~*~ Because I Got High… ~*~

“Dole on Chiquita!”

Date: Saturday, July 28

Boy do I love early morning rising and having NO coffee! Yup – I am just as chipper as can be. Ask Brad, he’ll tell ya.

We were up and moving and on the road by 6:30am since we had a bit to drive to get to the trail head. We had to go back to Trail Ridge Road and the veer left in Horseshoe Park to access the Old Fall River Road. It’s a beautiful drive, really. Old Fall River Road is a one way dirt road with posted speed limits of 15mph. We didn’t see a single other car on our way up – no doubt everyone else is smarter than us and still in bed.

About 6½ miles up Old Fall River Road, we reached the trailhead for Chapin Pass, the route that we would be taking. After yesterday’s little episode of altitude related issues, I wondered how I would handle the hiking today. Mount Chapin is the smallest at 12,454 feet, Mount Chiquita is 13,069 feet and Mount Ypsilon is at 13,514 feet. They are right in a row and form a beautiful rocky little amphitheater of sorts, looking down over Chiquita Lake, Spectacle Lake and Ypsilon Lake.

There was actually another car at the trailhead which surprised us a bit, but we were glad to beat the crowds there and be able to park where we wanted. Boots and packs on and we were ready to go! We were starting this hike at about 10,500 – still higher than I had ever hiked. We immediately entered the woods on a maintained trail and began our ascent. The rocky trail made me smile! It didn’t stay that way for long though. Within about 1/10^th of a mile, we turned right into a fairly wooded area and followed the trail through some trees. We broke through in a little valley and had some incredible views of the surrounding mountains. As we continued ascending, it was about ½ mile in that we reach a trail junction announcing the end of the maintained trail. In the East, that means something. In the West, it means nothing because although there are no blazes, there is most definitely an easy trail to follow. When you are above tree line, you can see the route you are taking for miles sometimes! And for some reason, out West, they have a “thing” for switchbacks and gradual ascending. I don’t know what’s up with that…you need to get to the top of the mountain, you might as well just head straight up. None of this pussyfooting around it!!!

Anyway, the trail gradually ascends but it wasn’t too long before I was actually feeling a little bit tired. My legs felt okay but I was just dragging ass it seemed. We had a small little steep section of rock stairs…which I absolutely loathe…and then we broke out of the tree line and were treated with views in every direction. Again, I was wishing my head to be on a swivel. The trail appeared to wind up and around a beautiful little grassy knob before traversing across the side of a mountain. Little did we know and/or realize, we were about to traverse the side of Mount Chapin rather than climbing it as we planned. I knew I should have brought those dang papers with me! Part of the trail went across a mini-boulder field so we had a chance to do some rock hopping along the way. Brad stopped briefly to find a Saturn (yeah, good luck with that above tree line) as I kept moving down the trail. I stopped ahead of him to wait and while I was standing, heard an ungodly screech/scream/noise. Immediately I looked down into the woody valley and scoured it with my eyes for a sign of a woman being strangled by an ax murderer. I saw nothing. The scream came again with a bark and I was then sure a woman was being terrorized by a dog. I finally spotted the suspect at the base of the mountain. There on the side, sat a coyote! Now, I’ve heard coyotes a million times at night while camping in the East, but I have never actually heard one during the day or seen one for that matter. I was excited and pulled out the binoculars which I couldn’t seem to operate. Brad assisted and we were able to watch and listen to the coyote as he talked with a friend who must have been over the next ridge.

We finally set out again and before long were standing at Chapin Pass. The view opens up at that point and there is a beautiful view of the valley below with sheer rock cliffs on all sides. I am amazed by the contrast in the landscape. To one side we had green grass and wooded valleys while on the other side lay nothing but rock and vertical drops. We paused momentarily for a couple of pictures and to try and situate ourselves. Off in the distance, we could barely see the Alpine Visitor Center and laughed that yesterday we had been staring at todays hike without even realizing it. Oh well, we have to drive out that way so it will be a good opportunity to snap a picture of the route.

From the pass, the trail got much steeper. We were ascending faster but I could not make my body move. I was exhausted, yawning and sucking wind like there was no tomorrow. It’s not like an asthma attack where your lungs feel constricted and tight…it’s just open mouth huffing and puffing and trying to get as much oxygen in you as possible. I realized quickly that it wasn’t going to happen and the only thing I could do was deal with it. So I proceeded to stop almost every 20 yards, sometimes I pretended I wanted to take a picture, look at the view, examine a flower. Other times, I just stopped and panted like there was no tomorrow. It was about then and there that I decided I would not be climbing Everest any time in the near future. There is nothing more frustrating than having your body feel good and capable of moving but feeling so exhausted and winded that you can’t move. It was a really strange feeling and I did not get used to it.

