I have made a decision that I am going to try and hike every Saturday until the weather turns bad and roads become impassable. So far, I've succeeded, but there has only been one Saturday to try this on. I'm not saying this is always going to happen, but I'm going to make the attempt.
This past Saturday, August 7, I did just that. I have bought a book of local hiking trails- some of them easy and just a few miles (7 or less), and some of them are much, much more difficult (multi-night camping and 20+ miles, some peaks). I am really excited about this book, and randomly chose a trail that isn't too far from Laramie and was less than five miles. I'm still trying to acclimate to the elevation, so I figured anything less than 5 miles was doable. Libby Creek seemed perfect- it is a 3.5 mile loop about 45 minutes from Laramie, directly west. I got up on Saturday morning, in no hurry, and made breakfast, a lunch for myself, a lots of water. I also made sure to pack a long sleeve, rain jacket, and a fleece vest, everything just in case.
When I got to the trail head, it was a balmy 57 degrees. (PS: I love this weather!). I paid my access fee, got all my shit together, and hit the trail. It was beautiful! I didn't see anyone else out on the trail, so that was nice. In the Smokey's you always end up seeing people on any and all trails. My friend Brian has been hiking the AT and he doesn't go a day where he doesn't see people he doesn't know hiking. So yeah, it was a little crazy for me to see no one. I was lucky and got lots of sunshine- I was hot hiking the inclines, but never hot enough to take off my vest. So kinda perfect. I got to hike through some small meadows filled with wild flowers (yellow and purple!), saw some really cool mushrooms, and lots of little streams. Eventually I ended up down by Libby Creek, and it was georgous! I love being near running water, and I could hear the creek way before I was able to see it. I think the last incline up back to the trail head was the hardest because I knew I was nearing the end and I really just didn't want to go up anymore!
When I finished with the trail I was able to sit in the picnic area (which also a a creek running through it!) and have my lunch, then I headed back. It took my almost 2 hours, but I wasn't trying to break any speed records and I was enjoying myself. So, IMO, it was a great day. Here is a link to the pictures I took.
1 comment:
Some recommendations: Little Laramie trail and Turtle Rock trail (at Vedauwoo). Awesome! Also awesome: green chili pizza at the Bear Tree in Centennial.
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