Flat Tops Wilderness Backpacking

(more photos in the album on the right side of the page)

Me (Brock) and the boys went backpacking last weekend in the Colorado Flat Tops Wilderness, part of the White River National Forest near Yampa, CO. This was our first backwoods trip into the Western Slope of Colorado--the mountain area west of the Continental Divide. Due to the moisture arriving from the west and not quite making it over the Continental Divide, the Western Slope is typically more lush with grasses and vegetation compared to the drier Eastern Slope and Front Range Rocky Mountains.

I've heard some say that the Flat Tops Wilderness is as close as you can get to a "Montana" feel from inside the Colorado border. I've never been to Montana, but from the photos and movies I've seen about Montana, I think I know what they mean. The mountains are different in this wilderness compared to the scaling peaks of other Colorado ranges. (Dana, if you're reading this, you can validate those "Montana" claims).

We left our home in Golden on Friday evening, somewhat leary about the forecasted storms in that area for the weekend (it's not fun to be at high altitude in the Rockies during a lightning storm). We decided to go anyway and play it by ear upon arrival. We drove through rain off and on the entire three hour drive to the trailhead. We hit the trail at approximately 5:40 pm with at least a two hour hike ahead of us...not much time to pack in, find a suitable campsite, and settle in for the night. The good news is the rain had completely stopped as we began our trek.

A couple of things to point out from the picture below. First off, you can see why this area is called the Flat Tops. Most of the mountains have steep climbs that flatten out into wide vistas at the top. Clouds were also moving in, with the prospect of rain showers looking grim (and losing valuable sunlight).

We were surprised to see so many wildflowers still in bloom this late into August. Colorado has experienced a lot of moisture this year, which has kept things greener and more colorful well into summer. The aroma blend from all of these flowers mixed in with the mountain breeze was incredible.

We had finally reached the high point of the trail (photo below), an 11,228 foot mountain pass that opened up into wide open meadows and clusters of pine trees for miles. From this point forward, there are no roads or towns within a day or two of average-paced hiking. It's all true and untamed wilderness.

With sunlight waning, we stepped up the pace to make Keener Lake, just short of four miles from our start. You have to make camp at least 100 feet off trail, so we started looking for a spot with some wind protection and not completely in the open with the approaching storms and lightning. After looking around for about 20 minutes, we stumbled across a spot that seemed as though it was prepared just for us. A nice flat area under a cluster of pine with a hearty stone campfire ring and log benches. I've never seen anything quite this "nice" off-trail in the primitive backcountry. This was awesome.

And no joke, as soon as we started setting up our tent, the rain started in. It was actually amazing that we didn't encounter a single drop of rain while hiking the trail...that would've been miserable. We had a few minutes to get a small fire going to warm up, then one stroke of lightning had us scurrying into the tent like frightened mice. We stayed in for the night, huddled together over a few good games of Uno, some Gushers and granola bars, then we hit the sack.

Our original plans were to stay for two nights and get in some fishing on the nearby backcountry lakes and ponds, but Jared came down with a bad headache and chest pains that lasted all night and into the morning. It was a tough call, and Jared even said he wanted to stay at one point, but as the trip leader I had to bag on the hopes of catching fish to ensure everyone's safety. Jared more than likely was experiencing some light altitude sickness, which is normal at these elevations and can happen to anyone, whether you're in the best of shape or not. However if the symptoms aren't relieving themselves along with food, water and some Tylenol, the only remedy is to descend from the mountain.

Jared was a trooper though, tired and with a bad headache now, he worked hard to carry his own pack and hit the trail with a smile.

The amazing thing on our trip is that we had rain all night and into the morning, and no sooner did we break down our tent to pack up, the rain completely stopped. Once again, this was a blessing as we had a beautiful hike along the trail, making for an easier return trip to the Jeep.

As soon as we made it back to the Jeep, the storms rolled in again. Jared had prayed two specific things before bed that night in the tent--a break in the rain on Saturday, and also for some good fishing. Was the break in the rain an answer to prayer or just coincidence? Well, you can decide that for yourself, but I have to wonder how the fishing would've turned out if we had chose to stick around for the second half of Jared's prayer. (smile)

We never saw a bear face to face, despite the Flat Tops being bear country, but we came close enough. Here is the rear left footprint of a Colorado black bear. Notice the claw prints in the mud:

One thing I've learned in the backcountry is to be prepared for anything, including cutting a trip short. It was no problem though. The boys did a terrific job, covering eight miles of trail with 14 & 20 lb. packs on their backs and around 1,200 feet of elevation gain over some steep trails. This was also Braden's first official overnight backpacking trip, so quite a milestone for him.

Those mountain trout are darn lucky we didn't stay for the extra day. I guarantee there would've been grilled fish on the dinner menu. For now, they survive another day and another big fish story.

