[Journal entries for January 12 and 15, 2020; Salt Lick Gulch, Silverthorne Colorado]

January 12, 2019. Dallas and I hiked the trail system that starts at Wildernest Road in Silverthorne. I have been aware of these trails for a long time, for some of them can be seen from I70 as one drives west from Silverthorne to Dillon, yet until today I did not realize that they could be accessed via a short dirt road that connects Wildernest Road to a trailhead parking lot. We first hiked the Salt Lick Gulch Trail (which is one of those that can be seen from I70) southwest, wearing snowshoes. Lots of hikers and cross-country skiers were about, many with dogs. The trail follows a stream in Salt Lick Gulch. We then headed north, up onto the broad mesa that surrounds Buffalo Mountain, taking the Walden Trail, which follows the stream in Ryan Gulch. We stopped somewhat short of where the trail ends in suburban area, and had lunch, sitting on a log, in a little clearing near the stream, surrounded by Willow bushes. As usual, I made tea, heating water on my stove. We then did a traverse of a broad, open area, taking the Teva Trail to Crosscut Trail to Prospector Trail back to the Salt Lick Trail. The route was a bit difficult to follow, because some many other, informal trails crossed the open area, too. The Prospector Trail crosses a chaotic terrain of small gravel hills, some with steep scarps. I think that the area is so torn-up because it once was hydraulically mined. Along the way, I realized that I had left my hiking pole at our lunch spot. When we reached the Salt Lick Trail, Dallas headed back to the car, while I retraced our route back up to our lunch spot and retrieved my pole. I took the Placer Trail to the Prospector Trail on the way back. The original hike too about two and a half hours; my faux pas with the pole added an hour for me.

January 15, 2019. Dallas and I again hiked the trail system that starts at Wildernest Road in Silverthorne. Today is much clearer than when we first visited the area, a few days ago, and the views of the surrounding mountains are really remarkable. We are beginning to get a feel for the trail system, and had no problem finding our way from the parking lot to the bridge over the stream in Ryan Gulch, by complicated series of trails: Salt Lick to Prospector to Placer and back to Salt Lick. Once we crossed the bridge, however, we were on unfamiliar ground. We followed the map, but ran into the problem, especially common with snow-cover, of encountering more trails than are described on the map. With some careful navigation, we managed to stay on Trail FS9074, which ascends through the bottom on the mostly open Salt Lick Gulch. The view of TenMile Peak, Dercum Mountain, Gray’s Peak, and the other nearby snow-capped mountains is terrific. We went as far as the intersection with Trail FS9171, which is on the uphill side of a large open area – probably a snow-covered wetland. Trunks of fallen were sparse in this area, but we found a dry one hundred yards up FS9171 oriented so that we had a great view of TenMile Peak. We pounded flat the snow in a small circular area around the log, fired up the stove to boil water for tea, and relaxed. As we ate, I spotted a Snow Fly, a quarter inch long insect with a black body and spindly legs and no obvious wings, crawling across the snow. I am amazed that cold-blooded animals like these can operate in such cold conditions, for the air temperature today was a little below freezing (though I suppose that the sun was warming the snow, a bit). After lunch, we headed back the way we came as far as the bridge and the took the Salt Lick Trail back to the car. Numerous hikers with dogs were on Salt Lick; many of the dogs seemed to especially like “swimming” through the deep snow beside the trail. About two and a half hours.