Trip Report - Deep Lake Camping

Have you ever driven through Glenwood Canyon, mouth agape, senses awed and wondered what was on top of those cliffs? I got to experience the top firsthand the weekend of June 19-21. If you get off at the Dotsero exit, head north on the Colorado River Road for about two miles, there will be a left turn onto the Coffee Pot Road. The Coffee Pot Road is one of those epic Colorado roads…it is narrow and windy and the landscape falls very steeply off the side of the road. But, the views are stunning, and the landscape once you are on top of the canyon are nearly indescribable. You can see to Aspen to the south and to Vail the west. Once on top, all around are deep canyons, meadows filled with wildflowers, aspen groves that light up in the fall, pine trees, interesting rock formations and more lakes than you would expect in dry Colorado. The Flattops Wilderness begins in this area, so it is the perfect location to really get away from it all.

About 29 miles up the Coffee Pot Road is Deep Lake (about 10,500 feet in elevation), which has a beautiful campground along the eastern edge. That was Grubby Guy and my destination. We’d heard a snowdrift had made getting to the lake nearly impossible, but that they were plowing it in the morning. So, Friday night, GGuy and I drove most of the way and pulled off Coffee Pot to set up in what had been a hunter’s camp in the fall. (A sign that it was the right spot...a mama elk and her newborn baby were walking up the hill by the campsite right as we pulled off. GGuy was sold!) We had eaten before we got there, so we built a fire and talked and gaped at the absolutely amazing night sky. I swear, we could see the whole Milky Way. I made a wish on a falling star.

We woke to an absolutely beautiful morning – sunny, warm, clear. After a delicious breakfast, we packed up our little camp and drove up the road to Deep Lake. GGuy wanted to fish (and look for Elk – he’s spotted two herds that morning), and I just wanted to sit by a lake

and relax. Perfect solution! When we got there, the spots right next to the lake were taken, so we settled for a spot in the trees with a view of the lake. Our spot had a great place to pitch our tent, a picnic table and a nice fire ring with a grate for cooking. We pitched our tent and set our campsite up, and then GGuy and I headed down to the lake for some fishing. We could see the fish jumping out of the water, and GGuy had a good feeling. The fish, however, decided to be picky. After about 45 minutes and not a nibble, I decided I’d rather get some exercise, and left GGuy to decide which dry fly would work best. Since the area is pretty remote, there wasn’t a lot of traffic, so I walked along a dirt road for a while. It was unlike anything else I’ve seen in Colorado. Once I got on top of Old Ute Trail, there were tons of white and red rock

everywhere, set against the vivid green of the grasses and evergreens – it looked almost like an alien landscape. Stunning. I could have kept walking just to see what was around the next corner, but I’d been walking for more than an hour, and decided to go back to camp. GGuy and I napped for a bit in the sun-warmed tent, then went looking for firewood for our campfire. There was plenty of available fuel, but with all the recent rain, it was more difficult to find dry wood. Once we had enough to last us the night, we came back to camp to hang out. I read and he fished a little more (catching two Brookies). Then, we made a lovely camp dinner, sat around the campfire chatting, watched a beautiful sunset over the lake and called it an early night. A fierce thunderstorm roared through about midnight, and it pretty much rained the rest of the night. When we woke up, nothing was dry, and most of our things had standing puddles on them. With nothing we could do about it, we made the best of it. We marveled at the low-hanging clouds racing up the canyon carved by Deep Creek, made some coffee, cooked a little breakfast and then packed up our soggy belongings and made our way back down the hill. I’d definitely go back. The campground was nice – very scenic, the potties were clean, and there were plenty of dispersed camping options nearby. The sites were just $6 a night. It takes a bit to get there, but was well worth the feeling of being in the middle of the wilderness

and surrounded by the great outdoors.


Great, grubby weekend,

GG

Getting Started - Camping

I heart camping. Behind hiking, it is my very favorite way of getting grubby. I love looking up at the stars and trying to pick out the satellites and waiting for a shooting star. I love getting up in the morning and stretching with trees and wildflowers and amazing views all around. I love that food just tastes better when prepared and eaten outside. I love sitting around the campfire, making S’mores and staring at the flames and talking about everything and nothing. And, since I usually work in a hike, or a bike ride, or some time fishing when I camp, I love that I can experience all that the great outdoors has to offer all at once. And, I love that there is always one moment during every camping trip that you will remember forever.

