This Colorado trip was the first part of a three week vacation that I took after quitting my job at the ASARCO Coy Mine to join the full time MBA program at the University of Tennessee. After Colorado. I spent the middle section mountain biking in the Black Hills, then Jean joined me for some hiking there. We then headed to Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains for a five day backpacking trip, before driving home via the Iowa Highpoint and a stop in Ames to visit family. The Bighorns trip is written up in its own trip report (Bighorns).
7-15-99,
Nashville
Colorado would be a long solo driving trip, so I planned to break things up a bit. I drove our Corolla, stuffed with my mountain bike, my backpacking gear, and assorted items. On the first day I went west to Nashville, and stayed with the Koonces, where Buddy and I took a three mile run.
7-16-99,
Wild Cave Tour, Mammoth Cave National Park, 5.5 miles
Jean
and I had made our first trip to Mammoth Cave the previous year. While Jean
isn’t interested in caves, I am very much interested. I’d signed up for the
park’s wild cave tour, hoping for a taste of what exploring a cave would be all
about.
Wild
Cave is a long, difficult tour advertised as 6 hours and 5.5 miles. The tour
started at the Carmichael Entrance and used Cleveland Avenue to reach the
Snowball Room for lunch. Afterwards we passed through lots of named areas to
reach the paved tour route at Frozen Niagara. For more on this tour
Though I was used to being underground and climbing through rough terrain, the trip wore me out. I still had to drive another five hours, with a dinner stop, to spend the night at Mt Vernon, Ill.
7-17-99
I drove all day, making over 750 miles to spend the night in Goodland, KS. The break from hiking did me some good, I was less tired than from the caving, perhaps buoyed somewhat as the landscape after Topeka began to look more western.
7-18-99,
Pikes Peak, Barr Camp, 7 miles
I
started the day with the drive to Colorado Springs, then with a stop at an
Army/Navy store in Manitou for supplies, and a copy of the Trails Illustrated
map. I got a front row parking spot at the Barr Trailhead and decided to head
up for a climb of Pikes Peak, the mountain I’d been staring at ahead on the
highway for a full day. I went down to the cog railway station, found a phone,
and told Jean my plans.
Leaving
about 12:45, I arrived at 3:05 at Barr Camp. Barr Camp then was a non-profit which had a main cabin, a
smaller upper cabin, and three lean-tos. I took one of the tent sites. The
first three miles of the trail were steep, with continuous switchbacks. The
trail was crowded, especially in the first half mile, even with a light rain
falling the entire way. The rain was too light to climb in my rain jacket
without sweating, but I did wait 30 minutes at the camp before finding a tent
site. I found the camp a bit of a letdown, it was small dark, and gloomy,
though some of that might have been due to the weather. There were a few good
tent sites. Mine was adequate, just a short ways up the trail from the camp.
The menu at the camp seemed basic, mac and cheese, spaghetti, and cream of
wheat. I could not tell if they had any guests for the night.
I
had felt good during the climb, but was a little woozy afterward, and took an ibuprofen
after dinner. It was really good to be out west. Thank heavens for cool dry
air.
Pikes from the east looks huge. You can’t see the foothills that make up the first 3-4 miles of the climb, the mountain appears to rise straight up. The trail was in great shape, well worn granite to make an easy surface, and lots of views in the first half. I slept for ten hours, waking only twice, both times to heavy rain.
7-19-99,
Pikes Peak, 14,110’, 19 miles
The
day’s climb up Pikes Peak went super well. I was on the trail by 6:30, at
Timberline Camp at 7:45, and at the summit by 9:30. Despite the altitude, I’d
felt strong the entire way. The trail was in great shape, with lots of
switchbacks. There was even a section along the lip of the south cirque for an
extra view. The trail got a lot nicer once it breaks tree line, with almost all
of the route laid out ahead. It seemed far too long since I’d been above tree
line. Once out of the trees I could mark my progress better. There were lots of
other hikers, I got on top just ahead of a woman trail runner who had left the
trailhead at 5:30.
Pikes
is known for its paved 19 mile road to the summit, the summit visitors center, and
the cog railway coming up from Manitou. All this combines for a crowded summit
catering more to tourists than to climbers. The summit though was a bit
disappointing. In the fog I couldn’t find a cairn or USGS marker amid all the
development, I guess there’s really no need for one in such a developed area. I
spent about 45 minutes on top, mostly trying to stay warm in the summit gift
shop/restaurant, though as a hiker I felt out of place. The summit was fogged
in.
I
took my time on the descent, which was 3:30 with several photo stops. I checked
out the A-frame, which was small, clean, and nicer compared to Barr Camp. Back
at camp, I slept for 20 minutes out in the sun, then decided to hike back down
to the trailhead. With the full pack, this was also a slow three hour trip,
with a few sprinkles of rain. I got a motel room for the night. 
