Douglas Creek TH to Devils Gate TH

I drove to the Pelton Creek Campground at the end of FSR 898 at the border of Colorado and Wyoming.  I started the ride from the Douglas Creek Trailhead.

Douglas Creek

Fireweed

Dakota was moving around a lot (notice his ear) but this is the sign for the intersection of the Douglas Creek Trail and the Platte River Trail.

This is the sagging roof line and chimney  of an old cabin of Edith "Bobbie" Thompson who lived here in the 1950's.  She was known as the "Angel of Keystone" for being a nurse, post mistress, cook, and teacher to the tie hacks and their families that lived in this area.  Tie hacks were men who lived in the forest, chopped down trees, and cut them into railroad ties.  

Dakota - this was after we had gone about 61/2 miles and ridden into a bog.

Zoe and Bear, two worn out dirty dogs.

Finally - the Devils Gate Trailhead!  Now all we had to do is ride back to the truck and trailer the way we came which consisted of 8 miles. By this point, I really wanted a helicopter to swoop down, pick us all up, and fly us home, but all you can do is keep going.  At about 2 miles into the return trip, I noticed that Dakota had lost his front right shoe, but he made it the whole way back without limping. 

NOTES:  Pictures taken with my Canon Powershot, didn't see anyone on the trail, weather was overcast, rained a little but not heavy, the Devil's Gate trail was hard to follow at the creek crossing and had downed timber, the Douglas Creek Trail was in good shape 

A New Horse

This is my new horse, Dakota.  He is a buckskin but is a registered paint.  Dakota is 15 years old and 16.2 hands.  I bought him in Lander, Wyoming.  He was the 6th horse that I went and looked at and test-rode.

Thunder Pass

My nephew, Joel, on Copper and my neighbor's horse, Blaze

We rode on a Saturday and there were so many hikers, mountain bikers, and other horses on the trail.  Glad that I didn't bring my dogs.  They aren't allowed off leash here. 

  

American Lakes is in the Colorado State Park/State Forest but the other side of Thunder Pass is in Rocky Mountain National Park.

One of the American Lakes in the background

Aqua Fria

The Grizzly Trailhead.  This is the start of the Grizzle Helena Trail that stretches north along the east side of the Zirkel Mountains.  I rode Copper and had Bear and Zoe with me.

Aqua Fria - it is very low because it is being used by ranchers to irrigate their hay fields

This is the dam at the west end of Aqua Fria.

Bear coming out of the lake

Beautiful little valley to the east of Aqua Fria

A Sad Day

Duster died on this day.  Scott and I were going to help a neighbor move some cows.  Duster seemed perfectly normal when I was saddling him up at our ranch, but when I pulled him out of the trailer at the pasture out in the sage brush where we were going to start from, he was acting strange.  He kept trying to stretch out and pee and then acted like he wanted to lay down.  We called our vet, and I quickly put Duster back in the trailer and raced for town.  I met the vet and he examined Duster and started treating him for colic.  He gave him shots to relax his muscles and for the pain, and then tubed him with oil to try and get his digestive system to start working again.  Duster was in pain and wanted to lie down and roll, but we kept him walking so that he wouldn't twist his intestines or stomach.  Duster continued to get worse and bloated up and then died a few hours later.  I would like to thank Dr. Lanny Weddle for doing all that he could and for my friends that helped me keep Duster walking before he died.  


Duster was a wonderful horse and we shared many exciting adventures together.  I wish that we could have had at least a few more years of trail rides, but it wasn't meant to be.  

Clear Lake Loop

The trailhead for Kelly Lake and Clear Lake trails at the end of CR 41 in the State Forest State Park.  I was not going to Clear Lake, but doing a long outer loop of the Clear Lake trail north and west, a distance of approximately 10 miles.  

Horse corrals at the trailhead

A lot of the pine trees are dead because of the beetle kill, but the aspens are still beautiful.

Copper at an old broken Clear Lake sign.  The bottom part says 4 miles.  The pink stuff on his face is called Swat and acts as a bug repellant.

It was so hot.  A  couple miles from here on the way back, I took my cotton shirt off and dunked it in an icy mountain stream.  It was a shock putting it back on, but it sure felt good to be cold.  A few more miles down the trail and it had completely dried out.

Notes:  I saw a cow elk down in the willows when I was headed north and a bull moose on the upper logging road when I was headed back.  There is a section of the trail, when I was headed north that is completely covered by downed timber, but I followed a faint path around it and was able to pick up the trail again.  There is also a fence with no gate blocking the trail.  Follow the fence around that section and you'll pick up the trail again.

Illinois River TH to Jack Park TH

Illinois River Trailhead - Routt National Forest

We ran into a small doe coming down the trail.  She spooked Duster and he turned around and tried to retreat.

A fork in the trail.  We were going left to Jack Park.

Jack Park

Indian Paintbrush

  

I was up on a log so this is a birds-eye view of Duster

At the Jack Park Trailhead

  

End of the trail.  This was about 3 miles and then we turned around and went back.  On the way back, I met one hiker coming up the at the junction of the Illinois River Trail and the Jack Park Trail.  He was from Grand County.

Note to self:  recon the 758 road to the Jack Park Trailhead.  Ride up old logging road possibly to Baker Pass.