round trip
Elevation: 7, 127 ft - 7,658 ft
Elevation Gain: 816 ft (cumulative)
Date Hiked: 19 June, 2011
Dogs: On leash only
Bathroom at the trailhead: port-o-let only

A view from one of the many overlooks on the Spruce Mountain Trail in Douglas County

The Spruce Mountain Loop in the Spruce Mountain Open Space in Douglas County traverses a large sandstone mesa within spitting distance of I-25 but it feels worlds away. South of Castle Rock and west of Larkspur, this was a total find for someone who lives north of Denver. I loved this trail and can't wait to take others on it. This would also be a great trail run for those who also enjoy such things.

The parking lot

Example of the trail signage. This is the junction with the Spruce Meadow Trail where I took a left.

The vegetation on the mesa is a unique combination of Scrub Oak, Douglas Fir, and Ponderosa Pine. Once on the mesa, the route navigates the edges with many overlooks on sandstone promontories overlooking pastoral ranch land. For those who love alfresco dinning this Open Space has more places to choose from than you will ever need.

The Oak Shortcut Trail

A screen shot of the trail system from the Douglas County web site.

I had a hard time finding the trailhead for this open space because a prominent guide book mentioned that it was 1.25 miles out of Larkspur on Spruce Mountain Road. It is actually 3.5 miles beyond the railroad bridge at the edge of the city limits. I kept turning around thinking I had missed it. The moral of the story is keep driving. The trailhead is very obvious with a large metal sign.

A view to the east. That open grassland is perfect for horse back riding.

20 yards beyond the western exit from the parking lot is a sign pointing out trail options. While the Spruce Mountain Loop technically starts straight ahead, I chose instead to take an immediate left, which is on the Spruce Meadow Trail, and head up the hill that everyone seemed to be coming down. It is a short 0.1 miles to a well marked trail called the Oak Shortcut. This trail quickly ascends another 0.1 miles through a gauntlet of Scrub Oaks to a junction. Take a left here and you are on the stem of the lollypop loop that traverses the mesa.

A typical trail segment through the early switchbacks

Picnickers on one of the many spots on Greenland Overlook

The next 0.7 miles is a series of switchbacks that wind gracefully up to the top of the mesa through a pleasant Douglas Fir forest. This trail is popular with equestarians who add on this loop the much larger Spruce Meadow Loop (which lazily wanders through the open grassland below), as well as mountain bikers. Everyone was amazingly polite and shared the trail in a most pleasing manner.

Looking south at the rest of the mesa from the Greenland Overlook

Upon reaching the top of the mesa at 0.88 miles, the main trail heads straight while a series of social trails head onto the first set of overlooks, the Greenland Overlook. I did this hike on Father's Day and every nook and cranny, and there were plenty, of this pleasing area was filled with picnickers.

Paddock's Point

The view of Eagle Mountain from Paddock's Point

From this point on the trail stays on top of the mesa. The trail itself is broad and soft on the paws, again a great place to run. At 1.19 miles was Paddock's Point, a lovely overlook gazing down on more ranch land and Eagle Mountain, a sandstone formation to the west.

A typical trail segment on the mesa. There is a family standing on the rock outcropping in the distance.

A view of ranch land from the rock outcropping in the picture above

1.33 miles is the start of the loop portion of the hike. I chose to take this clockwise. Much of the mesa is the same, open Ponderosa and Douglas Fir and occasional piles of rocks to climb on and admire the surrounding scenery. At 2.26 miles is a nice picnic area with tables and at 2.66 miles is Windy Point at the apex of the loop. Ironically, this area was quite windy, and since the weather had been threatening to rain all day, I finally had to don my rain coat to block the wind. 3.11 miles is the junction with a service road, that could form part of a an Eagle Pass Loop (see map). At 3.83 miles I was back to the stem of the lollypop and 5.2 miles back to the trailhead.

Another view of the sandstone cliffs. This trail reminds me a lot of Castlewood Canyon State Park.

I am a typical selfish Coloradan, I like to be up high with views all around. The Spruce Mountain Loop did not disappoint. Wandering from outcropping to outcropping and their associated views was most pleasant. In the spring or fall when the surrounding ranch land is bathed in the colors of the seasons, seems the best time to visit. I suspect that on a sunny day in the middle of summer, the mesa could get quite toasty.

A typical trail segment on the western side of the loop

Red Fox at Silver Queen West

A new resident to my condo complex, a young Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

We have a Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) living at my condo complex in the mountains and I finally got to see it having gotten up at 5:30 am to walk the dogs, dang them. This specimen looks much younger and much more scrawny than the Red Fox I photographed back in 2009 in Boulder, CO. That post continues to be one of the most popular posts on this blog.

At 6:00 am this Fox was ready for bed, she finally curled up and started yawning.

The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). It is the most common as well as the largest species of fox and is usually a rusty red with black ear tips and legs. There are actually four species of fox in Colorado, however. Gray Foxes have reddish ears and feet and prefer the Mountains. The Swift and Kit Fox are much smaller and have a coloring similar to the Coyote. They are rare and live out on the eastern Plains.

I kept shamelessly stalking this poor mother who would dart around pine trees to avoid me. The Foxes in Boulder are far more used to people and will even sleep on the hood of peoples cars.

Our condo manager has told me someone saw this fox pluck a Raven out of the air and corner a rather large (e.g. 40 pd) Raccoon in a small stand of Aspens. As scrawny as this one is, she must be giving all that food to her kits.

