9.18.17 Evergreen Lake/Dam – Evergreen, CO

EVERGREEN LAKE/DAM : FISH

NEAR: Evergreen, CO

 

i’ve been really trying to get out as much as possible before the weather changes hard; though last year we were able to still do a hike all the way through the end of november. my goal is to maybe find a nice valley i can fly through and capture the array of colored leaves.

here’s the post from our last hike of the 2016 season, it was a real push to the top and pretty windy/cold, but still fun:

https://allorado.wordpress.com/2017/07/15/11-30-16-greyrock-trail-laporte-co/

i had to take a week off to make a quick trip back home, and we had a pretty busy weekend, so kept it casual and decided to make a plan the day of.

 

we weren’t feeling a big hike honestly, but some time by the water sounded relaxing. madi was going to work on her letting/typography, and i wanted to cast a bit (a ton).

i chose the dam below Evergreen Lake as i’d successfully fished there a few times, catching mostly small browns; so i knew it would be easier, plus the short distance from denver made it the perfect location for the day.

i was a bit worried initially as it was around 2pm when we left and i dont normally fish from 1pm-4pm as the sun beats down, but it was a relax-day with no mission to catch massive fish efficiently.

made our way down, with a rough goal of only staying for a few hours and it was truly nice to not have any time constraints. i dont think we even packed snacks!

the water was a bit lower and extremely clear with hardly anyone around. it makes it easier to cast far when i dont have to worry about kids running around as its a heavily trafficked spot.

after my second trip up to the Dream Stream, i have been really trying to use smaller flies which have been working well: size 22 nymphs. my dad has the ones that were gifted from generous fishing guides, so i decided to tie a few of my own with what i have.

heres the post from my second time up to the dream stream. im planning on trying to make a trip up in the fall when the larger fish come through to spawn:

https://allorado.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/8-15-17-dream-stream-lake-george-co/

my fly-tying material supply is like my skills, quite low. i only have some basic stuff from my dad to make pheasant-tail nymphs as they’re my absolute favorite to use. so i modified them a bit on a small #22 hook, adding some tinsel strings as i feel that having a little glitz and shine helps attract fish in the water.

here’s a quick clip i made while tying some more of these new flies:

 

View this post on Instagram

I was finishing up the post from my latest fishing trip where I successfully tried out these new flies and needed to create some more so I made a quick clip 🏔 Caught my largest brown at Evergreen dam so far, check out the post for more pics and info (link in bio) #allorado #coloradoflyfishing #troutfishing #featuremefishing #allaboutfishing_feature #findyourwater #repyourwater #flyfishingnation #sageflyfish #findyourwild #aFishWillrise #flyfishing_feature #fishwelldogood #anglermade #troutporn

A post shared by ALLORADO (@allorado) on Sep 22, 2017 at 4:25pm PDT

 

i attached one of my new creations, 5-6″ below a pheasant-tail nymph, on 5x line with an indicator above and no weights.

on the first cast directly into the middle of the flow, the striker shot down, but i must’ve tied the line poorly as it snapped. upon retrieving the rig i was able to see that the fish took the bottom nymph, my new one! it was quite exciting to have something you invented actually work. i’ve been sitting on this idea for awhile where i wanted to design a fly, then slowly make any changes to fit the taste.

i secured another below the pheasant-tail and began casting all the way to the far right back against the wall, the area where i’ve had the most success in the past. theres some smaller flows trickling over the dam where i know the fish sit around waiting for food. the only problem is that its pretty far away. i’d brought my new SAGE 4wt 9′ 4pc rod i got from my dad to try out but brought the wrong, heavier reel:/ it takes some solid casts to roll my way into that corner and i reallllllly didnt want to overwork the pole.

it was honestly on the 2nd cast that the indicator shot away fast and i had a fish on. at first i assumed it was just another small brown, but after it jumped i saw that this one was significantly larger than normal, so i really took my time bringing it in. lo and behold the trout took my new fly again! I NEED A NAME FOR IT as im referencing it so much.

it wasnt long after the first land that i began to bring in more quite frequently. the funny thing was that each trout was smaller than the one before it. the 4th fish was the size of my hand!

because of the time of day there was so much sun, and glare coming off of the water making it difficult to see the tiny pink dot across the water.

it was cool to see the collection of birds lining up at the edge of the dam

due to a few snags, and fish taking my flies from poor tying (mostly because i rush to get the line back out) i unfortunately lost all 4 of the NEW FLY models i brought out. i only actually made 4 but now was pretty excited to get back and pump a dozen or so out to be ready. at that point we agreed to start making our way back home and get some dinner; though post-outdoor craft beers were tempting, and theres some decent places in evergreen.

i think sometimes i worry a bit too much about getting out to the water at specific times, as i’ve seen how slow the fishing can get when the sun is hot, but we really had a nice time getting out of the city even for a few hours, and its always good to have some close go-to fishing/hiking locations for this specific reason.