Pikes Peak A -Frame
7-20-99,
Rocky Mountain National Park, Cub Creek BP, 4.1 miles
My
main goal for the Colorado part of the trip was to visit Rocky Mountain NP for
some backpacking and peak bagging. First, I needed to contact the park
Backcountry Office to reserve a permit. In the pre-cell phone era, this meant
calling from a pay phone. I made a couple calls without getting through, before
deciding to just drive up there and throw myself at their mercy for whatever
permit I could get. In the meantime, I’d been driving around Colorado Springs,
finally finding a grocery store before I hit the road.
At
Rocky I was able to get a permit for that night at Cub Lake, and would be able
to start my planned hike to Lawn Lake and the Mummy Range the following day. I
was still getting organized at the Visitor Center when I realized that I could
use the park shuttle to get to the trailhead. But the bus came almost
immediately, so I threw some gear together and raced after it as it pulled
away. The driver stopped for me, but I realized I’d left my permit in the car,
and had to go back to the car. I found that in my haste I’d left a car window
open! I organized a bit more carefully, and caught the next shuttle.
From
Cub Lake TH it was a two hour hike to the Cub Creek Campsite. It was a nice
walk up the valley of Cub Creek, then over a small moraine to camp. The valley
was mostly sagebrush with primrose, columbine, and gaillardia. The bedrock
looked to be all gneiss. I saw five parties.
The
lake was small and almost filled by lily pads. Nice campsite with two tent
areas (the other unoccupied), a privy and marked walkways. Quiet, but buggy. No
katydids, no fireflies, I felt guilty rattling around with my cook gear. I was
stiff and sore from the big day yesterday on Pikes. I washed up at the lake and
realized that’s something I miss in the Smokies, no lakes.
I went back down to the lake after dinner to escape the bugs. I perched on the big shoreline boulder that so many lakes seem to have. There was a skinny deer that let me watch it browse. Next up was a family of six ducks cheeping their way around the pond. Two visiting day hikers left as the sun began to set.
7-21-99,
Rocky Mountain National Park, Lawn Lake, 8.5 miles
The
plan for the day was to hike out from Cub Lake and then hike up to Lawn Lake to
position myself for a day of peak bagging the next day. It was hot for early
morning, I was sweating by 7:30AM. The hike back to the Cub Creek Trailhead
took 50 minutes. After the drive, I found some shade near the Lawn Lake TH, and
used it to repack my gear.
The
trail to Lawn Lake was an old road, but pretty, much of it within view of the
Roaring River. In 1982 the Lawn Lake Dam failed. The subsequent flood scoured
out the valley of Roaring River, killed three people, and destroyed much of the
gateway town of Estes Park. Much of the damage from this flood was still
obvious. I also got good views of Ypsilon, Fairchild, Mummy, and the mountains
to the south. There were a lot of day hikers, but not as many as I’d seen
around Cub Lake. I also passed a NPS crew working on the trail. There was about
2,500’ feet of climbing spread over 6.2 miles.
After
a week on the road, I was getting the mountain scenery I’d been craving. The
campsite at Lawn Lake was spectacular. It sits at 11,000’ at tree line,
surrounded by the mountains I hoped to climb the next day.
Lawn Lake.
7-22-99,
Rocky Mountain National Park, Mummy Mountain (13,425),
Hagues Peak (13,560), and Fairchild Mountain (13,502), 7 miles
This
would be my big peak bagging day. I hoped to climb the three 13ers in the north
end of the Mummy Range in a single push. I was following route described in the
Dannen’s RMNP Hiking Trails Guide from 1989. To spend that much time above tree
line I wanted an early start, and was on the trail at 6AM. I backtracked down
the trail to Black Canyon and then started up the steep south ridge of Mummy
Mountain. Further up the grade relented some, with some easier boulder hopping
and tundra walking. It took 1:50 to reach the summit, which had a register. I
used the timer to take a photo of myself on top. 
Summit Mummy Mountain.
I
found Mummy more satisfying than Pikes, partly because there was no trail, and
no crowds. It seemed more like a wild mountain. It took about 15 minutes to
descend down to the saddle with Hagues Peak, and then another 35 minutes to go
up its east ridge. From Hagues I got views of a lot of new country to the north
and west. There were two survey points and a register on top. I was still
feeling strong, though I’d had to take a few “wind” breaks on both ascents.
Though it was just after 9AM there were already clouds forming, so I headed off
quickly to “The Saddle” (12,398’) with Fairchild Mountain. “The Saddle” is labelled
on the topo map and I’ll use the quotation marks to distinguish it from other
unnamed saddles. By my next visit to Rocky the Trails Illustrated map would
show a trail continuing from Lawn Lake to “The Saddle”.
The
descent from Hagues was steep! I practically had to down climb the first 200’,
before I got down to some gentler terrain. Even so the descent took about 40
minutes. I’d kept an eye on the clouds all morning and it still looked safe to
head to Fairchild, if I hurried. 
