birch road blog

"It's like...Middle Earth!"

After the heat of the week, we decided to take a camping trip up in the foothills to cool off next to Crestone creek, beneath the tree canopy. It was a chance to try out our new tent, the rei 4-person Hobitat, which is fabulously roomy compared to our little 3 person low-profile we've been using the past 5 years or so. The campground is only four miles north of the town of Crestone, but it felt like a world apart for us. Finn was immersed in the new Harry Potter book, Half Blood Prince, and Jay was cozied up with an issue of "Rock and Ice" magazine that had a long article on the climbers who were held hostage in Kyrgykstan last year by waring rebels. I find it easier and easier these days to sit inside myself and do absolutely nothing, just be. And so i went down to water's edge and dangled my feet in the icy, rushing water for short bursts, cleansing and fortifying my hooves for the next day's hike. Our ambitious goal was to hike up to North Crestone lake the next morning. That's about a 12 mile round-trip. But after about 4 1/2 hours out, we were still about 1500 feet from the lake and i couldn't go any further. The guys did great waiting for me to tag along behind them all the way back down the mountain. Even though we didn't make it to the lake, we did pass through incredible fields of wildflowers in every imaginable color. We stood shoulder deep amoung a field of deep purple flowers that was absolutely other-worldly. At one point Finn in his understated eloquence said, "It's like freakin' middle earth or something!" And it was magical up there. Absolutely inspiring environment radiating beauty, imagination, and poetry. The early part of the hike was idyllic, passing through groves of aspen on gently sloping trail. The world opened up around 9500 ft and we got an incredible valley view. There were two creek crossings over logs. I took some pictures while i could still breathe and walk. Jay will link them up here. Maybe by September i'll be able to make another Lake attempt. It was an ass-kicking hike for me, literally, my butt hurt when i finished. I whined the last hour down and once home collapsed in a knot of fried muscle begging for ginger ale and ibuprofen. But hey, 8 miles, 6 hours, 10,500 ft. Not bad for lowlanders in transition.

Link to pics: Just Click Here

posted by Kathryn @ 8:18 AM