It was probably about 1000 foot climb from Chapin Pass to the summit of Mt. Chiquita, but I tell you what. It felt like 10,000 feet. I’ve never been so exhausted in my life while having my body feel completely and totally refreshed. The trail went from a rather grassy area to a pile of rocks as we closed in on the summit. I kept looking at it thinking…”it’s right there…I’ll just go there and rest…” but I couldn’t make myself. When we finally seemed to be as high as we could go, Brad took off for the “true summit” while I went to find the Saturn – always a fun experience when you are a female above tree line.

Within a few minutes, I joined Brad at the summit. He had found a nice little sitting area in a cove of rocks so we were sheltered from the wind and could just enjoy the warm sun and views while we snacked on Clif Bars and bananas. What the hell else are you suppose to eat when you are standing on Mount Chiquita? An apple? I don’t think so. Mount Chapin looked small and grassy from where we stood while Mount Ypsilon stood tall and rocky against the clouded blue skies. Down below in the valley we could easily see Chiquita Lake gleaming in the sun. Ridgelines ran everywhere and I imagined that it would make a heck of a playground for rock climbers. After our snack, we were led out to the edge of a little cliff area by a rather bold marmot. As I stood waiting for Brad to set up the tripod, the pesky little critter crept closer and closer to me. I kept waiting for the attack. When he was about a foot away, he decided it was close enough and moved along, finding a perch atop a rock cairn and posing like a little playboy bunny. It was ridiculous looking.

It was decided that we would turn around at this point and not bother to hike to Mt. Ypsilon. A couple of factors being that 1) I don’t think I could have climbed any higher than I already was at 13,069 feet (it was too exhausting and would have taken forever) and 2) storm clouds off in the distance made us leery of being caught above tree line in nasty weather. Off in the distance we had a great view of Longs Peak and were happy that we had opted to not hike that beast on this day. We snapped some pictures and just enjoyed the view for a little while longer before setting back down the mountain. I’m amazed at the beauty and boldness of RMNP. Fortunately, the hike back down was much, much easier for me. I was working less descending and my body was grateful for it.

Once again, the wind whipped us as we crossed Chapin Pass. Just as we hit tree line, we were treated to another coyote who must have come running down Mount Chapin and sprinted across the trail ahead of us about 30 yards, He kept his eyes on us almost the whole time as he ran. I was, of course, ecstatic to be seeing more wildlife!

We were back at the car by 11:00am and done with our little 5 mile adventure. It was a treat to be able to get a hike in on this hurried trip and we were rewarded with the views, the weather and the company. We stopped briefly at the Alpine Center again to take some pictures of the hike we had just been on. I had forgotten to take a boot shot at the summit, so I did so from the center. The place was swarming with tourists!

We went back to the campground and had a little bit of lunch trying to decide what to do for the remainder of the day. Finally we headed back out and went over to the Bear Lake area. We parked in the lower lots and took a shuttle bus up to the trail head. It was nice for neither of us to have to drive so we could just enjoy the scenery. The shuttle bus had great windows for licking too – so that was an added bonus!

Bear Lake is truly a difficult hike. I don’t care what the guidebooks tell you, it is brutal. It’s a solid ½ mile with at least a 15 foot elevation gain. I have the profile map on film if you don’t believe me! What a hoot this trail was. Toddlers, a man with an oxygen tank toting behind him, a little tiny old lady with a walker, and people of all shapes, sizes and dimensions. Going against the grain, we hiked it counter clockwise. Cause that’s how we roll.

It’s a beautiful “nature walk” with lots of benches to sit down at. And if you aren’t tired after the first 20 yards, there is another bench 20 more yards down the “trail”. We laughed around the entire lake and took some completely inappropriate pictures as we went. Brad tried to attack my little model chipmunk but the furry little critter held his ground and would not be persuaded to leave. Animals must be disappointed with those of us that don’t feed them because he was persistent!

After an exhausting hike, we sat on a bench in the parking lot for about 30 minutes just people watching and chatting. It was very relaxing and more fun than you can imagine. He & I could be anywhere and turn it into a good time.

Back at Moraine Park Campground for the night, we bought a bunch of wood, some ice to keep the beer cold and settled in around the campfire with some beers and yummy brats for dinner again. Have I mentioned that I love brats? We were determined to out-party our neighbors on this night! I don’t know as we actually managed to do that because although we hadn’t hiked a lot of miles, we were pretty whooped by the end of the evening. It was a nice evening of relaxing and laughing, which is par for the course where we are concerned. I got a couple of pictures of the Coors Light Twins acting inappropriately in a family campground…but otherwise, we were fairly well behaved. We even had a little bit of wood left at the end of the night.

Tomorrow we head back to Denver where we will be catching a MLB game at Coors Field! I can’t wait and neither can the twins!!!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

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