Mags
04-18-2006, 13:43
Some hiking and restoration work reports.
Trip #1: Comanche Grasslands - Picketwire Canyon
As with many Coloradoans, I look to the Rockies for my
recreation. Snow capped mountains, alpine vistas,
high passes. Can see almost forever.
There is anoher part of the state not explored much.
The grasslands to the east. Some might say they are
"boring"...but the grasslands have a certain beauty
all their own. An immense space with nothing on the
hoirzon. Canyons with buttes. An arid beauty that is
harsh.
I've always wanted to do a spring trip to one of the
two of the two major grassland recreation areas in the
state. So when Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC)
had a habitat restoration project to the commanche
grasslands, I jumped on it.
The Commanche Grasslands are in the southeast part of
the state...about 5-6 hrs away from Boulder. It is
also 1000+ feet lower as you get away from the divide
and are getting to the prarie itself.
The project itself was in Picket Wire Canyon. Besides
having rock formations, the canyon is world famous for
having one of the largest collection of dinosaur
pritns in world! Way cool. Paleontaologists still go
there and discover fossils.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/coma/main/picketwireguide.shtml
The project for the weekend was tamarish eradication.
Tamarisk is sadly a familiar tale for the west. A
species planted for ornamental or other reasons that
wreak havoc with the ecosystem. Tamarisk drinks up to
200 gallons of water a day, crowds out native species
of plants, is not edible by the local wildlife and
makes the ground very salty (the common name for
tamarisk is "salt cedar).
The weekend was eseentially large scale gardening:
cutting, stacking, and spraying. As usual, hard but
rewarding work.
On the trip was a friend of mine from Boulder. Her
fiance' is a naval pilot in training (in Oklahoma
?!?!) who drove up for the project.
The scenery, as I said, was an austere beauty. Waking
up in the morning (camped under the stars!), saw a
sunrise over the prarie. Simply fantastic. If you want
a feel for wide open spaces...go to the grasslands.
The canyon itself was also pretty.
We worked all day and enjoyed the beauty of the
canyon, the small river and the blue skies. At night,
we sat around the campfire and listend to the guitar
music. As the night went on, the music stopped and
there were only a few of us at the fire. The moon,
though not full, was quite bright. Could hear coyotes
yipping. It was a Western cliche' from many
movies...but one that is incredible to experience for
real.
It is why I do these trips: a sense of "giving back"
to the state I've adopted as my home, the beautiful
scenery and the just plain fun experience.
I think every hiker should do some sort of trail
and/or restoration work. It is good to give back. I
try to do a week's worth of projects a year. It is not
nearly enough for all the beauty I've seen in my life
because of the volunteers who maintain the places I've
been through.
Pics: http://snipurl.com/pdf2
Trip #2 - Another local hike
A pattern exists every year for me since I've been in
Colorado.
In the late fall, I reluctantly transition from my
hiking equipment to snow equipment. In previous years,
it has been snowshoes. The past two seaons (and esp.
this season), been skiing more in the backcountry.
Primary colors dominate winter: white snow, blue
skies, green trees. It is beautiful. But my heart
belongs to hiking.
In March, I get a less ski in..but by the end of the
month, I start doing foothills hikes more. Exploring
the trails near my home. Reminding myself again how
lucky I am to live where I do.
April is esp. nice to hike in the Boulder area. The
early spring wildlowers come out around this time.
Sand lillys. Bluebells. Golden Pea. And my personal
favorite: Pasque Flowers. ( http://snipurl.com/pdff )
The hike was a loop hike in the south Boulder area.
Very appropriate for the Saturday before Easter, the
Pasque flowers are just starting to come out, not
quite in bloom. Hope to see them more in bloom this
coming weekend.
I love these early spring hikes in the foothills. They
are not as dramatic as the high peaks they are still
snowbound...for early spring hikes that are more
subtle seem appropriate.
Life ain't bad..not bad at all.
