Mountain Spider

The Mountain Spider (Aculepeira carbonarioides) finishes its lunch.

On a recent trip to Mayflower Gulch, we decided to bushwhack up a talus slope at the end of the Gulch to some old mining ruins. Suddenly, we noticed large webs hanging between the boulders. These webs were everywhere and what is more sinister, large anchor lines, the size of climbers ropes could be seen well up the slope, glistening in the sun. Then we noticed the spiders themselves, perched jauntily at the center of their webs. The sheer volume of them made us wonder if it was wise to continue on to the large cave-like ruin ahead. Did anyone see large antennae protruding from cave? Where all these spiders merely the offspring of some human-snatching arachnid? As we worked ourselves up into a frenzy of speculation several of us heard a distinct and ominous growl coming from a particular part of the slope (most likely a Yellow-bellied Marmot). We almost bolted back down the hill in childish glee.

These spiders are reported to hang out in the middle of their webs during the sunniest part of the day. All the ones we saw certainly were.

In reality, these orb-weaving spiders are actually quite common throughout North America and inhabit talus and boulder fields where their large webs can clearly be seen. This is my first experience with them however.

Chicago Lakes

Distance: 8.5 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,620 ft - 11,550 ft (lower lake)
Elevation Gain: 930 ft (net), 1,957 ft (cumulative)
Date Hiked: 10 July, 2011
Dogs: On leash, Mt. Evans Wilderness
Bathroom at trailhead: yes

Gazing down on glacier carved lower Chicago Lake

I have fallen in love with Chicago Lakes in the Mt. Evans Wilderness near Idaho Springs. The destination is stunning in that glacial-carved, majestic sort of way, and the route travels through a mixed Fir/Spruce forest, my favorite biome. Add the 14,000 foot Mt. Evans as a backdrop and you have the perfect alpine tableau.

Starting out on the Echo Lake Trail

The official trailhead on the far side of Echo Lake

The trailhead for this hike starts at Echo Lake, a small lake and picnic ground that is popular in summer for family gatherings. We parted on the northern end of the area but did not start marking the distance until we were standing on the Echo Lake Trail itself. From there is it is a short 0.22 miles around the lake to the official trailhead.

View of the Continental Divide from the trail down to the Chicago Creek Basin

The trail down to the basin

From this point it is another two tenths of a mile (at 0.4 miles) to the descent into the Chicago Creek basin. I loved this part of the trail. It is rugged, rocky, and faced on the left by towering gray granite walls. I did this hike on a cool, cloudy day and the towering trees were damp and primeval.

Crossing Chicago Creek

The road to the Idaho Springs Reservoir

After a descent of approximately 286 ft, the basin is reach (at 1.2 miles). The elevation here is 10,334 ft. At 1.3 miles is a sturdy bridge crossing Chicago Creek followed by a dirt road leading to the Idaho Springs Reservoir. The route stays on this road for 1 mile until it reaches the reservoir itself at 2 miles. It is then a short quarter of a mile to the wilderness boundary and kiosk and another 2 miles to the lower lake.

The reservoir and its spillway

One of the two cabins at the upper end of the reservoir

Once inside the wilderness boundary, the route undulates upwards on a rocky trail with views of the sheer cliffs to the east, which is a ridge line between two 13ers, Mt. Warren and Mt. Rogers. This part of the route also contains many skeletal and downed trees, the remains of a late 70's forest fire. The fallen logs and piles of rocks cover the ground creating a thousand nooks and crannies for wildflowers to occupy, and there were tons, adding a vivid splash of color to the otherwise gray terrain.

Signage at the boundary to the Mt. Evans wilderness area

Trail segment through an open meadow

The lower lake sits in a pristine glacial cirque surrounded by Willows. This would be a lovely fall destination. We found it more appealing to sit high up on an open hillside to the right and look down on lake. This hillside was crammed with Indian Paintbrush, Purple Fringe, and the occasional Alpine Sunflower. I called this spot "the log with a view". It was 4.4 miles in from the trailhead.

