Yesterday afternoon, I decided to hike Waterton Canyon, a popular trail southwest of Denver. It is only a little over half an hour away from my condo across the street from the University of Denver, and so I am not sure why I haven't visited there until now. In any case, the parking lot was full when I pulled in, which was surprising, since it was after 3:00 in the afternoon in early December when I started walking. I discovered that the trail was actually a dirt road, and a lot of people were going up the canyon on mountain bikes, many with fishing poles under their arms.
The trail winds along the South Platte River, which is a heck of a lot cleaner there than it is in Central Denver. Despite the number of fishermen, I did not see anyone actually catching a fish. In fact, I have never seen a fish in a stream or river here in Colorado. I suspect there are none, and the existence of fish is another myth spread by the tourist industry to attract visitors. Still, at least they get to enjoy the scenery, such as the view of the Platte and the canyon in the photograph on the right.
I made sure that I turned around and headed back down the canyon in time to arrive at my car by sunset. On the way, I was surprised to see a number of people still heading up the trail, especially since a cold front was predicted to drop the temperature to a chilly 20 degrees, which it did just as I reached my car. I noticed a couple of official looking pickup trucks on the trail, one heading up the canyon and one parked at the entrance, and I suspect it is their job to keep track of people on the trail, and bring them down to their cars once hypothermia sets in. No doubt they have seen this movie before.
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