Bergen Peak

Friday a friend of mine and I headed up for a hike out of Evergreen's Elk Meadow Open Space park to Bergen Peak.  We got a good early  start from the upper parking lot, anticipating the 10 mile  round trip hike.  Just a few hundred feet from the parking lot  three mule deer bucks still in velvet crossed our path and  meandered through the tall grass.  It was picturesque with the dew and the fog still hanging on the air from last nights rain.  We covered the first 2-21/2 miles at a good pace admiring the wildflowers as we went.  Bergen Peak trail does have 3 caches along it's route but I  logged them on a hike a couple years ago so was not planning to log any today. At about this point the trail has a pretty steep section with no switch backs to give tired legs a break.  I had not planned going past this point as I have not done much hiking yet this season.  I said as much to my hiking partner telling her I would wait for her here, take some pictures and just hang out.  She had a goal of reaching the top so off she went. As I snapped some pictures of the wildflowers that were benefiting from the earlier spring rains, I decided to give this section a bit more effort and headed up.  Before I knew it I was past the worst of it,and as the rest of the hike is not that bad, with some ups and downs and long switch backs, I gradually made my way on up. Past  the climb is the reward for the earlier effort.  The tall pines here are unaffected by the pine beetle that is ravaging parts of the Rocky Mountains are still green and cool providing much appreciated shade.  The trail is wide and smooth and birds flit thru the trees.  Despite my enjoyment of the day I was still very happy to see the long left hand turn that took me to the peak, having climbed way past my initial goal.  There is 1 geocache at the peak which I had found several years ago but as there were several people at the top I did not alert them to the location of the cache.

After a brief rest near the top we headed back down felling satisfied with our effort of the day.  We identified a yellow-rumped warbler mocking our terrestrial bound travel and a quieter junco as we traversed the switchbacks back to the car, the noise, and the heat.  I was deeply satisfied and inspired to increase my commitment to hike  these beautiful mountains I am so lucky to live near.  Viva Colorado!!! 

 

Geocaching?

In my last blog I mentioned geocaching a couple times but did not really explain what exactly geocaching is.  Geocaching is a real world outdoor  treasure hunting activity using gps enabled devices.  Started in 2000 with one cache it has grown to over 1 million caches around the world and over 5 million geocachers.  Basically, someone leaves and object, usually a tupperware container, with a log and small objects to trade then registers it on line,at http://www.geocaching.com for example.   Other cachers look online for caches nearby enter the coordinates in their gps device and go off on a hunt. But be careful, geocaching can be quite addictive!  How many caches can you find in a day, in a week, in a year?  Or can you be the first to find( FTF) a newly placed cache? Can you find a cache in every state? On top of a 14er? Sometimes it is just the  satisfaction you feel after hunting and hunting and finally finding that cleverly hidden cache that has been staring right at you for the past 20 minutes.  Whatever it is I know I will hike higher and walk longer and explore further just knowing there is a cache nearby.
 Some of the best moments on recent trips have been finding a cache placed by a local cacher in a unique or historical location that I would of never thought to look for if it weren't for the cache.  We felt like old world explorers when we  found the ruins of a remote castle along the western coast of Ireland.  Geocaching has taken me many places, where will it take you?