July 16, 2020
Thought upon waking: I’m content in this camping spot
Thought upon sleeping: I’m missing my baby girl. What I wouldn’t give for a good snuggle right now.
Cravings: Rest
Today was one grueling hike! We awoke. made breakfast and broke camp around 8a.m. Today’s objective is to follow the Needle Creek approach trail to Chicago Basin. Breakfast was Alpine Meals Bandito Scramble. We were not impressed. Often times egg dishes require some trial and error to get the water content right ,however this was more a spice thing. It didn’t have any. Unfortunately, we only remembered the red pepper flakes we had packed after we were finished. After cleanup it was time to start up the trail. I wasn’t sure what I was signing up for but I knew it would be challenging from all the reading I had done. This trail gains 3,000ft of altitude before dumping you into some of the most majestic scenery Colorado has to offer. Moreover the pictures don’t do it justice. It’s a place you should truly see for yourself!
Oh the flies!
Not sure this deserves it’s own topic but the flies on the first part of this trail are thick and well fed. We spent the majority of the first 2,500ft of altitude gain hiking with the flies. We ate with the flies, We napped with the flies. Then as soon as we reached 10,500ft they were gone nearly as quick as you can snap your fingers. They would revisit us from time to time for the remainder of the trip, but nothing like the thick tapestry the wrapped around us on the way up.
Back to the climb!
I had suffered a sprained MCL in a boating accident 6 weeks ago. For the most part that sidetracked any preparation I was going to do to improve my fitness level going into this hike. In fact, I can now definitely say that my fitness level has declined markedly since I had a child. Bring on the dad bod! After I get back I’ll note to find time to work on that, but much of my body is a bit fractured already so as I age it is getting more and more difficult to find motivation. Hikes like this are all the motivation one needs. The views are breathtaking and they are worth every bit of exertion it takes to obtain them.
As expected, this portion of the trail was grueling with all our gear and nearly full packs of food. Thankfully there are plenty of water sources during the snow melt season so we didn’t have to pack any water in as well. There are plenty of water sources on this hike. Each climb was followed by magnificent after magnificent climb. I, however, was thinking about my fitness level for most of this which pulled me away from truly enjoying the experience. The pack is too heavy. We braked for lunch, and thankfully we did so at the point where most of the hard climbing was behind us. For the remaining 2.5 miles it was steady uphill until finally the trees broke into the mountain meadows.
We continued on our way and met up with a hiker who was leaving after a successful climb. He told us of an exquisite campsite that was empty just after the trail split to go to Twin Lakes which is the trailhead to access Chicago Basin itself. We enjoyed rounding the bend as the basin opened up above us. It is very memorable to replay in one’s mind. After we reached the fork in the trail and looking about we decided to take up the hiker’s advice and found an amazing camping spot just where he suggested it would be. There is an abundance of shade, close access to water and plenty of space for our two tents. Better, it isn’t too high or too low in the valley so it is temperate in the mornings and the view from our doorstep, epic! Here we will stay until our summit attempts have been completed.
Camp time!
We arrived at our camp at approximately 4 in the afternoon. We got our tents up and no sooner did we drive in the last stake that it began to rain. In we went with most of our bedding to take a well-earned rest. For the next 4 hours the skies opened up and the temperature steadily dropped until the rain drops turned to hail.
It was cold and we were hungry. There was a break in the action long enough to find a dry spot underneath a pine tree. By the time the water was boiling, the skies opened up again. We all stood shoulder to shoulder under the protection of this 25ft tall tree and ate our dinner. Mountain House Chicken Teriyaki. This time we remembered the red pepper flakes and combined with the meal it hit the spot. With dinner finished and it still raining we left the details of further setting up camp till the morning and snuggled back in our tent. It rained most of the night but I was warm, powered by the dinner and heart-pounding hiking we did earlier.
Having made it to our campsite for the next few days, my thoughts returned to my family back home. I’d give about anything to be with them now, or I should say that I’d give about anything for them to be here with me right now. Perhaps a goal was set? This trail and distance is more difficult than some others in Colorado. I won’t say its impossible, but more unwise. More or less, it would be problematic to bring my family to the basin at this point in our lives.
