FINDING NEBO
High
altitude has some interesting effects on the human body and mind. It certainly makes any sort of physical
exertion more difficult. It can cause
serious illness, and even death.
We
discovered one of its more benign effects after our first night camped at high altitude
(> 11,000’). The following morning,
all of us reported having bizarre dreams. In one of mine, I was back in high
school, and I was dating a girl that was in a wheelchair. I have no idea where that one came from.
My
favorite though took place in the future and the past, simultaneously. In this one, I was in Charlotte, and drove to
the train station to catch a train.
Apparently I was taking a train to a work assignment, as I had my
computer bag and a suitcase with me. At
the station I left my luggage on the platform and went inside the waiting
area. A few minutes later there was an announcement
that my train was arriving. I went out
onto the platform, only to see it pulling away from the station. And my computer bag and suitcase were gone.
I
spoke to the agent, who confirmed that the train I’d somehow missed had picked
up my luggage. He told me that if I
drove fast, I could catch up to the train at another station. I jumped in the car and headed that way, but
promptly got stuck in traffic. I’d never
make it.
Then
I had a brilliant idea. I turned the car
around and headed for home. Why? Because our (former)
Chocolate Lab, Saucony, was there. And Saucony could
fly!
The
dream ended with me on Saucony’s back, flying high
above Charlotte in hot pursuit of the train I’d missed.
***************
We
broke camp the next morning and continued south on the Continental Divide
Trail. As we were leaving we noticed elk
grazing in the meadow below our campsite.
After a short walk to the creek we began a steady climb towards Hunchback
Pass. The climb was only moderate, and
the views really opened up as we climbed.
From the pass we had an even better view south, down the Vallecito Creek valley.
Oddly,
the views down the valley actually improved as we descended. We wandered through an alpine garden of
streams and shrubs, the profuse willows a brilliant gold. Dark clouds interspersed with patches of blue
sky roiled above the jagged peaks surrounding us.
We
reached tree line, and the descent steepened.
Somewhere along here we took a wrong turn. I was anticipating the Continental Divide
Trail branching left off of the Vallecito Creek Trail
to head up towards Nebo Pass. We reached
a fork and went left, thinking that we were at the junction. It turns out that we were actually on
something of an unofficial short cut.
This path was steep and rough, but eventually brought us down to the
CDT.
From
there we followed the CDT up the Nebo Creek Valley. We fought our way through lots of willows
crowding the trail as we climbed. The
willows were a beautiful gold, but they sure are grabby. Hiking through them is a lot like
bushwhacking through rhododendrons in North Carolina.
We
were part of the way up the valley when J Bob called for a break. He seemed to be struggling with the altitude
again. This was a bit of a surprise, as
we had now been in Colorado for more than a full week. In reality though, everyone adjusts to
altitude differently.
J
Bob wasn’t sure if he could make it to the pass. We considered trimming the trip and
backtracking to Vallecito Creek. Our plan was to join the Vallecito
Creek Trail farther downstream, after making a long loop through the alpine
country between Nebo Pass, Ute Lake, and Rock Lake. We didn’t want to miss that part of the trip
though. Ultimately we decided to continue
ahead slowly. If J Bob’s condition
deteriorated further we would retreat.
We
ascended back above tree line, and we even left the willows behind. We strolled across another grassy alpine
landscape, passing a small tarn. Dark
clouds were building around us, and we heard rumbles of thunder in the
distance. We picked up the pace for the
final push to Nebo Pass, determined to cross it before the weather deteriorated
further. In the end we were lucky. Just before the pass I looked back towards a
wall of black clouds spitting snow. The
view ahead was more encouraging. An
incredible scene unfolded below us. Vast
alpine meadows dotted with lakes stretched out towards a towering ridge in the
distance. Rio Grande Pyramid topped that
ridge, with the famous notch of The Window just below. Despite the threatening weather, we paused
there for a few minutes to soak it in.
More
rumbles of thunder got us moving. We
made a quick descent to tree line and stopped at a stream for water. From there we wandered through a dark spruce
forest echoing with the bugling of elk.
A mild climb led us back above tree line and brought us to West Ute
Lake, which is surrounded by willows.
Fortunately the threatening weather had missed us, staying to our south.
We
pressed on towards Twin Lakes. We
climbed another alpine ridge with more astonishing views before dropping down into
the Middle Ute Creek valley. It was
getting late in the afternoon, and our goal of camping at Twin Lakes began to
seem unattainable. A large stand of
evergreens in the valley below beckoned.
We passed a mediocre, exposed campsite before the creek, but I was
hopeful that there were better spots ahead.
Once again I scouted, letting the Bobs rest at the first campsite. I descended to cross the creek, and nearly
slipped off the rock I was standing on when a trout jumped past me. I followed the trail for a few minutes beyond
the stream, and spotted a likely area just off the trail. I explored in that direction, and found a
beautiful campsite in a lovely spruce glade.
The previous night’s site had been good, but this was off the
charts. I hurried back to share the good
news.
We
set up camp, and I returned to the creek and braved the flying fish to get
water. After dinner, the local wildlife again supplied the evening’s
entertainment. Bugling elk and howling
coyotes made beautiful music until sleep beckoned. And with sleep came more colorful dreams.
Back to Colorado
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!