Venable Lakes

Trip Report -September 25, 1997

By Arthur and Marty Vyn Boennighausen

After four days straight of rain we woke up to a crystal clear sky. With a slight case of "cabin fever" in our blood we started putting on our hiking clothes without even knowing where we were going. As we drank some black coffee we drove out the driveway and discussed what the outing would be for the day. Venable Lakes was frequently mentioned in guidebooks and verbal conversations so that is where we decided to go.

We only had verbal descriptions for this hike and since I was not really awake when we left the cabin I had forgotten to bring any maps of the area. Marty seemed to remember where to start so we drove into the Alvarado campground which is the start of so many outings in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.

"Turn right here!" Marty suggested as we went past the site for the "campground host".

Marty was correct and a short distance up the road, we pulled into the single parking space reserved for day outings. It was just thirty feet from the sign showing that we were 6/10ths of a mile from the trailhead to Venable Lakes. It was 8:20am and 48 degrees Fahrenheit. This trail is a moderate hike of ten miles round trip and ended up taking us seven hours to complete including a one hour nap in a field of wildflowers along the sunny shores of Venable Lake.

We were pleased to find the trail to be a gentle ascent of the valley. The trail was free of protruding rocks which makes for an easier time of developing a rhythm to your walk. The long stride of the Mountaineer, as some call it, gathers up the miles quickly and effortlessly.

At 8:55am we came into a clearing that gave a view of the north face of Horn Peak. The mountain had new snow from the 13,450' summit down to treeline. So! It had been snowing at the higher elevations while it rained below! Several hundred feet below us was our first view of the outlet stream from Venable Lakes.

At 10:10am we came to a wooden sign that pointed the way to Venable Falls. We followed the spur trail to the left for about three hundred feet until we stood at the edge of the falls. Venable Falls is more of a steep cataract cut through solid rock than a waterfall. The cataract is about twenty feet wide and is quite regular in geometry. The cut in the rock is about one hundred feet deep and each side is covered with moss from the constant spray of the water. We sat down to refresh ourselves with a drink of water from our bottles. As our heart beats slowed, we began to absorb our surroundings. Across from the rushing water was a pristine hanging garden. The velvety green moss was a fairyland carpet for the small pine trees and bushes. In other spots the rock was covered with orange lichen and water slowly trickled down. Aspen leaves were randomly floated down from near by trees. In the quiet and warmth we could see and hear the bugs lazily floating through the air. Nature was sharing her best with us!

Still feeling very connected to our surroundings, we quietly resumed our hike. Nature gave us a gentle "awakening" by bringing us through a cool mist rising from the ground as water evaporated in the late morning sunlight. There had been so much rain recently that the earth was now giving back some moisture to the air through evaporation.

We negotiated a few switchbacks and ended up at "the overlook". It looks official because there is a log to sit on and a campfire ring ready for use. We suspect that avid photographers like to spend the night here so they can get a snap shot of the dusk and dawn. The view is of the forest we had just past through and the valley floor. This time of year the forest of Aspen and Blue Spruce looks like a majestic golden cloud, floating below.

At 11:45am we reached the cabin... or should I say, the remains of a cabin. Roger, the butcher at Jennings Market in Westcliffe, says he has spent many a night here in this cabin, on the dirt floor, with the young kids from his church group. He says they throw a plastic tarp over the roof in case of wind and/or rain. We could see why... the logs over the years have shifted and pulled leaving 3 or 4 inch spaces in between.

Soon we found a grassy meadow and decided to rest, stretching out in the warm sun. We both awoke with a start at the same time and were shocked to find that what had seemed like a few minutes, was really an hour! We looked at each other with a knowing twinkle in our eyes. We had both just re-read "Rip Van Winkle". We laughed and wondered if when we returned to Westcliffe it would be 100 years later!

We returned via the same route and made it easily back by 3:30pm.