2022 Fall Trip - Day 16/37 - 9/09/2022

Friday, Sept. 9, 2022 - Started today with a car wash!

I'm picking up Wendy Sunday evening at the Denver Airport, and I want her ride to look nice.
Hike "North Fork Lake Creek Trail ", drive from Gunnison, Colorado up to Leadville, Colorado:

I was going to hike up the valley to see a lake, but I lost the trail and wound up climbing up to A RIDGE ON THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. You can compare My Hike versus The Hike I was supposed to do (and see where I went astray at the top of the valley)

Today's amazing hike - 7.34 miles in 4:30, with an elevation gain of 1,995 feet:

It was a great morning drive, leaving Gunnison at 9 AM:

I crossed over Monarch Pass at 10 AM:

Looking South (behind me):

Looking North (ahead of me):

I made the turn-off for CO-82 West (the road to Aspen, over Independance Pass) at 11:30

and after some beautiful views, I made the trailhead at noon:

I guess the trail is kind-of unofficial:

After 20 minutes, looking back, the trail seems nice enough. What could go wrong?

Pretty beautiful going up the valley of the North Fork Lake Creek, in the Mount Massive Wilderness:

An hour-and-1/2 into the hike, the trail went away - But I have hiked in the Adirondacks! Just follow the dry creek bed UP:

I stopped for lunch at 1:44

and these were my views - off to my right (when I'm sitting down):

and straight ahead:

After lunch, this was my view looking up. I think at this point I should have made a radical right turn, but it looked-kind-of-like-a-trail going up:

It was pretty funky climbing up through the crevice:

and I'm starting to learn a lesson out here: when you go over a ridge, odds are pretty good that there is another ridge in front of you:

Ok Ok Ok - so there is no Trail or Lake to my left:

or ahead of me:

or to my right:

In this situation, I have a two options: go home or explore. It's 2:15 in the afternoon, I could be back at the car by 3:30, and in Leadville by 4:15 - but then what? It is really cool up here, I'm not "in danger", so I'll keep "going up" (maybe the lake is over that next ridge). This, by the way, is what it looks like behind me:

So I kept going up - wait, is that "a trail"???

I reached the ridge at 2:45. I didn't know what to expect (another ridge? a lake? flatland?), but I was stunned to see THIS BEAUTIFUL VALLEY stretch out far to the north:

I'm on a ridge of the Continental Divide (nearby Deer Mountain elevation is 10,013 feet), looking down into Valley associated with Marten Creek. I have to say this is pretty awesome up here - but not very user-friendly, I only stayed a few minutes because a storm was going by (west-to-east) a few miles south of me:

I did not feel like I was "in danger", I did get down from there pretty quickly.

I angled to my right going down, and kept following natural openings in the brush. It was pretty cool, and always seemed to work out. 45 minutes from the ridge I reconnected with the "trail" (dry creek), and 1 hour later I was back at the car:

I made my way over to Leadville, where I'll be spending the next two nights:

Sorry - at 10,152 feet, we won't be moving here anytime soon.

What a Great Day - Thank You GOD for this beauty, and for the ability for me to enjoy it!

Music for today:

The Beatles - Revolver (Capitol), 1966:

Thievery Corporation - The Richest Man In Babylon, 2002:

various artists - Millennium '60s Rock Party:

A Really Great Collection!

1 The Kinks– You Really Got Me
2 Manfred Mann– Do Wah Diddy Diddy
3 Tommy James & The Shondells– Mony Mony
4 Roy Orbison & The Candy Men– Oh, Pretty Woman
5 Little Eva– The Loco-Motion
6 The Isley Brothers– Shout - Part 1
7 Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs– Wooly Bully
8 The Spencer Davis Group– Gimmie Some Lovin'
9 Paul Revere & The Raiders– Just Like Me
10 Box Tops– The Letter
11 Troggs*– Wild Thing
12 Turtles*– Happy Together
13 Strawberry Alarm Clock– Incense And Peppermints
14 The McCoys– Hang On Sloopy
15 The Young Rascals– Good Lovin'
16 Swingin' Medallions– Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)
17 The Human Beinz– Nobody But Me
18 Jimmy Soul– If You Wanna Be Happy
19 Dusty Springfield– I Only Want To Be With You
20 Nancy Sinatra– These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

various artists - Millennium Classic Rock Party:

A surprisingly good collection of '70s songs, with only a few needing deletion:

1 Queen– We Will Rock You
2 Boston– More Than A Feeling
3 Foreigner– Hot Blooded
4 The Doobie Brothers– China Grove
5 Steve Miller– Rock'N Me
6 Chicago (2)– 25 Or 6 To 4
7 Jethro Tull– Aqualung
8 Alice Cooper (2)– No More Mr Nice Guy
9 Bachman-Turner Overdrive– You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
10 Deep Purple– Smoke on The Water
11 Golden Earring– Radar Love
12 The Guess Who– American Woman
13 Three Dog Night– Joy To The World
14 Fleetwood Mac– Don't Stop
15 America (2)– Sister Golden Hair
16 The Allman Brothers Band– Ramblin' Man
17 David Bowie– Fame
18 Focus (2)– Hocus Pocus
19 Lynyrd Skynyrd– Free Bird
20 Peter Frampton– Do You Feel Like We Do (Live)

various artists - Mr. Deeds soundtrack, 2002:

Good songs, and the two Super Highlights are Trik Turner - "Friends & Family", and Counting Crows - "Goin' Down To New York Town" (this is the only place to get this song!).