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	May 18, 2008 Haney Park - Summer Picnic and Dog Fun Day
	July 19, 2008 Silver Dollar Lake - Mountain Hike
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Club Info > Club Events > 2008 Program

July 19th - Mountain Hike at Silver Dollar Lake

Silver Dollar Lake Trail Head (9:30 am)
Car pool rendezvous point: Northwest parking lot at the Morrison Exit (I-70, exit 259, between 8:15 am and 8:30 am)
Contact: Mitchell Stewart
Phone: (303) 883-3782
Email: k9_fan@msn.com

This will be our really strenuous leg stretcher for the year! The hike is 2.2 miles to the lake through a variety of landscape: beginning in high forest and then breaking out above the tree line through a myriad of wildflowers, and ending at a terrific place that invites the dogs for a swim. This will be a pack your own lunch affair: sandwiches and water are the suggested fare, perhaps topped off with chewy granola bars!

Observations and Guidance for People

This is really not a hard hike. The total elevation gain for the entire trail is only 800 feet, but it is still a trail of some short steep sections. And, it is a backpacking trail. Finally, it starts at a trail head altitude of about 11,600 feet. All of this means that you should wear good sturdy walking shoes or, better yet, light hiking boots, carry a walking stick, and be prepared to go slow and take frequent stops. – fortunately, the scenery makes stops almost an afterthought. I’ll summarize some essentials later. The hike should take around an hour to two hours going in, depending on stops and preferences; the return trip will likely be a bit faster. Plan on at least an hour at the lake to give the dogs ample opportunity to explore and swim, as well as for the picnic. We’ll have a brief Club meeting with "brief" being the operative word.

Observations and Guidance for Dogs

This is a dog friendly trail, but there are rules: dogs must either be under good voice command or on lead, dogs must not and cannot chase the local inhabitants, and dog leavings must either be buried or packed out. The trail is generally narrow so in most cases you and your dog will be in single file. There are often other hikers with dogs in the area -- not all of whom observe good hiking and trail etiquette so be prepared.

Summary of Things to Bring

Sturdy shoes, daypack or fannypack, food for picnic, water, dog water bowl, light jacket or cover, bug repellent, dog pickup bags or trowel, leash, walking or hiking stick, and hat (much of hike is above the tree line). Add (or subtract) to this list as you like.

Rendezvous Point and Schedule

The trail head is approximately an hour’s drive from Exit 260 on Interstate 70 West. Since we should be at the trail head by about 9:30 am, we should leave the Morrison Road parking lot by 8:40 am. The car pool rendezvous point is the Northwest parking lot at the Morrison Exit. Take I-70 to exit 259. The parking lot is immediately to the right on the Northwest Corner of I-70 and exit 259. Be there between 8:15 am and 8:30 am. The “car pool pack” will leave at 8:45 am. The trail head parking is limited (more on that in a moment) so car pooling is definitely advised.

Directions

Mile Post 0 – Interstate 70 West (Exit 260)

Mile Post 18 – Exit 241A (Idaho Springs)

Mile Post 32 – Exit 228 (Georgetown): right exit here, take a left at stop sign to proceed under the Interstate. Go approximately ¼ mile, past the Visitor Rest Stop to a stop sign. Take a left at the stop sign and follow this street and signs to Guenella Pass. You will go through Historic Georgetown, but the Guenella Pass signs and directions are quite clear.

Mile Post 34 – You will be on the west side of Georgetown and at the beginning of a rough and winding drive. The road is paved but in need of repair so plan on driving slowly and carefully -- there are also numerous switchbacks and the climb is fairly constant.

Mile Post 38 – Clear Creek Camp Ground. You will come to the Excel Power Generating Plant, and immediately upon getting past that you will come to the Clear Creek CG. The road then becomes well kept gravel and asphalt.

Mile Post 42 – Guenella Pass Camp Ground. You will pass this CG and almost immediately (i.e., around the corner after passing the CG) you will come to a parking area. There are six parking spots on the right side, and 12 on the left, and this is a fairly popular trailhead so we want to limit vehicles. The actual trail head is .75 miles up a rutted road from the right side parking area. If you are in an off road vehicle you can proceed up the rutted road to the trail head parking and the trail head itself; trail head parking, if you can get there, is ample. If you are driving anything else, then you would be well advised to park in the paved parking area and walk. It is a strenuous uphill walk but you won’t be leaving pieces of your vehicle’s undercarriage behind. If we stay on schedule, we can do transports with the all wheel drive vehicles to eliminate the extraneous walk (it’s not a very attractive introduction so it really is best driven rather than walked).

Questions?

Call or email Mitchell Stewart: (303) 883-3782, k9_fan@msn.com

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