2010 Day 6 July 22, Copper Lake Trail on up to East Maroon Pass
We will call this an on again off again day. We get oodles of practice putting things on and off.
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| Clouds are hanging in the valley as we drive up Gothic Road. You can see the two layers of clouds. |
Today is our last day in Crested Butte for hiking we have plans to go up to Copper Lake and further up to the East Maroon Bells Pass if the weather holds. We fix breakfast and watch out the window as the beef cattle in the pasture start to appear. Perhaps the clouds are up to 32 feet off of the ground.
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| Judd Falls |
We drive up Gothic Road. Gothic road as previously stated is a 4 x 4 road. In some parts there is ample room to pass a car coming from the opposite direction. In many places the once wide enough path has lost twelve or more inches on each side to erosion. As with anything in life you never meet an oncoming car at a good spot, no-no, always at a skinny spot! And most people we met were unaware they could move further to their right rather than drive clearly over their half of the skinny Gothic Road. This trip I don’t find myself telling Kathi to slow down, mostly watch out we are going to go in the ditch. Then I am presented with a choice from Driver Kathi, pick ditch or smashing into the ‘over the center car’. Well, this is a very complicated choice for me… either way I see no benefit. I wonder if there is anything I should read in the car. I leave the ditch and cars smash decision up to Kathi. Gratefully, we make it to Judd Falls parking area without any ditching or smashing.
We have started from this trailhead before and once again we hike up the trail which considers switchbacks for sissies! This time we are going to be taking this trail to the top. So start your huffing and puffing as this baby is pretty much a straight shot up, up, and away. Today we have our nice new topo map, the gps, a narrative book about the trail, and one pair of sandals as there will be some fording of rivers on this hike. Kathi and I have been spoiled with the National Parks way of getting you across rivers. There has always been a sturdy tree, bridge, or brilliantly placed rocks to step on as you cross the river. You know, top notch delivery systems. Had we done this hike before an all day rain, we might have been lucky enough to rock hop across the rivers. No such luck today. We recon the first river crossing, nothing. So we sit down to take off our shoes and make our first ford. Kathi and I are each carrying one sandal. Back at the house we figured we would each carry one sandal thus cutting back on the weight of our packs? Hey, good idea! My sandals were offered up as the sacrificial lambs. On this our first official ford, Kathi volunteers to go first and see if she can do it without the benefit of sandals. By the noises coming from her ford, it was easy to guess the water was close to ice cubes. When Kathi made it to the other side she yelled back to wear the sandals! The rocks are slippery and the water is too cold to go slow. My trip across with sandals was very refreshing and knee deep in fast near freezing water. It took me less time and effort to cross. From hence forth, go with the sandals! (Are you wondering how we are going to share these sandals?)
We sit on the far bank on rocks and dry off our feet with “borrowed” black wash clothes from the town house. We get our socks and shoes back on and laced up to the perfect tension and hit the trail. We hike about a mile to find another fast moving river. Sit down take off our nice dry shoes and socks. This time I ford this river first while wearing the sandals. The river is up to my knees in very refreshing fast moving water. Once on the other side I take off the sandals and one at a time give them a big ole heave hoe across the river. The sandal flies way past Kathi, who is less than please with my mighty toss. For now she has to walk barefoot on the riverbank rocks to retrieve the sandal. My second throw was just as mighty as I wanted to make sure to clear the creek! Kathi has the honor of putting on two wet sandals, but makes good time crossing the creek. We sit on the far bank on rocks and dry off our feet with “borrowed” black wash clothes from the town house. We get our socks and shoes back on and laced up to the perfect tension and hit the trail.
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| This is Kathi's first trip WITH OUT Sandals |
The next three crossing we were able to find adequate stepping passage across the river using logs and rocks. The sun poked in and out of the clouds and the weather seemed to clear up some. Of course since the trail seems straight up all you are doing is huffy and puffing, so any time you stop to look up at the clouds it is because your heart and lungs need a break. I believe this trail is straight up as it was originally a mining road. Those miners wanted to get to the mine fast and get their mined goods to the market fast. I believe they were quite humorless in their adventures. No dilly dallying with switchbacks!
We arrived at the small lake nestled in a nice basin filled with mosquitoes and flowers. There was some remainder of winter snow on the north side of the lake. We sat and had a half of a lunch while watching a family of six plus a very energetic dog, hike steadily up the inclining trail toward the pass. The weather looks like it will hold as we pack up lunch to begin the last push up towards East Maroon Pass. We make it to the top in good time. From just over the top of the pass you get a fantastic close view of the Maroon Bells. The mountains are very deep maroon and stand in contrast to the surrounding mountains which are more tan and brown in color. We would have had excellent views if the low hanging clouds had not been obscuring our view. We eat the second half of our lunch while reviewing our excellent topo map. We had thoughts earlier last night to try and do two other passes from where we are now, but with the incoming clouds and steepness of our hike already, we decide to turn for home.
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| Cooper Lake. The Pass is up and over the saddle in the background. |
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| Half lunch at the Pass |
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| Maroon Bells are shrouded in Clouds |
As we are heading down toward the river crossing the skies are becoming quite nasty. We make it past the few crossings that do not require stopping to do the off and on thing. We get to the first crossing that will require a shoe change and spend about ten minutes throwing in rocks to see if we can create a stepping path. This is very amusing for a person sitting on the other side eating her lunch. She enjoys our endeavors, but does not join in. At last we sit down and take off our shoes. Kathi takes the first trip over this time in the sandals. I am waiting my turn. Upon finishing with the sandals, Kathi makes a nice throw. So nice and exuberant that it flies clear over head and up on a nice grassy bank. (We certainly do not want to have a short toss and loose one of these sandals down the river!) While fetching the first sandal she makes a second identical throw and the sandal lands at my feet up in the grass.
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| Field of Flowers |
We sit on the far bank on rocks and dry off our feet with “borrowed” black wash clothes from the town house. We get our socks and shoes back on and laced up to the perfect tension and hit the trail hiking the last three miles in the wonderful warm sunny afternoon through a valley of great beauty and splendor.
8 hours and 13 minutes, 2158 calories burned, 2090 feet of elevation gained, 13 miles hiked, total mileage 63.7
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