By 2:45 AM on 11-3-15, Lupe and SPHP were up and about. Erik and Ana were flying to California. They needed a ride to the Denver International Airport, 400 miles away. That meant Lupe was about to set out on a week long Dingo Vacation! It was getting close to 2 years since Lupe had gone to see her cousin, Dusty in Arvada, Colorado. Now she and SPHP were going to get to spend a week with Joe, Andrea and Dusty, while staying in the cowboy room at Dusty’s house.
The drive across the western Nebraska panhandle was uneventful. Lupe and SPHP dropped Erik and Ana off at the Denver International Airport at 10:40 AM. Then it was off to Dusty’s house in Arvada! Lupe was soon bored with the drive through Denver. (Not a single cow or squirrel in sight!) Less than a mile from Dusty’s house, though, she suddenly picked her head up and started sniffing the air. Could she have known? Did she still remember, after all this time? She acted like she did.
A couple of minutes later, a very surprised and happy Dusty greeted her cousin Lupe and SPHP at the door. Andrea was back from the chiropractor 15 minutes later. In the meantime, Lupe and SPHP had already established themselves in the cowboy room. Andrea had to work, but Lupe, Dusty and SPHP got the fun started by taking a walk around the 100 acre field.
In the evening, Joe was back from work. Joe and SPHP went to the nearby Apex Center for a little workout and swimming. Lupe hung out at home with Dusty, Misty (the cat) and Andrea. Dusty snuck into the cowboy room, and ate an entire banana bread that SPHP had brought with. It was a bit much. Dusty was sick all night.
The next morning, Lupe and SPHP set out for Elk Meadow Park near Evergreen, Colorado. Way back on 12-23-13, Lupe, Dusty, Joe and SPHP had gone to Elk Meadow Park intending to climb Bergen Peak. Unfortunately, a mile from the summit Joe hadn’t felt well, so that attempt was called off. Now Lupe and SPHP were going to try again.
Bergen Peak (9,708 ft.) was already in sight from the trailhead. Lupe and SPHP started off heading WNW on the Sleepy S trail. Soon SPHP mistook an old road across the big field to the N as part of the trail system. Lupe and SPHP followed the old road until it started turning E. SPHP hoped to find the Too Long trail, but unknowingly wound up on the Meadow View trail instead. Eventually, SPHP realized the error as the Meadow View trail turned back to the S.
The Meadow View trail went mostly through the forest. SPHP’s mistake in missing the Too Long trail made the route longer than it need have been. It really didn’t matter. Lupe was having a good time exploring the trail. Lupe and SPHP followed the Meadow View trail past an intersection with the Elk Ridge trail. Shortly after that, Lupe reached the junction with the Bergen Peak trail.
The Bergen Peak trail was nearly all in the forest, too. Lupe did come to one place with some open views to the SW. Even though it was a Wednesday in November, there had been a surprising number of hikers, runners, and mountain bikers on the Sleepy S and Meadow View trails. Lupe encountered far fewer people and dogs up on the Bergen Peak trail, as it steadily switch-backed its way up the mountain.
Lupe reached an intersection with the Too Long trail well up on the mountain. She stayed on the Bergen Peak trail to the summit. This last mile of the Bergen Peak trail was easier, since it gained less elevation. It was also more interesting, too, as it wound around the N side of Bergen Peak. The trail leveled out as it curled around the mountain to the W and then S.
Lupe hadn’t encountered any snow before reaching the junction with the Too Long trail, but there was a little up on the shady N side of the mountain. The snow made her very happy. After a fun frolic on the snow, Lupe proceeded on the trail around Bergen Peak to the S of the summit. Here there were some big rock outcroppings. The rocks offered views to the E, S and W.
Lupe wasn’t quite at the summit yet. She turned N and followed the last bit of the trail to the top. On the way was a high point where there was a little tower and a rusty old shed. The actual summit was just a couple hundred feet farther N. Lupe reached the Bergen Peak sign at the top of the mountain – successfully achieving her first peakbagging goal of her November, 2015 Dingo Vacation to Colorado!
With her peakbagging goal successfully completed, Lupe returned to the rock outcroppings S of the summit to check out the views.
After taking in the views, Lupe and SPHP explored just a little bit off the trail before leaving the summit area of Bergen Peak.
Snow showers were due to move in from the W. The clouds started spitting a little snow. It amounted to almost nothing at all, really, but it was time to head back down anyway.
On the way back, Lupe did get to take the Too Long trail from where the Bergen Trail reached it. Going down the mountain, it didn’t seem too long at all. In fact, since there was still plenty of time, Lupe and SPHP took a long route back to the G6 by retracing the Meadow View trail back to the Elk Ridge trail, and following it back to Sleepy S again.
Lupe’s successful ascent of Bergen Peak was a great start to her November, 2015 Dingo Vacation to Arvada, Colorado, but it was only a start. Lupe was just getting warmed up. More mountains of fun and adventures were still to come!
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