My trip to Colorado and solo backpacking adventure over the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park was an amazing experience! This was technically my second time backpacking in RMNP. The first time was in 1996 with the Boy Scouts. I think I was going into my freshman year of high school. We entered on the east side, in Estes Park at that time I believe, but I digress. It was a much different experience doing it solo at 42 years old! This was approximately a 27-mile loop that started on the park's west side by Grand Lake. Taking me over the Continental Divide, on Flattop Mountain, at an elevation of over 12,300 feet. This was supposed to be a 3-day and 2-night adventure but was cut a day short by a day and night, which I will explain below. I journaled my whole trip again this year, so I could have something to look back at and remember!
I spent the first couple of days enjoying the Denver area and a couple of small towns on my way to Grand Lake, where the trailhead was. Such a euphoric high as I made my way out of the Denver area when I could see the snow-covered peaks of the mountains! I enjoyed visiting some of the local breweries, doing a couple of short hikes, and of course, checking out Red Rocks again. No hotels or campsites. I found a place to park and slept in the back cab area of my truck. Monday morning, I was up a little after 4 AM ready to start my adventure!
Day 1
Monday morning, I started at 5:40 AM from the North Inlet
trailhead. Mid 50’s with 40 lbs. of gear on my back. The trail took me along
the meandering Tonahutu Creek, with open meadows. The area had been ravaged by
wildfires a few years back. The landscape was scattered with charred bare
trees. This was still uniquely beautiful as it exposed the large rocks and
boulders surrounded by new growth of plants, flowers, and trees. Spotting
wildlife was also much easier! Not too long into my adventure, I did spot an
elk walking up along the side of a ridge. As I made my way there were three
mule deer bucks alongside of the trail. They were still in velvet, and one had
a decent-sized rack on him! They seemed very curious about me.
As I started to exert more energy hiking, slowly climbing in elevation, I could feel myself getting winded quicker. The starting elevation was around 8500 ft. at the trailhead climbing to just over 10,000 ft at my first campsite in Tonahutu Meadows. I had to pay more attention to my breathing, which would really come into play the following day. Also, this was my first experience using trekking poles. Total game changer for balance and additional help navigating up and down steeper terrain!
The next stop on the trail was Granite Falls. This was picturesque and peaceful. Water cascading over the granite rock formation. I took a few minutes to enjoy the falls and snap a few pictures. As I continued along, I came around a bend and had my first moose encounter! There was a cow and bull bedded down that I jumped. Unlike the mule deer, the moose were not as curious about me! They hung around for a couple of minutes, then continued their way. Shortly after that, I spotted 4 bull moose feeding in a small meadow at the bottom of the steep mountainside. They were minding their business feeding on grass and plants. A couple of the smaller ones started to play and fight with each other while the larger one kept to himself feeding. Such large and beautiful creatures! As I continued along the creek, it opened into a big meadow with a patch of trees that had survived the fire. Such a stark contrast between the burned and unburned sections of the forest.
I had finally made it to my campsite. It was a partly cloudy day to that point and the sun was out when I made it to my campsite around 9:45 AM. I was exhausted and hungry. I proceeded to have an early lunch and get my campsite set up. This was my first time with my new tent. I also upgraded my sleeping pad and pillow. That decision paid dividends later in the day! Tonahutu Creek was a short distance from my site. I did a little exploring after the camp was set up because I just couldn’t sit and relax. LOL! I found a nice spot on the edge of the meadow to filter water. The mosquitoes seemed a little less vicious at that spot as well! Apparently, this area is a hotbed for moose because I made my way back to my campsite another big bull and cow moose were wandering through. As I moved back out to the clearing to give them some space, another cow came trotting along as if she was trying to catch up with the other two.
Feeling sweaty and gross I soaked my head and rinsed off in the creek. Good thing no one was coming along the trail, as it would have been quite the comical site to see some dude stripped down to his underwear trying to rinse off in just over ankle-deep water. The water was fridged but refreshing! Good thing I got that out of the way because as I was drying off, I could hear some cracks of thunder, and shortly after I was hunkered down in my tent as it started to rain and hail. It would rain on and off all afternoon. I was able to take a few naps and relax. In hindsight, this was a good thing because I would need all the rest I could get for the next day.
