Evenings on Mt Chapin and Ute Trail (July 21-22)

Last year, after climbing Chapin, Chiquita, and Ypsilon peaks (aka CCY), I really wanted to get Susan up there to see what she was missing. So on Sunday, we decided to hike up at least as far as Chapin and enjoy the moonrise and sunset from the trail. We had a really beautiful evening up there!

Looking north to the Chapin Creek area

An elk grazes on the tundra nearby

Looking southeast from near the summit of Chapin; Longs Peak on horizon at center right

A cooperative Yellow-bellied Marmot posed for us near the summit

Tundra wildflowers on the rocky slopes of Chapin

A pika near the trail on the way down

We had beautiful color at sunset

The next evening we decided to go out again at one of my other favorite spots, the Ute Trail and Tombstone Ridge, just off Trail Ridge Road in Rocky. As we hiked up to Tombstone Ridge we saw another person coming out and as we got closer, we realized it was our friend Lyn. We seem to run into her everywhere! She told us to watch for a herd of elk farther up the trail.

Rocks on Tombstone Ridge frame Longs Peak in the distance

We spent quite a bit of time scrambling around on the rocks, using them to frame Longs Peak. The light on the rocks was exquisite.

After the sun had set we started looking for the full moon, which was rising in the east about the same time as the sun was setting.

We hiked around a bit more, and began to see that the herd of elk that Lyn mentioned was up on a nearby ridge. Susan suggested we maneuver ourselves to catch the moon behind them. I wasn't enthusiastic at first, as we weren't that close to them and we would have to hike even farther in, plus it would be dark soon and we still had to hike out. Soon she had me convinced and we began working our way over to get them between us and the moon. I didn't expose the details of the moon very well, but I like the rim lighting on the elk a lot! I'm so glad I listened to my wife! :-)

Surprisingly, the elk herd began to move toward us and it was getting pretty dark and hard to keep track of them. We kept retreating back down the trail, but they seemed to keep moving toward us and we were sure they knew we were there.

Rising moon with elk herd moving on the trail and Longs Peak in the background

Susan kept suggesting all kinds of interesting and fun shots, so we hung around a bit more before deciding to head back down the trail to the car.

Our moon-shadows on the trail :-)

Forest Canyon by moonlight with car headlight on Trail Ridge Road

Two cars make their way down Trail Ridge Road

Even though it was pushing 10pm and the sun was long gone, the moon was so bright we didn't really need our headlamps. It was a really fun evening at a really fun place!

Sprague Lake Morning

Sunrise at Sprague Lake

A benefit of getting up early to catch the sunrise is that you may find yourself in place to observe birds and other wildlife when they are at their most active at daybreak.

We heard the first chatterings of kingfishers while it was still dark, and soon enough we saw at least two birds flying through the woods, around the lake and hunting from low, and surprisingly, high tree branches. One of them was a young female, we knew because her "rusty bra" was not yet complete.

Belted Kingfisher

Something inexplicable about these birds appeals to both of us. Wikipedia says there are over 90 species so we have a ways to go. Besides the Belted Kingfisher, we have seen only the Sacred Kingfisher in New Zealand. But I have my eye on the Laredo Birding Festival in February, as Laredo, Texas is the only place in the US where four kingfisher species have been seen (Belted, Ringed, Green and Amazon).

Kingfisher getting breakfast

Kingfishers on a favorite perch

We also saw other bird species and elk at Sprague Lake, and apparently moose have been hanging out there in the mornings, though we didn't see them when we were there. It's definitely a beautiful (and very accessible) place for a sunrise or sunset!

Yawning? Or calling out?

Morning light on the Continental Divide

Woodpeckers!

View from the Lily Lake area to the northwest

Osprey over Lake Estes

Near the end of April, we decided to look for Williamson's Sapsuckers, newly returned from their winter vacation in Mexico.


Our first stop was at Lily Lake where we enjoyed a nice walk with stunning views of Meeker and Long's Peak, along with the Continental Divide views to the northwest.


We didn't find any of our target bird, so we headed back to town and stopped by Lake Estes. We watched an Osprey hunting and hoped to see (and photograph) him fishing, but it didn't happen. We also enjoyed watching the cute Pygmy Nuthatch in the pines of the Lake Estes bird sanctuary.

Pygmy Nuthatch

We went home for a late lunch before heading into RMNP to look for Sapsuckers along the Cub Lake Trail.




While we again came up empty handed on the Williamson's, we did see other woodpeckers, along with a Yellow-bellied Marmot and a bull elk with stubby antlers in velvet.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Elk

Red-naped Sapsucker

Late in the day we noticed an unidentified bird fly high into a pine tree. Then came the unmistakable drumming overhead. We waited below the tree for him to pop into view, our necks getting sore from looking up constantly.


Our patience paid off and he finally flew down low enough that we could see who was making all the noise, a Red-naped Sapsucker -- the first we'd ever seen. He didn't stay long, and after exchanging "words" in flight with another woodpecker he was off.

Red-naped Sapsucker: now you see him...

Hairy Woodpecker

The newcomer was a busy little Hairy Woodpecker, who put on quite a show for us right along the trail. Even when a group of rather loud schoolchildren filed by, he continued drilling into the aspens without taking notice.

 

That afternoon we also enjoyed taking note of our first Townsend's Solitaire, with a melodious warble that stands out more than the little gray bird itself.

Townsend's Solitaire

As happens so often when exploring nature, you don't find something you were looking for, but what you do find is often unexpected, new, and exciting. We left the Cub Lake trail for home with smiles on our faces.