CRESTED BUTTE

When the heat tops 95 degrees I jump into the Colorado's cool 60 degree waters to cool down, sit in the shade and watch the river and trains flow through the canyon. I'm now off to Lake Irwin in the RAGGEDS Wilderness in the White River National Forest near Crested Butte. At 10,300' this is one of the highest developed campsites in the United States. Colorado is in their monsoon season which typically starts around mid August until the onset of Autumn in mid Sept. Days are warm with clouds building into hit and miss rain by afternoon with some errant lightning here and there. Nights clear off and are usually in the high 40's.

My first night a mama black bear brings her 2 cubs through the camp and around the back of my camp. That night was full of dumpster clanking and banging and fierce growling and screaming for a long time, several times. So I am told, I slept through it all some how so was the only camper with a rested night. Most of the campers around me bailed. I was so tired from staying up to 3 a.m. watching meteors and getting up at sunrise. I did find a big pile of bear scat in my campsite. The next night, more of the same, unnerving. Bears are getting into houses in town as well. Blame it on late freeze and then drought, drying up their food supply. I am nearest the dumpsters, about 50 feet.

HIKE TO GREEN LAKE: This is a magical landscape. I wildcarded a hike up the Ruby Range up to tree line where Eden greeted me. The landscape is vivid colors, shapes, and textures - the base of great nature photography. A long waterfall cascaded 200 feet off purple cliffs interspersed with flower laden meadows, blue lupine, white daisies, lupine, red paintbrush among many others. Bees and white butterflies with blue and red circles on their wings fluttered about. As a backdrop Purple Mountain rose above snowfields and vast avalanch slopes to an alternating cloudy and blue sky. This is at tree line so crooked spruce and fir struggled against the elements here. Walking up in elevation is like walking back in time. Summer becomes spring as snow melts, flowers bloom, and birds nest. Clouds moved over the mountain giving scant warning of impending weather. Sun alternated with dark cloud patches, rain, sun, hail, rain, sun. It is real wildcard.

I descend and get camp around for night of the bears, part 3. The clouds dissapate as my fire roars with flashlights at the ready. The forest service could wise up and put bear proof dumpsters in here instead of these artifacts from the '60's. In fact it wouldn't hurt them to invest a buck or two in here and maybe grade the 2.8' "road" every couple years or so. The camp host wired the dumpsters shut which frustrated the bear that showed up about midnight. Off it went among tents, campers, people screaming, raided a screen tent with cooler, scared the hell out of a couple of Mel Gibson post apocolyptic dirt bike riders who converted a school bus into their living and gear quarters. The bear went up the ramp they used to load their dirt bikes and had his nose pressed against the window. Many more people left the next day, but here I am, 50 feet from the dumpster.

OH-BE-JOYFUL hike: A high pressure ridge moved over Colorado bringing all day blue skies. I took an 8 mile round tripper up the Joyful canyon which is cut by the Slate River. It was a mellow hike, waterfalls, meadows, flowers, pines, marmots, pikas, and cows (later). This led to the bowl or cirque of a lake where mountains surrounded me on all sides. Sunny warm day. The Nat Forest allows cows in this "wilderness". I have a beef with that. Hanging in Crested Butte, just gearing down.