I started dinner a little after 4 when there was a break in the weather. Beef stroganoff with mushrooms! Not bad for a dehydrated meal! Around 7:30 I decided to take one more walk around the perimeter, making sure my BearVault canister was in place, before retreating to my tent for the evening as the weather finally started to clear. I am sure glad I decided to do that, as that led to my most exciting moose encounter!
So, the BearVault canister is required by RMNP. All your
food or anything scented must go in it to prevent bears from coming into your
camp and tearing through your stuff. Everything from your food, garbage,
toothpaste, ibuprofen, etc. goes in there. It’s big and bulky, took up a bunch
of additional space in my pack, and added additional weight. Thankfully I never
saw or never saw any signs of bear when I was out there. I was more concerned
about being trampled by a moose! LOL!
Heading back to the tent I spotted 4 bull moose feeding just
behind my tent! They spotted me and I seemed like an annoyance to them. I tried
to keep my distance and give them space. I hastily retreated from my site. They
literally walked right through my campsite with one of the moose literally
smelling my tent. At that point, I was concerned my tent might get trampled. I
took a few steps back in to get a better view. They would stop and look at me.
The largest of the 4 moose grunted and I decided I better move back further and
give them more space. As I was moving back, the smallest of the moose was
further back on the other side of my site and scared the shit out of me because
I didn’t know it was there! Plus, there was a doe mule deer that kept hanging
around and was super curious about me. I hung out in the opening by the creek
until they finally moved out into the meadow, where I watched them for about
another 20 minutes. It was like Nat Geo out there! The youngest of the bulls (I
presume because it didn’t have antlers and looked and acted more like a bull)
wanted to play with one of the larger bulls. It was driven away pretty quick.
Quite comical and cute to watch though! It was time for bed after that
excitement.
Day 2
I woke up a little after 4 AM to start getting things
situated and break down camp to get an early start for what would eventually
become a very long day. I went to bed with my fleece winter hat on and sure
glad I did. It must have dropped down into the low 40s that evening because it
was cold! I know when I got up to use the bathroom just after midnight, the sky
was clear and more stars than I could count were out. I fumbled around with my
flashlight getting everything I could packed up in the tent and put away. I
moved everything to the open clearing by the creek because I knew there would
be more light to make breakfast and finish prepping my pack for the day. Then, to
address the wet and dirty tent. As it rained the day before, dirt splattered up
on the rainfly and the side of the tent. I was impressed with the durability
and how weatherproof it was. There was a stream of water between the bottom of
the tent and the ground tarp and not a drop seeped in. My now cold and
partially numb hands finished taking it down and dragging it down to the rest
of my gear. The ground tarp was so dirty I threw the whole thing in the stream
and washed it down. I tried to hang everything to drip off while I had my
coffee and oatmeal. I wiped off the dirt from the tent and rainfly in the wet
grass and rolled it up wet. Oh well, part of the experience.
I was off at 6:40 AM. This day was going to be the crux of the trip. It was all an uphill climb from here until I reached the top of Flattop Mountain. As I started to accent in elevation, I could feel it. I had to pace my breathing and take more frequent rests and water breaks. A few times I started to get light-headed, and I knew I was pushing it too hard. The scenery was gorgeous as I made my way up to the tree line. I could start to see more and more of the valley I came from and started to see more snow-covered peaks in the distance. The trees started to disappear and expose the rocky landscape with random patches of snow that had not yet melted. Small plants, grass, and some flowers were the only vegetation. The trail was marked by large rock piles that stood out to mark the path. I spotted a herd of cow and calf elk as I made it past the tree line. I could hear them vocalizing to each other. The weather was sunny, breezy, and in the low 50s. I could see clouds building and boiling in the background behind some of the peaks that looked slightly ominous. Peaceful is the best word I can use to describe it. The breeze gently whistling across the rocky terrain, with birds chirping, and the random sound of an elk.
As I continued to trek higher and higher in elevation, I worked on my breathing cadence, sometimes stopping to take deep and controlled breaths. I was not alone up there. There are a few other creatures that inhabit that altitude. The marmot, which looks like a groundhog, and the Pika, which looks like a cross between a rabbit and a mouse. The marmots look goofy spread out sunning themselves on the rock. They let me get fairly close before hiding below the rocks. The Pika were a bit more skittish, but I was able to get a couple of pics of them. The views were just stunning! Sometimes I looked up and just whispered “fuck” under my breath. First, because I was probably gasping for air. Second, because of how gorgeous my surroundings were!
