With snow still nested upon the areas in Colorado above timberline, I desperately searched for adventure in lower areas. Though Tyler, now working a sweet gig for Chatfield State Park, could not join, adventure was still to be had. Luckily, my friend Anica from high school decided to join me on a hike from the Goose Creek Trailhead in Lost Creek Wilderness to what is known as the “Shafthouse”.

I have fond memories of Lost Creek Wilderness. I remember going there to backpack with my dad when I was a wee lad and I remember backpacking with the Boy Scouts in the same area when I was in middle school. I largely have LCW to thank for my infatuation with the natural world and adventure. To return to this area so dear to my heart intrigued me. Soon enough, Anica and I were driving down US 285, eager to set up camp.

The drive in was uneventful. Once we hit dirt road on the turn towards the Goose Creek Trailhead, we began driving through the Hayman burn area. Though fire is natural in forest ecosystems, the Hayman Fire was not.

The fire was started by a U.S Forest Service Technician in 2002 who set the land ablaze allegedly hoping to keep her position fighting fires at home so that she could stay with her children—and maybe even be a hero for putting the fire out. Her mistake cost about forty million dollars and took the life of a civilian. Oops.

There is something so inexplicably haunting about large burn areas. Driving through and camping near the Hayman burn felt almost alien.

Since my childhood, I have watched new life slowly supplant this massive deathscape. Aspen groves and wildflowers slowly conquer the soil where the towering ponderosas once stood.

We arrived at the designated Goose Creek Campsite and were appalled to discover the fee to be $18 a night. We ponied up nevertheless. We met our outstanding campsite host named Walter and set up the digs for our stay. Funnily enough, Walter later told us we had set up camp far enough away from the actual campsite that we wouldn’t have needed to pay the fee (so long as we did not park at the campsite or use its facilities). Despite my intense desire to bash my head against a tree after this discovery, I refrained, and things worked themselves out.

We spent the afternoon bushwhacking through surprising amounts of poison ivy and eventually hiking up to the highest point near the camp.

The only real injury to be had from the afternoon occurred as we crossed Goose Creek on our descent and my forehead encountered a tree branch; nothing a small Band-Aid wouldn’t fix. After our descent, we relaxed, enjoyed a wonderful burrito campfire dinner, and prepared for the day to follow.

The pack out of the camp the following morning was easy. I arose about an hour before Anica and spent that time hiking along Goose Creek.

After breakfast, we were soon trailhead-bound. For a Friday morning, the trailhead parking lot seemed dreadfully packed. I recalled going to LCW with my father on weekends in my childhood and not having many cars at this trailhead, but my once well-kept secret spot appeared now to be a tourist attraction. We shrugged and began down the trail around 8:15AM.

The beginning of the hike meandered through the Hayman burn area, but shortly after crossing Goose Creek at the bottom of a small valley we found ourselves in lush pine forest.

The trail rolled up and down along the landscape, portending a challenging return.

Fantastic views of the incredible and odd granite rock structures were to be had as we meandered along.

We passed far below the famous Harmonica Arch and a lewd-lookin’ rock (I won’t include a picture but I think “Shaftrock” would be a fitting name). We rejoiced and remarked on the lack of people we encountered despite the nearly full parking lot. I figured others might have been aiming for Hankins Pass, another hike accessible from the Goose Creek Trailhead.

The foothills of Colorado never looked so appealing as we discovered unending views of the wilderness area. After about 3.5 miles of hill hiking we reached a fork with a sign that directed us toward “historic buildings”.

The houses soon came into view and poked around the surprisingly well-kept pieces of history.

Thanks to my mistake of forgetting the map in the car and a false memory of the route, we took an hour-long detour looking for the shafthouse in the wrong place.

We would later discover that the trail up to the shafthouse started behind the historic buildings—not but a minute’s walk past the false start I had lead us on. So close! It was hardly any trouble to reascend and find the nearby structure, though.

From there, we continued to the overlook that I fondly recalled from my childhood.

Caves, cracks, and boulders all beckoned to be explored.

After soaking up the views, we turned back. It had been a four-hour trip up. The way back, though scattered with several uphill segments, took us only a quarter as long as our trip there.

We ended the expedition soaking our feet in Goose Creek and being thankful we’d avoided bad weather.

It was a fantastic preview to a summer of adventure, a nostalgic excursion (for me), and an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend. I’m thankful for our time together in the woods. Here’s to a summer of adventure!