7.23.17 Hessie Trail – Nederland, CO

HESSIE TRAIL : HIKE

NEAR: Nederland, CO

DISTANCE: 2.6 miles

ELEVATION GAIN: 462 feet

ROUTE TYPE: LOOP

im not sure why this is classified as a loop trail as we exited the same way we entered, but thats what ALL TRAILS says.

i wanted to squeeze in one last hike before departing back to the midwest for a wedding on the following monday. this location is pretty heavily trafficked and parking is very limited at the trailhead, but there is a FREE shuttle that runs every 20mins or so from the RTD parking lot in the center of Nederland. in hopes of catching someone leaving we drove all the way to the beginning to find that everything was full, and they do ticket cars not parked in the designated areas, so if you’re not extremely early or on an off day, save yourself the 30+ mins round trip and stop in town.

the area has many camping locations so some of the path is rocky roads, but it makes for an easy warmup before the incline.

there was a great deal of rain that had fallen lately so the first half a mile was flooded; luckily we’re always prepared with our goretex waterproof hiking boots! the cool flowing water was definitely nice since the sun was out, but there is dry ground to the right for those that dont want to get their feet wet.

on the way up you cross over multiple water systems and there are some beautiful open views throughout the incline to the top. i noticed a small locked box of some sort located at the foot of the first bridge. maybe some kind of counter/sensor?

halfway up you can pull off to the left side where many large and small cliffs face a massive cascading stream that flows alongside the trail.

the distance isnt too long with an easy elevation that is only steep for maybe half of the route, but if you need to rest there is plenty of tall trees to get away from the sun, and large boulders to climb around along the way.

its always a relief when you reach the end, which in this case is the calm lake tucked nicely between the mountains, but as always we try to make our way around to the back for a better view and to pitch our hammocks up to relax.

i purposely didnt bring any fishing gear as we were on a schedule, but it was awesome to see so many ducks and ducklings attempt to catch some of the fry and bugs around the banks. they came up so close until the mothers shooed them away.

 

since i was unable to get some flying time in at Chinns Lake, i made sure to bust out my DJI Mavic early this time for a quick flight and view of the area. there was what appeared to be a mine to the southwest that i only noticed from my drone.

i was attempting to take pictures of it when another hiker came by and started asking questions about my aerial device. initially i thought/hoped she was just curious about it but she soon started to complain about how it “disrupted nature” and was “bad for the environment.” to be honest, when the UMV is 200-300 feet above you cant really hear it, and i dont truly believe that it disrupts the environment any more than a car or humans being in the area, but i didnt want to argue and brought it back down quickly.

its interesting how my encounters used to be more of excitement and interest; “is that a drone? nice! i want one.” nowadays it seems a larger population of people are unfortunately disgusted by them, which is why im not as comfortable anymore flying when others are around. my biggest reason for purchasing it was to get a better perspective of the area and some cool pics and vids. i’ve always wanted one, but it was during my first hike up to crater lake near aspen, when i realized a regular camera cant really show how enormous the mountains can truly be. an aerial view, and especially a video zooming out to see how small a person is compared to the peaks is what i want to share. hopefully, my encounters are much more positive from here on out, but i do hope other see that they are harmless and just another tool to document with.

heres the link to my first hike up in aspen, co:

https://allorado.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/7-13-16-cater-lake-trail-devils-punch-bowl-aspen-co/

my sister was flying into colorado that evening and needed to be picked up, so we packed up and started trekking back to the car, with the shuttle time, and transit home in mind.

on our way back down we pulled over to the side to check out one last waterfall that we apparently missed.

Nederland, CO looks like an awesome area to explore, with a lot of shops, and activities a walking distance away from the main parking lot. we always want to experience the cities nearby but either are too tired, or locked for time. maybe we’ll have to dedicate a day to the towns.

 

Chris got some great pics again from this trip. we actually started a shared google drive to sort our adventure media:

here’s a link to the alltrails info, though i think we merged to the Lost Lake trail at the end of the Hessie Trail:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/hessie-trail

7.13.16 Cater Lake Trail / Devil’s Punch Bowl – ASPEN, CO

DISTANCE: 3.9 miles

ELEVATION GAIN: 754 feet

ROUTE TYPE: out & back

weeks prior to the date a co-worker asked if i’d like to partake in a group hike and cliff dive. im a guy that likes plans, wasnt to sure what was to be exprected, but definitely wanted to start getting outdoors more and especially try out hiking. i agreed and was told to bring some water, comfortable shoes, and swim trunks for the dive.

i was slightly skeptical, vacationing in the rockies as a child, and of course scouring through instagram posts to see what others outfitted themselves with on similar trips. spending the last 4 years of my life on the road playing gigs, i didnt have hardly antyhing for a nature adventure. of course, i waited for the last second to gather any gear. the sports authority nearby was going out of business and had massive sales. there wasnt many options left available so i grabbed some northface sweatpants, compression shorts, and a new set of trunks. at home i gathered some tennis shoes, the largest capacity nalgene bottle i had, and a backpack that still has been holding up since middle school ( i originally wanted a backpack with wheels when i was younger, but thankful i switched to this very long lasting northface bag).

