hike: Cascade Creek to Engine Creek to Engine Basin

[ilanarama]

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).


From the meadow at around 9500 ft where we had lunch we could see Grizzly Peak (there's an unnamed smaller peak in front and to the left of it):



Engine Falls sounded like an approaching freight train! This picture was taken around 12:30 pm on the way up; later in the afternoon when we hiked past it again, the water was red with mud and silt.



Another pretty waterfall along the upper trail.

Another waterfall - this one really high and in a narrow gorge. And another view of its upper cascade.

The red rock of Jura Knob formed the backdrop for the upper basin. Not much snow for above treeline in June!



Our turnaround and break spot had a great view of the backside (north side) of Engineer Mountain:



A photo of the more well-known south side. My parents took this picture from the road during their visit last September.

Looking southwest from the basin we could see Grayrock Peak.

Comments

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Holy cow, those are beautiful photos! (And in the last (unlinked/displayed) picture, it looks like there's an owl sitting next to the green pack!) What does a marten look like? I've heard of them, but never saw one.

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Hee, the "owl" is an interestingly-shaped stump.

A marten is a small long-furred weasel that looks sort of like a cat - I think. All I saw was its rear end and its long, furry tail. There's a really cute picture here: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/factsheets/mammals/marten.htm

[eejitalmuppet.livejournal.com]

Lovely photos. Speaking as a antive of a nation where the highest point is just over 4400 feet, I have to confess amusement at your definition of "high country". Then the braincells twitch a little more, and I remember a certain bike ride in New Mexico.

I wonder if Jura Knob is named after the Scottish island? Said island has a rounded double peak ("the Paps of Jura"; yes, in that sense) of red granite. Not as purple as the Coloradan namesake appears to be, but perhaps close enough...

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Well, what your country lacks in altitude it makes up in latitude. I imagine treeline isn't far above sea level when you get sufficiently far north!

And as for Jura Knob, alas, I have no idea - the guidebook doesn't give the derivation. That red rock is sandstone rather than granite, though. There are a few odd names in the area, including Grand Turk (which we climbed last year) which shares its name with an island south of the Bahamas, so who knows?

[eejitalmuppet.livejournal.com]

In the Scottish Highlands, it's difficult to tell where the natural treeline would be, primarily because most of the original trees were cut down in the 18th-20th centuries and the majority of the trees which are currently found there are in man-made plantations. In Orkney and Shetland, however, a tree-line seems to mean an outraged letter to the landlord from a perfectly respectable tree, which refuses to move back in until something is done about the draughts...

[littleamerica.livejournal.com]

Man am I looking forward to getting back to Colorado.

[hermy-own-ninny.livejournal.com]

i'm so jealous! after being to colorado this past winter, it was hard to come back to flat old michigan.

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks! To be honest, I don't know if I could live in a flat state like Michigan!

[tiarariz.livejournal.com]

Awwwww the lovely magestic mountains.... Just wish I am there again back in Colorado...

Nonetheless, thanks for sharing the lovely pics...

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! We did a great backpack over the July 4th weekend - I need to put together something coherent with the pictures, and then I'll post that, too.