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| Unique landscape from trail at Roxboro S. P. |
History: Located in Douglas County, the3,339 acre Roxboro State Park is 25 miles south of Denver. Established in 1975, the park is best known for its dramatic 300 million year old red sandstone formations. Fountain formations tilt as they sprout out of the earth at a 60 degree angle. Hogback, monolithic, and spire formations are also common.
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| Tim makes his way across a snow field. |
After we cinched down our day packs, we made our way to the TH. On trail, the first .5 mile provided a mostly dry surface. As we gained elevation, however, areas shaded from the sun remained snow covered. Overnight temperature drops cause an ongoing melt-freeze condition. The result is anything from wet ground, to mud, standing water, slush and ice.
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| Curious mule deer stop grazing to check us out. |
Icy sections of trail were particularly risky today. Why? Because as hikers walk across a snow field, a natural path is created. Each hikers boots carry some amount of dirt and mud across that path. Over a period of days and weeks, the dirt and mud become embedded in the snow and ice. The result is black ice.
Icy sections of trail caused further problems as a result of the terrain. As snow on a slope becomes packed down, it tends to follow the angle of the slope. Nobody fell today, but we all had difficulty maintaining solid footing, and did slip a few times.
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| Ed trudges upgrade across a snow field. |
We followed Carpenter Peak Trail to a junction with Elk Valley Trail. After a brief climb to the top of the ridge, we stopped at a bench for a snack before moving into Elk Valley itself.
Soon, we reached a junction with Powerline Trail. This section is actually a utility company service access road.
Here we encountered a small herd of mule deer. After crossing trail in front of us, they stopped on the side of the slope above us. They did not appear to be threatened one bit. I fact they went about their day, grazing along the slopes. On occasion, one would raise its head to look our way, the rest of the herd following, before going back to scavenging for food.
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| A (once secured w/duct tape) boot for a horse sits precariously atop a trail marker at the Elk Valley and Spur Trail junction, on the ascent to Carpenter Peak. |
Trail continued to gain elevation, while we maneuvered through more snow fields. The balance of Powerline Trail is a meandering stretch through grassy meadows and along hillsides loaded with spruce and pine.
One more short climb would bring us to a junction with a .6 mile spur trail leading to Carpenter Peak Trail. From there it is a .1 mile scamper through a boulder field to the top.
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| Ed (seated) and son Tim, among the boulders on Carpenter Peak. |
As we approached, voices could be heard. A number of hikers were enjoying the day perched atop boulders at the summit.
We found an area to have lunch with views west to the Rockies and north to Denver. The view was quite good, thanks to clear skies and minimal smog.
This was the first hike of the year to have a hot meal of chicken noodle soup, and green tea, plus gorp and an apple. A wind screen - a must today - protected the flame and retained heat where it was needed. Ed handed out slices of home made banana nut bread...yummy. Thanks Leigh.
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| Sections of trail are thick deep mud. |
The return trek to the TH, via the Carpenter Peak trail, was similar to the morning climb in terms of trail conditions. The temperature remained in the 50's, causing us to shed a layer after leaving the summit.
As one might suspect, many more vehicles had arrived after us today. During the descent, no less than 20 more day hikers made their way past us on their way to the top. The park is close to the city, plus single residence communities have overtaken land adjacent to the park.
Total miles = 8.0
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