Scouting Trip

August 17, 2008

Troublesome Basin, CO

 

 

 

 

It rained (and snowed) most of Saturday, August 16th, 2008 so I was forced to postpone my trip a day.  The radar didn't show a lot of precipitation in the Troublesome but believe me it was a soaker.  Rain-snow mix.  This photo was taken at the summit of Berthoud pass as the sun came up.  I don't recall when we had this much snow this early.  All signs point to an early winter (and early peak of the rut). 

 

My trip today would take me deep into the Troublesome.  About 20 miles round trip.  That doesn't sound like much of a distance on a mountain bike but these trails are rarely used by bikes.  Mostly horses.  Trees block the trails in many places.  Some of the less traveled trails would fade in and out too.  I don't recommend it for mountain biking.  Except maybe the Elk Mtn trail.

 
This is a summary of my 12 hours Lost in the Troublesome (2nd annual event).  You'd think I would have learned from last year's torture but I didn't.  And I came out exhausted, again.  For a detailed description of the areas I visited click here  Unit 18 - "12 Hours Lost in the Troublesome"

 

 

 

 

With the full moon on its way down it made for some amazing photos.

 

 

 

Here is a photo looking towards Gravel Mtn in the Stillwater area.  If you have an ATV, dirtbike or jeep you'll love that area.  It's full of challenging trails through some of the finest elk habitat in Colorado.  Sure there are some elk there but not many.  Try the Kauffman Creek, Never Summer Wilderness/Protection area, or Cascade Mtn areas for elk. All they have to do is walk across hwy 125 to enjoy peace and quiet from humans (until hunting season that is).

 

 

My adventure started out in the fog on the Bill Miller Trail.  This photo takes me back to 2005 when my brother and I were filming and I let out a bugle to act as a sort of sonar ping to discover the depth of the valley we were in.  Little did we know that loud bugle would uproot a nice 6x6 and his cows bedded up and over the hill in a nice meadow.  His cows were coming in to the sound as we came to the top of the hill in the trees.  As (bad) luck would have it we were completely unprepared as the bull pushed the cows past us.  One, two, three cows and then a nice, tall 6x6 in hot pursuit.  There was nothing we could do but watch them trot past.  How much better would it have been to find them bedded in the meadow instead.  The moral of the story is be careful with your bugling if you don't know the area.

 

 

 

Up the hill and back down the hill takes you to this intersection near the King Mountain Ranch.  I was headed for Paradise Creek, trail number 54.  The main trails are well marked.  However, a very lush summer led to plants so thick and up to my waist in some areas.  It was hard to find the trail in some places.

 

 

As to mock us the elk will do this.  Scrape a tree right off the main trail.  They tease us elkoholics.  Where are they DURING the hunting season.  No where near the trails that's for sure.  I estimated this scrape to be from last year which could have happened between hunting seasons (first week in October).  

 

 

At this intersection it looks like a mountain bikers heaven.  Elk Mtn trail (number 27) keeps you on top of a series of ridges from this point all the way to the Cabin Creek road system.  It's a wonderful trail.  Instead I was headed west.  It would take me on an epic downhill into the huge valley along the East Fork Troublesome Creek.  These are horse trails but some are designated as horse, hiker or mtn bike trails.  I crashed near the bottom of the 250 foot drop into the first big meadow.  If you're not careful the single track trail will catch your front tire and slide out from underneath you. Especially when the trail is wet.  The ground was still cold from the drastic temperature drop so the mud wasn't bad, yet.

 

 

Fresh elk tracks on the trail near the big meadow at the bottom of Paradise Creek Trail.  Looks like a cow and her calf.  Or maybe two bulls.

 

 

Ah, flat land, a nice trail and a big open meadow. I dropped down out of the fog and into elk heaven. 

 

 

You may not see it well in this photo but a snow-capped Sheep Mtn rises above the clouds.

 

 

Here is a closer look. 

 

 

What a view this morning.  Parkview stands majestic over the Troublesome basin.  It was a good amount of snow that fell on the 16th.

 

 

The big valley of East Fork Troublesome Creek.  Bring your fishing pole and enjoy miles of fishing for little brookies and cut-throat trout.  The beaver ponds are also a lot of fun to fish.  This is the EFTC trail that takes you all the way north to the base of Parkview.  It's a huge valley.  No elk were here this Sunday morning.  I had the entire place to myself too. Elk may migrate or evacuate through this area in the fall.  It was a full moon night and the storm also had an effect on the elk.   This is a good area to camp and about 4 miles from the trailhead.  It puts you in a centralized position to hunt in any direction and have a good chance to see elk. 