I finally made it to the top of Flattop Mountain, where the
trails intersected. I took some time to sit up there and take it all in, while
I enjoyed a snack of trail mix and rehydrated. This accent up to the top is
what I had been waiting the whole time for since I started planning the
adventure, and it did not disappoint! Mountain peaks for as far as the eye
could see. It put into a humbling perspective how insignificant we are in this
world. I do not mean that in a depressing way either. Just awestruck at the absolute
beauty of the mountains. This was the Rocky Mountain High John Denver sang
about. He was not full of shit either! The Rockies are rocky too! LOL! Dumb and
Dumber reference… IYKYK.
The descent back down the mountain was also gorgeous, and unburned, for the first part at least. It was a gradual descent, walking across the top as I started to make my way across small streams of snowmelt. As I approached the tree line, the scenery started to change a little. It was littered with wildflowers and a random Marmot or Pika would make an appearance. I then hit the switchbacks, which more aggressively started to drop me in elevation. I stopped at one of the last piles of snow I saw and made a little snowman. I creatively named him “Rocky the Snowman”! It was also neat to look back up to where I had come from and how far I had come.
Continuing to make my way down, I noticed it started to cloud up and heard some rumbles of thunder. I knew what was coming next. The rain started. I stopped and put my pack cover on. I was not too worried about me getting a little wet. Even with the rain, the landscape was gorgeous. As I would hit the end of a switchback, it would take may past rushing water and small waterfalls from one of the streams. I love the sound the water makes rushing over the rocks. I wish had time to just sit there and listen. My legs, feet, hips, and shoulders were starting to feel it. I kept pushing forward through the showers to my last campsite, Grouseberry. I needed lunch. I was starting to get very hungry and running out of energy. It was around 1:30 PM when I finally made it to my campsite for the evening. I found a small pine tree to hunker underneath to get out of the rain a little bit. I threw on my rain jacket and enjoyed my tuna and crackers with a handful of mosquitoes…
I had no idea how long the rain was going to last. Or, if it did, if it was going to start back up again. I did know that I had a wet tent and some wet gear. I also knew that I did not feel like setting up a wet tent that I couldn’t dry off and did not want to sleep in and pack up another wet tent. Looking at the water-soaked dirt pad my tent was going to go, I said fuck it, I’m going to finish out this trail today. I knew I had only 6 more miles before I was back at the trailhead. I tried to block out the fact that this would then be a 17-mile day. An accomplishment I would have been proud of without the elevation or 40 lbs. on my back… I had made my decision though. My adventure, my rules! LOL! So, I pressed on. I wanted the challenge, as this would end up being the longest day, mileage-wise, backpacking I had ever done.
I had a newfound source of energy after just finishing lunch and knowing I would be enjoying a cold beer a few hours later. Thankfully, the rest of the way was more of a gradual downhill. There were a few views I stopped along the way that had beautiful waterfalls. One gave way to a nice pool at the bottom, creatively named “Big Pool”. The rain stopped about 10 minutes into my journey from the campsite. There were a few on-and-off sprinkles after that until the sun finally came out. With a couple of miles left, I was hurting, especially my feet and legs. I was exhausted, and my face was sun and wind burnt. Although the terrain was flatter and easier to walk, it seemed to not provide much relief. I had to do all I could to keep a good walking cadence. I dug down deep and found the grit to keep pushing forward. I started to see day hikers and casual hikers with kids. I knew I was getting close to the end. But the trail continued to drag on and the sun continued to beat down. I felt like Tom Hanks in Castaway, floating on the raft! LOL. Finally, I could see the gate to the parking lot! I had made it! It was around 3:45 PM. I opened the tailgate, got my pack off, and just sat there, taking in the whole experience from the day. It was honestly hard to even think at that point. Some rehydration and I was on my way back! Not before I had a post-hike beer at Never Summer Brewing, in Granby, just outside of Grand Lake. It was a neat little, small microbrewery and the Wiley Rye-Oatey Pale Ale I had was ecstasy!
What an experience! I enjoy doing some of the adventures solo because I have no one to rely on but me. Plus, it adds an additional dose of risk, and many times challenges my physical and mental capabilities. I am forced to make the decisions and work on self-reliance. A nice mental reset. Until the next adventure! Peace!
- Aaron
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