A rockier trail segment

Looking up at the east wall to the valley

The remains of the 1978 Idaho Springs fire, which burned 400 acres

Sitting there surrounded by beauty my hiking companion and I quietly turned contemplative. She asked why I was I ever drawn to abuse my body in order to seek out alpine settings. She wondered if such places made me feel less significant. I gazed at the gray cliffs for a while and realized it was in fact the opposite. For the brief moment that I sat there, I became part of the scenery. I was expanded exponentially. I became as solid as the rocks, as serene as the lake, as enduring as the processes that produce such places. Sitting by Chicago Lakes makes one feel part of something much larger than insignificant human existence. I became the living embodiment of the cliche, totally connected to the Earth and all such places wherever they exist. Either that or I was smoking mushrooms at high altitude. Both probably produce similar insights.

The final approach to the lower lake

A view of the lake and the end of the valley beyond

Another eight tenths of a mile will bring you to the upper lake. On this trip I did not make that journey. Folks coming down said it was a swampy, muddy mess. 2011 has been a record year for snow and many places are still melting.

The open hillside were we stopped to eat

Flowers in the meadow

Mystical experiences aside, Chicago Lakes is a lovely destination that takes the hiker into the very arms of the Mt. Evans Wilderness. When you are done, drive up to Summit Lake. From there you can look down on Chicago Lakes and feel proud about your accomplishment.

Closeup of some Indian Paintbrush

Purple fringe and company. The wildflowers this year have been stunning

Colorado Columbine

The Colorado Columbine (Aquilegia ceorulea) grows in meadows, woodlands, rocks, scree from June to August. It is also Colorado's state flower.

The summer of 2011 has been a banner year for Columbine in Summit County. A clear cut field near my condo has had Columbine so thick you need a machete to get through them all.

Kettle Ponds: aka Gore Range Trail from North Rock Creek to Unamed Lake

Distance: 6.6 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,500 ft - 10,161 ft
Elevation Gain: 661 ft (net) 1,350 ft (cumulative)
Date Hiked: 2 July 2011
Dogs: On Leash (Eagle's Nest Wilderness)
Critters: Mosquitoes

Unnamed Lake along the Gore Range Trail

The Gore Range Trail runs parallel to the Gore Range Mountains for many more miles than a day hiker could do. I have traveled it in chunks to reach specific destinations like South Willow Falls. I did the same on this hike to reach an unnamed lake located just south of South Rock Creek. Several guide books call this hike the "Kettle Ponds". I think it is more than that.

The large parking lot. Note most of the vehicles are high clearance.

The route to this lake begins at the second and most westerly Rock Creek Trailhead located on Rock Creek Road. You get there by taking Hwy 9 out of Silverthorne for approximately 7.7 miles and turning left onto Rock Creek Road/Co Rd 1350 directly across from the Blue River Campground. After 1.2 miles of a dirt and washboard road, that is passable with a low clearance vehicle, Co 1350 goes straight and Rock Creek Road turns left. There is a small brown sign bolted to a tree at this intersection. Immediately after the turn is a large square parking lot. This is the first Rock Creek Trailhead, which is only used in winter. When I did this hike in July 2011, the Forest Service had clear cut many of the trees around this parking lot so it looks very different from times past.

The North Rock Creek Trailhead Sign

Past the winter trailhead the road becomes significantly more rough. I was driving a high-clearance 4wd truck and at one point I had to gun it over some nasty dips. There are numerous campsites along the way that are so large that they look like trailheads. Don't be fooled. There is a Forest Service sign indicating the trailhead, which is around 1.7 miles from the lower trailhead, and there were tons of other trucks and 4wd vehicles in the large U-shaped lot. There were a few low clearance cars in the lot, but I would not have wanted to drive my sedan up that road.

Heading up the North Rock Creek Trail, an old mining road

The route to the unnamed lake heads up the North Rock Creek Trail (an old mining road) for 0.44 miles before it intersects with the Gore Range Trail. There is a large wooden sign in the middle of the trail so this junction is impossible to miss.

I turned left here and the trail headed immediately down hill. A very bad sign because this elevation would have to be regained at the end of the hike. At the bottom of the hill is North Rock Creek itself. It was flowing heavily with the unprecedented 2011 run off. There is a sturdy log bridge (at 0.67 miles) with which to cross it, however, which was good because anything else would have been washed away. From the other side of the bride is a nice view of the North Rock Creek drainage and the still snow covered peaks beyond.

Starting down the Gore Range Trail. It is more narrow and definitely has a "wilderness" feel to it.

