Roaring Rivers

We’ve had some pretty wild weather the last week, complete with thunderstorms, heavy rain and even hail.  Add to that, the well above normal snow pack from this past winter, and it’s a recipe for extremely high, rushing waters in the creeks and rivers flowing out of the mountains.  Also, some of the bridges out on the hiking trails in both the Indian Peaks Wilderness and Rocky Mountain National Park were wiped out by last September’s floods, so hiking or spending any time near the rivers can potentially be very dangerous.  Rushing rivers don’t have to be that deep to sweep you off your feet, so when in doubt, it’s better not to cross by trying to wade creeks in early summer.  I also find trekking poles can be invaluable this time of year, both in wading creeks, and going across trails that still have snow pack on them.  I will say this, it’s going tobe a terrific rafting season, so am hoping to be able to get out and enjoy that in the next couple of months.