Dude so cool . I hike Hessie Trailhead when I visit my brother in Westminster. I’m gonna kick it up a notch next time to this trailhead . Indian Peaks Wilderness is most beautiful land on earth .
Hessie is definitely a great trailhead so many great hikes from there. The Pawnee Buchanan Loop is incredible, taken from either Brainard Lake or Camp Dick, this loop will give you some of the best views in the Indian Peaks Wilderness you can find. It will also leave you wanting more as there are many side hikes you can take!!!
Great video! I hear ya - I don't enjoy it nearly as much without my wife. So many now think that's somehow weird as they take separate vacations, etc. To each his own I guess. As a western sloper - that was a real treat - what beauty. Thanks for sharin your journey!
Thank you! No, not weird at all. We wouldn't know how to take separate vacations, just feel out of place. How's the moisture over there, we're hot and dry hoping for rain this weekend.
Great video, thanks so much for sharing!! Interested in this loop & it's great to see some solid footage of what the trail is like 1st! May I ask what brand/kind of walkie talkies you guys used?? Interested in some for trail fam that hikes more quickly than I do 😂
Thank you. The Pawnee Buchanan Loop is terrific, so much to see. We use the Rocky Talkie radios, great local company here in Colorado. They're built tough and work great on trail!
'The experiment is over.' 🤣 Agreed. Sure did miss the dynamic you and Debbie have together in your video sagas. However, the split experience shots were fun. Epic CO wildflower shots! LOVE the IPW. From one obsessed hiking couple to another...Hike on, together hopefully! 😃
We're not a fan of hiking separately!!! However, this trail is rugged, long and would have been very difficult for the dogs, having us carry them most of the way. Between the trail surface conditions and exposure, it was best for them to stay back. We'll be looking into doggy sitters if we do another trail like this, not an easy task with rescues. 😎🐾
@@MADHippiesLife My husband and I were just wondering if you guys had/have kids and whether or not they spent time on trail. I think that question has been answered - fur babies count! 🤣. We've got one 10 year old kiddo (not the furry kind) that has jumped ship when it comes to our weekly family hikes. We've tried special treats, rewards, bribery, etc. Even the chihuahuas do better than he does on trail 🤣. We're thinking of a sitter situation too 🤣🤣🤣.
Oh yeah, even have grandkids now. We took our kids camping and hiking a lot when they were young. Now that they're grown, they're quite busy. They occasionally do some day hikes (we've been on a few with them) here and there. We're hoping for a big family camp outing at some point, kids, grandkids, fur babies and all. Schedules!?!?
Hey Miller/Debbie, I have my reservations to do this loop in late June (in a few weeks). It's a little early in the season to be up at 12.500. What's your guess at the snow pack by the time I get up there?
That's a tough call, especially in light of the late snow season we've been having. Both passes definitely have the potential to hold snow, though Pawnee would certainty be the worse of the two on the climb out of the Cascade Creek drainage. On average, our rule of thumb is after July 4th when it comes to high country backpacking.
@@MADHippiesLife Thanks! I've climbed some 14ers in late fall and early spring, but I'm not very familiar with the Indian Peaks area. I'll bring some traction and maybe my ice axe.
@David on Earth the IPW is one of our all time favorite areas, plenty of great backcountry opportunities. It gets plenty of snow all winter and has plenty of water flowing thru its creeks all summer. Another great overnight hike is the King / Devil's Thumb Loop from the Hessie TH.
Beautiful video and trail!! I would have to agree with you!! Even though I have never hiked without my husband I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like it. It’s just not the same when your used to being together and enjoy each other!! By the way, we watched your gear video on your CT gear and took y’all up on your suggestion of the double sleeping pad. We had bought separate ones but really didn’t like it. Didn’t realize there was a lighter weight one for backpacking. Such a great suggestion!! We took it with us on the CT segment hike we did and it was great!!
Thank you, Amy. The Pawnee Buchanan Loop was incredible, we'll be going back for another outing at some point, "together" as it should be. Probably go slower and enjoy it more. Good for you guys getting a double pad, makes all the difference in the world. Add in a double quilt and it's even better. We'll never go back to conventional bags and pads, that too was weird on the loop... used an old single pad and mummy bag. What part of the CT have you done? How was it?
@@MADHippiesLife we have only done segment 8 so far!! We r from Indiana and don’t get a ton of time off from work so we will keep coming back out to Colorado and do what we can until we finish it. It was amazing!!!
I would agree with your choice of direction. I fell last year descending Pawnee Pass (in the opposite direction) with a backpack on and severely broke a finger.
Yikes! Going up Pawnee was the major decision maker in which direction to go. It wasn't as bad as originally thought, but still, wouldn't want to go down with packs on. Hope you healed up well. Did you continue the loop?
