Young's Gulch

We didn't make it backpacking this weekend, because we just had too much stuff during the week to get ready in time. However, we did have a chance to get some cool new gear, and take a nice little hike up Young's Gulch.

Young's Gulch lies just across the road from the upper Ansel Watrous Campground - Ansel Watrous is divided into 2 separate sites, with a smaller one downstream a little ways from the main one. The trailhead and parking lot lies right off the road, but it is mainly dirt and poorly maintained asphalt.

Young's Gulch is an easy trail, although there are a few steep spots, it is fairly long, and there are a TON of water crossings, especially after our particularly rainy season. Considering those, it might be considered moderate, depending on how much time you leave to get it done, and what time of year you go. You have to go about 1.5 miles before you get to campable territory, so keep that in mind if you plan on packing this one. There are some really beautiful little places where the river flows over some rocks, and we also noticed tons of beautiful little wildflowers along the trail, including columbines here and there.

Kim and I got a late start after getting tied up at JAX in Fort Collins. So much stuff, so little time. We probably hit the trail at about 4:15, which turned out to be less than optimal. The earlier part of the hike was pretty gentle and easy, and seemed pretty busy. There were some guys walking up right behind us with a few guns, probably planning on getting off a ways into the woods and shooting. This trail was probably not a very good choice for that due to the numerous water crossings, and the large amount of people hiking (especially on a Saturday!) Unfortunately for them, it looked like they dropped their ammo in the creek right at the first water crossing. Better luck next time, guys.


Anyways, we hiked for about an hour and a half, and noticed some ominous-looking clouds rolling in overhead, accompanied by some angry thundering. We decided that we would turn back at 6 if it didn't clear up or we didn't hit the top. We started jogging here and there, spurred by increasingly loud thunder. We hoped to get down without getting soaked, but then rain started coming, slowly at first, and then pretty quickly. Kim had a mishap in one of the crossings and got her shoes and socks soaked, and so we didn't want to run and risk her getting nasty blisters. It started to come down pretty bad, and of course we hadn't brought any rain gear since we weren't planning on staying overnight.

While the rain was uncomfortable, the scenery was beautiful with the water running off the leaves and everything. Kim got some really pretty shots, but we didn't want to have the camera out for too long because of the threat of water damage. However, the rain died down after about 30 minutes, and we managed to get some nice pictures of the trail looking fresh and clean after the shower.

Next week for our trip we might do Young's Gulch, Gray Rock, or we might try something new entirely. Pictures will be posted shortly.