Agnes Vaille Diversion

Northwest to waterfalls and cascades near and along Chalk Creek, east across South Park to Florissant and south along High Park.

Out on the road reasonably early, the quest remained uncertain until arriving at Westcliffe. The vote was split between a search for falls near the Great Sand Dunes, and those along Cascade Creek Trail, also known as Agnes Vaille Falls.

Looping around the town uncovered a few interesting items and the decision was made then to forego the three hour tour out to the dunes in favor of some cooler fresh mountain air a couple hours north. The party was not particularly found of wading through glacial melt water, so Agnes Vaille became the primary destination of the day.

A brief interlude en route enabled windshield contemplation under blue skies. Clouds began to form over the goal but did not appear too threatening. The Beckwith Ranch flew by, offering a very quick glimpse of life from historic times. By the time it registered, and a pause briefly entered into discussion, it shrank in the rear view mirror a few miles back. There will be another time.

Reaching Cotopaxi, the whimsical decision to continue north along Bernard Creek and connect with Nathrop seemed as good as any choice at the time. Pavement gradually gave way to loose gravel, dirt roads, and gently deteriorating road conditions. The weather began to take a turn for the unknown as well. Witnessed earlier from further south, the front row view stood more ominous, and. The diversion was abandoned in favor of more sure footing for the vehicle, in the event of an unexpected deluge.

The vehicle connected with more appropriate paving to Salida under increasingly cloudy skies. Pausing in Salida enabled some quick refreshment at the usual haunt, Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub. The skies continue to make vague threats though. A timely departure seemed paramount to ensuring the success of the mission, and it was quickly on the road again.

The water falls immediately below the summit of Mount Princeton. The feature had been discovered on a previous expedition to the area, but signage lacks any sort of indication as to the length of the journey to the falls. At that time, the party was not prepared for anything more than a kilometre or so and simply bookmarked the idea for another time. Later research uncovered the trail indeed traversed only about 1.5 kilometres.

The path is generally easy, with breathtaking views and an array of colorful wildflowers sprinkled throughout the area, framing the solitude of the trail on this particular afternoon. The abundance of growth undoubtedly urged on by the frequent storms the region experienced recently, today was no different. The clouds loomed dark and heavy, threatening to unload their cargo at any moment.

Arrival at the "viewing platform" fills you in on the geology of the situation. A closer inspection of the faulting and sheet erosion taking place in real time is required to stand near the falls. Caution is required though. This area is disintegrating rapidly, and is one of the most active debris flows in the entire state.

Clambering up sides of the creek bed, across an area fresh with rock fall, the cascading water is immediately accessible a short half-kilometre from the viewing platform. It is a beautiful sight, but not an ideal situation to be involved with, as one family discovered several years ago. Again, caution. Danger lurks here.

Turning attention down stream from the falls to locate the half of the party that had stayed behind at the platform, found no human presence and no familiar sights. Someone rearranged the landscape. The platform and comrade were perfectly visible only moments before. Traversing what seemed like the right about space, a game of "Marco Polo" quickly ensued.

On the way up to the falls, another cascade had been noted. Back a few kilometres along the trail, a small shaded parking lot hid the Colorado Trail. It is part of roughly 800 km trail traversing lands southwest of Denver towards Durango. Chalk Creek roars beneath a wooden walking bridge, following its own trail it search of the Arkansas River and points beyond.

Two other trails appear to converge here. The Narrow Gauge Trail 1432 Trail connects, wandering west, and a more minor trail heads east to nearby camping. A short half-kilometre hike between the two, along the Colorado Trail, enables spectacular views of the adjacent Chalk Cliffs of Mount Princeton.

Rain never arrived throughout all of this. The clouds spit a few drops here and there, and lightening crashed occasionally. The latter, encouraging departure for safer surroundings, began a new quest for facilities. Johnson Village appeared to be the closest option and it seemed only logical to continue that course through Antero Junction, on to Hartsel, and turn south from there, for no other reason than to see what could be seen.

That last town turned out to be a bit of problem. Actually, not the town so much as the road leading south from that town. Attempting that heading met with another explorer who had just ventured down the route. Recent flash flooding had washed out a bridge down and a road crew was on the way to inspect the situation sometime in the next hour. Their judgement likely would rest with a permanent closure of the route, until repairs could be made. Chasing the sun ahead of the storms, the lack of detour options enabled more of the phenomenal views of the Rocky Mountains.

Google made the obscene suggestion to go on to Colorado Springs, which would have added even more time to the clock. The scenario would also immerse the expedition in the last thing of interest, densely populated civilization. A more expedient route through Florrissant gave the party a chance to take in more mostly undisturbed views, along with a peek at the Hornbeck Homestead. The reconstruction of the 1878 homestead shares a snapshot of the life of single mother Adeline Hornbek. After the death of her husband, she successfully recovered a ranch decimated by flooding around the same time.

Reconnecting with earlier intended course much further south than originally intended, the road appeared unmolested by heavy rains in this region. The sun began to peek out in places, and the expedition congregated with like minds over a good meal at base camp. The clouds caught to the area, quickly blotting out the remainder of the day, sealing the stars from the sky on this night.

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