After four days in Telluride, Colo., Scott and I met Abigail, Dave and Meredith to backpack in Rocky Mountain National Park.
We spent two nights in the Never Summer range in the northwest section of the park, entering on the Colorado River trailhead. According to rangers, Never Summer is one of the least visited sections of the park, which suited us very well. Starting at 9,000 feet, the trailhead is one of the highest – and coldest — in the park.
Colorado River Trailhead
Only yards from the trailhead, Scott leads the way on our six-mile hike. The temperature at 9,000 feet ranged between 30 degrees and 70 degrees, depending on the time of day.
Scott and I standing by the Colorado River. The river is little more than a creek in this part of the Rockies.
The route to Box Canyon, our first site, is clearly marked, but Scott brings a topographic map, just in case.
We spent the first night at the Box Canyon site and the second at Valley View, both permit-only backcountry sites slightly above 10,400 feet. The aptly named Box Canyon site is breathtaking, includes two streams only feet from the silver site-designation marker and has a huge, tree-free field that attracted several elk. There were even snowy patches there in late June; the range truly is Never Summer. At just less than six miles from the trailhead, the site is well worth the hike. National Geographic even mentions the site in a series about National Parks.
Box Canyon Site
The first group photo after reaching the camp site.
Scott and Meredith watch elk from our “kitchen” at the site. The elk were aware of our presence and kept their distance.
The sun is starting to set over our little box canyon, not far from the Front Range adjacent to Boulder, Colo.
There isn’t much to do after the sun sets, so I attempted to paint “CO” with my flashlight over a long exposure. It didn’t work very well. I came home to discover the new Sprint commercials, which appear to do the same thing combined with stop-motion animation. Go watch them. They’re awesome.
Valley View is less exciting. There’s a picturesque marsh on the edge of the site, but approximately 25 million mosquitoes call it home. They probably feed on the elk we saw at the pool, but we were the main course that evening.
Valley View Site
Scott and Abigail watch elk skirt the edge of the marsh.
David and Scott prepare a food hang a few hundred feet from our site. The trees at this elevation are a little scrawny for a proper hang, so we made do with what we could find. Luckily, no rodents (or bears!) bothered our supplies.
Up Close!
We got very close to an elk on the drive out of the park. This guy didn’t seem bothered by the car only a few feet away. He didn’t seem to mind the moose a few yards away either.