 

on our way back to the city we just about pulled over when we saw the massive bison right up to the fence at the overlook. whenever we’re on highway 70, we always look over to the bison preserve to see if theyre grazing. we actually were able to stop by once and get pretty close (its gated but you can walk right up, and so do they).

here’s the post from that trip with some of the pics i took:

https://allorado.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/4-23-17-alderfer-three-sisters-park-evergreen-co/

i think all and all something for me to remember is that getting outdoors doesnt necessarily always need to be a full trip, packed and planned out. having some favorite spots to relax that arent a crazy drive away can be super helpful to relax and even destress with some fresh air and sights; which is one of the biggest reasons i like living here with tons a nature adventures to enjoy right in our backyard.

8.15.17 DREAM STREAM – Lake George, CO

DREAM STREAM : FISH

NEAR: Lake George, CO

WATER FLOW: ~250cfs

our third and sadly final day of fishing for the week while my family was out visiting. i actually stayed up in denver the night before and thus had to drive down and pick up my dad in the morning from colorado springs where i was greeted with a tasty breakfast casserole and coffee:)

we packed the car up and threw in a couple celebration beers for afterward and some extra beef jerky and cheddar ruffles to hold us over if the fishing went extremely well.

while at dinner the night prior i saw on the fishing report that the water was reading much lower than the past few days and Decker’s where we went the first day. it was looking better but either way the goal was to survey the area for a better grasp on the famous stretch for the future; catching fish is the bonus on these trips for us.

here’s my blog entries from our fishing trips to Decker’s and the Blue River during the same week:

https://allorado.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/8-13-17-south-platte-river-deckers-co/

https://allorado.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/8-14-17-blue-river-silverthorne-co/

the GPS kept us on the same route from my first trip out with Beau, but had us drive into Eleven Mile State Park instead of going directly up. nice change of pace as i’d never been to the east and north sides of the reservoir. i think someday it would be amazing to camp and do some astrophotography here as its an enormous canyon surrounded by the mountains.

having parked at the central lot before, i decided to take us to the next spot half a mile up which put us in less walking distance from the section of waters i’ve had the most success in. its the parking lot closest to the abandoned red building for those familiar with the area.

numerous groups were packing up when we arrived, some even giving us a bit of advice. incredibly small Tricos and nymphs; we’re talking size #22. to be honest this was the first time i had heard of people using what i categorized as dry flies, submerged below the water surface with nymphs and other hatches trailing. since i didnt have anything this small at the time i went with my trusted san juan worm/pheasant-tail nymph combo, still seeing them up on the fishing reports recommended flies list.

we had a quick talk with a nice retired couple from Arizona, before departing. they we’re so joyful and had just gotten into fly fishing having spent most of their lives on the spinning rod.

the walk to the actual bank was much farther than the first lot, but put us closer to more open bends and large structures. my dad’s enjoys dryfly fishing so i was also hoping these spots would provide him some luck.

the stream was not as intense as my first experience, and definitely not as bad as Decker’s, though i understand these are different parks. it was a bit more cloudy, but the grasslands wernt a complete swamp to tread through.

after a few casts behind some riffles, i made my way upstream to the large pool below the wire dam, the only place i had actually seen trout before, working the water on the way.

there was a group of guys right above me, each carrying an average 9+ft and an enormous 13+ft rod. both were performing a particular 2-flip OPST (OLYMPIC PENINSULA SKAGIT TACTICS) casting method my dad had shown me videos on. the style allows you to cover a good distance of water easily without having to cast the line behind; perfect for stripping fishing. i have a set of these lines and reels, but havent had a chance to get out and actually practice… yet. it’ll be a bit easier to describe this method with a video.

i didnt want to make the guys feel uncomfortable but it was hard not to stare as i’d never seen the motion outside of youtube. thankfully one of the guys named pete, came right up to chat after observing me fish for a bit. he asked how i was doing so far that day and even gave me a few flies that me made and knew worked well. the guys are all part of a company that does fishing guides to the Dream Stream spring-summer, and then live in Oregon for the rest of the year teaching steelhead fishing. all three live in both states rotating halfway through the year, and we’re out casually after completing a guided trip to “some super rich dudes” from the morning.

