Our day two camp will take us to Hague creek, about three miles down river where it dumps into the Poudre. We then go right (east) up the trail to Flatiron campsite. The nice thing about this site is it's one of the few in Rocky Mountain National Park allowing fires in an existing fire ring.
We hike along the Poudre River, north, along relatively flat terrain, in open meadows, and thick forests. The meadows flow with a growing river, widening after each creek feeding into it, draining the high country far up the hills we walk along. As we enter forests, the land drops, the rocks squeeze the river, producing exhilarating rapids, a contrast to the mellow meadows we've been accustomed to.
As we approach the confluence of Hague Creek, the point where we know soon we turn to head uphill to camp, we notice movement in front of us. We surprise a momma moose and her calf. The calf bolts into the forest, the momma stares at us. If this happens to you, don't mess around. Walk around the animal giving it a wide berth. Not a good idea to make a momma moose mad! It's an amazing animal up close; like the size of a horse. This area is a great one for chance viewings of wildlife. Lots of elk, deer and moose.
We make the turn for the Mummy Pass trail, and after a few hundred yards we break right to the trail taking us to Flatiron. Hague Creek is healthy and not unlike the terrain we encountered along the Poudre the night before. We're at 10,000' of elevation, experiencing pleasantly warm weather and ample sunshine.
The site fire ring is there as advertised, complete with a pile of dead wood. Speaking of which, the forest edge is pre-dominantly dead lodgepole pines. We decide to setup our rain shelters along the forest edge, safely away from any dead tree. I highly recommend doing this. The campsite is really nice, on a high, flat area overlooking the valley below, with nice views all around. Down creek are rolling green hills and mountains far away, and up creek is the pathway to the Mummy's. Desolation Peaks are back here as well. We're in a good place, and only about two or three miles away from the car. Not bad.
Our flat area is suitable for tossing a frisbee. We have a nice, short steep trail down to the creek where we can lounge in the creek, get water and just relax. The trail does continue up the valley, however it is un-maintained so it's not always obvious. Up the valley are more huge meadows. We saw another moose browsing on willows, with a nice backdrop of forest and mountains. Amazing. This is the way to go to the Desolation Peaks. We didn't get a chance to go there this day, but if you do, you'll find out why they are named as such. The hike is excellent, mostly meadow, some of it wet, mixed with some nice forested stretches.
At the end of the day the sunset was amazing, turning the sky red, and reflecting off the creek, looking like shiny jewels strewn along the meadow. This is when you want to kick back and relax. During this time of year, with the dry spell we experienced, it's a pleasant way to spend the evening. This night is warm, the Moon full and our fire is raging. Nothing like playing midnight frisbee in the middle of nowhere. A great way to cap off an excellent day.
Next post I'll cover the way out and our visit to the source of the Colorado River. Now enjoy these pictures.
This is more or less what we looked at on our hike to Flatiron.
Yeah, this moose is awfully close to us. Don't get these critters mad!
The forest is nice and cool. The river starts to get rowdy at this point.
And what would a wilderness trip be without the mountains. I think this is a view of Hagues Peak.
On the hike we saw this crazy tree. I couldn't resist taking a shot.
At dusk lots of deer appeared out of nowhere to check us out. This is the place to be if you want to see lots of wildlife.
A nice view for the day's end. Sunsets out here are amazing. We sat out here for quite some time, relaxing and basking in the waning light.
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