Rawah 2 to Upper Camp Lake

We slowly packed up our camp at our best camping location ever!  The site was perfect, complete with two rocks on the far side of the lake that looked exactly like a moose standing in the water eating something off of the bottom.  The lake was giving off some spectacular reflections with the morning sunshine and zero breezes.  We rolled on towards our new spot by 9 am we passed lake one and then moved on towards lower camp lake.  We did a lot of looking for moose, I'm sure more saw us than those who we saw.

Walked past the lower camp lake and then turned right to go to Upper Camp Lake.  The lake was pretty large with heavy scratch willows blocking an easy path around the lake to the back beach looking area.  The willows are not actually called "scratch willows", but when you are trying to walk through them with shorts on, they scratch the dickens out of your legs...

We hunted around for a while trying to locate a good camping location.  We needed a flat area, out of the wind, and hopefully with a view of the lake.  The last time Pat was up to this lake she has some good moose viewing.  We managed to find a good camping spot for our tents and had an elevated kitchen with a view of the lake.  We had the lake pretty much to ourselves until three guys came packing along.  They made their campsite bit down the way and then began making a lot of noise.  They were cutting and chopping wood, they started a campfire...they must have missed all of the warnings about no fires!  With all of their noise, we were not going to be seeing any moose.  That is too bad because we felt we were camped right above a natural pathway they would use to get to the lake.

Spent a quiet evening listening to the boys.  We poured over our maps and set a plan for the next day's hike out.  There were two reliable sources of water, but it was difficult to determine if the land by the water was flat enough to set up a tent.  If it was not flat, we would continue to hike down to the west branch trail and actually hike up the west branch trial to stay at the same location we stayed at the first night.  We did not want to go downhill for 3000 feet.  By breaking this up we would only travel 6.2 miles and lose around 2000 feet.  Leaving a night of rest before an additional 3.7-mile hike with the 1109 foot elevation drop, hike out, then a 3-hour drive back to Denver.

We were up by 6:20 packing up had a nice breakfast and on the trail before 8:40.  We hiked down to lower lake and met up with a husband and wife who woke up to a moose with calf 40 feet from their tent.  The momma was now in the water having a morning snack and baby was having a frolic along the shoreline.  4 Bull moose had been in the scratch willows we needed to walk through to get up the trail.

We took some photos and began our hike downhill.  This part of the "loop" is along a hand dug drainage ditch.  Designed to move water from one source to a different location.  At one point in time, there was a project to drill a tunnel through the mountain to take water from one side and make it flow down the ditch to the other side.  This would have drastically changed the Larimer river valley!  The completion of this tunnel was halted by order of the supreme court.

The result is a long walk on top of a burm next to a ditch of stagnant water.  We found the two of the possible four water sources running, but found no flat space to camp.  We decided we would proceed down to our first campsite to set ourselves up for a nice hike out in the morning.  The hike down was a real toenail banger.  I can not for the life of me figure out why a hiker or fisherman would hike up /down the trail going this way.  Nasty!  The loose rubble of rocks, and in many cases long stretches of straight up the mountain carnage of loose rock of which you have to find a pathway through.  If hiking, go the other way and enjoy a delightful out and back hike, forget the possibility of hiking this as a loop.  As we were picking our way down through the rubble, the Llama Girls were catching up with us fast.  Apparently, Llamas like to hike downhill the same as horses like to run back to the barn.  The ladies were pushing fast through the rocks to keep ahead of the fully packed Llamas.  As they breezed past us, they said a quick hello and were gone in a flash.  Pat, Kathi and I talked about how that looked like a three Alieve with a culminating ice pack pace downhill...

We arrive at camp, drop our packs and head to put our feet into the chilly creek.  We sit in the afternoon sun and talk over our experiences of the week.  Devise a better plan for the next time we come here to hike.  Look at some hike from yurt too yurt that are close by.

Another wonderful week.  One little rain shower that fell at a very convenient time.  Perfect weather, excellent friendship, fun times.

Our remaining hike out is simple.  It is a Friday and we pass many groups of people headed back into the wilderness for a weekend of fun.  We step out knowing they will find their "fun".

30  miles, 6000 feet of up, 6000 feet of down.  Camped every night around 10,600-10,800 feet elevation.

Creek leading from Upper camp lake to lower camp lake

We left our packs sitting on a grassy ledge while we looked on the other side of the lake for a campsite.  This ledge was pretty, but was not protected from the wind.

Evening shot, we decided the snow field looked like a dragon.  Head on the top right looking back over his body.

Morning stillness on the lake

Breakfast nook

Momma moose eating while the youngster is cruising up and down the bank.

Leaving Lower Camp Lake.

Log cabin ruins beside the trail.

Great landscaping at this campsite.  Berries were really red.

My feet needed some icing...I sat with my feet in the creek for a good 17 minutes.  Then collected some water for filtering.

setting up our last camp

pumping up the chair/bed mat.

Pat is dipping her bandanna into the stream to put around her neck and keep cool.

Back to the parking lot after a week of vacation.  We are stronger and our packs are lighter.  

At last, after our week-long hike, we get to unveil Pat's new raincoat.  I can not convey how pleased I am that this is the first time I am seeing this coat!