For the uninitiated, though, camping can be super intimidating. There are some equipment requirements, and I wouldn’t recommend camping solo your first time out. (I tried it once, but after having no one to laugh with around the campfire and having nightmares all night about crazy people coming to my tent to hurt me, I drove back home early the next morning. Perhaps you are braver than I, but I would still recommend camping with someone the first time.) The intimidation factor shouldn’t keep you from trying camping. Once you do it, you’ll realize how easy and rewarding it can be. There are three main types of camping: campground camping, dispersed camping, and backpacking. Backpacking is much more involved than the other two, so I’ll save that for another discussion. For now, I’ll talk about the kind of camping where you load up your car, and head to the hills – car camping. There are literally hundreds of campgrounds in Colorado. This Web site offers a good place to start: http://tinyurl.com/mqyc2r There are also books you can borrow from the library or buy. And, as always, ask around to see where others have camped and what they enjoyed. Prices for camping in a campground range from about $6 a night to about $14 a night, depending on the amenities offered and the location. The pros are that campgrounds are easy, convenient, and there is usually a potty. They generally have picnic tables and fire rings. But, they can be crowded and loud. It never ceases to amaze me all the things people take with them on their “getaways.” Loud generators, radios, satellite television, barking dogs and children running through the campground are all pretty common. If you are more interested in really getting away from it all and are willing to spend some time looking for a good spot, dispersed camping may be for you. On Federal lands – Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service – you are allowed to camp almost anywhere (look for posted signs warning you where you cannot camp) as long as you stay far enough away from rivers, streams and lakes. If you take just about any dirt road (and many of them are suitable for a two-wheel drive car), you can generally find a clearing and a fire ring from campers past. Find a clearing that’s to your liking, and you can set up camp there. The pros are that you really get away from everything, it’s usually much quieter and offers a lot more privacy. The cons are that you don’t have a picnic table or a potty (bring a spade with you…you do get a ‘poo with a view’). Either car camping option would be fine for your first time out. And, you might want to try both options to see which one you like best.

As far as equipment goes, since you will drive your car to your camp spot with either dispersed or campground camping, you can pack what you think you’ll need your first time and then decide what you REALLY need after you see what you used and what sat in the car. For sure, you will need a tent (set it up before you go so you know how to do it and aren’t trying to set it up for the first time in the dark or the rain); a sleeping bag and pad (Thermarest makes a variety of good ones); a pillow; a headlamp (to find your way to the tent or the bathroom after the campfire dies down); a camp stove (even if you can have a fire, cooking with a stove is much easier and more convenient, especially in the morning when you may not want to deal with building a fire and all of the campfire smoke); pots and pans for the food you will cook and that work with your stove; a camp chair; utensils, plates, bowls, and cups (I usually bring plastic utensils pilfered from restaurants, and plastic or paper dishes for ease of use); water (bring more than you think you need – you will use this for drinking, brushing your teeth, washing dishes, etc.); food for breakfast, lunch and dinner (don’t forget the chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows for S’mores!); a cooler for food and drinks; a hat and gloves or mittens; a warm outer layer and long johns; a hat and sunscreen; paper towels, toilet paper, wet naps; first aid kit; and waterproof matches. I’m sure there’s lots of other stuff, but this is a pretty good list to start. If you are wary about making an investment in all of this, you can rent tents, sleeping bags and pads, camp stoves and other equipment from REI or a local sporting goods store. You can also jump in with friends or a group for your first time. That way, whatever you don’t have, you can borrow from someone else. I also highly recommend buying a large storage tub so you can keep all of your equipment together in one place. That way, you are less likely to forget an essential…like toilet paper.

I think that about does it. Do you have any questions before starting out? Let me know!