Grays and Torreys Peaks

Distance: 8.25 miles round trip
Elevation: 14,270 ft (Grays) & 14,267 ft (Torreys)
Elevation Gain: 3,200 ft
Date Hiked: 23 August, 2006 (some photos from 2010)
Dogs: Off Leash

View from the summit of Grays Peak (2010)

I lost my 14er virginity on Grays Peak and even dropped trough on the summit in celebration, but I get ahead of myself. Grays has been the site of many deflowerings because it is an easy Class I (walk up) ascent and is close to Denver. If you tend towards exhibitionism or don't mind sharing your panting climaxes with 200 or so of your fellow adventurers then by all means join the herd and head to Grays and its sister Torreys for your first ascent.

A photo of the route up Grays and Torreys from the 14ers.com website.

I was fortunate in that I took a day off of work back in August of 2006 and so I only had to smoke the proverbial cigarette with 7 other people. I learned a thing or two about mountaineering that day and fell in love with 360° views.

The stream near the trailhead (2006)

The trailhead to Grays and Torreys Peaks is up Steven Gulch Rd off I-70 near Bakersville. Bring a 4WD because the road is filled with SUV consuming potholes. The parking lot is also small, so join the rest of the smart ones and get there before 7am, which brings me to my first mountaineering lesson: Start early. In Colorado, most summer days are filled with afternoon thunderstorms. You really need to consider being off the mountain before 1 PM. If the weather gods are kind, you'll have clear skies and can linger on the summit but don't plan on it. Start out too late, and you will be dodging lighting bolts as you tumble head over heels down the mountain.

The sparse landscape and high valley walls (2010)

The route up these two mountains starts off crossing a small creek and then heads up a broad valley bordered on each side by long ridges. There is not much to see here but some low willows and piles of talus. The route continues this way for quite a while before it finally starts to climb upwards over and around series of large shoulders. It is here that Torreys comes into view since it lies directly at the end of the valley.

The terrain from the end of the valley (2006)

It wasn't until I was past these bumps and entered the many switchbacks that head up the face of Grays did I really consider myself on the mountain. From this point on it is back and forth, back and forth, inching ever higher. Grays is a gray, dreary, monotonous experience. The only view is back down the valley. It is however, an accessible experience for those who want a taste of altitude.

Torreys comes into view at the end of the valley. The route is going to ascend the large pile to the left (2006).

The summit came surprisingly fast and I was suddenly surrounded by views for what seemed to me at the time to be little effort. I immediately had to put on the several layers I fortunately packed in my bag. This was lesson number two: It really is cold Virginia, up there on the craggy bits. Plan for it by bringing layers.

On the slope of Grays, looking back down the valley (2010)

We ate lunch on the summit and then I waited in line for a clear spot for a bio break. My companions were all the way back down to the saddle (at 13,707 ft) between Grays and Torreys by the time the honeymooners near me were done taking pictures and moved off so I could have 30 seconds of privacy. When I was done, I raced down and started up Torreys way too fast as I tried to catch up with my friends. Half way up Torreys, the altitude hit me like a ton of bricks. My vision became blurred and my breathing erratic. Here was lesson three: Don't eat if there is more elevation gain in the schedule. All that blood and oxygen needed to keep your brain functioning goes right to your stomach and is not available for other things like foot placement and lung function. Note honeymooners, the same thing happens during other activities.

Looking over to Torreys. Note we are not alone on the mountain (2010)

The trail up Torreys is a vertical calf-burner with limited switchbacks. It is only 560 feet of elevation gain to the summit, but is slightly more difficult because of the terrain, and the fact you cover this in only 0.5 miles. Anytime you can bag more than one peak in a day, is a good day in the mountains, however, and we were lucky that the weather held and we did not have to head down.

Another view near the summit (2010)

The route down from Torreys is straight forward. Once back down to the saddle there is a spur trail that connects with the trail coming up Grays so it is a simple route. I experienced my fourth lesson at this point of the trail: Going down is not nearly as much fun as going up. Not only is it harder on the legs, but the thrill is gone and there is nothing but the parking lot as motivation. Mountain climbing is the only sport that celebrates at the half way mark. In the case of more dangerous routes, this trend is amusing because getting down is often more life threatening than getting up. I am not in that league, however, so it is more ennui that is the biggest threat to my existence.

My friends on the saddle between Grays and Torreys (Lynn Johnson, 2006)

The slog back down the valley was particularly tedious and I was low on water. Here was my final lesson of the day: On bare mountain slopes there is no water and you have to carry everything you need, which is no fun because water is very heavy.

There is one denizen of the mountain who lives there year round (2006)

As a parting shot (pun intended), I would like to give a note of thanks to the photographers I have so shamelessly stolen from to make this post possible. I climbed these peaks two years before I started this blog and did not bring a camera with me. None of my friends on my ascent took a full trail profile, so I have not been able to blog this popular trail. Recently, however another friend, Sarah Meyer, reached the summit of Grays and took a bunch of pictures that have finally enabled me to share my impressions with my fellow hikers. Her pictures are labeled 2010. The others are given credit if I know who took them, otherwise they are just labeled 2006.

Golden Banner

Golden Banner (Thermopsis montana) is an early string flower that grows in open woodlands, meadows, as well as around Aspen trunks. A member of the pea family, it is often confused with Lupine, which is purple. Golden Banner has been quite prolific this year. This specimen was found on the Evergreen Mountain Trail.