Summit Fairchild Mountain.
Luckily
for me, Fairchild was the gentlest of the three peaks. I suspected that via “The
Saddle”, or Trail Ridge Road, that it would also be the most climbed of the
three. I had pushed straight through the saddle without a break and made the
1,000’ climb in 45 minutes. Again, I got a summit photo and small snack before
heading down at 11AM.
From
“The Saddle”, I descended directly to Lawn Lake and above Crystal Lake on what
the 2015 map now shows as “The Saddle” Trail.
Once
below “The Saddle” elevation, I felt I would be safe from storms, and took a
much more leisurely hike directly back to camp. It had been an exhilarating
morning full of the high peak bagging I so enjoyed. I took another snack break
at the rim of the cirque holding Crystal Lake. But I may have taken too much
time; a hard rain caught me at treeline, and subsided just as I reached my
tent. Lightning soon followed and I was glad to be safely dry and snoozing in
my tent. Hiking through a mountain rain is tough enough, but at least I wasn’t
up on the mountain exposed to the wind and lightening. The entire descent had
taken about 2:15.
The
afternoon rain quit just long enough for me to walk to Lawn Lake and spot the
next storm coming over the saddle. This one had a hard rain that splattered
dirt up the sides of my tent. By 6PM I was hungry and a lull in the rain
tempted me to cook. Big mistake, the rain came harder, and it took forever to
boil water for Mac and Cheese while standing in the deluge (Its almost always
wise to postpone your camp chores until drier weather arrives). About the time
I finished, some sun flashed from The Saddle, and the rain stopped. A double
rainbow briefly formed in the east. My tent (probably our first Sierra Designs
Meteor Light) held up well, the floor was just a little damp, and the bathtub
skirt was dirty from water splashing, but it didn’t leak. My clothes were damp,
but there was too little sun to dry them off.
After dinner I ran into Paul, the only other camper at the four Lawn Lake sites. He was standing in the trail looking indecisive when I saw him. He’d gotten soaked trying to set up his tent in the deluge, and was thinking of heading out. I convinced him that the rain was over, so we re-pitched his tent and dried it out with my pack towel, which soaked the entire towel. Paul was inexperienced and underequipped, but should have been able to dry out by morning. His food was sandwiches wrapped in foil. Rocky was using tent pads outlined with wood frames, which is a good idea except when the soil inside the boards gets eroded away and then the frames serve as a rim for the small lake that accumulates in the pad after a rain. Finding (or making) a gap in the boards lets the water drain, leading to a much drier campsite.
7-23-22,
Upper Chipmunk Lake 9.7 miles
I
woke to much more promising weather. I retraced most of my inbound route, and
then went back up the Ypsilon Lake Trail. I passed 27 people, including Paul,
who was headed back to his car for more food. The climb to Ypsilon Lake was
tougher, but more interesting, than that to Lawn Lake. Once in camp, I set my
gear and tent out to dry. The area was still wet and heaven for mosquitos.
Since
I’d made camp early and weather looked promising I decided to head up off trail
to Spectacle Lakes, in the next cirque above Ypsilon. My guidebook, and all the
park people I’d talked to had recommended it. The guide mentioned it was
challenging with a set of ledges near the top. A father at the adjoining campsite
described the ledges as fifth class, but I decided to head out on a “manway”
near the inlet of Ypsilon Lake to see for myself. It turned out two rocks
climbed the first lip, the better one was on the right side. Next there was a
flat area where I looked unsuccessfully for a trail splitting left to Mt
Chiquita. I followed another solo hiker to some slabs which required some steep
scrambling and a sloppy scramble up a cascade. The other fellow went through
the slabs, but I thought it was my day to play it safe. The climbing itself
wouldn’t have been bad but the descent down the slabs, especially if wet, would
be unsafe, especially for a solo hiker. I took a leisurely stroll back to camp
and got some bug free time at Ypsilon Lake. Mounts Chiquita and Ypsilon, both
thirteeners, would have to wait for another day. 
Ypsilon Falls.
7-24-99,
Hike out, 4.1 miles
It
was awfully comfy in my sleeping bag the next morning, so I slept in until 7:30.
The hike out took 1:45. There were enough other hikers on the trail that I was
almost glad to be leaving the park, even on a perfect weather day.
From
the trailhead I drove north towards the Black Hills, where I’d spend the next
five days hiking and mountain biking in support of my Black Hills trail guide,
mostly on the then new Mickelson rail trail. Then I would pick up Jean and
drive to Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains for a five day backpacking trip and an
attempt on Cloud Peak. I’d hoped to drive all the way to Custer, SD for some
camping, but I was tired and dirty enough to stop and get a room in Newcastle,
WY.
For
a later visit to Rocky Mountain National Park see (2015 RMNP).
