Soggy Moose Travels : MT EVANS, WE MISSED THE GOATS BY TWO WEEKS

We left the house at about 1230 and started the three plus hour drive south towards Denver and then West on I-70 to Idaho Springs, then 14 miles South on CO 103 to the Echo Lake Camp ground at 10,600 feet in elevation. We were lucky to meet the Campground Host as we pulled in and were advised as to the available sites that would accommodate our trailer. This campground only has 18 sites and they are small, a camper any larger than our 20 foot one would simply not work in all but one site here. The one large site is occupied by a pop up camper, go figure. The sites are very very close to each other so not really the kind of campground which affords privacy, unless you are tent camping. The tent pads are more widely dispersed.

We have a reservation for a site tomorrow night and were taking pot luck for this evening. We were lucky to get site 17 which is pretty level and we do not have to unhook from the truck. The Campground Host suggested we move to site #5 tomorrow as it would have lots of room for the truck. She said all we have to do is move our sign reserved sign over to site #5 from site #7 when #5 is hopefully vacated early tomorrow.

The Campground Host stopped by as we finished backing into our site and we learned our Golden Age passport will get us free access to the road up Mt. Evans otherwise it would be $15. She mentioned there were lots of Mountain Goats, Marmots, Pika and maybe some Mountain Sheep. She also provided us with a trail map. We then grabbed our rain coats as rain was impending and took The Boys for a loop around the campground. The rain started to fall as we were 2/3’s around the loop, so we dashed back to the camper to take refuge from the thunder storm.

On the drive down we did loose the access cover to our propane tanks. The Campground Host said she had also lost theirs driving here from Arizona. I can make one from wood or plexiglass when we get home.

As photography is our goal for this trip our meals will be simple out of the can and sandwiches. So tonight is a fine Progresso soup.

After dinner the rain stopped and we took The Boys for a walk. At the Junction of HWY CO 103 and HWY CO 5 one finds the Echo Lake Lodge. Here they sell the basic rubber tomahawk items and one can find a bar and a restaurant. This evening there was a wedding party in an upstairs room. The menu looked good and the prices were inline considering the location. From there we walked to the Mt Evans road entrance station where access fees are collected. The Boys made friends with the gal collecting fees and we learned the Mountain Goats have probably moved on and we should have been here two weeks earlier. So noted but there could be Marmot and Pika. We hiked down one of the trails for a bit and being an old trail hand I must say these trails are very well maintained. Returning to the campground we noticed the campground is full for the night and the skies are starting to clear ever so slowly.

We had a good nights sleep and it was not as cold as we expected and The Boys let us have some covers.

We were up a bit before 0600 and got The Boys for a morning walk and business was taken accomplished. Back at the camp we cranked up the generator and had a breakfast of cereal and coffee.

SITE #5 has opened up and The Great Campsite Rush is on. We quickly pack up and head over to the larger site. While the site is larger the road from which we have to back up from is rather narrow and we will be backing uphill to get into this site. With a good bit of maneuvering we finally made it in. We level up and let the Camp Ground Host know we are all moved so she can move our reserved sign. The Host here is great and is doing a fantastic job, seriously the bathrooms are the cleanest and best smelling pit toilets we have ever experienced.

We get our gear together and head out towards the summit of Mt. Evans at 14,130 feet. We will be traveling on the highest roadway in North America. The road to the summit is about 14 plus miles, narrow and very very rough in several places. One can recognize folks who are not used to driving on such roads in that they use the whole road and drive right in the middle of the road.

Reaching the summit we park and start our quest for critters. The wind was blowing a good 20 MPH and the temperature was 48F. We took The Boys out for a walk as there were no Mountain Goats to be found. Yes we are a couple weeks late for seeing the nannies and their kids. Must mark the calendar for next year. We did hear several Pikas barking or chirping. Given the wind I figured they were staying close to their homes and not venturing out. With the help of Kenai, not really, we did spot a couple of the running amongst the rocks. I did manage to get a couple of photos.

The clouds were building to the west and due to the lack of photogenic critters we decided to head down the mountain. For some reason our compression brake is not working so we used a low gear and slowly descended. We got back to camp and the temp was 61F and the skies were darkening. I played with the compression brake and did all the diagnosis I could with no joy, while Lynn took the boys for a walk. We had our lunch in the camper as the temps dropped to 55F and rain started to fall. The Boys were exhausted from their high mountain experience and are now sleeping soundly. The temp dropped to 50F and we endured these cold temps by assembled a puzzle.

