GOLD DIGGIN
After last weekend’s tick disaster, I said I would only be hiking at higher elevations for the rest of the year. I figured I should go between 4000 and 5000 ft. in elevation this weekend. I found one possible hike I could do, so I set out in search of gold (and a new waterfall).
Starting at 5400 ft., I was surprised there was still so much snow on the ground. CNRFC said there was no snow here, but indeed there was snow, and I found up to two feet, even more in some places as I hiked down the forest road. There was snow all the way down to the waterfall, which was 1000 ft. in elevation lower than I started. I did not use my snow shoes, but I probably could have used them, as I was sinking in some spots. But overall, it was pretty solid snow. The hike was good.
It was also mostly easy, though I took a wrong turn which made it a bit harder than it should have been. I finally arrived at the creek, where I was expecting to find a waterfall about 100 ft. high. That is what I was hoping for. Actually, I did not even know if there would be any waterfall here at all. However, instead of a 100 ft. high waterfall, I found a 20 ft. high waterfall. I measured it precisely 20 ft. (though it did seem a bit bigger than this as I stood in front of it). There was just the one decent drop on this creek, and below this there was a bit of a cascade, but nothing very interesting. It was tricky and steep to get up to it, but you can stand right in front of the falls and enjoy the spray. Speaking of spray there was a lot of it, so taking photos from in front was impossible; I climbed up the bank to get a side angle shot of the falls.
You may think it was just a big waste of time to drive and hike all the way out here for a 20 ft. waterfall. I suppose if I had known it was only 20 ft. high, I would have gone somewhere else. Nonetheless, I had a very enjoyable hike. The weather was perfect. The hike was not too difficult. There was still snow on the ground. The creeks were flowing well. I found a pretty little waterfall. I had an absolutely awesome day in Eldorado National Forest.
However, if you want big waterfalls, stay tuned to this channel. The next one I plan to see will be over 400 ft. high, and I know that for certain. And you will not be able to guess which one it is…