This past weekend, I finally got back outside for a little overnight backpacking trip with Brian and Scotty dog. The last year was a little crazy for us with work, travel and moving to CO, so we haven’t been backpacking since an amazing long weekend trip in 2013. That year, we spent 4 days backpacking the southern and western slopes of Mt Adams in Washington. We didn’t see a single soul the entire trip, until the last 1/4 mile of the trail back to the car. It was amazing! The mosquitoes were bad, but we had so much solitude. Unplugging so completely felt really great.

 

Fast forward to this year. I’m a bit more out of shape than I was back then! But also happy just to be outside, exploring our new Colorado Mountains. We chose the Surprise Trail to the Gore Range Trail from Lower Cataract Lake. Our goal was Upper Cataract and Kat lakes first at 5.5 miles, and potentially on to Mirror Lake at 6.6 miles. Total elevation gain was about 2,500 ft and the high point was just under 11,000ft. Nothing too burly. We were both testing new backpacks and a new water filter (reviews on that later!) and it’s our first trip of the season. As it turns out, I got a bit more than I bargained for on this trip! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

 

 

One of the best parts about living in a mountain town, is that you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to get to the trailhead before noon. So, we slept in and had a leisurely morning of packing and pancakes. Wow – this day started off like every Saturday should! Then we got to the trailhead at Lower Cataract Lake around 11:30am. Holy. Cow. Half the world, plus a whole kennel of dogs and the Forest Service had all showed up at the trailhead. Geez – I guess no more sleeping in on a Saturday. Back to “early bird gets the worm” philosophy.   We parked about 1/4 mile away from the trailhead, assembled our gear and started off on foot.

We climbed steadily through some pretty meadows, bursting at the seams with wildflowers. Sticky Geraniums, Aspen Sunflowers, Columbine, Mariposa Lilies… it was a cacophony of color. The meadows alternated with some aspen groves. Of course, many wilderness jackwads who had come before us just had to carve their initials all over the aspens. Lame. We were only a mile in at this point and I was just sweating like a pig. This trail was a lot steeper than we had planned on. Turns out, over half the elevation gain of the trip is in the first two miles. Geez. I was really feeling out of shape here!

We set a goal at the outset to stop for lunch at Surprise Lake, which the map said was 2.6 miles. That’s no problem, except it’s a steep-ass climb to get there. What WAS a problem is that we didn’t start hiking until noon. Now if you know me, you know I don’t do well when I miss meals or eat too late in the day. I get “Hangry.” I’m like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when I’m hungry. As we started ascending steeply, I realized I needed some food. I nibbled on a Honey Stinger Waffle, but didn’t stop for something substantial. I started slowing down. WAY down. It was steep, hot and mosquitoes were buzzing in my ears. It turned out that Surprise lake was a little over 3 miles. No biggie, except by now, I was getting irrationally crazy and grouchy. Brian got ahead of me and I finally plunked down on the trail in dismay to grumpily consume some jerky. I needed FOOD. PROTEIN. SUGAR. CARBS. I felt so out of shape and slow and hungry, my mind turned super negative. “Why are we doing this? What is wrong with me? THIS SUCKS. It’s too hot. I’m too slow for this. My pack is so damn heavy. I just want to lay down and take a nap. The lake is too far. I won’t make it.” Those were the kinds of things running through my brain at a whopping 2 mph.

After my jerky break, we finally made it to Surprise Lake. It was shady and cool, with a coating of lily pads that were blooming with lovely yellow flowers. I plunked down hard, with no intention of ever rising again. I was too hot and sweaty to have much of an appetite, despite my obvious need for calories so I could think straight. I nibbled on cheese, salami and muscled down two bites of bagel and an apple. While we were resting, a day-hiking family cruised by with their dog. A little boy, about 6 years old, ran up to pet Scotty for about 3 seconds. He breathlessly announced, “We used to have a dog, until it got too old and the vet made it sleep. Ok, bye!!” before running off again. Brian and I just laughed and the abruptness of it all. That kid was doing WAY better than I was! We had passed a huge number of day hikers and backpackers on the trail and were starting to feel concerned it was going to be packed at the lake.

