While we were at Dr. Scott's orthopedic office in Durango yesterday we
talked with Corinne, his nurse, about the current hiking conditions in
the San Juan Mountains.
Because of all the lingering snow she was able to climb up only about
halfway last weekend to the Ice Lake Basin, one of my favorite mountain
treks near Silverton. The upper basin is between 12,000-13,000 feet in
elevation.
That means I may also have problems getting up all the way to
Clear Lake (elev. about 12,000 feet), which is just down the road;
last year we couldn't hike up there until July.
The ponds and willows between South Mineral Creek
and the road are prime moose habitat.
Corinne's sister is camped somewhere along South Mineral Creek Road
this week, in the same general area where we are. She reported seeing a
moose in the creek near her RV a couple days ago.
I love watching moose. I decided I'd have to hunt for it
today. We've seen moose along "our" road only once or twice before.
THERE'S ONE!
We woke to sunshine and 45 F. temperatures this morning. After Jim
ran some errands in town I hopped in the truck with Cody so I could
explore the road down to the Ice Lake trailhead and hike up the trail
for about a mile.
My moose radar was set to "high."
Middle Fork of Mineral Creek and
another dispersed campground near ours
The drive was gorgeous with all the waterfalls, snow up high, and
rushing creeks.
The middle fork of Mineral Creek, which intersects with
the south fork just west of our CG, is very full, too. It was clear when
I drove over it this morning in the truck, and mid-afternoon when I was
out on my bike (photo above), but by 6:30 PM it was very muddy when Jim
and I took another ride down the road.
(I took all the
photos on this page at various times of the day today.)
A little past the bridge this morning I saw a vehicle parked to the side
of the road. A young couple was out of the car, looking over the meadows
and little ponds toward S. Mineral Creek.

They had spotted a moose, probably the one Corinne told us about
yesterday. Cool!
The moose was standing almost tummy-deep in a pond in the classic moose
pose, dipping its head into the water and coming up with dripping
strands of vegetation to eat.

The best close-up I can get with my inexpensive
compact Nikon Coolpix L20 digital camera . . .
I got a few decent photos out of about ten I took but they look best blown
up much larger than I can show them here. Good thing, because in five
more passes of the area today I didn’t see any moose or other large
critters again --
after my hike, during my bike ride out and back, or on Jim's and my
after-dinner foray out and back along the road.
Rats. I was hoping Jim would get to see the moose foraging for dinner.
SHORT HIKE ON THE ICE LAKE TRAIL
Cody and I began our hike on the Ice Lake Trail about 11 AM. There is a
parking area across from the South Mineral CG about four miles back
South Mineral Creek Rd. AKA FSR 585.

This was an exploratory hike to see how challenging the Clear Creek
crossing will be when I attempt a longer trek up to the Ice Lake Basin.
I just went up from the trailhead at 9,847 feet for about ¾ mile to the
falls and first creek crossing.
Look at all the dandelions! There are some other
spring flowers, too.
I didn’t have the GPS on so I don’t know how high we got but it was
probably at least a 500-foot gain.
I also forgot that my trekking poles were in the camper basement and not
the truck so I didn’t attempt to cross the swollen creek, which flows
down from Clear Lake. I knew it was the highest I've ever seen it when
the trail became part of the creek just before the crossing:
This stream = the trail.
The falls above it were also the biggest I’ve seen there and some little
streams coming down the mountain were bigger. This is one of many falls
and cascades as the creek tumbles 3,000 feet from Clear Lake to the
south fork of Mineral Creek.

This is about where I'll ford the creek when I go on up to the Ice Lake
Basin. It's about 15 feet wide and no more than calf deep in the deepest
spot:

It's running fast and the rocks are slick, so I'll need my trekking
pole(s). There are some logs across the creek a little further
downstream but I'm too uncoordinated to cross on those.
Except for overflowing streams the trail was very dry. Lots of
dandelions and other flowers are blooming along the trail in the
meadows, and some little red columbines in the shade.

After lunch I rode my TriCross bike about four miles from our campground
to the falls a quarter mile past the Ice Lake trailhead:
This falls is downstream from the one shown
earlier.
On the way back I cruised through the for-fee (South Mineral) Forest Service campground
and the free camping area next to the middle fork of Mineral Creek, for
a total of 8 ½ + miles.
South Mineral Creek Road is fairly smooth to drive but it’s bumpy on
the bike. I took my time going out because it’s a net elevation gain
(9,505-9,916 feet, per the Garmin Forerunner), I had a definite
headwind, and the dust from vehicles was blowing into my face.

It was much easier coming back to the CG but I had to use the brakes a
lot so I didn’t go too fast. I don’t want to wreck again!
X marks the approximate spot.
Oddly, it’s not weird to go by the place where I could have lost my life
two years
ago -- I had head trauma and serious road rash -- but I
know the TriCross tires have less rugged tread than the bike I was
riding that day (Jim’s old Trek mountain bike). It would be real easy to slide out on
the loose dirt and gravel on the TriCross.
That's probably what caused my wreck but I
doubt I'll ever know; I haven't recovered any memory of what
happened.
I guess that's why I'm not traumatized when I return to the scene of the
accident. There's a disconnect. Cognitively I understand that I got
injured there because Jim, my rescuers, and the EMTs said I did, but I
don't have any psychological associations with that spot because I have
no first-hand knowledge of it.
The main road on the left continues several miles
to the for-fee campground, KT aid station
in the Hardrock race, and end of the gulch; the
road on the right goes up to Clear Lake.
There wasn’t too much traffic on the road this afternoon, even though I
took my sweet time and was out there longer than I will be the next time
(took more pictures today).
I counted nine vehicles outbound and two on the return. Some folks go
too fast on the road, even with RVs, but the ones I encountered on the
bike were well-behaved today.

