Lost Creek and Tarryall Wilderness, Colorado

Hi all,

I spent five days in early August hiking the beautiful mountains of the Lost Creek and Tarryall Wilderness with my brother, Sean. What a great time this was as I hadn't been to this part of the country since I was a kid. This is beautiful country and a hiker's paradise. There was no shortage of trails to choose from, and yet, we rarely encountered other human beings in this wilderness paradise. Some of the trails we counted coup against were: Lizard Rock, Hankins Pass, Goose Creek, Knobby Rock Hill (we named this peak ourselves near our mother's house) Brookside McCurdy and more! The wilderness boundary is located at the end of the Lizard Rock trail, which is a fairly easy but exceptionally scenic trail, and abounds with opportunities to stop and explore. This short trail is alive with wild mushrooms, wild flowers, bear tracks, deer and hawks - not to mention can't-miss climbing and scrambling opportunities!

Once we hit the trail summit we decided to head over, and up, to Hankins Pass. This trail was far more challenging and offered exceptional views of the peaks as well as the valley below. There are many switchbacks as you gain elevation which makes the hike so much more fun. We stopped every now and then to climb large boulders or scramble one of the many small and exposed summits.

Hankins Pass ends as it meets up with the Lake Park Trail (which, sadly we could not hike as it was my last day in the mountains before heading home) and the Brookside McCurdy trails. The Lake Park trail seemed to call out to me on the topo map as it boasted scores of switchbacks and intense elevation gains which surely promised the most scenic views yet as reward for the effort. I know my bro' Sean is up for it so...next time...

Obviously, these elevations and directions would be reversed were you to come from the Goose Creek Trail.

For those interested in checking this area out, the trail head is located at the Spruce Grove Campground, off of the Tarryall Road (City Rd 77) . There is decent parking space available at the Trailhead Parking. To hit the trail, walk through the campground (stay to the right), pass the outhouse and then head across a little bridge - this is Tarryall Creek and it was running like a small rapids the day we went there because of the rains. Make a hard left and pass through a cool boulder tunnel to start on the Lizard Rock Trail and then just stick to your quad map.

Difficulty: ( out of 10) 6.5 - Intermediate with a few sections deemed difficult. You ought to be in good shape. We were about 12 miles out from humans at one point. Not very far for an experienced hiker, but a long way, especially with altitude, for someone who thinks climbing into bed ought to be considered exercise. If you are in reasonable shape, this hike ought to be fun and challenging. if you are Dave Scott or a uber-level triathlete you might feel this is a good warm up before the real action begins.

Elevation gain: About 3500 feet. Yeah, that's decent.

Fun factor: This was intensely fun because of the several steep switchbacks and the myriad of scrambling opportunities.

Humans on Trail factor: (out of 10) 8 - We saw several families and groups at the bottom in the campground We saw no one, not one person in two days, on the wilderness trails...ahh!

Map: USGS Quads: McCurdy Mtn. area

the grub

Enchanted Rock

06 - 08 - 2007, Near Fredicksburg, Texas

While visiting Cross Plains, Texas, for their annual Robert E. Howard Days festival, I decided to hitch a ride with REH stalwart and editor extraordinaire, Rob Roehm and his parents, for a ride through central West Texas. Our aim was to visit as many of the points of Howardian interest that we could.

It wasn't long before we found ourselves at the foot of Enchanted Rock, gazing up its wondrously smooth pink granite pluton sides of this giant dome. What the heck is a pluton anyway? According to wikipedia, "In geology, an intrusion is a body of igneous rock that has crystallized from a molten magma below the surface of the Earth. "
Anyway, geology lessons aside, Enchanted Rock sits at about 1825 feet in elevation. It's pretty large and provides many opportunities to simply hike where you'd like. It has a marked trail and because of its dome shape you can navigate easily between the marked trail and your own trailblazing desire.

There is a designated trail that leads from the base of the rock (the Ranger station) to what might be called the halfway point,marked by a sharply delineated but low shelf, but after that, just keep climbing up as the trail gives way to the dome of rock.

I found the climb to be invigorating but short. It is fairly steep but the surface seems to be made for gripping. I felt like Spider Man as I descended the far side of an insane pitch. With each step I took, it seemed like I was going to step off into the air, such was the visual trick of the curving surface.

Height: 1825 feet elevation, 425 feet above the surrounding area.

Difficulty: (out of 10 with 10 being insane) I am giving the rock a 4. It wasn't terribly difficult to navigate at all. It was steep but only 425 vertical feet up. I was able to walk to the summit without pause though there were others who paused several times on the way up. It seemed to me to be made for exercise! Hill sprints on this would be a killer.

Take Note: There are wonderful opportunities for scaling and scrambling. I scrambled up and down many sections of loose boulders, chasms, very small caves and tunnels. Take note of the islands of vegetation and wildlife that exist at the top in small, pool-like depressions. Also, if you hang around until dusk you might hear the famous groaning and creaking that caused the original inhabitants, the Tonkawa tribe, to give it its mysterious and beautiful name.

Enjoyment factor: (out of 10) A solid 6 for the bouldering and scrambling opportunities alone. A real blast and very fun. It is easy to see how Robert E. Howard could have been inspired to pen the poem, Cimmeria.

The grub

It's been a long while...

Hi all,

I had forgotten about this blog entirely. I know, how could such an egregious lapse of recall occur? Well, I could blame raising my son, Max, who's almost two years old now, and how that left me almost no time to engage in fun stuff like this online journal. Or, I could blame it on my college work and my son...or, I could just admit that I had forgotten I had this neat little piece of the digital jungle. There, I admit it; I simply forgot. Luckily, while I was cleaning out my favorite sites list I noticed a fave link called Iron Legions and a few clicks later here we are again (I actually remembered my password and user name.) It's good to be back. Let's see how long the ride lasts this time!

the grub