Home»All Photographs»2016 Hikes»Mt. Dyson - Wolf Creek Hill 03-13-16

Peter J. and myself went to the front ranges today, for a hike under the beautiful blue skies that persisted all day. Peter brought his little dog, to see how she would manage with a hike and to give her some exercise.
After crossing the Sheep River right away, it was hard to find the start of the trail through all the flood debris. We scoured up and down the banks, but eventually decided to simply head up through the trees in the direction we determined was correct. The bushwacking was easy, as the trees in this area are fairly spaced out. After about an hour and a half, we finally found the Wolf Creek Trail, near an outfitters tent at the edge of a meadow. I fleetingly caught a glimpse of a cow moose, but she moved off quickly upon hearing us. We then had a lunch break in the large sunny meadow before continuing on. We came across a lone hiker who said that in over two dozen times he's been in this area, this was the first time he'd come across anybody else...I guess the stream ford and unmarked trails keep the casual wanderers away.
Upon reaching a cutline en route to Mt. Dyson, Peter turned around to head back with Kitz. The routefining at the beginning of the day had put us a bit behind schedule, and it was time for him to head back. We were in separate vehichles, so that worked out well. The weather was fantastic and I had no plans, so I continued on.
About an hour later, I found myself hiking along the open south slopes of Mt. Dyson. Here, I left the trail and started to work my way up the steep, grassy slopes. I took a short snack break at the summit of Mt. Dyson, and then dropped down the east side, in order to shortcut my way through the woods back to Wolf Creek Trail. I came across an interesting creek still completely frozen to the ground, despite all the snow being melted away.
After about half an hour, I emerged back onto the trail and returned to the open meadow we had seen earlier. Here, I hiked northeast to the open summit of Wolf Creek Hill. After another short break for a sandwich, I followed the trail out. This was the section that we had skipped on the way in, having picked our way through the trees. As it turned out, I was glad to have missed the trail on the way in because this portion was completely iced over with steep sections that required great care to inch down...our 'alternative' approach was far better! This further explains the lack of hikers along Wolf Creek Trail - the steep icy path would be miserable to ascend and as soon as it melts, this area would be a quagmire of muddy horse tracks.
Once back to the frozen Sheep River, it was a short jaunt through Sandy McNabb Campground back to my truck. Incidentally, I summited my 125th peak today!