I was surprised there aren’t more folks in the second no-fee campground
to the left that is about two miles beyond our site. We camped there in
2006-7. In the picture above you can see a couple of tiny white specks
above the creek in the distance; those are
RVs in that campground.
The fee-only campground (South Mineral) four miles back the road was about two-thirds
full. I was getting close to that campground and the Ice Lake
trailhead when I took the next photo. The white spot in the lower left
corner is an RV:

I noticed several
waterfalls along the road today that are usually not this
noticeable. That's one nice thing about so much snowmelt. Here are two
of the long, multiple falls:


In the morning and afternoon the south and middle forks of Mineral Creek
were very clear:

In the evening they get muddy when silt washes down with the day's
snowmelt.
Numerous shallow ponds between the creek and road remain clear unless it rains
or moose walk through them:

After supper when Jim and I drove up the road the sun was in our eyes
and it was harder to see. The sun goes down behind the mountains pretty
early here (by 7 PM) and comes up “late” – even though we’re just past
the “longest day.”
It’s very different than our other camping spots so far this summer,
where we weren’t in a canyon.
We saw a big fat porcupine run across the road in the general vicinity where the moose was
munching this morning. We don't remember ever seeing one in the wild
with its quills open like that. I was unable to get a good picture as it raced across the road.
By then both
creeks near us were definitely higher with all the snow that melted
today. The south fork was still fairly clear
up to its convergence with the middle fork. After the muddy middle fork
dumped into the south fork the whole creek was very muddy a little
farther downstream as it flowed past our campground.
CAMPGROUND UPDATE
Our campground is filling up each day with RVs, too. This time of year there are more
people coming into
our campground than leaving, although it's always in a state of flux.
Many of these folks will remain through the holiday weekend.
The area by the creek will be crammed with
campers in a few days, which is the main reason we didn't park there
this time:

Last year some folks came in the weekend before the Fourth, then left
their RVs sitting there empty the next week to save their spots. That’s not
kosher. It happened to the spot we’re in. I don’t think that 5th-wheel has arrived yet;
those folks may be disappointed to see "their" spot taken this time.
I took Cody over to the creek in our campground when we got back;
it was even higher than last night. I think I might be a little worried
if I was camped right there (like Roy and Laura) but they don’t seem
concerned.
Downstream at the other end of the campground the water was definitely
higher than I’ve ever seen it. Here it's at least twice its normal width:

I talked with the host at the for-fee forest service campground farther
back the road when I was riding my bike this afternoon. He said a few
days ago he had to move a couple of the campers to different sites
because the creek was flowing into their sites. The creek is smaller
there than it is downstream at our campground. It was flowing higher
through our campground last week, too.
BEGINNING TO ADAPT
I've often talked in this journal about the
importance of being optimistic, flexible, and able to adapt to changing
circumstances. People who can do that readily live happier lives.
I've been very concerned about Jim's ability to deal with the possible
loss of his favorite sport, running. Today he showed signs of already
adapting to that very real possibility -- in less than 24 hours
since his consultation with Dr. Scott!

The only RV, travel, or fitness blog I currently read on a regular basis
is Dale’s RVeCafe, which has separate journals for his and his wife
Gwen’s travel entries, Cameo 5th-wheel
modifications and repairs, etc. Dale and Gwen have been full-time RVers
for several years. Although we've never met, I feel like I know them
from reading their journal (I get that comment from readers of our
journal, too).
I discovered this morning that Dale also has a cycling blog on the site.
Jim and I have both begun reading it. Dale rides more on his road bike
than his mountain bike but his entries give us ideas of routes and
races.

I was happy when Jim began talking more today about possible rides/races
he could do! Both Dr. Johnson and Dr. Scott have recommended more riding
than running because of his (and my) knees. If we could do more bike
training and even races (I’m less interested in racing than Jim is) it
would give Jim the opportunity to set training and racing goals similar
to foot races.
This is a very positive step toward adapting to our changing
circumstances as we age . . .
Another view of the cliff where I had my bike wreck
in 2009. I landed right at the edge but didn't go over.
Depending on what Jim's MRI shows tomorrow, we might be in the market
soon for a new bike for him. His old Trek mountain bike doesn't
encourage long rides and he isn't fond of my Specialized TriCross
cyclocross bike. Not only
is it configured for me, it was also the bike he was riding when he
messed his knee up last fall. He needs his own spiffy bike that fits him
and works better than his old one. Then he'll be more likely to enjoy it
and do more riding.
Staying fit becomes more challenging as we age.
Next entry: hiking the southern end of Colorado Trail Segment
28
Happy trails,
Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil,
and Cody the Ultra Lab
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© 2011 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil