Date: September 11 and 12, 2015
Location: Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. Route connects/touches Long Lake, Lake Isabelle, Pawnee Pass, Pawnee Lake, Cascade Creek, Buchanan Creek, Fox Park, Buchanan Pass, Cooney Creek, and then takes Beaver Creek Trail back to the Long Lake Trailhead.
Distance: 26 miles
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 7,000 feet
Notes: Nobody was available to go on this trip this weekend, so it ended up being a solo hike.
Wildlife: Two moose on the drive there, 8 deer (not scared of me at all – came within 20 fee), 1 elk, 1 bear about 30 yards away (sorry – no pictures, I was trying hard to get my pepper spray out while he decided what he was going to do)
Weather: Perfect. Lows of high 20s to low 30s. High of about 55. Blue skies.
South St Vrain Creek (near the Long Lake Trailhead)
Fall was trying to be seen, but summer wasn’t ready to leave yet.
I huffed and puffed a bit to get up on top of Pawnee Pass, which is part of the Continental Divide. The trail on the east side was great. The trail going down the west side was a bit sketchy in places and can be barely seen in the photo below. Pawnee Lake is visible from Pawnee Pass.
This part of the hike took a little time. My wife had let me go solo only after sending me links to every “Solo Hiker Dies” article she came across, getting very detailed info on where I would be when, and making me promise to stay away from cliffs, edges, and anything that could break bones or result in need for someone to haul me out. So, I carefully worked my way down the talus.
At the base of the west side of Pawnee Pass, I stopped for some quick lunch and ended up taking a nice nap. The cool wind of fall was groaning through the peaks while the warm summer sun simultaneously radiated warmth (still at about 12,000 feet). I propped my feet up on a rock, laid down on the sparse soil by a small trickle of water coming off the mountain, and had one of the most soul-satisfying naps I have ever had.
Cascade Creek is aptly named. The entire canyon is a series of waterfalls. The far edge of this calm pool leads to one of the falls.
Fox Park – my camping spot for the night, 15 miles from the trailhead.
I had a quick breakfast in the morning and was heading to the trail by about 6:45AM. I walked about halfway between where I camped and the trail when I spotted a black bear just on the other side of the trail. He had really unique coloring with the back half dark brown and the front half tan. We stared at each other for a bit while I decided if I should go for my camera or my pepper spray (intelligently packed on the back of my backpack…). I decided to be prepared and took the backpack off to get the spray. He ambled off before I could get the camera out.
Buchanan Pass in the morning light.
I finished up the hike at about 1PM on Saturday. Overall, it was one of the most enjoyable hikes I have been on - great scenery, lots of wildlife, peaceful and relaxing.