Pete reassured me that the area was still “tough” and even showed me some of the crazy large streamers and mice he uses during the spawning season with the OPST technique.

soon after i caught a nice sized brown almost near the exact same spot i had last time on one of the new flies! sincerely wanting to land this fish, i ran with it far downstream unitl it was tired enough to scoop with my net.

this trout was literally the same from the only other fish i caught in the Dream Stream; did i catch the same one again?!

with no one around i used the timer function on my iPhone for the first time, and hung it from a fallen tree with the accessory ring on the back of the case. turned out pretty well i think! the fish flopped around a bit during the first few takes which made for some cool animations since it does a 10 picture burst.

it was much later at that point so i decided to head downstream and meet up with my dad. since cell service isnt the greatest, i thought this would be a great time to carry some good walkie-talkies. those are now stocked in my hiking bag.

unfortunately, he didnt have much luck, but was able to meet a good amount of other fisherman and get some good insight.

by then it was getting late and we needed to meet my mom and sister for dinner in the springs. though the number of fish caught wasnt high, our spirits we’re from the great day outdoors and time spent with each other; something i value more and more as each day passes.

 

we we’re going to find a cool pizza joint that night, but changed to texas roadhouse at the last minute. i suppose thats not really important but i just felt like documenting it:)

 

p.s. while we were cleaning our gear at home, i noticed the magnets i use with my fish pond net had attracted a ton of sediment from the stream. probably while i was netting the fish and dropped the end near the bank. i metallic didnt think about it before but there must be plenty of metalic material in the waters. maybe even more than other spots due to mining in the past? it was, however, a bit difficult to remove. i slowly was able to focus most of the grains into a central spot and used a damp paper towel to absorb it away.

 

Fishing Report:

https://troutsflyfishing.com/info/fishing-information/south-platte-river-dream-stream

 

Detailed report on the water conditions:

http://www.dwr.state.co.us/SurfaceWater/data/detail_graph.aspx?ID=PLAHARCO&MTYPE=DISCHRG

 

OPST website:

http://www.opskagit.com/

8.14.17 Blue River – Silverthorne, CO

BLUE RIVER : FISH

NEAR: Silverthrone, CO

CFS: ~200cfs (high)

it took me a bit but i soon found out that my dad’s goal on his trip out here was to checkout as many good fishing waters as possible. the three he was mainly aware of are: white river, green river, and the fryingpan river, which we both fished almost a decade ago. unfortunately all of these are a decent distance from where we were staying, so after a bit of googling i found that the Blue River was considered trophy waters, and only an hourish west. we shared a quick lunch at home, then made our way through the mountains; luckily it was still during the week so the traffic wasnt too terrible.

the Blue River is actually quite long and flows north from below Breckenridge all the way up to the green mountain reservoir (where i went cliff diving on the independence holiday weekend).

heres my blog entery from that day:

https://allorado.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/7-1-17-green-mountain-reservoir-silverthorne-co/

we set the GPS for a fly shop in Frisco, just south of the main highway since we needed to get my sister a new fishing license, and check with some experts on where to start.

the town reminded me of facebook posts that display pictures of traveling to countries like Sweeden, where a large mountain range sits right at the end of the main strip, filled with tourist stops, restaurants, shops in decorative buildings. a drone shot would been sweet here.

when we arrived i  noticed that the store logo looked sincerely familar and later realized that it is one of a few shops associated with the online fishing report website i visit for info!

the nice man at the desk gave us a few vague destinations to startoff but seemed a bit more interested in selling guided tours, rather than giving away his best-kept secrets; nothing wrong with that at all as he was kind enough to point us in the rigth direction!

theres a bridge up in silverthorne near 6th street where many have boasted about catching a good amount of fish, and actually another fly shop right in front. my dad can visit every fishing store and never get bored just as i can going into any aquarium.