it was a nice first adventure with the roommates and new co-workers. we woke up at 5am, met downtown, split the party into two vehicles, and started our almost 4 hour journey to the site near aspen .

an hour before reaching the town, we pulled off at independence pass. a small overlook with a great first view, but was incredibly windy. i was completely bundeled up: beanie, face cover, hoodie (pulled over). i hadnt googled the actual trail and wasnt sure if this destination would be our final stop 😛

after taking in the sights we hopped back in, made it through aspen, and up to the trail head where we were told we had to park at a fee lot (maybe $5 for car), pay $8 a head at a visitors center, to ride a tour bus up to the actual cater lake trail head. on the crowded bus mostly full of kids, the drive gave a nice talk on the land and features, hoping to stop along the 15min ride to see some wildlife. on the ride up we all noticed cars driving up to the trailhead and wasn’t sure if we could’ve done the same and saved everyone paying. if anyone tries this trail and finds that payment ahead is not required, and the bus is just for tours, please let me know for the future ^_^

the beginning of the hike started with a calm walk around a pretty good sized lake, where there were actually a few guys waded in the water, fly fishing. off the shore, you could see various trout swimming along the edge of the bank. looking the direction of the trail you could see the massive maroon bells ahead; the two beautiful mountain peaks with a purplish hint and gorgeous white ladder streaks of snow (seen in many pics included).

the hike began and i found myself constantly head down, struggling with my old tennis shoes to walk the varying slight inclines, through rough rock patches. i knew right then if i was going to pursue this hobby, i’d need to invest in some stronger protective footwear. a hike with a dozen ppl can get messy. soon the group split into different hike speeds. i was definitely at the end, taking breaks occasionally, but also stopping multiple occasions to take pictures. not knowing what to expect i assumed the top of every mini mound was the destination. the path was moderately trafficked, and it was nice being able to check with those coming back how far they had walked.

i had been considering purchasing a drone and after only hiking for a short time i was starting to see how having one could definitely benefit in trying to capture how truly massive the mountains were. there was only so much i could show from my lens against the side of teh mountain.

after finally coming down the last long, slightly rocky downward incline we made it to cater lake, tucked perfectly in the open valley at the foot of the bells. it was great to sit and enjoy time with everyone (and especially catch my breath!). some wandered around, others said they saw a moose at the end of the lake. we had a small rock skipping contest before we began our trek back.

my feet were hurting from try to walk the weird angles, and slipping on the rocks coming out of the trail ofter. in addition, my neck was killing me from having to look down so much, not being able to take the path well in what i had. my draw string sweat pants were nice when it was cold but for most of the hike they were a pain. thick, heavy, and the string that had to be knotted was digging into my sides constantly. different pants were also going to have to be a must.

it was a great first hike but we weren’t done yet. packed the car and made our way into aspen first for a late lunch. strolling through the town we quickly learned that finding a quick cheap burger joint was difficult. i remember one of the first restaurants we checked, that had a beautiful patio facing the mountains, and an active ski lift station 12 feet away, also featured a $25 hamburger as their cheapest option. we eventually found a small hole-in-the-wall bar that had some tasty fried baskets, sandwiches, and drinks all for a reasonable price.

our next stop was Devil’s Punch Bowl, a hidden stream off the side of the highway where visitors could jump the 30ft cliff into the cold mountain spring water. i personally am not a fan of unknown depths, dont really swim in lakes and hate feeling the emptiness below my feet. it was the part of the trip i was looking forward to yet. walking down the very short path opened up to a beautiful rock formation carved from the fast moving water below. we had to walk downstream on our side of the bend, across where the water was low, and then back up the hill up to the opposite side where the jumping cliff was. everyone went once, and it took me longer than i thought to man up the courage, and walk off this rock face. in my head i was constantly thinking of the game super mario, where when you jump, you can command a character to fall any direction. this scenario was different, i had no idea how to land in, how much to jump, anything. you can see the attached link to the youtube channel with my jump below. it was surreal.

i only jumped once, spending most of my time being scared, and the rest recording everyone else’s leap.

we got our group pic, dried up quick, and started making our way back to denver. didnt get back until around 7pm, tired and exhausted, but the almost post-concert euphoria like feel from the adventure was relaxing and enough to want more.

 

 

People fly fishing at Crater Lake: https://youtu.be/vW4ie1gSAX4

at the time of this adventure i was vlogging parts of my life and spent most of the day catpuring video footage vs pictures. heres a link to the video blog from the day:

Cliff jumping at Devil’s Punch Bowl:

TRAIL INFO: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/crater-lake-trail