GG

All the Grubby Details:
How Far - Depends on how far you'd like to go...there a TONS of options within a two-hour drive of Denver.
Time Commitment - Plan on a whole weekend in order to make the drive worthwhile.
Misery Index – Low to Moderate – sometimes, the weather doesn’t cooperate, and sleeping on the ground can be a little rough.
Intimidation Index – Moderate to High – fears include equipment overload, snakes, bears, wild animals, etc. Don’t let any of that stop you. In all my time outside, the many hundreds of miles I’ve hiked and all of the nights spent camping over the years, I’ve seen one bear in Colorado (I guess technically, two, since it was a mama bear and her cub). And, that was near timberline and in the fall when bears are trying to fill up before hibernation. You should be careful, but not obsessed or paranoid.
Dog Friendliness - High - but, make sure your dog is good around people, good in the dark and not totally freaked out by fire. And, decide whether or not you want your dog in the tent or on a comfy cushion outside your tent...and try to remember if your dog barks in the night, it is most likely a deer or a squirrel.
Equipment needed to start – See above.
Equipment to upgrade if you find you like it – A water purifier helps if you don’t want to drag lots of water with you. And, you can buy actual camping utensils and plates, etc. if you’d like. Otherwise, the equipment you start with should last you for years and years and years.

Trip Report - Rifle Arch Hike

Just north of the town of Rifle is little pull-off parking lot. It is literally just off the highway. It is not well marked...it just has a small brown sign with an arrow on it to mark the start of the trail. But, if you park there and go through a little cattle gate, you will find yourself in the middle of a sagebrush flat and on your way to one of the coolest things in Colorado - the Rifle Arch. This natural arch is pretty well camouflaged against the sandstone cliffs around it, so if you are blasting by in a car, you'd likely miss it. You shouldn't. It is well worth stopping! The trail is fairly flat - just a slow, steady climb to the base of the arch through sagebrush and pinon trees. (If you go, go in spring, fall or a cool-ish summer day. There isn't a lot of shade, and it can get scorching!) It has been a super wet spring, so when we went the second week of June, the many cacti had all bloomed bright yellow and orange. Once you get to the base of the arch, you can stop and rest at the bench and take photos from there, or you can scramble up the rocks to get right up under the arch. Grubby Guy and I decided to scramble up to the arch. The views were spectacular! I got a little panicked by the height and had to gingerly make my way back down pretty quickly, but I was glad I chose to go up to the arch. The whole hike took about an hour and a half, including posing for photos and my brief panic attack. A fabulous, moderate afternoon hike.

Go play!
GG

Trip Report - Shed Hunting

The spring wasn't that great for shed hunting with my man, Grubby Guy. I was training for a half-marathon, so spent most of my spring running. GGuy got out hunting a few times without me, but just once with me. We went in late May to a spot GGuy had been wanting to check out (he's sworn me to secrecy). We wanted to get up on top of a mesa, so took the ATV as far as we could before walking into the woods. We missed the game trail going out, so forged our own path. Once on top of the mesa, we spread out...I quickly found one deer horn, and was totally thrilled! Grubby Girl: 1; Grubby Guy: 0! GGuy went to scan the area on a hill while I stayed in the sagebrush flats and started walking back and forth, doing my best to set up an effective screen. I mostly looked at the amazing wildflowers, and meandered to places I thought the elk would like to hang out. It must've worked because I found two more elk horns and a deer horn. GGirl: 3; GGuy: 1 (tiny one at that). I was doing great, just really enjoying being outside and smelling the sage, and then I found the elk head high in a tree...I figured that anything that could drag an elk up a tree was not something I wanted to tangle with, so I high-tailed it out of there...Called GGuy on the walkie talkie to tell him I was going back, found the game trail I missed on my way up, and scurried back to the ATV to wait for GGuy and eat my sandwich. All in all, pretty successful hunt. With the right mindset, it really is like a treasure hunt.

Grubby and glad to be home,
GG

Getting Started - Horn Hunting (aka Shed Hunting)

My boyfriend, we'll call him Grubby Guy, is fairly obsessed with hunting, especially hunting elk. The hikes we do all summer are really not-so-thinly disguised scouting trips for his fall hunting trips. He hunts virtually every weekend in the fall (except when I pitch a fit - hey, a Grubby Girl's got needs!). In the winter, he will drive his truck around with his binoculars and look for where the elk are hanging out. And, every spring, we go looking for the dropped antlers - horns, sheds, call them what you will. He loves it, and I love him, so I go.

