We planned to get up early and get going on our hike. John woke up early, then realized there was a lot of dew on the tent, so he might as well let me sleep in. He woke me at 6:00. The tent was still wet, so we packed as much as we could and then decided to try to get breakfast at Hahn's Peak to give the tent a chance to dry. We all have our pet peeves. Mine is mosquitoes. John's is a wet, dirty tent. There was no breakfast to be had in Hahn's Peak, so we went back and started on the job of drying and packing the tent. We left about 2 hours later than we intended.
We did have breakfast at a restaurant in Steamboat called Freshies. They have great food, and I sneakily bought a mug for John for his birthday. I can't believe I got away with it!
What do you think a hike called Devil's Causeway would look like? Well, it wasn't hot. It wasn't fiery. It was a little bit rocky. It was in the 60's and sunny. It was a tough hike for a six or seven mile hike for me. Mentally, I was not ready for this hike. I was dealing with some emotional things and not feeling very well because of allergies. Additionally, there were so many mosquitoes that we were getting eaten alive. I thought I had my Deet in my pack, but it wasn't there. John had even reminded me to bring it and I was so sure it was still in my pack that I hadn't even checked.
The first thing you do is cross a very low stream, then follow the reservoir around, even going downhill for a time. The wildflowers were riotous. There were even sections of columbine that were amazing. I have come to love columbine and their various combinations of colors.
Next, you go up, up, up on a rocky path. This did not feel very steep to me, but we were going through swampy territory and were swatting mosquitoes every few moments. I finally started talking to John about the things that were bothering me as we hiked, and he helped me resolve the things going on in my head. He said my step and breathing were audibly lightened.
There was snow by the path and we watched a dog chase snowballs. At one point he lost the snowball and started digging in the snow for it! He was so cute. People we passed all wished us luck. I have one thing to say about that - take that Ranger Boy, I can do it.
You know I love waterfalls. John says he got to see a Fall and I got to experience it. He named it Linda Falls. We got to the switchbacks, and I stood a bit above the trail for a moment to rest. Then I saw a huge marmot and was calling to John so he could see it. As I did, I slipped off the 3 inch platform I was standing on and fell - SPLAT. I did hurt my whole right side - knee, hip, elbow and shoulder. I had a hard time getting up, but finally did. Insane woman that I am, I didn't tell John about my knee and hip because I knew he would make be go back down the mountain. I wanted to finish the hike. John would never laugh unless he knew I was not seriously injured, but I do supply him with a lot of comedy relief on our hikes.
We heard pikas talking to each other but never spotted one. Still swatting mosquitoes, we got to the section that is steep uphill. It was no harder than any other hike we have done this summer, but I found myself dealing with some altitude issues. When we finally got to the top it was an amazing sight! You could see for miles around and it was breathtaking!
The hike wasn't done. We were finally at the Devil's Causeway. This is the top of the mountain with sheer drops on either side, and the path varied from 10 feet or so across to a mere 2 feet. There were some young people sitting about half way across the narrow part, and they got go watch me do a booty belay to get across the narrow part of it.
We sat on the other side of the Causeway and had some nuts and water, and enjoyed the view. Of course we had to take pictures, and as we came back across I noticed two young people - one was sitting with her legs hanging over the ledge, and the other was standing deep in a crevice in a spot that he could not possibly fall. My issue is not the heights, but the tall steps that I had to take to get over some boulders. Those who have even a slight fear of heights would have a hard time on this part. We even met a guy who got to the Causeway and couldn't do it so he was planning to go back down and around. John sat down on this one ledge that even made the young people nervous. I got his picture there. It's going to make his mother scared to look at the picture. He is still a daredevil at heart. Okok, I was partly responsible by suggesting that he sit on a ledge for a photo.
We went back down the mountain a bit quicker, although I was trying to favor my other knee. The views were different because the lighting was different, and even more beautiful. I saw a doe bounding in the forest and across the meadow. I love the way they hop.
Sunburn, mosquitoes, falling, bad mental day, but it was still an epic hike. I am so glad I did it.
We didn't have a reservation for the night at a campsite. We did not want to stay at the Flat Tops because of the mosquitoes, and that was our original plan. We decided to treat ourselves and bid on a hotel room in the area instead of camping. John did good. We got a room in Beaver Creek, at a ski resort at the Pines, a very posh hotel, for a great price. Valet parking included, we had a king luxury room. Luxury is right. The door was hand painted with some flowers, there was a beautiful view from the wall of windows, there was a patio, very tall king sized bed, etc. It was a magnificent room. We caught the shuttle into the Village for dinner and ate at the Coyote Cafe. I had an enchilada! It was a celebration of losing 10 pounds on this trip. I finally had a scale to weigh on! We also had fajitas and the food was amazing. We explored the village a little bit... John had gellato for his birthday (early) and we wandered into an art gallery. There was an amazing sculpture of an elderly couple sitting on a bench. We won't talk about the prices of the art.
Back in the hotel, we relaxed in the hot tub. Just what the doctor ordered!
Tomorrow is John's Birthday and we will be picking up his other son, Martin, and going to Rocky Mountain National Park.
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