GLORY DAYS
I slept to the sound of the roaring waterfall. I would have slept better if I had brought electrolytes with me but I stupidly forgot. Nonetheless I still slept all right. It was supposed to be 38 degrees at night but I’m not sure it even got that cold.
The flow of the creek was noticeably lower in the morning. The creek is very wide with multiple channels and I had to go to the very far channel to get my water (which I did not have to do the previous day). The waterfall still looked good even if the flow was a bit lower. I estimate it is 30 ft. high. The kayakers call it the Pothole and I don’t know that any of them have ever run it. I’m sure they would just slam into those rocks at the bottom if they tried (at least that is what it seems to me). The kayakers may not like it but I sure do. I took more photos, ate my breakfast, drank my coffee, packed up, and then headed up the hill at 8AM.
I quickly shedded my clothing once the sun came out. It was another very warm day. About halfway up I stopped to check out another cascade on the creek. (which I thought would be more impressive than it turned out to be). Continuing the tough climb up the ridge, I finally reached the top, then down the other side and eventually back up to the main trail. I arrived back at the car at about 11am. It took just as long to hike back as it did going in the previous day. There were no new tracks in the snow so that means no one else came up on Saturday.
I believe now I have seen all the waterfalls on West Cherry Creek. That does not mean I will never come back here again, it is such an amazing place, but I don’t really ever want to come back to this same trailhead because the road is so awful. I still have a couple waterfalls to see on the other branch (the main Cherry Creek) so perhaps I will be back to Emigrant Wilderness next spring. It was another glorious trip to my precious place in West Cherry Canyon.