we were instantly greeted by a handful of employees and to my surprise a giant 8ft fishtank with trout! i know that trout need cooler waters and can be a bit difficult to raise, but they seemed to be doing a great job, and a couple rainbows in the middle had dug a bed and were about to spawn. this was my first experience seeing a male trout vibrate his body next to a female in hopes of spawning. my african cichlids at home do the same motion when they are trying to dance. a good aquarium always makes things better:)

the staff here was incredible, opening up maps and providing plenty of information on fly fishing trout on the Blue River. they also have a decent fly tying section where i was able to pick up some more wine colored material to make new worms.

apparently above the Dillion Reservoir is where the Blue River continues north where a lot of Mysis shrimp come tumbling out making it a perfect place to start. theres a long wire and a service bridge a dozen yards away from the actual dam in which fishing is not allowed, but anything below is good to go. also theres a nice outlet mall in walking distance from the dam if you have anyone in your party that doesnt necessarily want to fish.

we parked, suited up, geared up, and walked down to the much colder/faster, but slightly lower stream. the waters were still higher than usual, but nothing like we were getting hit with at Decker’s.

heres my post from our trip up to Deckers, CO a few days ago:

https://allorado.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/8-13-17-south-platte-river-deckers-co/

The Blue River was different in that the water was extremely clear, and there wasnt much algae and assorted weeds/plant life, but mostly large smooth stones.

i started wading downstream a bit, giving my dad and sis a chance to fish the big pockets right by the car, and after a few dozen throws my sister had caught one! i reeled in my line quickly and bolted upstream to assist.

beautiful 17+” rainbow trout caught on a small bead-headed nymph. everything here is catch and release by the way.

i also was able to test out my new fish pond net! these things are great with a longer handle, and a nylon net vs the mesh material i was used to working with that is hard to get hooks out of; plus it floats! i just need a better method for attaching it to my bag. at the moment i use a set of magnets and a short cord but think something retractable or stretchy would be beneficial. ( i suppose i need to get more reviews done on my equipment…)

after no real luck for awhile we jumped back into the car and drove down a bit to the highway bridge where a small rock dam poured into a pretty deep spot.

my sister was a bit tired at this point having worked pretty late the night prior, so i walked with my dad down to try a bit before it got dark. i had zero luck at all and it began raining pretty heavily, but my dad met a nice guy that frequents the area. he gave us a few flies and told us not to worry as the current conditions made it extremely difficult to fish, but showed us a few techniques to use, and explained a bit about the feeding habits for this stream.

the storm soon passed and brought out a beautiful rainbow.

i noticed a bird of prey on the light post closest to our car while we were getting ready to leave, and with my zoom lens i noticed he was carrying a small fish in his talons!

my dad has caught a crazy amount of fish in his life, and done so well especially in the fly fishing division. his style in the midwest features a lot of long casting with dryflies or stripping crackleback and woolybugs. unfortunately due to the heavy rain, and area, the main method for catching focus around a pocket style concept. small bugs, sometimes a few, dropped a rod or two’s length away into deep bends, pools, and pockets created by large rocks. i hope that he can return sometime when the waters arent so crazy and be able to fish his preferred style with success, but im still very thankful for him coming out, and even moreso for getting me into this sport altogether.

 

that night we went out to a newer style korean restaurant in aurora my sister likes, which was refreshing but also incredibly spicy!

thankful madi was able to attended to get all the great pics!

 

here’s the link for the water info:

https://troutsflyfishing.com/info/fishing-information/blue-river-at-silverthorne

 

8.7.17 St. Mary’s Glacier – Idaho Springs, CO

St. Mary’s Glacier : HIKE

NEAR: Idaho Springs, CO

DISTANCE: 1.4 miles

ELEVATION GAIN: 410 feet

ROUTE TYPE: Out & Back

i mentioned before that St. Mary’s is like my new Evergreen. Close by, good distance/elevation gain, lots of amenities, and perfect for all skill levels.

the PIXEL LABS team was in town for a few shoots over the weekend; thankfully i was able to meet up with them upon arrival for a quick tour around the downtown denver area. they rented an awesome airbnb up in Winter Park and invited us to come enjoy the resort town for the night, before going hiking monday morning early.

