Kennicott Slough Reservoir
We had to change the day's plans around because the Land's End Road switchbacks were closed for a race, but it ended up changing them for the better. We were back on Highway 65, so we decided to take Kennicott Slough Reservoir. We took a trip to Cedaredge first to fill up gas tanks, and we had to slam on our brakes to avoid missing the trailhead on the way back up. It's an easy one to miss when you're heading that direction.
The fun started right away, and we used low range (rarely needed on Grand Mesa) to climb up the slippery rocks. We saw a big truck on its way down, so we knew it wasn't too difficult. Still, it was a lot of fun.
The meadows were beautiful, under heavy and dark clouds threatening rain. The farther we got, the easier the trail became, and soon it was fairly smooth with a few muddy puddles here and there.
When we got to the reservoir we stopped to check things out. It was very odd, we discovered. There were campfire rings a pretty big distance from the water's edge, and that was because the water was low. What we found was that the floating mats of peat moss that used to be on the water were now draped over dry land and rocks. It was very interesting to break up the dirt that was under the moss, as it was largely roots and other plant matter. Though it was a bit sad to see, the moss seemed to be growing just fine though it was dry.
We walked around for a bit, enjoying the solitude and checking it all out. Then we kept going, and soon found ourselves at the end of the trail. This was a fun one, and we were glad we got to do it.
