Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado 7-25-08

A two-night backpacking trip with Candi and Sam Knopp (their "maiden voyage" with their new gear). The Wigwam trail is in the designated Lost Creek Wilderness Area, west of Denver, the trail accesses the east side of the Lost Creek Wilderness by following the Wigwam Creek drainage up to "Wigwam Park, an open meadow with several large beaver ponds, @9,500+ ft elevation, where we base camped. The trail follows the flowing Wigwam creek and on occasion glimpses of granite domes can be seen through the thick Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine and Aspen forest. The day hike was along the Goose Creek Trail, climbing to @10,000+ feet and intersecting with the McCurdy Park trail, where we dropped steeply into "Refrigerator Gulch" looking across the canyon to spectacular red Pikes Peak granite formations. Wildlife sightings consisted only of squirrels and grouse! But wildflowers were in abundance in the lush green meadows and along the shady trail, including columbine, globeflower, larkspur, beargrass, parry primrose, subalpine daisy, tall chiming bells, fireweed, shooting stars, blue flax, mountain harebell, mariposa lily, indian paintbrush, scarlet gilia, and several others. We enjoyed a few ripe raspberries and thimbleberries along the first part of the trail. The flutey notes of a hermit thrush gave song to our mornings and evenings.