while relaxing at their cabin i tried keeping up with their mass media skills and grabbed a sunset, night and sunrise time lapse from their deck:

instead of going out to eat, we thought it’d be fun to cook a nice meal as they had a full kitchen and dining room with their rental. this gave us a chance to walk around the town a bit after picking up some groceries and wine for the night.

we woke up at a decent time monday morning and made our way down from the mountains, which was interesting as it was sunny on the west side, and gloomy and dark as soon as we crossed over to the east side of the range.

the early morning arrival time during the weekday made for an almost empty lot when we arrived, which is what i like 🙂 dont forget to pay the $5 fee per car.

the hike up to the first lake wasnt too bad, taking a few breaks along the way to enjoy the scenery and catch breaths.

seeing this same location multiple times is also interesting as you get to experience the park over different seasons (april-august). the glacier had very little snow, and the trees were full throughout the walk up.

half the team stayed down by the lake to shoot some timelapses while i’ll took everyone else up to the peak.

i’d never been up to the top in these weather conditions and it was crazy to see the clouds so low to use, surrounding the area around us. this also meant the weather was soon to change, and sure enough it began to drizzle a bit, thankfully after we got drone shots accomplished.

found some crazy vibrant mushrooms along the path as well, reminded me of super mario!

like i said above, St. Mary’s is great for offering multiple amenities: Lake, Peak, Glacier, and the waterfall.

the rain stopped soon and we followed the trail halfway back and to the left where the stream runs down from the glacier.

its always great to go on adventures with a bunch of media specialists not only to capture more, but also learn new techniques and skills in a hobby im getting into.

i had a late doctors appointment scheduled for that afternoon, and the team had other sites on their agenda, so we made our way back to the cars, said our goodbyes, and went our ways.

it was a great time being able to get away from the city for a night and always love hanging with the Pixel Labs team and i definitely hope to get them back out here soon!

 

some more shots i got from Chris’s Samsung S8

 

ALL TRAILS LINKKKKKKK:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/st-mary-s-glacier

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

7.9.17 Brainard Lake – Nederland, CO

BRAINARD LAKE : HIKE

NEAR: Nederland, CO

DISTANCE 5.2 miles

ELEVATION GAIN: 636 feet

ROUTE TYPE: Loop

so this one got a little messed up… per usual we were looking for a nice sunday morning hike, and decided to head back up to the Vrain area to the NW where we had already completed the St. Vrain. here’s the link to the post from that day:

https://allorado.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/11-6-16-ceran-saint-vrain-trail-jamestown-co/

theres a few other trails around that area i wanted to venture, with some distance/elevation gains right around what we were looking at for an easy day. in addition i often prefer locations where we do not have to cross the city, or jump on some of the main highways (hwy 70), to avoid traffic, as our departure time was not set too early due to working late.

we arrived to the gateway trailhead to see a long line of cars waiting to pay and enter, as street parking was very limited. a nice lady was walking past our car and informed us that there was a free parking lot right before the entrance with full bathrooms and direct access to the trailheads. the main gateway is for cars wanting to drive to the various lakes and spots. saving on time and parking always sounds perfect.

originally our plan was to check out the sourdough trail but after walking over to the information board i realized that the park was filled with many trails and lakes. after everyone was suited up we basically followed the rest of the attendees inward and actually began on the Waldrop trail to red rock lake first.

upon reaching our first destination we saw that the main road from the gateway met each stop with a decent sized parking lot. however our goal was to hike, not drive 😉 onward we went, continuing onto the path back into the forest.

the terrain was very similar to the st. Vrain, which i think is different than most trails, crusing through thick woods, and across many water systems, large and small. there were a number of biking groups that passsed us as well.

large wooden decks covered large parts of the trail which was cool as the park was quite damp and swampy in many areas.

halfway through it began raining, and then hailing briefly. always good to be prepared for anything! i’d love to get a book or good app for referencing the plants i find.

off the path there were a few sites where it appeared as if old buildings once stood, with scattered wooden frames and hinges. one particular slab stood out significantly with wide square holes cut through the floor and some large iron pipes laid through. would love to know what this once was:

the Waldrop trail met with the south st. Vrain to the north, where we decided to continue westbound toward Brainard Lake. at that point i think we were just looking for any destination to post up at as we had covered a good amount of ground.

