POST #1 Early Camping – Part 1 of 4
We began our camping adventures with car camping at several different dispersed sites in central and northern Colorado. For us, this meant that we packed all the gear we needed into our SUV, drove high-up into the Rocky Mountains to a remote location, set-up camp adjacent to our vehicle, and then enjoyed the area for a couple of days. Before starting our trips, in May 2017, we purchased our gear from the REI Co-op. We bought a large, multi-room tent that included space for a double mattress and bedding, a separate indoor seating area, and an attached open “garage” to store gear. Later we purchased a two-person cot so that the mattress would not lay directly on the cold floor of the tent. For use under the tent’s awning, we also bought an outdoor kitchen consisting of a propane stove, basic cooking utensils, pots and pans, and enough plates, cutlery, and glassware for 4 people. Plus, two fresh water containers (dispersed camping sites have no water or electricity hook-ups), a large YETI cooler for our food, a love-seat for 2-persons and some blankets, and battery-powered lighting (at the time we did not have a portable generator). Last, but not least, we bought a portable dry toilet that we placed inside a separate tall tent. While we also bought a foot-operated shower system that could hang from a tree (or inside the tall tent), it was too cold in the mountains, even in the sumer, so we never used it. For the cost of several thousand dollars, we were well equipped for our adventures.
We took four car camping trips, at high elevation, during the summer months over three years. We began in June 2017 with a stay off Four Mile Creek Road at 10,400 feet near Sheep Mountain, which is about 8 miles southwest of Fairplay in Park County. We picked a good site with no one else at our location or near-by. The drive only took 2 hours, but it took me longer to set-up than I had expected. The photo shown below was taken at 7 pm as it was getting cold and dark. The next day we took a hike and stopped for lunch stop at Horseshoe Campground where we saw families camping in their RVs. We thought that perhaps that approach would be better – time revealed it was!
In August 2017, we enjoyed our second car camping adventure. We found an ideal location about 20 miles off US-285 on Lost Park Road at 10,000 feet near Topaz Mountain in Park County. The pictures shown below say it all – exactly what we were looking for. But, unbeknownst to us, the location had recently been used by campers that had brought along their horses, as evidenced by the straw that was left behind on ground. While the area was clean, our site attracted a lot of gnats and mosquitos in the evenings. Citronella helped … well, a little! For this trip we brought along our new two-person cot so our mattress was not on the ground. As a result, the sleeping arrangement was much better and much warmer.
A year later, in July 2018, we camped with our friends off Montezuma Road at 10,600 feet near Glacier Mountain, which is about 7 miles southeast of Keystone in Summit County. The drive really started at the Keystone Ski Resort parking lot and the road led for 5 miles to the small community of Montezuma. At that point, the paved road went to dirt – and then the dirt gave way to a collection of rocks of various sizes. The final 2 miles of the drive absolutely required the lifted suspension system and 4WD in our SUV. The location was amazing with a nearby stream. See the photo below. But, because of the elevation, when it was cloudy and after the sun went down we got very cold. We were glad that our tent had a large indoor area where we sat with our friends, wrapped in blankets, for dinner and drinks. Yes, that’s Denise with a glass of wine smiling through it all – well, at least before the hail started!
Our fourth and final car camping adventure, again with our friends, occurred in July 2019 at Creedmore Lakes in Larimer County at 8,400 feet of elevation. Finding this location near Red Feather Lakes in northern Colorado was the hardest task, and at the end of the drive again we needed the 4WD in our SUV. The area was stunning and we took several hikes around three very beautiful lakes that were surrounded by large rocky hills. One afternoon it poured rain and the campsite flooded, but due to Denise’s resourceful efforts with wooden spoons, she was able to channel a lot of water away from the tents. In the end, the adventure was well worth the effort.
Despite our good times on these four adventures, we learned that car camping had its drawbacks. First, our tent offered very little protection from the cold temperatures and strong winds at night — typical in the Colorado mountains above 8,000 feet even in the summer. Second, the absence of power, the limited amount of water that we carried, and the use of an outdoor bathroom without a shower make our experiences … well … quite rustic. Third, our trips were limited in duration to 2 or 3 days and we stayed relatively close to home. We knew we needed something better. But, circumstances delayed our next adventure. Throughout 2020, the entire world shut-down as COVID-19 halted everyone’s travel plans and severely altered daily activities too. One bright spot, during the summer of 2020, our family expanded with the addition of Winnie, our sweet dog (she’s a Cavapoo, which is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Miniature Poodle).
So, What’s Next For Us?
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