​​In The Shadow of Longs Peak

Lone Tree Reservoir

01 April 2012

In celebration of a warm sunny spring day, we loaded boats and gear and headed to Lone Tree Reservoir.  Winds were calm and the water was smooth as glass.  Besides us, only a few fishing boats were scattered here and there.  We took our usual route and headed into the cove at the west end, taking the a tree approach.  Spring is always a nice time to paddle that cove since later in the year it is filled with pond plants, but today it is clear.  We pass cement pylons which took too small for a bridge but could have held a water pipe in the distant past. Different years we’ve gone different distances up this cove.  Today, it seems like there are more downed trees than in the past, not surprising with the multiple high wind days we had this past winter.   We turn around and head back, taking the main channel and keeping close to the south shore.  Gary points out a bald eagle off to the north.  I head into another small cove, seeking a secret passageway thru the trees but find none.  I turn and paddle to catch up to Gary.  Visually, he is leaving a large wake behind him, but the water immediately before him is dark as glass.  I stop to take a picture, but he is too far away.  As I start up again, I hear the distant call of a grebe.  We head for the east end, and another favorite cove for tree navigation.  I take photos of him and another of the shimmering reflection of trees.  We poke along and soon have no choice but to escape back into open water.  Normally, we would head down to the outlet, but instead turn and head west along the northern shore, past one of the inlets that is not flowing today.  Back, behind a clump of trees there is a sneak route at the edge of the lake.  Gary pushes on, but I get grounded and turn around, go the long way around, and meet him at the top of his secret passage.  We head to the next clump of trees and spy a blue heron heading in for a landing.  There is no passage at the back of this section.  Gary attempts to make his way through the trees but is turned back.  We then pass what looks like a channel and we head up.  It doesn’t go too far but I imagine that at some point it did.  How cool would it be to paddle up and out the other side.  Alas, we turn and retrace our steps and continue on into the next cove, which is where the houses begin and out again.  Then, in no time, we are back at the put-in…just in time to see a party of coots take off! A wonderful day!