 

 

Yep the elk were here.  This is just off EFTC.  It's always nice to see elk tracks.

 

 

After my first of MANY impromptu dips into the creek I topped out looking southwest destination Middle Fork Creek.

 

 

This is what they call the confluence.  Where Paradise Creek flows into EFTC.  To your left you may find the two nice bulls who have decided to summer in this area.  The cowboy whom I met said he sees elk in this are (EFTC) everyday around 4pm.  Anyone with an early season archery tag and feeling lucky might try their chances here for starters.  If that doesn't work out there is always other places nearby like McBride, Timber and middle Paradise Creek (Ethel Creek, and so on...). 

 

 

Corral Peaks saw some fresh snow. That snow would be melted long before I arrived at its base later this day.

 

 

Here's a hot tip.  In the middle of Paradise Gulch there is the long ridge full of aspens.  That's where the elk are this time of year. There are a lot of cows in this area too.  The cows give birth to their calves in this area then summer there as well.  That aspen ridge separates Paradise and Ethel Creek valleys.  Either one or both are full of elk. 

 

 

Middle Fork Creek is a long valley.  This is where the elk feed.  It's also access into other long creek valleys like Haystack, Siebert and Lost Gulch.  I also found a lot of cattle in this area.  Which is where I ran into the cowboy.  He asked me if I'd see any cows and I pointed in the direction I just came from.  I asked him if he's seen any elk and he was generous with information on elk.  He said every day about 4pm you'll see them come off the nearby ridges and eat in the creek valleys.  Also down by EFTC.  I said I wouldn't be staying here that long (little did I know I'd take the trail-less way back – also called the shortcut).  He asked if I was from Denver and I said yes.  He said and I quote "my condolences."   I agreed and we went our separate ways.  What a wonderful life it would be to have a summer job here on horseback.  A comfortable cabin and long days in elk country.  I'm sure he's seen his share of elk.  More than any of us probably will in our life time.  He mentioned those two bulls that had been summering down by the confluence were big.  Like the Hartford (insurance or investment?) advertisement.   

 

 

Hey cowboy, there go some of your cattle!  Black Angus.  Mmmmmmmmm good!

 

 

I found this dead cow elk just off the trail.  Not sure how recently she died.  Nature has a way of cleaning up fast.  I suspect she died on her migration out last fall but it could have been during here migration in this spring too.

 

 

The fur on her lower leg makes this look like a recent death.  It's hard to tell how long ago it was.  If you want to see a lot of elk then visit this valley during May.

 

 

More fresh elk tracks on the trail.  You bet there are elk in the area. 

 

 

Close up of the upper Long Draw area west of Haystack Creek.  Pick a valley, any valley off the trail system to hunt elk.  I'm convinced every valley has elk in it.  You can't go wrong here.

 

 

Another spring death?  I have a feeling this was a bull (I couldn't find the head).  It appears to be a natural death because there were no signs of human intervention.  The hide was mostly complete although hardened and dry.

 

 

Hunters would normally cut of the appendages that didn't have any meat on it.  This leg was nearby and obviously detached by coyotes or other scavengers.

 

 

If you look close you can see the top of Parkview (it's a long mountain) and the Siebert Creek trail.  This is the heart and soul of the Troublesome basin.

 

 

I found this fresh elk scat in the upper Siebert Creek area.   The upper creek valleys are home to a good number of elk.  Any upper creek valley.  This area had a perfect mixture of fine habitat.  West facing slopes were covered in thick old fir trees and dead lodge-pole pine.  The lush creek valley provided the feeding grounds.  And the east facing slopes near the top were all aspen. 

 

 

Looking south from Hay Park Trail.  This upper part is a huge meadow with many coves and surrounded by ridges of pine and aspen.  The trail was so faint here that I lost it several times.  The area is very lush this year.  It was a nice long downhill to the road to the East Fork Cowboy Camp.  This valley (like most) looks perfect to hunt.  Like I said you just need to pick one valley.  They all have elk in them. Some more than others. 

 

 

Does anyone know what kind of scat this is?  Is it bear? I saw this all over the place.  Good thing I was loud as I rode in and out of the willows along this part of the route.  Wouldn't want to surprise a bear this far back in here.  It would be a long run back to the truck.

