Pretty Little Lake and a Magnificent Moose in the Colorado State Forest: Lake Agnes

It's not as pretty as it could be on a sunny day but it's still a nice lake and luckily I've seen it a couple times on a beautiful day.  I've got great memories to go with it.  The first is hiking around it with my parents dog Lunk (part Lhasa, part Poodle) in my backpack since his little legs were too short to do the bouldering.  The other is hiking around it with my two dogs when one of them (the one you would have expected to do this) fell off a cliff above us into the water.   We didn't think it was going to end well but thankfully he wasn't hurt but I'm pretty sure his pride was.  And lastly, this was the first stop on a girls weekend to Steamboat which unfortunately has been too long in recreating.

The hike is short but steep getting up to the lake.  If you want to hike around it you should be prepared for a lot of bouldering.

The good news with the bouldering is that you have a high chance of spotting some marmot if you take the time to pick your head up.  Be careful that you stop walking or you are going to trip!  The picture below is a little like a Where's Waldo book....except Where's the Marmot?

We crossed a pretty stream and had a view of a nice waterfall across the way.  That's where C is pointing.

Tall Chiming Bells:

Mountain Laurel:

Spot another marmot:

Columbine with Nohku Crags in the background:

I just had to take a selfie by my selfie since my family took one without me.  I 'might' have been taking too long taking those awful flower pictures as they call them.

Indian Paintbrush:

Early Larkspur:

The icing on the cake for me was spotting this moose heading back to our campsite on the road that takes you up to Lake Agnes.  Typically if you head up to the Colorado State Forest you get to see a moose but it's never a guarantee!  I love looking at these ungainly creatures!!

Hike: Lake Agnes
Trails Used:  Lake Agnes in the Colorado State Forest

Distance: 2.87 miles
Difficulty: Easy but steep
Overall average: 1.6 mph
Overall Time: 1 hr, 49 min
Total Ascent: 633 ft.

One night of camping....is it worth all the effort?

 For me it was since I got to see my moose.  However, it is a lot of work.  We kept it simple with sausage, coleslaw, and beans (I'd already cooked these at home) for dinner that night.

When we pulled in to our campsite (Aspen Campground, Site #3, in Gould Colorado) it was a beautiful sunny day...even a little bit on the hot side since there isn't much shade there.  It's a pretty area with Aspen (not tons) and wildflowers.

 After setting up camp we headed to the Colorado State Forest Visitor Center.  This sculpture is too cool!  It never gets old.  The sculptors did a great job with it.  I think even the kids appreciated it.

 After our hike at Lake Agnes we headed back to camp for snacks and 'special' drinks.  It finally decided to rain so we postponed dinner, hung out in the back of the truck (~20 minutes), and then restocked the fire, started dinner and hung out around the campfire eating s'mores.

 I got up early the next morning and went for a walk with my camera and lo and behold what did I see right outside of our campground?  Another moose!!

 Saw these two deer on the way back just as the sun was coming over the mountains.  Hard not to appreciate being out in the great outdoors when you start your morning like this!

 View of the Colorado State Forest, Nohku Crags, and Lake Agnes area:

Girl's Weekend in Steamboat!!! Day 1

I had a 3 day weekend in Steamboat Springs, CO w/out having to be a mommy! Ahhh.....it's almost been 1 1/2 years since my last vacation from being a mom. My friend Heather and I had a great time enjoying all of the sites.

We left on Friday (9th) and went up the Poudre Canyon to Lake Agnes in the Colorado State Forest. I hadn't done this hike in at least 5 years if not longer so it was nice to revisit it. It's a sweet and short rewarding hike. However, the road up to the hike was steep (not good w/ me driving a stick shift) and bumpy (again, not good w/ a trailer hitch type bike rack). I managed to get Heather's wheel (on her new bike, no less) bent and even mine a little. This would be a good time to remember to drive my truck next year.....that's why I have it, right?

After we got out of the car we were molested by the worst mosquito's I've seen in a long time! Thankfully, Heather remembered her repellent. There would have been nothing left of us if we didn't have it. My repellent was still sitting at home in the garage on the workbench. Another reminder to myself....don't forget the bug spray!

