What is the perfect way to spend a beautiful Easter Sunday? Hiking! Last Easter we went on our first hike in Colorado and it was such a memorable experience that we decided to make it a tradition....weather permitting of course. Today was gorgeous- 65 and sunny! We chose to hike Rabbit Mountain in honor of the Easter bunny:)
There are 3 different trails to choose from at Rabbit Mountain Open Space: Eagle Wind, Indian Mesa, and Little Thompson Overlook. I had read about all 3 of them ahead of time and had planned on taking the Eagle Wind Trail, primarily because it was the longest one. When we reached the first trail split, a sign directed hikers to the right for the Eagle Wind and Indian Mesa Trails and to the left for the Little Thompson Overlook Trail. We headed right toward the Eagle Wind Trail, but as I was walking I kept looking back. The land was much rockier and rugged looking to the left. Something was pulling me in that direction and I decided to go with it. We headed for the Little Thompson Overlook Trail.
The Little Thompson Overlook Trail is about 3 miles round trip and the trail gains nearly 200 feet in the first half mile. This may not seem like much but the trail is steep enough to have switchbacks and gets your heart pumping. After the first half mile the trail drops about 100 feet as it winds through an open area. The trail ends at a rocky overlook with a giant bench and sign that says,
"End of the Little Thompson Overlook Trail. Please stay on the trail."
I loved the giant bench. There was a plaque on it that read "To Remember Emmy 1988-2000. An enthusiastic Springer Spaniel who touched many hearts and walked these trails and who will always remain in ours." I thought it was so sweet and of course it made me think of my sister's happy lab Emmy that I love very much. Emmy's bench is a great spot to take in the views and that is exactly what we did!
Rabbit Mountain whispers of the wild west. The land is raw and scrubby, drenched by the sun, plain, and absolutely beautiful. The overlook itself offers views down into the canyon carved by the
Little Thompson River, and across the high plains to the north and east. It was so peaceful and quiet. The only sound we heard was the wind. However, we did have one brief interruption from a jogger who reached the summit and commented to us that he thought the trail would never end. He started to gaze out toward the overlook and then his cell phone started ringing. He answered it and started jogging back down the mountain. I know I am attached to my phone, as many others are these days, but this was a place where you really didn't need it. I was so happy when he left and we got to enjoy the sunshine and peace and quiet again. It is rare that you find that anywhere these days!
I had read that raptors (owls, hawks, falcons, and eagles) hunt in the area and that Golden eagles nest on the property. They actually close areas of the trails during their nesting season to protect them. I kept hoping to see one, but no such luck. We didn't really see much wildlife on the trail. It is still kind of early in the spring for wildflowers to bloom, but we did see a few small purple flowers sprouting out of the ground. Mostly, we saw ponderosa pines, grass, and cacti. At Rabbit Mountain, the grasslands of the east meet the tree-dominated mountains of the west. They call this transitional area the foothills and it supports a wide variety of plants and wildlife. I am looking forward to coming back to this area during different times of the year in hopes of seeing more.
It was a beautiful way to spend the day and to mark the beginning of the 2013 hiking season for me! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! Cheers! :)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Silent Hitchhiker
Last August
my husband and I participated in the 2012 BioBlitz at Rocky Mountain
National Park. So what is a Bioblitz? A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event in
which teams of volunteer scientists,
families, students, teachers, and other community members work together
to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes,
fungi, and other organisms as possible. It is an annual event, hosted by
National Geographic and the National Park Service, and held in a
different National Park each year. When I found out that the BioBlitz
was going to take place at Rocky Mountain National Park the science nerd
in me cheered! I was so happy to volunteer!
Tundra, forests, meadows, streams and lakes were all to be explored and their creatures documented. We signed up to help inventory the invasive plants in the Ponderosa forest on the East side of the park.
Each discovery site had a scientific leader to help guide the volunteers
as to what to look for and how to properly count. Our scientific leader
was a botanist working at Colorado State University studying invasive
plants.
We
found 4 different species of invasive plants at our discovery site:
Mullein, Musk Thistle, Canadian Thistle, and Cheatgrass. Most of the
invasive plants were concentrated near the road and the parking lot-not a
big surprise. Roads are a major route of spread for invasive species
into wild areas.
A total of 489 species were found in Rocky Mountain National Park during the BioBlitz. I was so happy to participate in the biological inventory and excited about the experience that I decided to participate in yet another way....a poetic inventory. Colorado's own Wolverine Farm Publishing decided to publish The Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park, an anthology of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to showcase the beauty of the park. Each writer contributing was to write a piece that took as its title a species living in the park. I decided to write a poem about the invasive species we found the most of at our discovery site- the Wooly Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus). It is a simple poem, but I have always been a fan of simple prose.
Last
week Wolverine Farm Publishing had the first reading/fundraiser for the
project at Odell Brewing in Ft. Collins. Beer and poetry...sign me up!
It was a great event- I got to meet lots of witty and interesting poets and writers, including the editor of the project who I had been corresponding with ever since the BioBlitz via e-mail, as well as pre-order my copy of the anthology. All the proceeds from the night went toward the project. I
loved that right as you entered the brewery there was a table set up
for you purchase beer "tickets"- which were just torn off pieces of
notebook paper. The honor system actually worked here and I LOVED that!
I
was told there would be more fundraising events for the anthology in
the future. I plan on attending as many as I can and maybe next time I
will actually have the guts to get up and read my poem! The collection
should be available this summer. I can't wait to get my copy and to read
all of the work inspired by one of my favorite places to hike in the
world- Rocky Mountain National Park.
If anyone wants to help support this project or is a fan of writings inspired by nature you can pre-order your copy of the The Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park by clicking on this link:
http://www.wolverinefarm.org/publishing/a-poetic-inventory-of-rocky-mountain-national-park/
Wooly Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus)
Ponderosa Pine Forest |
A total of 489 species were found in Rocky Mountain National Park during the BioBlitz. I was so happy to participate in the biological inventory and excited about the experience that I decided to participate in yet another way....a poetic inventory. Colorado's own Wolverine Farm Publishing decided to publish The Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park, an anthology of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to showcase the beauty of the park. Each writer contributing was to write a piece that took as its title a species living in the park. I decided to write a poem about the invasive species we found the most of at our discovery site- the Wooly Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus). It is a simple poem, but I have always been a fan of simple prose.
Wooly Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus- the invasive species we found the most of at our discovery site and the subject of my poem to be published in the Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park. |
Charlie Malone, the editor of the Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park reading his poem at the first fundraising event for the project at Odell Brewing in Ft. Collins. |
If anyone wants to help support this project or is a fan of writings inspired by nature you can pre-order your copy of the The Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park by clicking on this link:
http://www.wolverinefarm.org/publishing/a-poetic-inventory-of-rocky-mountain-national-park/
Wooly Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus)
“The Silent
Hitchhiker” by Erika Kleronomos
Unbeknownst
to you
My seeds are
riding on your shoe
I travel
with you quietly
To a new
open space where I can grow free
I will plant
myself along the roadside
And allow my
thick, wooly leaves to spread out wide
My stem will
grow tall and proud
Little
yellow flowers screaming loud
I am new and
here to stay
I do not
plan to go away
Accept me
for what I am my friend
A silent
hitchhiker until the end
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