Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06

[Wisha Haddan H3]

It was the perfect weekend to go see the aspens. I think we hit right at the peak, so if you want to see the colors, you don't have much time left.

I picked up my nephews Eric and Andrew at 830 and headed up to Idaho Springs to meet the group at 930. It turned out to be Alec, Shaggy, Zig and me. We waited for Moon but after a half hour took off without him.

Here we are taking Hwy 103 out of Idaho Springs toward Mt Evans. The turnoff to Devils Canyon is almost invisible from this direction. It was 70+ degrees and a beautiful day to open the sunroof.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Here are the first bits of color on our way up.

[blindzebra]

definitely need more pics

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Why does work always have to get in the way of a good time ;)


As we topped a rise, this is what popped into view. The trail is a series of loops that go all over and around the mountain.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Beautiful groves of aspen extend from hillside to hillside

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Here's Shaggy in a sea of yellow. There's still some green up here, so you have another weekend to enjoy the colors.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Uh-oh, here come's some weather. Here's Mike (Zigsrig) pulling over for a pic.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

This meadow made a great place for a snack.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Looky what we got above treeline :dancingbanana:

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Remember that part about the weather?

[Wisha Haddan H3]

But on the other side of the hill ... sunshine and blue sky.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

My nephews Andrew, Eric and myself (left to right). Andrew is over six feet tall, so I took good advantage of the road grade. Andrew is about to enlist in the Navy. Eric is in college thinking about mechanical design.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Devils Canyon was really a short trail, so we decided to run over the Bill Moore lake. Zig had to get back to town, so that left Alec & Kathy, Shaggy, and us for the rest of the day.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

nice close-up of the mine

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Here's Andrew on an old stone foundation next to the mine.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

It's hard to keep your eyes on the road when there's so much to see all around :D

[DDWH]

Great pics, looks like a good time!:beerchug:

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Lots of loose rock on this trail. My locker failed (again), and I had a hard time getting up the last hill. This was a good spot for a breather.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

We kept climbing higher and higher. We never quite reached treeline, but weren't far from it.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Now we're in it. At this point, snowmelt and runoff were turning parts of the trail into mud. It got really slick at the bottom of this hill.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

At last the end of the trail. The lake is just beyond that fence. We got there just in front of a snow flurry and the temp dropped to 32-35*.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

And here's Bill Moore lake, right underneath the Continental Divide. As the snow blew in, it drove us back to our trucks. I for one was ready to head back down.

It was a great trip, not very technical for the most part, but you can't beat the scenery. Won't be long before you'll need snowmobiles or a snowcat to get back there.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Ok, one last pic. Once we dropped down out of the clouds, it got sunny and warm again. This is pretty close to the Bill Moore trailhead.

I love Colorado!

[CO Hummer]

Nice Pics, Joel!

I'm surprised you didn't go up Red Elephant Hill to get to the top of Bill Moore since the group's already run the normal (Empire) route up there this year. I wish I coulda been there. Times running out!

[Big Z]

X2...Nice Shots! :perfect10s:

[HummBebe]

Did Shaggy leave his rig at the bottom again????

:jump:

[Wisha Haddan H3]

No, his Xterra went all the way. Even got a great poser pic on a boulder at the end.

Here's a link to the trail report on ******* ... with action shots http://www.*******club.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1091

[HummBebe]

No, his Xterra went all the way. Even got a great poser pic on a boulder at the end.

Here's a link to the trail report on ******* ... with action shots http://www.*******club.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1091

So what's the locker story?

[wpage]

Real Nice Shots!!:grouphug:

[Wisha Haddan H3]

So what's the locker story?

Same as the Spring Creek trip ... I used it on the first few obstacles (turning it off after each one) with no problem. and then one time, it just wouldn't engage. It's like it overheats or something and has to cool down before it will work again. Because at the end of Bill Moore trail (at the bottom) I tried it and it worked. :confused:

I just need to make time and take it to the dealer.