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TriP Reports

Spruce Gulch, Fairview Peak and Castle Gulch

5/31/2021

1 Comment

 
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The ridge from Spruce Gulch towards Fairview Peak.
Trip date: July 26, 2021
Caltopo map here: caltopo.com/m/M3B2
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Game trails typically follow streams.
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I find helium balloons every week.
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(Jeff Goldblum Voice): "That's one big pile of shit."
Once in the Spruce Gulch I scrambled up the unnamed rocky ridge towards Fairview Peak.  Some parts of this are definitely 5th class and I largely avoided those parts.
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There were actually more signs of bears on this ridge than I've ever seen in Boulder County.  I bet they miss all the forests they used to have before the Overland Fire (2003).  This area would burn again in the Calwood Fire (2020).  
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I've pooped in some weird places but never somewhere like this...
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(Cue Jeff Goldblum voiceover)
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The lower parts of the ridge were possible to do on the dirt but the upper portions were all rock.
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Berries. So that's why the bears like this area. (I usually don't see too many berry bushes in Boulder County).
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This was really pretty but apparently not pretty enough for me to get the focus right...
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Near the top of the ridge.
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Well, well, well...
This elk antler was comparable in size to the one I'd found in the Cache La Poudre Wilderness (~4 feet long).
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I had to have it. I don't find many elk antlers and I never find ones this big.
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It's a beautiful view from the top but I only ever seem to find myself hear on cloudy weather days.
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Fairview Peak
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I've seen CAD drawings of mechanical pulleys that look like this leg bone.
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Bones don't last forever.
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It crumbled like rotten wood.
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From here I moved into "Castle Gulch".   
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There's actually a ton of old mines in this area.  It seems that when a mine goes bust they just leave their trash around.  
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A big mine pit.
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I had these flaky rocks (type of quartz?) in my car for over a year.
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And when I got a new car I transferred them.
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When I saw these rocks I realized how "Golden Age Peak" on the western side of Castle Gulch got its name.
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More mining trash. This time laying near the creek.
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The "deluxe" mine.
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That's a lot of algae for a creek in this area. Seems highly likely it's a result of mining pollution.
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Bon Scott was the original singer in AC/DC. There are 3-4 of these kinds of markers along the trails below Fairview Peak. They're all classic rock themed.
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1 Comment
David
9/10/2021 01:40:57 pm

Liked the photo of thy “person” in the rock!!

Potpourri of bear poop. They seem to like the open spaces. Your Berry theory sounds good to me.

Reply



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    Author

    Travis Briles

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  • Home
  • Climate Change and Colorado Wildfires
  • Trip Reports
  • Skills/Gear
    • Intro, External Sources and Misc.
    • Food and Water
    • Shelters
    • Backpacks
    • Sleeping
    • Clothing
    • Winter Camping
    • A Shoe Odyssey
    • Foot Care
    • Maps, Navigation and Weather
    • Off-Trail Route Planning
    • The Perfect Headlight/Flashlights?
    • Misc Small Stuff
    • Photography/Camera
    • Gear Repair and MYOG
  • Places
    • Flatirons
    • Rocky Mountain National Park
    • Indian Peaks Wilderness
    • Lost Creek Wilderness
    • Gore Range
    • Glacier National Park
    • Wind River Range
    • Utah
  • Plants and Wildlife
  • Contact
  • To Do
  • About