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| Hiking | 4.87 Miles |
1,331 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.87 Miles | 3 Hrs 22 Mns | | 1.48 mph |
| 1,331 ft AEG | 4 Mns Break | 20 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | Colorado Trip September 2022 - Day #2 (Hike #3 of trip)
Second Mace Trail #1322
We were leaning toward a longer hike in the Sangre de Cristo's but the weather looked slightly iffy so we opted to stick with the San Isabel National Forest again.
Although this was essentially an ATV trail it was close to where we hiked yesterday and figured, how bad could it be? Plus, if we didn't like it, not only is there a peak or two to bag along the way but the trailhead is shared with the Squirrel Creek Trail, so if we didn't do the full 10+ miles out-and-back we'd have another convenient option.
Yup, it definitely was an ATV trail, complete with angled and eroded tracks, sporting plenty of loose rock and/or pea-gravel and in most cases, quite steep. The first mile or so was a very steep uphill climb, requiring judicious use of hiking poles to keep from sliding backward, enough so we enjoyed the half-mile respite where it leveled out a bit.
But of course that wouldn't last, and we were soon sliding more than walking, down the steep and angled 'road'. After a half-mile of that fiasco we both felt it was decision-time. Noting the trail conditions ahead, along with the knowledge the trail would continue on down to the end, neither of us cared to continue. While the Dome Rock Trail another half-mile ahead offered an option to loop back along the Squirrel Creek Trail, the unknown extra distance along a completely unknown trail (It was never on the to-do-list), nope, let's call this one and turn around.
Om the way back, at the Silver Circle/Second Mace Connector Trail junction we reassessed our situation. Being hemmed in by trees, scenic views along the trail had been non-existent, so... since there's a peak on either side of us, how about we hit up a couple summits and maybe catch a scenic view or two along the way.
Since Peak 9165 is just over 1/8 mile from where we were standing it was the natural choice. Usually off-trail isn't Tracey's thing, but after the ON-trail slip-n-slide fiasco, this was actually be fun. Sure some spots were steep but the assorted game trails provided decent options. Add in a few monster boulders and it became more of a game whether to go this way or that to avoid the tighter spots. Peak 9165 was nothing special so we had no expectation of locating a summit log, and our expectations was correct, nada.
Ok, back to the trail and take a look at Peak 9293, which I HAD mapped a possible ascent and a descent route prior to the trip, since we were on the return trip I thought we might try it in the opposite direction. No go! While it may have been ok dropping down the original 'descent' route, going up against-the-grain was just not-gonna-happen. So, we continued on back along the Second Mace Trail until reaching the beginning of the original 'ascent' route.
This was MUCH easier! Plenty of game trails to follow and with an actual track to follow it wasn't long before we reached the summit. And yes, this time we located a summit log, which was quite interesting.
While neither summit offered expansive scenic views, the boulders stepped up to offer some interesting scenes.
On the return trip we took a short detour along a cut-off trail up from the Frontier Pathways Historic Byway (Greenhorn Highway as well as CO #165) to see if by chance it MAY offer westward views, it did not. So now it's time for the final slip-n-slide down the steepest part of the ATV trail.
Downhills are always the worst for me, and by this time my arthritic left hip was letting it's extreme displeasure become known, so rather than fight the trail, I chose the natural terrain off to the side of the trail. Wow, the softer and more stable ground made the descent less of struggle to stay upright and alleviating some of the pain and attendant stress.
Back at the trailhead Tracey said she smelled something sweet nearby so naturally I had to check it out. After testing to see which was the odor was coming from and wandering a bit in that direction, behind a boulder I found the source. It was a 30-gallon black plastic garbage bag with something inside. No way was I going to attempt to open it, but if we were to report it to the Forest Service I wanted to have a better idea of what it was. So I lightly poked it with my hiking pole, then pressed a bit harder. Whatever it was, as solid as it felt I was pretty sure it was a body. By the shape, size and perceived weight (40 lbs?), I doubted anyone would have bagged and left a wild animal, so I figured it was a large-breed dog.
Ok, the sweet smell was really the smell-of-death so we left it alone. I would report the finding on-line with the FS when we got back to the Air BnB.
With no cell service in the vicinity (none for likely 98% of our trip) we left the outside world behind. No phone, no TV, no worries for a week! While social-media just isn't my thing (HAZ-only) it was still refreshing not to do anything but enjoy the vacation.
Since we had half the day to burn, we prepared to add a hike on the Squirrel Creek Trail. |
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