Fall is probably my favorite time of year. The warm, dry air, the cavalcade of colors and the bustle of animals preparing for winter make this a wondrous season in the woods. And so it was with some trepidation that I agreed to join my brother on a road trip to Colorado for some hiking and non U.P. time. The leaves were just nearing their prime when I took Rainy for a walk into the Swedetown Trails on Thursday evening, the night before our planned departure. The weather was perfect and it was a beautiful 9 mile walk. I was feeling a little bad about abandoning my beloved Keweenaw during the best time of the year, then I remembered I am going to COLORADO.
My brother and I have been taking these trips for a few years now with varied success. They always seem to have some sort of extraneous challenge, weather, time constraints, fist fights, you know the usual vacation troubles. Even through all the cold and black eyes I look forward to these trips because I love the mountains. There is nothing I get excited for like time spent above treeline.
This trip was to include a 24 hour mad dash drive from the U.P. to Aspen, an attempt at Maroon Peak, an attempt at the combo of Mounts Lincoln, Bross, Democrat and Cameron and some general hiking and camping. My long time friend and roommate Andy Hallfrisch was to join us and we were going to meet a friend from MTU; Aaron “The Dutchman” Wykhuis in Aspen. In addition to the human element we were bringing Rainy and my brother’s dog Yukon. Andy had never been to Colorado before and we wanted him to experience his first 14er, plus he agreed to watch the dogs while we did some hiking that was a bit too much for them. Aaron lived in Colorado for a while and has since moved to South West Texas and is looking for any excuse to get back to the mountains. Unfortunately, Hannah couldn’t join us due to her class schedule and duties at school. I felt a little bad about leaving her behind while I went off adventuring… but not too bad.
Andy and I spent a few days getting our gear ready and making sure he was prepared as he isn’t really a hiker and has spent most of his outdoor adventures hunting and fishing. When noon Friday rolled around we could barely contain ourselves. We knocked off work early and stopped by Down Wind Sports to pick up the last of our supplies. We caught a ride to Covington Junction with our friend Dan where we were to meet my brother. Loading his Jeep Cherokee to the brim with tents, packs and other gear the excitement was reaching a breaking point. With all the equipment loaded and the dogs anxiously waiting in the back seat we set off.
The next 27 hours were a blur of rest stops, interstate junctions and state lines. I couldn’t sleep a wink. I am not much of a driver. I even used to lie to people, telling the I didn’t have a driver’s license so I could avoid getting behind the wheel but I knew I couldn’t dodge the bullet this time. After about 9 hours in the car it came around to my turn in the captain’s seat. I was nervous to say the least. I hate driving. Heading east on I-80 out of Des Moines, IA I settled into the situation and began to feel more comfortable. There wasn’t much traffic at 2AM and the road was almost entirely mine. Then it started snowing. And the wind picked up. Then it started whiting out. I was freaking out and everyone else was sleeping. When they woke up I tried to play it cool and save some face but I was visibly shaken. Much to my relief my brother took over just after Omaha, NE as the weather continued to deteriorate. We crept along at 30 mph across most of Nebraska listening to the truckers chatter away on my brother’s CB radio. This really slowed down our progress and we were way behind the schedule as the ice on the roads finally melted off and we made our way across the Colorado line.
View from Independence Pass, CO
It is always great passing through Denver and heading up into the mountains after what seems like a lifetime in the flatlands. We headed down through one of my favorite towns, Leadville, and drove up into Independence Pass on our way to meet The Dutchman in Aspen. The pass is the second highest in Colorado and winds its way steeply and rather precariously up to 12,095 ft. The view from the top was amazing.
We got to Aspen around 6PM Mountain Time and met Aaron on the edge of town. Aspen is a nightmare. It is by far the worst city I have ever been in. The town holds an aire of pretension that makes me feel bitterly unwelcome. Upon our arrival Aaron was anxious to move on because, as he said, “There is no room for vagrants in Aspen” We ate a quick dinner at McDonald’s after a parking nightmare and headed out to the trailhead. We stopped for gas before heading up into the hills and were appalled to find it more than 70 cents per gallon more than outside of town. One last nail in the coffin for my distaste of Aspen.
After a bit of confusion about permits and campsites in the Maroon Bell’s Wilderness we set up camp at the trailhead and packed up for an alpine start. I set my watch for 5AM and climbed into my sleeping bag, exhausted after a whirlwind day and preparing for a short lived night of sleep. I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve.
View To Colorado in a larger map
2 Responses
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Chris Says:
I don’t want to ruin the end of your daily updates for this trip…but hey…at least there were no fist fights this time! Had a great trip. Looking forward to the following day’s posts.
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Polprav Says:
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
