Mt. Evans Looking for Mountain Goats:
This year we have been snowed out and forest fire’ed out of our planned trips into the Medicine Bow National Forest. So we decided to leave a day early for this trip to Mt. Evans in search of Mountain Goats.
We left Cheyenne on Sunday heading to the Prospector Campground in the White River Forest area outside of Dillion, Colorado. We crossed our fingers hoping a camp site would be available, as we anticipated the weekend crowds would be heading home.
We were loaded up and driving South at 1030, and all is well till we hit the throngs of folks in Denver. Slow going in and out of Denver and all the way up to exit off of I-70. This was to be expected and we finally arrived at the Prospector Campground at 1445. I was tired of the traffic and we grabbed the first site which looked good for one night. We quickly leveled the camper and got The Boys for a walk.
The Prospector Campground has about 147 camp sites situated in 5 loops, at 9000 ft ASL (Above Sea-Level). The views of the local mountains are very nice. The Campground Host was friendly and made sure we were all settled in. The contract for the hosts and maintenance is via a company called CLM. I must say at this campground they are very conscientious in keeping things clean and nice. The pit toilets were very clean and did not smell.
For our dinner this evening we brought some chili leftover from previous camping trip. We got The Boys for another couple walks before we crashed for the evening.
As we could not check into our next campground at the base of Mt. Evans until later in the day so we had a nice leisurely morning. Breakfast was biscuits and gravy, yes the biscuits were cooked in one of the dutch ovens. The mandatory pup walks were done and we packed up and departed this campground at 1100. Our driving distance today is only 58 miles.
We arrived at the Echo Lake Campground at 12:30 and backed into our site. Never a straight in to any of these sites, so down hill on a corner, ugh, but we got it done. Just as we leveled and unhooked a bit of a thunder storm rolled in. So we grabbed The Boys and sought shelter in the camper for lunch.
The Echo Lake Campground is at 10,600 ft ASL and the temps are nice and cool at 55 F. Also from our site there is no cell service. I think our plan is to just chill for the afternoon and acclimatize to 10,000.
The rain has been off and on and from the looks of our last pup walk I think it maybe here for the evening. Not a heavy rain, just steady light shower. There has been an occasional burst of thunder and we have not seen any lightning. Given the high fire danger condition, the rain is very welcome.
It was pretty darn kewl to see a cow moose and her calf walk through our campsite this evening.
7/11/17
The skies looked a little overcast so we opted to make breakfast and then head up the hill. While cooking breakfast a mule deer came to the campsite as if she was expecting breakfast.
We got to the summit over the very very very rough road and found a group of Mountain Goats to photograph. They did not seem to bothered by human presence, and I think we got some good photos. When we arrived there were only a few folks there and just a couple photographers. The parking lot continued to fill and we left a bit before 1130. The temps were in the mid 40’s with a bit of wind.
We returned to our camp and rearranged the back of the truck where the bumpy roads tossed the items asunder. We then made some sandwiches for lunch and did several dog walks. We cooked up some ham and potatoes for dinner and as we were cleaning up a good steady rain started to fall.
Mountain goats are not true goats—but they are close relatives. They are more properly known as goat-antelopes. These surefooted beasts inhabit many of North America's most spectacular alpine environments. They often appear at precipitous heights, from Alaska to the U.S. Rocky Mountains, showcasing climbing abilities that leave other animals, including most humans, far below. Mountain goats have cloven hooves with two toes that spread wide to improve balance. Rough pads on the bottom of each toe provide the grip of a natural climbing shoe. Mountain goats have distinctive beards and long, warm coats to protect them from cold temperatures and biting mountain winds. Their dazzling white coats provide good camouflage on the snowy heights. During the more moderate summer season goats shed this coat.
7/12/17 It is our 37th anniversary.
We had a somewhat restless night as the refrigerator kept shutting down. We had experienced this before as LP refrigerators are not really made to work at altitude. The alarm sounded at 0430 and we heard rain on the camper rooftop. We rolled over and The Boys repositioned themselves and we slept for another 45 min. I got up and took The Boys for their morning walk as Lynn boiled water for coffee. We made travel mugs of coffee and grabbed a couple muffins and headed up the hill. The weather at the summit was a cool 37F with a bit of wind and overcast sky threatening rain.