this trail finally lead toward a large bridge at the end of Brainard lake, which was quite busy when we arrived, with others that had driven up, families and adults, and many people fishing.

though we were excited to arrive, we made our way around the west side of the lake, in hopes of finding some trees to throw our hammocks up in with a view.

i got a quick flight in before snacking down on my sandwich to get some perspective of the area:

View this post on Instagram

drone videos are even better at providing larger perspective 🏔🔭 #allorado #dronevideo #hikinglife

A post shared by ALLORADO (@allorado) on Aug 20, 2017 at 8:05am PDT

after relaxing and getting some pics taken we packed up and walked back toward the main road. i noticed another information board that pointed toward long lake. some hikers were just exiting the trailhead saying that it was definitely worth it and much prettier than Brainard. another trail to check out sometime!

this little checklist section was good to notice. there were a few things on this that make a lot of sense to always have:

i thought i’d have some fun with my lego deadpool keychain:

off to the side we found another site where someone once lived. i thought the stairs that were still standing was incredibly interesting. also it was refreshing to see snow casually hanging out.

the weather turned once again, so we decided to jog back along the road directly to the car. of course as soon as we arrived to the parking lot the sun was back up.

though our original plan was changed, and we jumped from trail to trail, the day was great as always, getting fresh air and exercise with good friends outdoors.

p.s. my new roommate chris got some great pics from his phone as well so i thought i’d feature a different perspective:

 

heres the link for Brainard Lake trail:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/brainard-lake-loop-trail

7.1.17 Green Mountain Reservoir – Silverthorne, CO

Green Mountain Reservoir : HIKE

NEAR: Silverthrone, CO

so i guesss this isnt really a hike post, but more in the misc.thrill seeking category? maybe if i do a ton of extra adventures i’ll create a more appropriate title to label them with.

anyways, my old co-worker chris arranged a trip to green mountain reservoir to begin the independence holiday, boasting some pretty extreme cliff diving. it was actually around this time i believe a year ago when chris invited me out on my first hike ever up to aspen, and then to go cliff diving at Devil’s Punch Bowl on the way back.

heres the post from the aspen hike:

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

and the last cliff diving video:

madi also had some friends visiting from home but couldnt spend the day as she was going to be busy working a wedding, so i invited them to tag along up and enjoy the nice day around the water.

a departure around 10am and the massive amounts of other cars trying to escape the city for the holiday made for some heavier traffic, thus it took us almost 3 hours to arrive.

we stopped in idaho springs for gas and food where i saw this crazy off-road vehicle:

there was this crazy, almost perfectly shaped peak ahead of us momentarily on the ride up:

driving over one last hill after passing through the town of silverthorne was the massive reservoir. maybe all reservoirs are massive?

we drove up and around the west side until we reached some rocky cliffs where crowds were poached up on rocks. it was a bit of a party with music blaring, adults and kids leaping from the rocks, and families and other tourist taking pics/vids like paparazzi.

there are three main cliff’s to jump (short/medium/tall), and very little space around the edge, but we managed to get our group settled.

boats were cruising around all morning as well; heres a quick timelapse i shot, too bad its too fast to catch the jumpers; just shows the splashing:

no one from our party attempted any of the taller jumps, but it was insane to see others do some fancy dives. one guy jump with his sunglasses and phone from the highest peak. when he came back to the surface he did not have either.

i dont like flying my drone around crowds of people, but chris wanted to get a shot of him slamming a beer, and then doing a gainer.

you can see this video below:

out of nowhere i heard groups to the left get pretty loud, and then we saw a goat was walking down the road, then bolted up the side of the moutain with ease. first time seeing one of these out, but i think it knocked over a few rocks on the way up, that came down on cars parked along the side. nothing major was damaged, but it definitley could be worse

the sun was really beating down and half the crew needed to get back for work that evening, myself included, so we packed up and made our way back, hoping to not run into anymore traffic.

im definitely always interested in checking out new activities, so id say the day was well spent!

p.s. please check up-to-date reports on the area if you are considering diving. there have been injuries and fatalities that close the area off indefinitely. jump at your own risk if allowed.