What all is involved in horn hunting? Well, near as I can tell, a lotta luck, some patience and the ability to get pretty far off the beaten path. Technically, you need to know where the elk were hanging out at the end of the winter. They drop their sheds around March or April. So, when the snow clears and you can make a trip to the wilderness, you can go searching for said sheds. Grubby Guy tries to sell me on the fact that you get to get outside and get some exercise instead of staying inside watching hockey. He also says it's like a treasure quest - like his beloved Easter egg hunt from his youth - he won't stop until he finds one, or several. He has several secret stashes that he won't divulge, but once we get to where the elk were hanging out, we sweep the area, looking for the white tips of the horns (harder than you think in the sagebrush...there are lots of sage "faux" horns...Grrrrr!) Sometimes, we'll sit at a vantage point and scan the area with the binoculars, looking for horns. There's a lot of walking back and forth, setting up a grid. If you find one, it's likely there's another in the vicinity, so the hunt intensifies. And, you can even sell the horns you find (or make some lovely crafts).

He calls it shed hunting...I call it a lovely walk in the wilderness looking at wildflowers and other interesting things, interrupted occasionally by stubling across a horn. Potato, potato.

Here's some tips from actual experts: http://tiny.cc/vB0Yu

Where - He won't let me share that info...find your own dern stash!

Time Commitment - Plan for at least four hours (Grubby Guy insists on six to eight).

Misery Index - Moderate - lots of sagebrush to get tangled in, unpredictable weather that time of year, and did I mention boredom? Walking back and forth is not always the most thrilling, but finding one, I'll admit, is definitely a high!

Intimidation Index - Moderate to High - first time you go out, it feels like you're looking for a needle in a haystack, but once you figure out what to look for, you start to get in a groove. And, the rush of finding one makes it less intimidating and a lot more fun.

Dog Friendliness - Very - they can roam freely with you and don't need to be on leash since you won't be on a trail.

Equipment needed to start - Hiking boots, long pants, a backpack for lunch and water and to hold all the horns you find, as well as your rain gear. Binoculars are highly recommended.

Equipment to upgrade if you find you like it - Good binoculars, an ATV (not necessary, but helpful in getting places where other horn hunters have not been - and there are a surprising number of them).

Yours grubbily,

GG

Getting Started - Hiking

Hiking is a great way to get into getting outside and getting grubby. It's free (unless you choose to hike in a State Park or National Park, which have entrance fees), it's easy (unless walking is difficult for you), and it has virtually no start-up equipment needed. All you need to start, really, are a pair of sturdy shoes and a water bottle. Some people, "experts," recommend a 10-point list of safety equipment for any hike, but, in all honesty, you probably won't need that until you decide that you really like it and want to go for longer, deeper or more intense hikes. If you do decide that you want to hike more often, definitely get that first aid kit, a good hyration system and a packable jacket. But, if you're just exploring and trying to decide whether there's a hiker lurking in you, stick to the popular trails, and you're probably going to be okay. You just need to get out and do it.

The big question for your first hike is: Where to hike? Start by asking your friends or co-workers. They will probably have some recommendations. There are also plenty of books on the subject. REI, Sportsman's Warehouse, Bass Pro or any bookstore will have plenty of options to choose from. You can also look online for trail ideas. Colorado State Parks has a great site with links to other entities that have trails, just search here: http://parks.state.co.us/Trails/TrailMapLinks/ I really like the Jefferson County Open Space trails. There are lots to choose from, the scenery is suprisingly varied, and the difficulty ranges from super easy to pretty difficult. And, they're all within easy driving distance. Here's that link: http://tinyurl.com/lo5pzl.

All the Grubby Details:
How Far - Depends on how far you'd like to go...anywhere from 2-12 miles is do-able in a day.
Time Commitment - Plan on hiking about 2-3 miles per hour...adjust from there.
Misery Index - Low - occasionally, you'll come across a pretty intense hike, but usually, hiking makes for a very pleasant afternoon.
Intimidation Index - Low - one foot in front of the other and soon you're on your way!
Dog Friendliness - High - but, most trails require a leash. Check before you pack Fido.
Equipment needed to start - Sturdy shoes, water bottle, sunscreen
Equipment to upgrade if you find you like it - Hiking boots (or low hikers), good socks, a hydration pack (I like the daypack/hydration combos), first aid kit, rain jacket, wicking shorts and shirts.

Now, get out there and get grubby!

XO,
GG