Normally, you would start this hike at the beginning of the Waterton Canyon trail. However, it was closed this August. We had to take an alternative route, which is the west leg of the Indian Creek Loop trail and it intersects The Colorado Trail (CT) in 6 miles. This trail is one-way, so our parents dropped us off at the Indian Creek Campground parking lot and will pick us up at the South Platte River trailhead at the next day. This way, we avoid the parking fee and the worrying about our car left behind at the parking lot.
Starting our hike at 10-ish in the morning, the dirt road led us through the campground filled with families and horses. The horses neighed while the kids giggled at us as we passed by. Behind the campground, we found the sign directing toward the west leg of the Indian Creek trail.
(By the way, our research online showed us that many hikers often get lost at this trail. We kept an eye for any trail signs and follow the ones leading toward the CT. We also brought our GPS radio and National Geography Trails map. They proved to be helpful throughout our trip, so we recommend our friends to do the same.)
For less than half of a mile, the dirt trail led us through pretty wildflowers complete with butterflies dancing from bloom to bloom. I even had one take a brief respite on my shoulder, it was so cute! We found the hidden creek on our left where there were several fallen trees that covered it up but the sound of the water revealed its presence.
We encountered three riders on their beautiful horses. We got off the trail to make room for them to pass and the horses returned the courtesy by leaving us several piles of horse manure. Yuck! During the next five miles or so, we hiked deeply into the woods and crossed a few small creeks hidden under rocks and plants. It would help to wear a hat, long sleeves and pants because there were small thorny plants and weeds that will scratch your arms and legs. I didn’t have my hat so I had to watch out for branches above my head level. My sunglasses helped keeping the leaves and branch stems from poking my eyes.
The trail has several uphill inclines, which slowed me down several times. In August, the summer heat is a factor I wish I would have thought through better. Having the sun beat down on your head with the heat rising from the baked ground can wear you out fast. I found myself needing to take quick breaks to sip cold water and catch my breath. The thought also crossed my mind that a few more weeks on my stair master would have helped out here too. I can see the importance of wearing lightweight and light colored clothing so as not to get overheated during the hike in summertime. I was wearing a pair of lightweight pants in a dark color – HOT. Fortunately, I had a tank top underneath my long-sleeve shirt so I quickly removed the outer shirt and stuffed it in my backpack. After my wardrobe adjustment and a couple cool sips of water, I caught up with the group.
Reaching the 4-mile point, we found the trail sign directing us east toward the CT. The trail climbed up the hills, providing several scenic views of the mountains that required a quick photo opt before heading on. As noon arrived, the heat was so intense and we were consuming more water than expected. To regroup our energy, we took several 30 to 60 second breaks under the shade of trees.
When finally reaching the fork (leading toward the CT, Indian Creek Loop and Roxborough State Park), we turned left toward the 6-mile point where the trail intersected with the CT. Lenny’s Rest seemed like a good place to take our lunch and plan where we should set up camp for our overnight stay. This was a popular area. The horseback riders were already there, getting ready to continue their way around the Indian Creek Loop trail. They were friendly and helpful at directing us where we could find the small creeks for more water. Soon after our arrival, we had bicyclists zooming by. Once back on the trail, we had to quickly make room for them as they rode down the trail at full speed.
As our lunch break ends, we packed up our stuff and hiked south for about 2 miles the Bear Creek campgrounds. This is where we would spend the night choosing the second campsite as it bordered a small creek, making it easy to collect water for cooking and (after filtering) filling our water bottles. There was a fire pit, so our brother, Gabe, hopped into action filling the pit with wood branches and promptly lit it up. Although the evening weather was rather warm, the fire helped shoo the flying insects away from us. While Travis and Gabe collected water at the creek, the rest of us set up our tents and unpacked our stuff, which didn’t take long. Thinking ahead, Travis and I decided to return to the creek and filled our hydration packs so we would have enough water ready to go in the morning.