6.11.17 St. Mary’s Glacier – Idaho Springs, CO

St. Mary’s Glacier

NEAR: Idaho Springs, CO

DISTANCE: 1.4mi

ELEVATION GAIN: 410 feet

ROUTE TYPE: Out & Back

My friend mitch had recently moved to the beautiful state of colorado, so this was the first day we were able to get him, his gf, and one of our new roommates, cody altogether for an outdoors day. Cody was the one that actually spoke highly of this trail, and with a few in our group not used to hiking, we decided that this shorter path would be a good starter.

We met up in evergreen along the way to grab some subway and head up the windy switch backs to the trailhead. the parking lots are just a short distance west from idaho springs but climb almost 2000ft on your way.

we arrived a lot later than we normally start our hikes, so we made a few circles around both parking lots a few times, before squeezing in between a few cars that had vacated. the parking fee there is $5 per car, and there are two main lots along the road surrounding the start.

the small hike distance at first was quite appealing until we started traversing and discovered that the elevation gain over the length made for an uphill walk the entire way. it can get a bit rocky half way up, but there are clear paths to walk around the rocks if you dont want to lift your legs a ton. we took a handful of breaks to the sides where thick pine trees offer wonderful shade to rest.

the trail is quite simple, bending once halfway through and only around .7miles to the first destination; an enormous active glacier with a good sized lake at the base and another peak half the size of the ice.

of course, again i realized when i arrived that you can fish for trout in the water above. to the top right where snow still resided, thrill seekers can hike to the top, and snowboard/ski down the glacier.

it was crazy to see how many trees had been twisted and cracked due to the high winds that must come through

theres another section where you can climb to the top of the peak that sits adjecent from the glacier, but our group was pretty tired at that point, so we found a solid hill to throw our hammocks in and enjoy each other’s company and the views. also to chow down on our soggy subs!

a few chipmunks made their way over to our site which made for some great pics!

another was scratching and rolling around in the dirt. i took a quick clip shown below. anyone have any idea why they do this?

i was able to grab a quick timelapse too:

as we made our way back down we heard some fast water moving to the east of the trail at the midpoint. walking just a short distance down a rocky road prompted a small waterfall, cascading down the hill. awesome extra find!

after getting our pics in and admiring the rapids, we made our way back down to the cars. we split ways but agreed that it was definitely a great day!

tired and hungry, we were thankful when we returned home to remember that we had elk meat in the fridge dethawing. throwing a ton of these on the grill with some corn was a perfect ending to the day.

p.s. i definitely will return and finish the last leg to the top! i know i say that a lot, but theres just so much to do 🙂

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/st-mary-s-glacier

 

6.6-8.17 San Isabel National Forest – Westcliffe, CO

San Isabel National Forest

NEAR: Westcliffe, CO

CAMP/HIKE

Trent and Beau went on a pre-season camping trip with another friend, Mike, a month prior to test out their gear, but had to return early due to harsh weather conditions. it literally snowed on them the entire time and they fought to stay warm before ending the trip early. They wanted to try the same area again as the temperature had increased significantly, and asked me to join. i had to borrow a few things from them but was eager to go with so i could get a good first experience with camping in colorado.

Mike had to work late and picked us up immediately after his shift, departing from denver around 4am. we met up with beau in colorado springs around 5:30, loaded up, and headed south for over 3 hours, down and west into the national forest. i dont have a good location for our exact site but it was approximately 15 miles south of Westcliffe, CO, near Blueberry Peak. on the other side of this range we stationed at lies Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve; another spot on the list of parks to check out.

traveling into the park, exiting the park, driving around private properties and back in, we reached the forest with multiple spaces available. unlike other campsites, you’re welcome to simply chose anywhere to camp, instead of renting a lot, which i thought was pretty cool for a much truer camp feel.

we drove around some steep cliffs, harsh inclines, and even saw the back end of a bear running away. after having to turn around due to a muddy block, we finally found an open space smack in the middle that was suitable.

beau had just gotten a new vechile with a good set out rugged tires, so this was a great time to test it all out.

we took a few minutes to cheers and rest from the long haul momentarily before we decided to get our camp setup as it was only around 9am.

though very inexperienced, i was able to pick up the knowledge quickly what needed to happen, and how to properly set everything up from the guys, including choosing locations under specific trees for protection to strapping tarps and other enormous mats up along and down the trees to divert potential rain away from our housing.

