Wait…where am I?

Wow, I have been busy lately.  I really have been meaning to post more, but so far, I have just been managing to get my weekly Owin episodes out.  Here is a quick update on what I’ve been doing, as well as what I am going to be doing.

First, last week I spent hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.  We put in just over 46 miles on trails over the course of four days.  The first day we broke a personal record, doing 18 miles round-trip (which included darn near 4k foot of elevation gain).

That trip was from Lawn Lake Trail head, up past Lawn Lake, and onto The Saddle.  On the way back, we took a mile side trip to Crystal Lake, which is thought to be the deepest lake in the park.  I must say, it was amazing up there.  It was also a bit of work doing this hike.  I live around 850 ft above sea level.  The Saddle is at 12,390 feet, so there is a bit less air at that height than what I am used to, but the views were amazing and the effort worth it.  Plus, the wild flowers were spectacular (and last week wasn’t even the height of the season, I think we missed it by a week or so).

For those interested in the hike, we stayed on Central Time and that first day in the park, we woke up at our normal time of about 0500 (which was 4am local time).  Drove the mile from where we were staying at The Wildwood Inn (I would recommend them) and entered the park on the highway 34 entrance.  Lawn Lake trail head is close to the Alluvial Fan and the park entrance.  Note, the Alluvial Fan and the Old Fall River Road are closed because of the damage sustained by the flooding in 2013 (though most things are open).

Because I had hurt myself a month or so before the hike, I went somewhat light on the pack, leaving a lot of my camera gear behind.  I basically had my phone and a camcorder (I’ll process the video later) so these are not my best shots (some are frames from video).

The trip up to Lawn Lake was fairly easy, just over 6 miles at a pretty steady climb (no dramatic rock faces to scale on the way).  The lake itself is not spectacular; it was once dammed to hold water for irrigation, but due to improper maintenance, the dam failed in 1982, flooding the area down stream and killing three people.  The photo here was taken from above Lawn Lake on the way to the Saddle and/or Crystal Lake.  Looking down at it, the lake does have character and charm, but at the lake side, most of the area is rocky from where the water used to be.

From The Saddle, you can see Hagues Peak and Fairchild Mountain.  We met a couple of guys just before we reached The Saddle who were going to summit Fairchild.  This is a picture of Hagues, Fairchild is a little less dramatic, but one day I will consider doing the summit of the peaks as well.  However, for this trip, we didn’t want the extra mileage or altitude.  (I was starting to feel the effects of being 12k feet above sea level) and did not want to go higher.  Side note, this is higher than the Alpine visitor center and anywhere you drive in the park along Trail Ridge Road.)

The climb from Lawn Lake to either Crystal Lake or the Saddle is a lot of work.  There are some rather steep sections, but being on the ridge of the Mummy Range provides some wonderful views of both sides.  However, at the top we got distracted by a small bachelor herd of big horn sheep.  Here are three of them charging each other on a small snow field.  A fourth just lounged around above them and watched.  We decided he was already set in his position in the herd and had nothing more to prove.

Again, the flowers on the way up to The Saddle just covered the slopes and offered blues, purples, yellows, whites, and reds for us to gaze over.  It was really beautiful.  I’ll have to look for some shots of those.  The picture here is of Sherri getting my attention for the sheep and gives you an idea of just how far you can see.

On the way back down from the lakes, we encountered a couple of mule deer that were far too busy eating the flowers to care about us.  We had to pass within a couple of feet of them to continue down the slope.  We also encountered plenty of squirrels (real ones, not distractions), pika, marmots, birds, and rabbits.  It was our best day for seeing wildlife (though on other hikes, we saw a snake and helped a red fox get himself some lunch).

The fox we saw on a shorter hike (about 8 miles round-trip) to Cascade Falls on the west side of the park.  It was an easy hike regarding how level and smooth the trail was.  However, it was more exposed and fairly hot (the wild-fire nearby didn’t contribute to that, but we did see a helicopter make several trips to gather water).

The fourth hike was to Thunder Pass, also on the west side.  The route through Lulu City was about 14.5 miles round-trip.  That trail, the thunderstorm, and crossing a wet log over a rain swollen river will get its own post.  However, the initial picture in this post is from Thunder Pass.  It was a very good hike and great to see Michigan Lake and the other side of the ridge.

Secrets to success

Now a couple of secrets for those not wanting to do day hikes that are 15 to 20 miles long.  First, there are plenty of backwoods campsites near and along the paths.  We could have camped at Lawn Lake and done those 18 miles over two or three days and had more time to enjoy the area.

Second.  Make sure you have enough food and water.  I normally carry too much, but last year on a rather dry hike (and the long way around) to Bridal Veil Falls, I ran out of water.  Fortunately, I also have a Katadyn water filter and refilled my pack from the falls.  Adding an in-line carbon filter to the water filter helps clear the taste and both together, keeps you from getting sick.

Third.  Prepare to get rained on.  In the mountains, it is expected that there will be afternoon showers.  We got poured on coming back from Thunder Pass and mildly drizzled on coming back from The Saddle.  Ponchos and rain pants plus clothing in layers make adjusting to the changing environment bearable and even enjoyable.

What’s next?

As I promised, here is a taste of what I have coming up.  Starting this coming Thursday (21 Aug 2014) I will be at the Wizard World Comic Con in Chicago!  I have table E51 in the Artist Alley.  If you are in the area, definitely come by and see me.  I’ve got bookmarks and maps for giveaways.  I’ll sign your books and if you would like to get the set, I’ll have them for sale as well.  Or just come by to chat.  I enjoy talking (probably too much).

The whole Donald E. Stephens Convention Center was rented and all of the vendor space sold out.  I believe the 4 day passes are even sold out at this point, but single day ones are available.  There will be a huge number of celebrities.  Some highlights include: Matt Smith and Karen Gillan as well as Stan Lee.  Lots of the Star Trek cast will be there, including William Shatner and Patrick Stewart.  Tons of other actors, creators, and fans.  It is a big event and I am really excited to be a small part of it.