In a little bit, the skies cleared and we decided to go for a hike. We first stopped by the lodge and took some humming bird pictures and then we walked along the trail next to Echo Lake. Here we got some photos of ducks doing their duck thing. There were several folks fishing and I asked if the fishing was good, then I asked if the catching was good. Seems like the fishing was all that was good, but they were enjoying themselves. Again a band of showers started to come through and we picked up the pace back to the camper. Time to sort pictures and catch up on this document.

The dual Battery system we added is working really well, yet we will be running the generator to charge the phones and computer.

As we thought we would want quick meals for this trip as taking photos was the main objective we have been having canned soups and stew. Probably a good thing to rotate our canned stock here in the camper.

Thunder continues to rumble as we finish our dinner and rain continues.

Not sure what we will be doing tomorrow as the wildlife on the mountain is rather sparse, will just have to wait and see.

0200 ish hours the carbon monoxide / gas detector starts going off. No Carbon Monoxide or gas problem, just a Sitka sleeping on the detector. Sitka looks at us like “What, !!! wasn’t me.”

0400 ish Kenai is on the bed pawing us to get up and take him out, ok kenai you win. So a very early morning pup walk was in order. They then let us sleep till 0630 when we took them for another walk as the coffee brewed. Temp was 41F and the skies are overcast. The Boys are fed and we will have a leisurely morning breakfast of pancakes, with ham and peaches.

After cleaning up from breakfast we got some gear together for a hike on the Rest House Meadow Trail. We hiked up hill for a bit over 1.5 miles and then explored a saddle area. From this saddle are the trail made a steep descent so we opted to head back to the campground. The Boys enjoyed this hike through the thick spruce forest. Nothing for wildlife other than a chipmunk or two. I was surprised we did not see another hikers. The skies have cleared off with some cumulus clouds moving fast in the upper atmosphere and the outside temp is now 57F. The Boys got a drink of water and have crashed. We took some time to review the information on our next trip to Devils Tower, Wall Drug, Badlands and Custer State Park.

As the sun was still shinning, we took The Boys for lap around the campground. Site #14 had been vacated and we got to take a closer look. Yes this is a site we would really like and will try for a reservation for early July 2017. Looks like we will need to start this process this coming January.

While here at this camp ground we have seen some Clark’s Nutcrackers, Stellar Jays and Oregon Junco.

Soon it was time for The Boys afternoon walk, so we geared up and decided to hike the Echo Lake Trail again. The Boys enjoy the trail as it goes by the lodge where they get to see people and receive compliments. When we got close to the lake we noticed a couple of cormorants, also some Stellar Jays and Clark’s Nutcrackers. The jays and nutcrackers were constantly on the move and being elusive. The cormorants we later identified as Double Crested Cormorants.

After this hike we decided to take a shower as The Boys slept. The Boys awoke at 1700 and were ready for their dinner, after which we took them for a walk around the campground loop. We came back and made a pasta in a cheddar sauce with broccoli and tuna.

Soon it was time for the 1830 walk followed by the 1930 walk where we took The Boys down the Echo Lake trail a little ways and then for a lap or two around the camp ground. Several small dogs barked and yipped at The Boys and they were totally ambivalent to their barking. A couple times on our walks Sitka seems to get a scent and acts like he is tracking. It should be noted when we return from the final walk of the day The Boys jump into the camper and straight upon the top of the bed and give us the “wonder where you are going to sleep” look.

The campground host reminded us of the Perseid meteor shower but we have some clouds covering 75% of the sky. If I recall correctly they will peak on 8/12.

I slept through the 0330 pup walk as I woke up as Lynn returned.The skies had cleared and we did see a few shooting stars. We woke at 0600 and it was cool as inside temp was 51F and outside it was 35F. So we started up the furnace to warm things up a bit. started the generator, got the coffee going, and prepared The Boys breakfast.

Will pack up this morn (8/12) and head home. I am hoping the compression brake issues are related to altitude, but we will see. Our camper todo list keeps getting shorter and shorter after each outing.

All in all, a fun trip and now that we know what site we would like we will be making a reservation much earlier, in January for early July. We can see why this is a popular area, as it does have a lot to offer as well as it’s proximity to Denver.