it didnt take much to put everything up. i borrowed a small hexagon tent from mike along with a thin blow up sleeping mat from trent as i didnt posses my own. these are two things i will definitely upgrade before the next outing.

immediately after, we began scouring the surrounding area for fallen aspen trees to chop down for firewood. All three of them had a saw and various axes to aid in this. again i had to borrow but helped out as much as i could. we did have some fun throwing axes at targets, and slicing wood while i practiced different features on my new cam:

 

 

 

beau wanted to attempt to start the fire with the flint set from his ax and various small debris. it was dificult in the beginning with the high winds, but with persistence and dedication, he was able to start it from scratch. check it out here:

after we let the fire run out, and cooked some hamburgers over the glowing coals, we decided to take a short hike around the area before the sunset.

a short distance away was what looked like an abandoned road, with a cars width of trees cleared for a few miles up the mountain. we followed it to the end where a small open hill sat. i popped my drone out briefly while we caught our breaths to see where we were:

we returned to the campsite shortly after and started the coals back up to cook a late dinner. the sun began to go down and i tried flying once more to really see where we were stationed at. trent had a nice T-bone on the grill which smelled incredible, but not just to us.

while attempting to capture one last shot i accidentally discovered some hungry bears that had also picked up the scent from the juciy meats. you can see this video below:

we were incredibly excited to hopefully see a full bear and got ready in case one appeared, but all of the commotions must have scared them away.

heres some shots i did get from my evening flight

the first day was a success and we all turned in early for the night, packing our food back up into the truck and taking the fire down.

it was still cold, and the thin air mattress i laid on wasnt enough to distract from teh rocks below. i ended up waking up around 4am and finishing my rest in my hammock i had setup next to my tent. so much more comfortable.

after everyone was awake, we got the fire going again, and had a fun time cooking eggs, and making breakfast burritos on our portable grill, with some surprisingly good instant coffee. we even devised a quick spatula to aid in rotating the food.

the skies would switch from a hot sun to a cool rain quickly throughout most of the trip, which at times was quite refreshing. definitely glad we had the right gear for the weather.

once everything was cleaned and put back away, we geared up and took one vehicle up to the head of “rainbow trail”; the area we attempted to venture through, but was originally stopped by flooding across the road.

i was particularly excited to check it out as i briefly read of a stream/lake nearby to potentially fish at, but after speaking with some rangers that drove up to check on us, i soon realized that the name of the trail was trout, and there wasnt much fishing available.

we hiked a good 8 miles around, finding large open valleys, hidden campsites, and enormous ranches at the edge of the tree lines. our eyes were always hoping to see another bear as they were in large numbers throughout this park.

doesnt this mound of dirt and wood look like a face??

animal parts and bear tracks/signs are always fun to find along the trail

the first edge of the forest we hit

we found another open flat to take a break and fly. mike thought the area would be great to camp at another time.

on the drive back beau noticed an enormous mound that we ran up. well, they ran up it… it took me a lot longer. upon reaching the top you could see most of the peaks to the west, and the towns to the north and east.

some very cool red cacti were scattered throughout the hill, so it would’ve been terrible to roll down accidentally.

exhausted and hungry we made it back to home base, got the coals up to temp, and had a great last night swapping stories, smashing the rest of teh food and cashing the last of beau’s Jack Daniels and busch lights around the fire.

ranger beau decided to come out as well

i was able to practice some time lapses as well, but wasnt entirely focused on the media, more the time spent with good friends.

in the morning we ate quick, cleaned and packed up the gear, and started the trek home.

it was an incredible first experience out, increasing my general knowledge for camping. im glad i was able to attend giving me a better idea for next time what i need to be prepared with.

ps the banner pic for this account was taken on this trip:

heres a quick timelapse from our setup and the nightsky:

 

6.5.17 South Platte River – Deckers, CO

SOUTH PLATTE RIVER

NEAR: Deckers, CO

 

after seeing all the streams and lakes around the trails, and not having equipment or time to try my luck, i needed to get my fishing itch out.

we woke up and left the house by 7, got subway on the way, and was at one of my favorite parts of the water by 9.

we even met a few small lizards. more and more would come out to sunbathe at they became comfortable with us around

i spent the entire time at that particular section as the fishing was much better than any previous time.

caught a couple good sized trout to take home and decided to head back, making it home way before 2pm.

very solid quick morning out.