Camping Trip to Beaver Creek

Had an awesome time camping with my sweetie at Beaver Creek. We spent some quality time together in an absolutely beautiful area and had two perfect Colorado blue bird days. Alicia captured some stunning images and we brought in a few river gems. What's better? My sweetie writing up the trip for us!

Between Jamie’s crazy work schedule, his fly fishing bug, our family life, and me being a full time student we do not get to spend much time together as a couple. When we do it is usually over a quick meal. So a few weeks back while Jamie and I were enjoying a quick lunch date I became slightly irritated by his phone (to be fair my phone too) interrupting our time together. I needed to get away with him someplace where his demanding job, future fishing plans, our kids, pets, cell phone service, and responsibilities would not interrupt my time with him.Yes I was being selfish when I suggested the idea of a camping date. It was a necessary evil.

I had originally wanted to hit Chalk Creek, secretly hoping to make a stop at the Mount Princeton Hot Springs, but while Jamie was on his epic Gunnison/Taylor trip he sent me a text suggesting Beaver Creek. We had been there a while back with our youngest daughter Madi. Remembering how beautiful the area was my daydreams of the hot springs were quickly replaced with the excitement of being behind the lens of my Nikon and spending quality time with my hubby.

The day before our trip I went through our camping supplies and came up with a very comprehensive list of things to pack. This is not something that comes naturally to me. I was proud of the list and all of the things that I remembered we might need until I started to shove the items into the large backpack I would be using. Stubbornly determined I only crossed two items off the list. My pack was heavy, really heavy. Thankfully Jamie is strong and was able to put the tent (which is surprisingly heavy) and other things in his pack along with the fishing gear.

We arrived at the parking lot of Skaguay Reservoir around 4pm, parked the White Buffalo (our near mint condition 92 Jeep Cherokee), placed our cell phones in the glove compartment, hoisted on our ridiculously heavy packs, and began our hike down to Beaver Creek. Confession time, I had been pep-talking myself for nearly 24 hours that I would be able to hike with that pack on, and that I wouldn’t whine about it.  I was able to achieve the first but not the second.

We passed a few campsites that looked perfectly reasonable to me (wanting to offload my pack) but Jamie had his 6th sense working and encouraged me to keep going, he had a feeling that there was a better site further down. I am so glad he did because we ended up with a site that not only was exceptionally beautiful, secluded, and near the creek it also had a lot of firewood left by the last campers.It was perfect, almost as if the camping gods were smiling down on us. The hike really wasn’t that long maybe a mile to a mile and ½ at the most. We quickly set up camp. I rigged my camera up and Jamie his fly rods. I captured some beautiful scenery and Jamie caught a couple river gems. It was a good night.

The next day after a campfire breakfast and coffee, we packed up camp and headed down stream for my quick lesson in small creek fly-fishing. Most of my fly fishing experience had been at Rainbow Falls and the Arkansas in Pueblo so this was a new experience for me. Thank goodness I have a good and experienced teacher. I gave creek fishing a legitimate try, worked on casting a dry fly and then turned to my camera. I couldn’t help it. Watching Jamie in his natural element brought more joy to me than catching any fish… (well maybe not a 29 and 1/2 incher;)).

The hike out was a little harder for me than the hike in even though Jamie was a sweetheart and took more weight out of my bag and put it in his. I think it was the gravity of natural beauty slowing me down.