We went to Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend for a little mountain adventuring. You take what you can get when you hike at any sort of elevation this time of year. On the Front Range (which is technically the land along the base of the foothills) the temperatures are more mild and the snow melts pretty quickly during March, April. We are still getting snow though and that means the mountains are getting it too. The temperatures there in the mountains, especially at night, are very cool and often cold enough to keep that snow good and cold. The valleys, and the trails we traveled through on our hike were slushy, wet and sometimes deep with snow. There was enough snow that one could easily use cross country skis, snowshoes or YakTrax to travel and we did see other hikers and evidence imprinted in the snow that these methods were being employed. Brave hikers as we were though, we decided that we didn’t need to bother with all of that and we set off on foot for about a 3.5 mile in and out exploration.
Calypso Cascades, RMNP
The chosen path was the
Wild Basin Trailhead. We didn’t go the whole route. We only went as far as the Calypso Cascades. The reason we didn’t do the whole route has more to due with the time of year and time of day being what they were. Time of day means that it was an early afternoon and winds can quickly go up and temperatures can go down very quickly so you don’t want to end up going back too far without lugging around a lot of extra supplies and clothing. Time of year is that the “Spring Thaw” isn’t really in full swing this high up. The typical summer destination on this route is the
Ouzel Falls but without significant runoff, there isn’t really much to these falls. Just a frozen trickling wall of icepack. We already plan to come back with the flowers are in bloom and nature is waking from a winter slumber. For now, please enjoy these couple of camera phone pics until we get the stills off the digital camera to share.
Happy Hiking to any one of you blessed enough to have access to mother nature in all her splendor!
Spring Hiking In The Rockies
Tags: active, family activities, outdoors
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