After the creek the trail climbs sharply up another hill. What is opaque to the hiker is that these "rolling hills" that that extend like fingers out from to the Gore Range are actually lateral moraines, deposited by glaciers that covered the landscape between 150,000 and 12,000 years ago. As the glaciers advanced from west to east, they bulldozed the ground beneath them and swept the sediment to the sides. When the glaciers retreated, this sediment remained forming the moraines.

The log bridge over North Rock Creek

Sometimes, large bits of ice were broken off from the main glacier and deposited on the sides along with the sediment. When these bits melted, they formed small depressions in the ground, which geologists call kettle ponds. While the original ice melt has long ago disappeared, the depressions have remained filling again each year with new snow melt. There are s slew of these kettle ponds on this hike.

The view up the North Rock Creek drainage

It might be worth spending a second describing the difference between a tarn and a kettle pond. Both are formed by glaciers. The kettle pond as I mentioned above is formed by melting ice dumped onto a lateral moraine. A tarn is formed in the cirque or amphitheater-like valley carved by a glacier at the base of a mountain. As the glacier melts, the water is retained by a terminal moraine (where the bulldozer stopped), which acts like a dam, keeping the water in. Many of the "lakes" in Colorado are in fact tarns.

The route to the top of the next hill/moraine is a series of switchbacks on a narrow dirt trail. It can be very rocky in places. At 1.4 miles the trail begins to level off. Elevation gain at this point is around 520 ft.

A typical trail segment as the trail heads up the first lateral moraine

While many of the Lodgepole pines in this area are dead, there is spattering of Fir trees, and the verdant spring undergrowth and yellow Heartleaf Arnica made the area seem much less funereal. Another time of year and the dead trees might be psychologically overwhelming.

One of the many kettle ponds onto of the first lateral moraine. Can you say Mosquito factory?

The top of the moraine also contains large boulders, seemingly tossed about willy-nilly. This is another clear sign of glaciation. What else could move such boulders around in such a God-like manner? The first kettle ponds on this moraine comes into view at 1.67 miles.

The bridge over South Rock Creek

At 1.8 miles the route heads down the other side of the moraine, heading towards South Rock Creek. At 2.5 miles, you can hear its roar in the valley below, while at 2.98 miles is the strong "looks-like-it-could-support-a-tank" wooden bridge that actually crosses South Rock Creek. This "creek" was a raging river when I did this trip and I stood on the bridge for quite a while watching the water surge and tumble over the debris that was already piling up.

South Rock Creek

On the other side of the South Rock Creek, the trail climbs up another hill/moraine. The short route to the top is much more rocky than the rest of the trail. At 3.26 miles it crosses an irrigation ditch, which seems very out of place. A short 0.1 miles beyond this is the unnamed lake that was the desitnation for this hike.

The rocky trail heading up the second lateral moraine

Why this lake is unnamed I don't know. It is undoubtedly just another kettle pond, but a much larger one. Perhaps it only exists in particularly wet years. It is unfortunate, because the views of Red Peak and Thorn behind the lake are quite majestic. That alone should warrant a name.

The irrigation ditch

The Gore Range has a reputation for being Mosquito ridden and I certainly found this out on this hike. With no bug spray in my pack, I came home with a large collection of bites forming elaborate constellations on my legs and arms. Seeing the kettle ponds, the mystery of where the little vampires were coming from is solved. The entire Gore Range is dotted with these tiny stagnant pools. The perfect breeding ground for these pests.

Another view of the unnamed lake. It is surrounded by dead trees, lush reeds, and partially covered in lily pads.

While the unnamed lake at the end of this hike was pleasant (dead trees and all), this is not a hike that would want to repeat again and again. It is mostly in the trees, which anyone familiar with this blog will know is not my favorite environment. It was however, perfect for a July weekend when the high country was still buried under deep snow. I also did not see a single person once I turned onto the Gore Range Trail, so for those who prefer solitude, this may just be the ticket.

Wild Iris

The Wild Iris (Iris missouriensis) is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in spring. It grows on its own stalk, often isolated in a meadow or with a few companions. It likes a moist, foothills, environment but may hang around long after its little micro-swamp has dried up.

