Summer Waterfalls

With the very warm temperatures we have had it is hard to believe that here in Colorado summer is over and we have moved into autumn.  But it is indeed autumn!  As I look back upon the summer I have thought about all the hikes and walks that we took.  One thing that seemed to be a common theme for many of those hikes is the fact that the destination was often a waterfall.

McCollugh Gulch Falls
The first major hike of the season was to a place call McCollugh Gulch.  This is an area located to the South of Breckinridge.  We hiked this the Sunday before Memorial Day.  Though I thought most of the snow would be off the trail by this point, I was totally and completely WRONG!  This by far had to be one of the worst hikes of the year.  We suffered heavily as we slogged through snow, ice and lots and lots of swampy terrain.  By the end of the hike our feet were wet and covered in layers of mud!  But it was worth it to reach the falls and see them in the full glory of the spring run off!

South Willow Falls
By early July much of spring time run off had stopped.  Despite that, South Willow Falls was still a glorious sight to see on July 4^th.  This hike was a very long hike of over 8 miles.  It wasn’t too bad except for the fact that I hadn’t envisioned us going all the way to the falls and hence I had not brought a lot of water.  Thankfully much of hike followed the course of a stream and Lex was at least able to drink from the stream.  That allowed, Zack, Shelly and myself to share the 2 containers of water we did have.  Regardless the return trip had us all parched and thirsty.

(This picture does not do the falls justice.  There is a 40 foot chute that falls down into a churning pool of water.  Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to climb down there to get a picture.)

Bear Creek Falls
While in Telluride this summer, I managed to get out for a hike by myself.  I choose to hike The Bear Creek Trail which is probably the most hiked trail of the entire Telluride area.  This trail starts near the center of Telluride and works its way up a gulch in the solid granite mountains that surround the town.  Along the way you get a wonderful view of the large beaver pond and lodge that are located on the edge of town.  The falls are beautiful and dramatic and well worth the hike.

Telluride’s Bridal Veil Falls
When we really didn’t hike to Bridal Veil Falls – we drove.  Bridal Veil Falls is located at the end of the Telluride Canyon.  While we were in Telluride Shelly drove us to the top in her car.  The drive was nerve wracking and long, but it was definitely worth it as the falls and view were absolutely gorgeous.  Unfortunately my digital camera had just experienced a melt down so the pictures I was able to take weren’t so great.

Long Lake

I don’t know if this classifies as a true waterfall, but the outlet from Long Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness area is as beautiful as a waterfall.  Zack and I hike this area in late September when the fall colors were at their peak.

North Ten Mile

Along the course of the North Fork of Ten Mile creek in Summit County there are a number of beautiful cataracts that cascade the water down from the heights of the Gore Range to Dillon Reservoir.  This past weekend Zack and I journeyed to our condo and spent the weekend hiking and talking.  We loved being along the beauty of the North Fork of Ten Mile Creek.  This is by far becoming one of my favorite hiking spots in Summit County.

Anyway – that is a brief recap of some of the wonderful waterfalls we experienced this year.  I love making waterfalls the designations of my hikes.

Today was another day in the mind numbing sequence of work days.  We rose very early as Zack had pictures as school and I wanted to make sure he looked very fashionable and presentable before he walked out the door.  I must have spent 15 minutes messing with his hair just to make sure he had enough “product” in it and it was under control.

Tonight is pasta night.  Nancy went out during the day and bought some fresh pasta and ground meat.  So I am whipping up a pasta sauce with some ground beef that I will put over the fresh pasta. (I am actually typing today’s blog entry while cooking!)  After that it is homework review for Zack and me.  He will be off to an 8:30PM bedtime as he needs to be up by 6:10AM.  After that I am off to the gym for what is becoming a nightly workout.  My late evening workouts are becoming a great routine – they allow me to relax and fall asleep without too much trouble.  Now if I could only end up sleeping the whole night through…  I think it might be awhile until I am back to that.

Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday.

Thanks and peace to all! ~ J