Sunday, 15 July 2018
Per last night’s instruction, our group of 15 meets outside the cafeteria door at 6:50 am, 10 minutes before the breakfast line opens at 7. Our goal is to get in and out quickly and beat the thousand or two other kids, teen wrestlers, families, etc. so as to get an earlier start on our hike. Our plan is successful. We finish breakfast and assemble in front of our lodge at 7:45 to pile into the van. Eleven people are already seated inside. As I begin to climb aboard, we all realize simultaneously that this is actually a 12 person van, not a 15 person van as requested. O and I solve the immediate problem by offering to drive Vincent to the trailhead. John, one of our leaders, will ride with us. We also pack in two large cartons of sandwiches and snacks. John jokes that we have enough food to survive for a month should we get trapped by a landslide or avalanche.
By 9:00 we are hiking up a trail along a lovely bounding stream which cascades down from Ouzel Falls. The creek, the falls and the lake above are all named after the water ouzel, more commonly known as the American dipper. This is a little gray bird that bobs up and down in running water, seeking food under the surface. Their presence indicates good water quality. The trail crosses several bridges from which we have beautiful views of the cascades. We finally arrive at Ouzel Falls and bushwack a bit to get to the base of the falls. Spray fills the air here. As we return to the trail we spy a shy marmot peaking out from the rocks. We then climb a bit further to arrive at an open rocky ledge overlooking the valley below. By now it is beginning to rain a bit. Out come our rain suits. We are all quite comfortable as we eat our sandwiches. We retrace our steps down the trail enjoying flute-like birdsong, good conversation, and the end of the rain shower as we go.
We drive back to the lodge and meet once more before dinner to review the day’s hike and discuss tomorrow’s trek, which will be at higher elevation and a bit more rolling than today’s. Rob informs us that after two hours on the phone, he was finally able to get through to the proper person at the car rental agency. They will be delivering a 15 person van to us at the lodge this evening via tow truck and will take the 12 person van back to Denver. O and I decide to leave the seats rearranged in Vincent until we actually see the 15 seat van in the morning.