The hike itself was as pretty as I remembered it. One side of the lake is very rocky (talus slope) and extends up to Nokhu Crags.
The other side of the lake is covered w/ wildflowers and there is even a waterfall.
We were lucky to see this cute little marmot.
We did end up having to walk in the water a little bit. The water was refreshing to say the least. It's a good thing we didn't walk in there longer or we would have frost bitten toes!
Lake Agnes
Trails Used: Lake Agnes
Distance: 2.27 Miles
Difficulty: Easy
Moving average: 2.2 mph
Overall average: 1.2 mph
Moving Time: 1 hrs, 1 min
Stopped Time: 51 min, 48 sec
Total Ascent: 779 ft.
Maximum elevation: 10728 ft.
We then headed to the Colorado State Forest Visitor's Center. We heard that all sorts of people had seen moose on the drive up. That was a bummer. I really enjoy seeing them and I know these people weren't far behind us. We must have just missed seeing some. We then went through Walden and saw tons of pretty wildflowers lining the road.

Our next stop was Rabbit Ears Pass before heading into Steamboat. We stopped at the Dumont Lake access road to do the Fishhook Lake hike. Again, the low clearance of our car made it difficult to get to the trail head. We decided to park before the road got too bad and bike to the trail head. After unloading the bikes (and discovering the bent wheels) we headed up the trail. Hmmmm.....are we mountain bikers? No, we definitely are not! This trail was steep! (At least for us non bikers). I'm glad I do some biking around town so I was at least in shape to do this. I'm not sure that Heather enjoyed this part of our trip too much but she was a trooper and pulled through! At least we had nice views to keep our minds occupied while we were huffing and puffing up the mountainside.

Fishhook Lake (Bike)
Trails Used: Forest Road 311
Distance: 8.6 Miles (Round trip)
Difficulty: Difficult (due to our experience, other biker's would think this was moderate)
Moving average: 5.1 mph (one way, the up portion)
Overall average: 3.2 mph (one way, the up portion)
Moving Time: 1 hrs, 20 min (estimating w/ trip down time, it was much faster)
Stopped Time: 52 min, 08 sec
Total Ascent: 714 ft.
Maximum elevation: 10297 ft.

By the time we made it to the Fishhook Lake trail head we were sweaty and beat. Fortunately, we had put on bug spray back at the car because the mosquito's were just crazy again. You could feel them hovering, hoping to find that one piece of skin that was still edible and spray free. We didn't spend too much time at the lake....you can tell by Heather's face that the mosquito's were ruining the mood.
We did see more pretty wildflowers and we even saw a big, fat porcupine. You would think that the person who likes to take pictures would have had her camera out and ready for the porcupine but I was tired and we were near the end of the hike so I didn't think we would see anything. Should have figured...
We rode back down the road the way we came. I forgot why I don't really care for mountain biking. I thought my arms and hands were going to fall off after all the jiggling. They could barely hold on by the end.

Fishhook Lake (Hike/Bike Roundtrip)
Trails Used: Fishhook Lake
Distance: 11.5 Miles (the hike was 2.9 of that total)
Difficulty: Easy
Moving average: 4.5 mph
Overall average: 3.3 mph
Moving Time: 2 hrs, 33 min
Stopped Time: 54 min, 22 sec
Total Ascent: 1404 ft.
Maximum elevation: 10297 ft.
After the surprise of having to bike to the trail head we were hopelessly behind schedule. This wouldn't have mattered but we were staying at a woman's house (that we found on Craig's List to rent rooms from) and we had told her we would be there by 5 p.m. We finished our hike around 7 so that wasn't going to happen!

Luckily, she was just finishing up dinner w/ her friend. We said a quick hello, took showers, and headed off to a restaurant at her suggestion. The Double Z Bar & Barbecue (touted as a local's joint by our hostess) was scrumptious! The 1/2 lb burger was fabulous and so were the fries. My burger was even medium rare...how often does that happen nowadays?

After our long drive and hike/bike we were beat and headed back to our hostess's house for some z's. The house was perfect! We were 2 blocks from downtown and we could bike or walk anywhere we wanted. It was nice to be located so close to the 'action'. We each had our own bedroom, and she made an awesome breakfast for us each morning. Quiche, homemade granola, and fresh fruit were all on the menu! It was great being able to get a local's view on what to do, where to go, and where to eat. She even had a little deck w/ views of the valley where we could sit and unwind. I, of course, especially like her garden in the front yard. I'm kicking myself for not taking pics of her and the house/garden area.