Everyone was up by 7:00 so we decided to hike the Wild Basin area. We ate breakfast, and took off. The parking lot was full for the Wild Basin trail head area, but there is always a spot for mamma, and we were lucky enough to get the last spot.
We started up the trail at 9:00. In only .3 mile we arrived at Copeland Falls. This was not a tall waterfall but it was wide and the sunlight dappled the water through the shade of the trees. There were lots of bridges across rapids. Very pretty.
We hiked up another mile or so. Suddenly a bunch of people - adults and children - came running fast down the trail and toward the river. We thought we heard "Bees!" so we stopped where we were, thinking someone was being chased by bees. We stood there discussing the danger of bees, and suddenly a very large guy came running and yelled, "A boy has fallen in the river! Go get a Ranger!"
We quickly determined that Martin would be the fastest, so he handed me his Camelbak and took off running. He told me later he just ran by people and they were astonished. He was leaping rocks to get around them and going at full tilt. When he reached the Ranger station they gave him water and gathered a group of Rangers. One female Ranger was carrying a 50 lb pack, and Martin offered to carry it for her so she could go faster. She gratefully declined and said he was sweet.
In the mean time, the big guy (who turned out to be a former Army Ranger) had found the boy, who had been swept downstream to about the point where we were. The boy's leg was stuck under a log, which kept him from going downstream any further. The kid was screaming about his leg being stuck and I yelled back at him not to worry about his leg, just to calm down. John was finding a way to get to the river to help. The big guy picked his way into the very swift water and was able to free the boy and get him to shore. There was a group of 3 kids who appeared to be siblings - 2 girls and a boy. The boy was clearly the youngest and was very upset. I talked to him and let him know his brother was out, and was just fine.
I noticed the boy was soaking wet but standing in the shade, so I recommended to the parents that they move him to the sunshine. The Army Ranger's legs were cramping up from being in the cold water. I told the brother that this would be a memory he would always have but some day it would be a funny memory. He smiled.
John and I moved out of the way, and sat and waited for Martin. Mom had the boy take off his shirt and brother loaned his body heat. It was a very touching moment to watch the two boys and mom hugging each other in relief. The story we finally got was that the parents had kept warning the boy to stay away from the water's edge but he didn't and had fallen in. His name was Steve. He had been swept downstream pretty far.
The family finally decided to head back down the trail and promised to let Martin know we were waiting for him. I am so proud of Martin. So is his dad.
This incident could have ended so tragically. We were glad to have played a small part in the rescue of this young boy. Later in the day when we hiked back down to that same spot there was a family and the children were headed toward the water where I suspect the boy had fallen in. I told the parents about the incident and they quickly called their children away from the water.
Once Martin rejoined us we continued our hike. Calypso Cascades were next. There was a confluence of several streams above this fall, and it was wide. There had been a big flood the previous year so there were a lot of logs in the water, but it was pretty.
Our destination on this trail was Ouzel Falls and beyond that is Ouzel Lake. On the way from Cascade Falls, there were hitching posts and a privy. Some of the steps were pretty steep. We found a group of people working on the trail to fix it after the flood. They were hauling rocks and sand, using sledge hammers to break rocks, and they were muddy. We thanked them for their hard work. As we approached Ouzel Falls, we saw a couple of yellow signs on the ground. The jist of them was that the bridge was out and that you couldn't cross the river. Martin took that as a challenge.
We had to scramble over some rocks to get closer to the waterfall. Each of us chose our own route, and suddenly I was at the waterfall! As in very close to it! John was right behind me, and i couldn't resist. I handed him my camera, pack and hat and started scrambling up some rocks to get closer to the falls. Martin was able to get much further up, and it was so fun! A doe approached from behind us as Martin was getting to the top of the falls.
Martin boulder hopped a bit further down the river and was, in fact, able to get across the river. He looked like a gazelle, leaping from rock to rock. John does a great job of letting his adult son make his own decisions, even though the father in him wants so badly to warn him of the danger. His tongue did not quite bleed from biting it.
On the way down I availed myself of the privy. This privy consisted of a vault toilet, surrounded loosely on 3 sides by some boards. There were some big gaps between the boards too. At least it was out of the way of the trail. John stood guard. This was the most primitive potty I've ever used, next to Pooh's Corner.
We made it back down the trail by 1:30. We ran into the Rangers that Martin had seen and I asked them for a Junior Ranger patch in order to patch Martin's Camelbak. They only had a badge.
Hunger alarms were going off! We had a picnic and then headed out. We decided to go see the Alluvial Fan. On the way we saw a wolf cub! It crossed the road right in front of us. It was not a really young cub, but it was small. Of course I did my "Oh John! Look John!" excitement thing.
The Alluvial Fan trail had been pretty wiped out by the flood. This area had been created when a dam broke and a huge flood poured down the mountain. There are boulders on both sides of a waterfall. Martin scampered up the rocks and I got as far as I could. John stuck with me although I could tell he longed to be able to scamper up the rocks with his son. His broken leg prevents some of the wild and crazy stunts.
Dinner was hamburgers and then we played hand and foot again. This time Martin won, but I was up 5 cents by the end of the game.
Martin and John and I shared our music in the car with one another. All three of us have pretty open minds about music. I think I have the broadest interest in different genres. It was really fun and interesting.
Today was our last day of camping. Tomorrow we take Martin home and head home ourselves. We will be stopping in Oklahoma at a casino tomorrow night.
I have enjoyed writing this blog. I know I will use it as a vacation journal and to create my shutterfly book. I am glad that we were able to share our adventure with you. When we come back to Colorado later this summer I will continue it. Until then, take care!
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