Pics from this past weekend: http://snipurl.com/pdfr
Trip #1: Comanche Grasslands - Picketwire Canyon
As with many Coloradoans, I look to the Rockies for my
recreation. Snow capped mountains, alpine vistas,
high passes. Can see almost forever.
There is anoher part of the state not explored much.
The grasslands to the east. Some might say they are
"boring"...but the grasslands have a certain beauty
all their own. An immense space with nothing on the
hoirzon. Canyons with buttes. An arid beauty that is
harsh.
I've always wanted to do a spring trip to one of the
two of the two major grassland recreation areas in the
state. So when Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC)
had a habitat restoration project to the commanche
grasslands, I jumped on it.
The Commanche Grasslands are in the southeast part of
the state...about 5-6 hrs away from Boulder. It is
also 1000+ feet lower as you get away from the divide
and are getting to the prarie itself.
The project itself was in Picket Wire Canyon. Besides
having rock formations, the canyon is world famous for
having one of the largest collection of dinosaur
pritns in world! Way cool. Paleontaologists still go
there and discover fossils.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/coma/main/picketwireguide.shtml
The project for the weekend was tamarish eradication.
Tamarisk is sadly a familiar tale for the west. A
species planted for ornamental or other reasons that
wreak havoc with the ecosystem. Tamarisk drinks up to
200 gallons of water a day, crowds out native species
of plants, is not edible by the local wildlife and
makes the ground very salty (the common name for
tamarisk is "salt cedar).
The weekend was eseentially large scale gardening:
cutting, stacking, and spraying. As usual, hard but
rewarding work.
On the trip was a friend of mine from Boulder. Her
fiance' is a naval pilot in training (in Oklahoma
?!?!) who drove up for the project.
The scenery, as I said, was an austere beauty. Waking
up in the morning (camped under the stars!), saw a
sunrise over the prarie. Simply fantastic. If you want
a feel for wide open spaces...go to the grasslands.
The canyon itself was also pretty.
We worked all day and enjoyed the beauty of the
canyon, the small river and the blue skies. At night,
we sat around the campfire and listend to the guitar
music. As the night went on, the music stopped and
there were only a few of us at the fire. The moon,
though not full, was quite bright. Could hear coyotes
yipping. It was a Western cliche' from many
movies...but one that is incredible to experience for
real.
It is why I do these trips: a sense of "giving back"
to the state I've adopted as my home, the beautiful
scenery and the just plain fun experience.
I think every hiker should do some sort of trail
and/or restoration work. It is good to give back. I
try to do a week's worth of projects a year. It is not
nearly enough for all the beauty I've seen in my life
because of the volunteers who maintain the places I've
been through.
Pics: http://snipurl.com/pdf2
Trip #2 - Another local hike
A pattern exists every year for me since I've been in
Colorado.
In the late fall, I reluctantly transition from my
hiking equipment to snow equipment. In previous years,
it has been snowshoes. The past two seaons (and esp.
this season), been skiing more in the backcountry.
Primary colors dominate winter: white snow, blue
skies, green trees. It is beautiful. But my heart
belongs to hiking.
In March, I get a less ski in..but by the end of the
month, I start doing foothills hikes more. Exploring
the trails near my home. Reminding myself again how
lucky I am to live where I do.
April is esp. nice to hike in the Boulder area. The
early spring wildlowers come out around this time.
Sand lillys. Bluebells. Golden Pea. And my personal
favorite: Pasque Flowers. ( http://snipurl.com/pdff )
The hike was a loop hike in the south Boulder area.
Very appropriate for the Saturday before Easter, the
Pasque flowers are just starting to come out, not
quite in bloom. Hope to see them more in bloom this
coming weekend.
I love these early spring hikes in the foothills. They
are not as dramatic as the high peaks they are still
snowbound...for early spring hikes that are more
subtle seem appropriate.
Life ain't bad..not bad at all.
Pics from this past weekend: http://snipurl.com/pdfr