Today at the summit there was a smaller group of the goats and the some Big Horn Sheep dropped by for a visit. We also observed Marmot and Pika. Again more photos were taken and having reviewed the quickly I am happy with those I got.
A little bit about Pikas: Pikas are small, rodent-like mammals. Although they look like a squirrel or guinea pig, they're actually more closely related to rabbits and hares. Pikas have short, stout bodies with big, round ears. They do not have a visible tail.
Pikas have brown and black fur. The fur is colored to camouflage with rocks. Pika fur is thick to keep them warm in the winter. During the summer, they put on a much lighter coat of fur--however, the fur is still thick enough that a pika might overheat if exposed to very high heat for long periods of time.
We did see several Marmots. The yellow-bellied marmot also known as the rock chuck, is a large, stout-bodied ground squirrel in the marmot genus. They typically are found living above 6,500 feet. The fur is mainly brown, with a dark bushy tail, yellow chest and white patch between the eyes, and they weigh up to 11 pounds. They are diurnal and feed on plant material, insects, and bird eggs. They hibernate for approximately eight months starting in September and lasting through the winter.
As the weather deteriorated, we decided to head out and check out another USFS campground in the area. A nice campground was found at the end of a three mile dirt road, which was a tad rough. As I said, a nice campground if one is tenting. These campgrounds are tight for our 20 ft trailer. The roads are narrow with deep runoff ditches on each side, this makes for difficult backing in to the site. Further the sites are rather narrow and one wants a front porch area, you are out of luck.
We got back to the camper and started the generator as solar is out of the question at this time. Took The Boys for a lap around the campground and then we settled in to download photos and have a cup of tea.
It is a perfect day for grilled cheese and tomato soup.
A light soaking rain continued through out the afternoon, this did not deter us from getting The Boys out for a few walks. If the rain continues I am not sure what we will make for dinner, as we had planned steaks. Still raining, so looks like canned stew will be on the menu.
7/13/17
A steady rain fell all night long yet we awoke at 0500 to mostly clear skies. I got The Boys for a walk as Lynn made coffee and prepared snacks for the morning. We got to the summit area at about 0600 and there were no goats to be found, eventually three big horn sheep came by and the Pica were active. We waited till about 1000 and did not see any goats. That is the way of wildlife photography. Back at camp we got The Boys for a walk and then made pancakes for lunch. The sun has been shining and we have the solar array out collecting energy for the batteries.
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are the largest wild sheep in North America. Muscular males can weigh over 300 pounds and stand over three feet tall at the shoulder. Females are roughly half this size. Bighorn sheep are gray/brown to dark brown in color with white patches on their rump, muzzle and back of legs. Winter coats are thick, double-layered and may be lighter in color. Bighorn sheep shed these heavy coats in the summer.
They have wide-set eyes that provide a large angle of vision. This along with sharp hearing and a highly developed sense of smell can detect dangers at great distances. Specialized hooves and rough soles provide a natural grip as bighorn sheep make precarious jumps and breath-taking climbs up and down sharp cliff faces.
As their name suggests, bighorn sheep have true horns that they retain throughout their life. Males, called rams, have large horns that curl around their faces by eight years of age. These horns can weigh up to 30 pounds. Females, called ewes, have smaller horns that curve slightly to a sharp point within the first four years of life.
After breakfast/lunch was cleaned up we took The Boys for a good walk. We then simply lounged around the campsite and The Boys slept. The skies are getting cloudy and a couple drops of rain are falling, so we got The Boys for another walk about the campground. We keep getting asked if we are the campground hosts. There are a lot of empty sites with reserved signs. I am kinda thinking given the weather folks have decided not come out and camp.
We just had a few drops of rain so we did many walks with The Boys. The weather was nice and cooking outside was an option, we cooked our anniversary dinner of steak and potatoes with carrots as a vegetable. Pretty darn good.
For some reason, people think we are the campground host and seem to ask us all kinds of questions. I think I should get free camping or something. Maybe we need T-Shirts that say, “we are not the campground hosts”. There was a couple who pulled into a site next to us using their parents camper. They had been given no instructions on how to set up etc etc. They did ask a few questions and we provided some friendly help, not that we are camp pros.
We sat outside just enjoying the evening and took The Boys for a final walk and now the sandman is making us sleepy.
On Friday 7/14 we got up early and made our way home to avoid DEN traffic .
Marmot
violet-green swallow
Prospector Campground
Pika
Big Horn Sheep