 

 

I took the old road to the cowboy camp.  That is Haystack Mountain in the background.  Notice how steep the ridges are in the area?  They may not all be 10,000 feet high but they will certainly kick your butt after a week of chasing elk up and down them. 

 

 

I made it to the cowboy camp, read the no trespassing sign and decided to go around. That is after I tried to ride across the creek, couldn't unclip from my pedals as I tumbled over rocks.  If you've ever ridden a bike with clip pedals then you know the feeling of falling over slowly while struggling to get your foot out.  I landed softly in the creek up to my waist.  Good thing nobody was around to see that.  My shoes, pedals and tires had been caked in mud since I hit the first open meadow in the Paradise Creek area.  I suppose the quick dip was good for me and the bike.

 

 

About 16 miles into the ride/hike with my bike I found myself cursing the trail marking on the MAP because there was never a trail up Ethel Creek from the bottom.  I'm tired, sore and ready for that sweet downhill back to the truck.  Then the funniest thing happened.  I must have seen 10 different falcons today.  They all pretty much made that classic screeching sound like you hear on TV.  I couldn't see this hawk but he seemed to be circling. Maybe he sensed my early demise?  All animals in this area work together whether they eat each other or not.  As I'd almost roll over mice in the deep grass I'd hear them screech a warning to others, "here comes another lost human."  See, I'd been on this aspen covered ridge before.  I know it separates Ethel and Paradise Creeks.  And I knew it had elk on it.  I wasn't being very quiet as I walked my bike out of here.  This falcon overhead keeps screeching over and over like a rooster at dawn.  It finally hit me to look up. Just as I did there go three bulls.  What appears to be a nice, young 6x6 in front, followed by a nice 5x5 then a 4x4.  They weren't in much of a hurry but my camera was tucked neatly away in the depths of my backpack that felt like it weighed 200 lbs.  I watched as they weaved their way quietly  through the aspen grove above me.  The first two bulls could have been and probably were 5x5s.  The leader was a looker.  He was a mature bull who will be competing for his own herd in about a month.  His partners were learning the ropes from him.  I looked and looked (my binoculars were next to my camera in my backpack) and I swear they didn't have any velvet on their antlers.  I can't confirm it though.  And that left me with the question if the elk were ready to shed that velvet coating yet.  I sure wish I had been more quiet so I would have gotten a better look at them when they were closer.  It was about 4pm.  The elk were coming out just like the cowboy said.  I wondered if the hawk was screeching at me to look up or for the elk to look out.  I may never know but now I know to stop and look around when I hear the warning signal of a falcon.

 

It was a long, painful, muddy, fight back to the truck from this point.  I stopped taking photos so I could concentrate on getting back alive.  I was nearly spent.  I bet if I trained for this it would still be a struggle.  Lucky for me a pack train pointed me to the main trail.  They were packing in 2 weeks before archery season began to claim their spot in this beautiful area.  What I sight I must have been carrying my bike over logs looking so out of place. One asked if I had crashed down in this valley near Ethel Creek.  I said nope, I'm just a LITTLE bit off the trail.  They commented how they haven't seen anyone all day.  Summer is a wonderful time to visit the Troublesome. The grass is green and the elk aren't so shy.  Life is good this time of year.  

 

 

This one is for my wife because she loves the color lavender so much.  She's always invited on my trips.  I wonder why she doesn't always join me?  Who wouldn't want to spend 12 hours on and off a bike starting out in 30 degree foggy weather and ending many miles later in a light rain and overcast skies dodging rocks, sticks and mud which was suppose to be a well groomed trail in the heart of elk country with just a peanut butter sandwich and creek water (filtered of course) to eat and drink.

 

 

This one is for my Mom. I found so many fresh flowers.   It was very, very obvious that the beetle kill wasn't such a bad thing. The forest floor had never been so green.  More water and more light is finding its way to the plants around the dead trees. And the result is a very green, lush environment.

 

 

My bike was as tired as I was.  Here's what I had been fighting all day long.  Mud.  My pedal was full and my tires were collecting more of it for me and depositing it on various parts of my bike including the brakes which didn't work so well.

 

I saw a snake, pine marten, coyote, elk, deer tracks (but no deer), falcons, cattle and mice.  This place has it all. 

 

More details about this area can be found under the "12 hours lost in the Troublesome" scouting report under Hunter Info.  I took 154 photos in all.

 

Thanks for reading.