April is the month in which the most asked question is “Will Spring EVER arrive?”
The Old Hohnholz Barn
This beautiful old barn stands in the Laramie River Valley as a testament to the pioneers who settled this wild land. This picture was taken in the springtime, and shows the flooded willows just starting to burst with leaves. The flood water from the Big Laramie River will sometimes reach the barn, but will subside with the coming of summer, after most of the high country snow melt.
The deck on the back side of our house, after an average February snow storm.
At 8600 ft of elevation, snow is possible in all twelve months of the year, although it is not common in June, July, and August. I have, however, seen it snow on the 4th of July three summers in a row. We always muse, “Is this an early snow or a late snow?” Of course, those snows barely sit on the grass to the point of being noticed before they disappear. But still….it snowed.
The “real” snow season can start as early as the 3rd week of September, and last until the 1st week of June. After spending 19 years living here, we’ve discovered that the weather definitely has a pattern. We almost always get a snow of at least 3 or 4 inches before the end of September, which leads us into an “Indian Summer”, one of the best times of the year in the mountains. Brilliant blue skies, bright gold and red colors, daytime temperatures in the 70’s, and gentle breezes characterize this period, which often lasts until Thanksgiving.
Even the period from Thanksgiving through January usually brings mostly dry and reasonable weather. Usually. There have been times when snows upwards of 3 feet have hit, also. But the rather dry period, with small, mostly insignificant snows is more normal.
From the first of February through April, all bets are off! Heavy, wet snows arrive, which cause us to be “snowed in” for weeks at a time. I believe the record is 6 weeks. At this time, the county road can host drifts up to 7 feet. There is no winter road maintenance by the County up here, so we are “on our own”. April usually brings the thaw, but our biggest snowfalls, also. So it’s an “on again and off again” situation for the entire month. We don’t mind those large snows, as they generally melt off in a few days, and this mountain plains environment depends on the much needed moisture to reduce fire danger. Some of these snowfalls can amount to 4 feet at a time. April and May snows bring on the good summer grass!
A section of our yard covered in a fresh April snow.The Big Laramie River with fresh snow and hoar frost covered trees.
The snow season can be difficult, at times, but it’s also spectacularly beautiful!
A Bull Elk tells his Ladies and Youngsters that it’s time to move away from me and my camera.
The state of Colorado is home to more elk than anywhere else in the world, with the total state population believed to be well over 250,000 in most years. Maybe that’s why we encounter elk herds so often. We always love seeing them, but when a herd shows up in our yard, we discourage them from staying very long. That’s because they leave little waste “chewies” behind for our dog, Juley, which does little to improve her breath or the odor from the flatulence (read “dog farts”) that it gives her!
The other drawback to having so many elk in the neighborhood is the constant fence repair necessary in our pasture. The pictures below show why.
One at a time, Ladies, one at a time.Oops! (Never fear, he made it over in fine shape)
No matter how often we see the elk herds, it’s always a moment to pause and appreciate the enormity, beauty, and wonder of God’s creation. We are blessed to share our world with these majestic creatures, and we never forget that.
Did you know?
Wapiti is the Native American Shawnee tribe word for elk. Many folks pronounce it incorrectly, placing the accent on the second syllable. Here is the correct pronunciation. https://www.howtopronounce.com/wapiti
This lake, Rawah #1, is the first that a backpacker may encounter on the Rawah Trail, but be prepared to go a distance. The trail is rated moderate to difficult as it nears the lakes nestled at the foot of the granite peaks. The Rawah Trail is 25 miles in length, and the Wilderness itself has 76 miles of trail. It’s not used as heavily as the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the scenery is every bit as spectacular.
There are several nice loops along the trail that take you to many of the 26 lakes. If you have the required license, it’s a fisherman’s dream!
And, if your backpacking days, like mine, are long over, do what I do. Ride a horse!
On our neighbor’s property is this old abandoned sheep herder’s wagon. Now on the verge of falling apart, this wagon was once home to the herder who traversed the rugged mountain and prairie terrain, following and caring for his herd of sheep. This one is now home only to pack rats and the occasional curious bear or mountain lion. I often ride by this wagon, and try to imagine what it must have been like to have such a carefree, albeit lonely, life style.
What did he do to pass the time while the herd grazed? What problems did he encounter, and how did he solve them? How often did he have to protect his vulnerable charges from the alpha predator bears, lions, or wolves, or even a pack of coyotes? Did he have a dog, or perhaps several, to help? Who brought him supplies from town, a mere 35 to 40 miles away?
What must it all have been like? How interesting it would be to travel back in time just long enough to witness it all.
Mortimer, one of the many Shiras Moose that live in our neighborhood.
There are about a dozen or so Shiras Moose that live in our immediate neighborhood; many more in the vast forests of the Roosevelt National Forest and Rawah Wilderness area. Moose were introduced into the Laramie River Valley at the foot of the Rawahs in 1978, and in other areas of Colorado through the early 1990’s. There are an estimated 1,000 of the animals now who make Colorado their home.
We never approach a moose, of course, but I do sometimes stand on my deck and yell at them to “STOP EATING MY BUSHES!” We’ve had them mess up our wood shed, knock over barbecue grills, and plow through the garden. Our young nephew came to visit once, and in the morning he told us that a moose had looked through the bedroom window at him. We thought he had been dreaming until we found the tracks in the flower bed outside his room.
But all in all, we almost always enjoy the frequent visits from these large neighbors, and, as you can see from the caption below the above photograph, I sometimes can’t resist naming the more frequent visitors.
One of the original five national wilderness areas designated in Colorado, the Rawah Wilderness Area is our neighbor. It covers over 76,000 acres of some of the prettiest land you could ever hope to see, with 25 high country, pristine lakes. Many of the peaks, with glacial lakes below, rise to just under 13,000 ft. It has been my privilege to traverse the trails of this wonderland for over 35 years, and I feel that I have just begun to explore it. Oh, to do that for another 35 years!
Bull Mountain and the Sand Creek Valley
And this is the view from a few steps off our back deck. We live across the valley from the eastern slope of Bull Mountain. Much of the land shown in this photograph is National Forest; some of it belongs to the State of Colorado, and some of it is private.
