Colorado: Cascade Falls: August 2017

The stories of my Alaskan adventure have all been told but that trip was not the only one that I took out into the wilderness. Keltin and I spent a week in Colorado. We spent some time in the mountain cities but most of our time was spent hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. The first trail that we went on was called the Cascade Falls Trail. To the falls it was only two miles in and there were only about 300 feet of elevation rise.

We were up early and packed the cooler with sandwiches, chips, and fruit for lunch. Our backpacks were ready: I had the camelback and Keltin carried the pack with the camera, lenses, and tripod. There was a couple of other vehicles at the trailhead when we arrived but it was a couple of hours before we saw other people. The day was beautiful and bright. Starting off near 40 degrees F. and warming up to mid 60’s. Despite the easy rise of the trail it was soon clear that we were not accustomed to the elevation.

Along the way we listened to the birds as they twittered and fluttered from branch to branch. They blended in with their environment but here and there we would catch movement from the corner of our eyes as they moved among the trees. We came across a chipmunk, he was completely unconcerned with us and let us take all sorts of pictures as he nibbled on something next to the trail.

The falls, when we reached them, were beautiful. After a snack of granola bars and jerky we climbed over the rocks around the falls to get the best spots for pictures. I’m going to come right out and admit that I’m clumsy. As I was climbing up to where Ketlin was, my foot slipped and I ended up wet up to mid calf  on one leg. Keltin thought it was hilarious. I was just grumpy about it. Those snow melt streams are COLD. He took pictures of the falls while I sat in the sun and tryed to dry off. The place was too beautiful for me to stay grouchy for long. Splashing water as it goes over the falls, wind in the trees, and a bright sky more than make up for a wet pants leg and sock.

We ran into a number of hikers as we headed back to the trailhead. Mostly groups of twos and threes, one woman walked by herself and near the halfway point we met a couple on horseback. The woman seemed a bit concerned about the narrowness of some parts of the trail but it was a fairly easy one for a horse. Towards the end of our hike we were both ready to get back to the car. We were accustomed to walking the distance but not on rough terrain and our legs were killing us. It is surprising how much you can love seeing a car. The hike was fantastic though and I’d get back on the trail in a heartbeat.

I’d love to hear about your hiking adventures and favorite trails. Happy travels!