Ridge Trail (Dillion Pennisula/Nature Preserve)

Distance: 3 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,100 ft - 9,300 ft
Elevation Gain: 200 ft (net), 350 ft (estimated) (cumulative)
Date Hiked: 22 June, 2011
Dogs: Unofficially off leash
Bathroom at trailhead: No

The view of Buffalo Mountain from the Ridge Trail in the Dillion Penisula/Nature Preserve

The Dillion Nature Preserve/Peninsula is a rarely visited (by non-locals) spot for running, dog walking, and mid-day hiking. It is a pleasing area with several pleasant overlooks with views of the Tenmile and Gore Ranges.

The parking lot

Looking at the social trail that bypasses the road. It cuts across the bike path and then heads sharply uphill.

The route I am going to discribe here you won't find in a guide book, because it takes advantage of a social trail to bypass having to walk along the bike path and road and instead sticks to a more naturalistic setting.

Still on the social trail as it cuts through the fence and is about to head down into the gulch.

The trailhead for this hike begins in a large parking lot across from Cemetery Road on Highway 6 going from Dillion to Keystone. The normal route for this hike is to head down the bike path for 0.4 miles until it intersects with a dirt road and then take this another 0.4 miles to the entrance of the Dillion Nature Preserve. Instead of this route, I followed the rather obvious trail that goes from the parking lot straight up the hillside to the west. This is a total calf burner, but well worth the effort since it allows the hiker to avoid the road.

Half way down the gulch, look at the lake

The intersection of the Ridge Trail. The signage in the preserve is well marked.

The calf burner social trail dumps into a small Sagebrush meadow with houses on the far side. Cross this meadow on the trail until it comes to a T. Take the right fork and you soon pass through an open fence and down into a wide gulch that looks down onto the lake. Take this trail until it starts to descend the gulch. It will be transparent, but a short way down this social trail merges into the Meadow Trail of the Nature Preserve. At 0.52 miles is the large brown sign for the Ridge and Meadow Trails. The Meadow Trail is back the way you came, while the Ridge Trail is to the left. Turn here and head up the left side to the top of the ridge that borders the gulch.

A typical early trail segment. Dirt trail with Lodgepole pines.

The Ridge Trail winds through a Lodgepole forest, many of which were still alive at the time of this writing. At 0.78 miles is another junction with the Meadow Trail, which loops off to the left. Continue on the Ridge Trail. At 0.90 miles is the turn off to the first overlook.

The view of the Tenmile Range from the first overlook

The view sitting on one of the benches at the first overlook and looking southwest

This overlook has several benches that look down into finger of Lake Dillion with views of Peak One. It was easy to linger here and enjoy the early spring sunshine and the smell of pine needles baking in the heat.

Crossing the top of the ridge towards the west

At 1.27 miles the trail starts to head down the other side of the ridge. At 1.38 miles is another nice view of the lake just as the trail turns sharply to the right. At 1.52 miles is a turn off to another overlook. This one heads up some rock steps to a promontory with more views of Peak One and Buffalo Mountain.

Buffalo Mountain can be seen because of the downed Lodgepoles

At 1.91 miles the Ridge Trail finally dumps out onto the dirt road that to the left will take you to the pumping station for the Harold Roberts Tunnel and to the right will take you back to the parking lot. The Harold Roberts Tunnel is a 23.3 mile long water diversion tunnel that cuts through the continental divide and transports water from Lake Dillon to Grant, CO where it is further transported into the South Platte River and onto thirsty Denver.

The view from the overlook where the trail turns sharply to the right

Looking up the road towards the distant parking lot, out of view around the far bend

I took the right here and after traveling 0.34 miles down the dirt road, came to the sign for the Dillion Nature Preserve. I was debating whether to take the road back to the car or go back up the gulch and back down the social trail. That choice won out since it was more scenic. This turned out to be a good choice. Mountain Bluebirds and their birdhouse homes dot the lower gulch and flowers mixed with the Sagebrush to make a pleasant stroll back up to the top. It was a quick "slide" back down the social trail to the parking lot.

The entrance to the preserve

Heading back up the gulch

For those who live in the area, the Ridge Trail on the Dillion Pennisula along with the Tenderfoot Trail, and the Old Dillon Reservoir make for a relaxing after work hike with the dogs. Check it out if you have not already done so.