hike: Cascade Creek to Engine Creek to Engine Basin

Britt and I got out hiking on Friday for our first high-country hike of the season. Actually we did a 14-mile roundtrip on the Colorado Trail on Monday, but as we topped out at 8400 feet that doesn't really count as high country. We drove to the Cascade Creek trailhead just north of Purgatory Durango Mountain Resort and did about 6 miles each way up to the big basin under Jura Knob, sort of between Rolling Mountain (which we climbed last September) and Engineer Mountain (which we plan to climb this summer).

We made the tactical mistake of neglecting to bring bug dope, so we hiked quickly from the trailhead (~8800 ft) until we reached a high enough meadow that the mosquitoes were not out yet. We did see quite a bit of wildlife sign (deer and elk) and saw one pine marten on the way up, and several small herds of elk on the way down (all barely glimpsed through the trees as they hightailed it away from us). There were small patches of snow in the trees beginning around 10000 ft, but never enough to turn us back; things are really melting out fast. There are lots of lovely waterfalls and cascades along the creeks here which are all flowing very hard and fast at this time of year. We turned around in the basin more or less at treeline (around 11500 ft).

( Pictures, and links to more pictures, behind the cut. )