MACEY LAKES HIKE,
SANGRE DE CRISTO WILDERNESS
September 26, 2006
By Tim Briese
The purpose of this hike was twofold, first of all to enjoy a fine fall hike in the Sangres, and secondly to climb the 13er Colony Baldy (13,705') if conditions permitted. The mountains had just been hit with the first major snowfall of the season, so I didn=t know if the second objective were feasible, but if not I could certainly enjoy a fine, scenic hike and at least preview the route to Colony Baldy for a future climb.
I drove to the Horn Creek Trailhead and hit the trail at 7:10 a.m. with my two labs on a beautiful autumn morning. I crossed Horn Creek and proceeded south on the Rainbow Trail, the excellent trail that runs all the way along the eastern base of the Sangre de Cristos. Groves of yellow aspens shimmered in the golden sunlight under a deep blue sky. I followed the Rainbow Trail for about three miles as it contoured across forested slopes, very gradually climbing almost all the way to the Macey Creek drainage. Nice views of Colony Baldy occasionally appeared through openings in the trees. I noted plumes of snow swirling in the wind on its upper slopes, and a climb today began to look rather challenging.
After an hour and a half or so the trail dropped slightly into the Macey Creek drainage and I came to a junction where I left the Rainbow Trail and headed up the Macey Lakes Trail into the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. A trail register here informed me that the last hiker on this trail had been here about two weeks before. I hiked briskly along through groves of pine and aspen, which were now leafless at this higher elevation, while Macey Creek gurgled down its rocky course off to my left. The wind roared through the woods around me. I observed the pawprints of a large wild animal in frozen mud on the trail, and I hoped it was no longer in the vicinity. Snow began to appear on the trail when I climbed to an elevation of about 10,500 feet, and it gradually became deeper as I climbed higher.
About two miles up the trail I came to a meadow and paused to admire the Copperstain Cliffs above to the right. Shortly after this I hiked past Macey Falls, where the creek cascades down through a rocky area. By this time the snow was more abundant, perhaps six or eight inches deep, and I lost the trail for a short time at a creek crossing and thrashed about in the woods for a few minutes until I found it again.
At about 11,500 feet the trail leveled out, and I came to the first of the Macey Lakes, set in a high, scenic basin at about timberline. I had hiked about six miles and climbed 2400 feet of elevation to reach this point. A stiff wind blew across the water and swirled around me, adding to the sense of wild splendor that this majestic place evoked. I proceeded to walk around the north side of the lake in the snow, and observed a route up a drainage to the south that I would have taken were I to climb Colony Baldy. There was too much snow and wind to suit me for an attempted climb today. Of particular concern to me was treacherous footing I might encounter on steep talus slopes on the peak=s northwest side. The chance to see this beautiful basin today was by itself more than ample reward for the effort I expended to get here.
The lake was partially frozen over but there was enough open water for my dogs to swim and retrieve sticks for a few minutes. I paused to sit on a rock to rest in the sun for a while, admiring the grandeur of this beautiful place, before heading back down the trail. I cruised back down the trail in the pleasant sunshine, with the exuberant autumn wind swirling around me. I did not see another soul on this hike, other than a lone horseback rider later on the Rainbow Trail. I returned to my truck about 2 p.m., concluding another splendid fall hike in the Sangre de Cristos.