A New Frontier

We recently welcomed our good and longtime friend David to Colorado. David moved to Colorado Springs from Cincinnati, not much more than a week ago, to begin another chapter in his life's journey and business venture. He has known Sarah's family since childhood and has been a very close friend to Sarah's brother Paul and sister-in-law Cathy (and their children) for several years. We're ecstatic to have another familiar face just an hour "down the road" from us as well as the opportunity to partner with David on various projects. Of course, simply hanging out with David is the most meaningful to our family.

David is set up with a nice pad down in the Springs. Here are his load of boxes upon his arrival and the move-in effort:

And here is his awesome balcony view of Pikes Peak. What a nice view every morning and evening with a cup of coffee (or a cold beer!):

Welcome to a new frontier David!

Happy Birthday Braden!

For what has become customary in the Henning family, every birthday means a special breakfast in bed is in order. The breakfast includes a special pancake in the shape of their age. The evening was spent with a bowling party at Braden's request. Along for the fun were his three best friends--Jack, Henry and Nicholas.

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Pirates of the Caribbean

Well, I wouldn't exactly call us pirates, but we did cruise through the Western Caribbean last week for seven days of adventures at sea and four ports. With Sarah's parents Kenny & Marilyn, her brother Paul & sister-in-law Cathy and kids, and brother Brian, we had 14 in all with our crew. Somehow we managed to coordinate all of our shore excursions and activities with a group of that size and have a blast doing it.

Here's the Royal Caribbean "Liberty of the Seas" that took us from Miami to Labadee, Haiti, then to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, followed by George Town, Grand Cayman, and a final stop in Cozumel, Mexico before returning to Miami:


Each location along the way had something unique about it and different from the rest. Haiti is such a beautiful country, but I have to admit it was hard to fully enjoy the island due to the current state of the Haiti nation with it's corruption and economic condition. I don't recall seeing many local Haitians working at the private resort smiling or radiating with joy, but I can't fault them for that. Haiti does not provide for a peaceful easy lifestyle, by worldly standards anyway. Although the cruise ships bring tips and income to the locals, I can only empathize in what they perceive when the "rich tourists" show up on massive ships to lavish the beauty of a country that only brings them poverty.

The beach area in Labadee is blocked off from the rest of Haiti by security fences and guards around every corner. It was surreal to be playing in an island 'paradise' but feeling uneasy about the deep stares and empty expressions from the local people. We did manage to enjoy the visit and got in some decent snorkeling just off the beach, and Braden found a cool Brittle Star starfish. I confess, however, there was a level of comfort getting back on the ship as there was not much we could do for these people on a brief cruise ship excursion, short of giving them tips.

Here are a couple of shots (from the ship) of the Labadee beach, bay and the iridescent blue water:

Our next all aboard took us to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. There was a night and day difference between the overall feel of Jamaica and Haiti. There was much going on at port with a lively atmosphere. Aside from the typical tourist information the guides offered, we found the locals in Jamaica very willing to talk about everyday life when asked. A few locals that we met on our jungle canopy zip line tour were interested in learning more about us, our jobs and families, where we were from, etc. I wish we had the time to hang out and get to know these people more. Many of them have interesting stories.

Here is a view of the Jamaican countryside, a hike through the jungle, and me (Brock) and Jared by one of the 'white' rivers after our zip line excursion:

We left Jamaica for the Cayman Islands and the town of George Town. Very nice town with the English language completely understood as this is British territory. The easier snorkeling off the beach of Haiti was a nice warmup to the deeper water snorkeling we did off a boat along the Cheeseburger Reef.

The underwater photos didn't turn out as great as I had hoped, but a couple of shots weren't bad. Here's a shot of Braden from below the surface, and another shot of some coral:




Our last port was in Cozumel, Mexico, which turned out to be one of the highlights of the cruise. We went to Chankanaab National Park to swim with the dolphins and snorkel in the beautiful waters just off the shore. Unfortunately, the underwater camera had run out of pictures, but we snapped plenty of photos with the dolphins from above the water. Be sure to check out the full picture album on the right side of the page.

Meet Picasso, a cool dolphin that showed us a great time while in Cozumel:



If there is ever another opportunity to cruise the Western Caribbean, one thing I would do different is take more time in the ports versus doing so many excursions. The excursions are definitely a blast (albeit expensive), but they eat up most of the day leaving little time to explore the local shops and fare. Two days at each port would be ideal.

If you get a chance to hit up a cruise, you won't regret it. Just be ready to be ridiculously pampered on the ship (and gain about 10 pounds from all of the food).

To see our complete photo album from the cruise, click on the Caribbean Cruise Album in the right hand pane. Enjoy!

Some geeks are slow...

For an Information Technology guy by profession and hobby, it's taken me a while to jump on the blog bandwagon, but we've finally 'arrived'. [kidding] Thanks to a few of you who went long before me with blogging and finally convinced me that this is the way to go for keeping folks up to date on our lives. That special mention goes out to my sister Amy and friends Bill Craig, Greg Layman and Brian Bretz.

May all of your blogging adventures be fulfilling and only a minimal waste of time!