Then, time for dinner! Travis, known for his culinary craft, delivered a lovely dinner of lasagna complete with red wine. How, you may ask, did he do that? Well, in few words, Mountain House freeze dried dinners. Here’s what you do: boil two cups of water, pour it into our pouch and let it stand for less than 10 minutes. That’s it! In the meantime, pour a glass of wine and wait for dinner. Our lasagna was delicious, made even better with the red wine and our wonderful friends, throw in a night sky that was magnificent and Bella! A great evening.
FYI – To keep things running smoothly after dinner, I joined Travis and Gabe in finding a spot to hang our food and trash bags high enough to be unreachable by bears.
Now, it was time for bed. The weather channel forecast said that there will be scattered thunderstorms in our area, so we used our fly cover for our tent. Fortunately, there was not much rain overnight, just a sprinkle. The weather was cool enough to sleep comfortably in our sleeping bags, but again with it being summer, we wish to purchase a pair of lighter sleeping bags. Our bags are more suitable for wintertime. So instead of sleeping in it, I used it as a blanket.
Sun’s up and time for breakfast. On the menu this morning was the Mountain House’s granola with blueberries (requiring only one cup of cold water) and Backpacker’s Pantry Organic Peanut Butter & Raisin Oatmeal (requiring one cup of boiling water and 5 minutes to allow for cooking). Travis went for the granola and I wanted the oatmeal. Let me say the oatmeal was delicious and worth the wait for it to cook. We drank Starbucks Italian Roast instant coffee, Coffee Mate powder cream and sugar. All yummy! This kind of breakfast gave me enough energy for our next hike.
Packed up and ready to go, we made sure that we left nothing behind before leaving the campsite. As we leave the Bear Creek, the trail switchbacks up and through the woods for a quarter of mile and is a challenging climb.The trekking poles sure came in handy during this part of hike. Also, crossing the creek means crossing through the bushes and small trees, so I used the trekking poles to make a pathway ahead of me trying to keep the thorny weeds from scratching me. However, after crossing the creek, I found several bulbs attached on my convertible pants. They have thorns so I carefully removed them one by one. I also zipped up the legs to protect from getting scratched or poked.
When reaching the 11.8 mile point, we found a dry campsite in sight so we took a break for lunch. There were plenty of logs to sit on and rest under the shade. We recommend resting a bit after eating because there is another climb along the ridge ahead and hiking with a full stomach will definitely drain your energy.
Once resting, we are back on the CT, eagerly pushing toward the summit. At this point, we were able to get a glimpse of Denver and points beyond. As continued hiking further north, we reached another campsite next to the crags. We took a break there, while Travis tried reaching our parents through our gps radio. In the meantime, I walked down through the crags and as I reached the edge of a cliff, I was surprised with a panoramic view of the mountainous landscape in front of me. It was breathtaking and I immediately called the group to come down and join me. More photos were in order.
Further down the trail, about a quarter mile further, I found a large bird which resembles a grouse just standing on the trail. Rather than fly off, it decided to walk down the trail ahead of us, looking backward as if to say, “Oh no, are they following me?” We were able to walk slowly for some distance before the bird wandered off the trail and then decided to fly down the hill. Travis was able to get it on video, too funny!
From this point, the trail then descends for over 4 miles toward the South Platte River trailhead. Soon, we spot the mountain, where the Hayman Fire occurred in 2002. Simply amazing how widespread the destruction was. And to think it all started from a letter being burned by a scorned lover. Too sad, This all faded away as we got our first sighting of the Platte River below. Excitement rushed through our veins, as we realized how close we were to finish the hike. We picked up the pace as we proceeded our way toward the trailhead. Then, the trail enters a series of switchbacks and became very rocky so we needed to slow down and use cautious footing. We relied heavily on our trekking poles to keep our balance and avoid falling. As we approached closer to the river, we caught the sight of our parents’ car. A big wave of relief came to us and again, we sped up our pace a bit to reach them. We were welcomed by our parents who had a cooler of ice cold beers and wet towels to refresh us before heading home. What a great ending of our trip!
Click here to see our friend’s pictures:
Gabrian Taylor