 

 

We lurched to our feet, re-packed our gear and food and hit the trail. By this point, the trail had become a long slog through dense forest. No views. Just an endless parade of fir trees. It was hot and sticky and buggy. My brain and stomach were better after the break, so at least I was able to maintain a faster, steadier pace. The grade of the trail let up a bit, but still climbed steadily. After another two miles, I felt like one of the zombies from “the Walking Dead,” aimlessly staggering along, groaning with not a thought in my brain. Just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. It started sprinkling lightly, which felt like a miracle after the heat all day.

 

Then, there was suddenly a break in the trees! A view! A mountain! Woohoo! I instantly felt a million times better, just knowing I was finally getting somewhere after hours of walking. We had a fantastic view of Eagle’s Nest Mountain, which rises over 13,000 ft. And we could see Kat Lake below us! We debated if we should push on to Mirror Lake, another mile down the trail. The sky was dark and ominous and we still had to set up camp, cook and get some fishing time in. So we decided to call it at Kat Lake. Turns out that was a good idea.

 

 

There were a few groups of people camped on the shore. We bushwhacked around the lake, over logs and through bogs and managed to find a spot with a great view and no one else around. Awesome. We whipped up a fantastic Indian dinner (thanks Whole Foods) and scooped it up with Naan. I was feeling a million times better to have my pack off, my belly full and a crap load of mosquito spray on. Even Scotty dog was feeling it. He laid down, totally pooped, with no ambition to wander and sniff around. This made all that hard work to get here worth it! I was totally content and enjoying life again. Brian went fishing while I took care of the bear hang. The sun was setting and it was warm and beautiful. Then, just like that, the sky turned pitch black and thunder started to rumble. This is Colorado, after all, so the weather changes every five minutes.

 

 

We stashed our gear and jumped in our tent around 8pm, just before the rain started. It turned heavy, then it turned to hail. Scotty loves being in our tent because it’s a great excuse for him to snuggle with his “pack.” He does not like being in our tent during a thunderstorm, however. If you’ve ever been in a tent in a torrential downpour, or hail, you know how loud it is. He will snuggle in, as close as he can, bury his head under a sleeping bag and he quakes like a leaf whenever a peal of thunder starts. Poor dog! The rain kept up for a solid hour and we discovered a drip in our tent, which has weathered many years and many storms. Bummer. It needed a fresh coat of seam sealer! We managed to avoid getting wet by wrapping Brian’s sleeping bag in my rain jacket. We both slept fairly solidly, despite on and off downpours through the night. We finally emerged from the tent around 8am the next day, under brilliant blue skies and a stiff breeze.

 

 

Again, we had a lazy morning. We took our time with breakfast (oatmeal with hazelnuts, dehydrated raspberries, cinnamon and coconut.. yum!) and got dried out and packed up by late morning. We made our way up to Upper Cataract Lake to check out the view. It was beautiful. We saw a small handful of backpackers, but most folks were gone. I guess that’s the bonus of sleeping in! The hike out was the polar opposite of the hike in. Steady pace and easy going. We both were surprised by how steep the trail was on the way out. It always seems steeper on the downhill!   We celebrated our small victory of a completed trip in our traditional way… a burger and milkshake!

 

 

Even though the trip exposed that A) we need to do some tent repair and B) I need to get back in backpacking shape, it was a really great first trip of the season. I love a challenging trip, even if it means I do the zombie shuffle for a while.  I love that Brian and I work so well as a team, especially when the going gets tough. I love finding solitude in the wilderness. I love that I didn’t get cell service, as it forces conversation and interaction between people. I love that Brian got to go fishing. I love that my dog always seems full of energy and is happiest on the trail. I can’t wait for our next trip, because I am always happiest on the trail too!