Seasonal streams and falls will run high and fast this year

Hikers and backpackers in the Colorado mountains should expect more snow and tricky stream crossings this year.  Near-record snowpack at the upper elevations is going to take longer to melt and will add much more water to the run-off that feeds seasonal streams and waterfalls like the one pictured above.

This seasonal waterfall begins flowing in March and dries up in June each year.  At its peak in May, it's really gushing as it flows into the Crystal River south of Redstone, Colorado.

The ghost town of Independence

CDOT opened Independence Pass on Thursday, so Friday I drove up there to see the twenty foot walls of snow and take both photos and videos.

On the way down, I stopped at the ghost town of Independence.  You can see the snow is very deep.  Well above average snowpack at the higher elevations this year will either delay spring hikes or make them more challenging.  I was post-holing on top of the pass, where the wind prevents it from getting too deep (though it's very deep just below the top).

It's time to start looking at my favorite low-elevation and south-facing trails to see where I can get out and explore.  Or I can bring snowshoes, and check out the other trails...

Mud Season in the Mountains is Peak Season for the Desert

There's been little activity on this blog for a while because we're in mud season.  Colorado mountain trails either have too much snow or mud to hike, and too little snow for snowshoeing.  I've been hiking up Red Hill in Carbondale on a fairly regular basis both for training and enjoyment.  Low elevation and south-facing trails might be open to hiking this month, but Mud Season is most notably the time that people like myself take off to the desert. 

Utah is just a couple hours away, and March through May are great months for exploring the canyons in the beehive state (October through December are good too, but there's far less water and the days are much shorter).  Moab was mobbed as I passed through there a couple of weeks ago.  I was on my way to Cedar Mesa, where several canyons are home to great hikes as well as Anasazi Ruins.  Over the last decade, we've hiked and backpacked many of the canyons of Grand Gulch (Kane, Todie, Sheiks, Bullet, Collins), the largest canyon in the region, as well as the Fish/Owl loop, and Road, McCloyd, and Slickhorn canyons. 

This year we made a multi-day camp on the mesa, and day-hiked into many canyons.  The luxury of a base camp, coupled with the light weight of a day-hike pack made this a most enjoyable experience.  In addition, the ruins we visited might have been the best of the region.

Moon House Ruins up close

Fallen Roof ruins

Moon House ruins from across McCloyd canyon