​​In The Shadow of Longs Peak

Masse Draw
04 October 1998

On Friday, I hiked the Masse Draw Trail at Ken Caryl Ranch ( with Gary H.).  This tops out in the foothills, crosses 2 passes and ends at the Manor House Trail.

Masse Draw is a narrow rugged canyon cut into the foothills, filled with evergreens but not much underbrush, and very damp.  A creek bisects it, still running fast and clear, despite it being fall and very dry.

The canyon side is grazed with cliffs, bands of rocks.  There looks to be some good scrambling but there are no beaten paths so I expect no one goes up there.  Higher up in a cleft the rock looks wet and I wonder if an icefall forms in the winter.  There are lots of singing birds.

We continue up and pop out on a ridge covered with brush oak, which look like mini oak trees, complete with acorns.  I pick one and find it soft but not mushy.  Thoughts of childhood and making rosary beads of acorns flash back.

From the ridge, we drop down into a small valley.  Fall colors are beginning to peek out. An aspen or two is quite yellow but the remaining aspen are green.  The scrub oak has tinges of orange and the hillsides are a mixture of browns and oranges and ochre.  Gary points out blue gamma grass with seed pods like sickles. 

We hike down and then up to another saddle then down and up again – so many new places, places to come back and explore further.  Then down once more and back up and on to the Manor House Trail.