Sympathy for the Devil's Head

What could have been a Foggy Friday actually turned out to be a hazy start to the last weekend of May, as a smoke plume from wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan has descended to Colorado’s HIGH SKY. What follows, however, was the scene from the previous Tuesday, as fog rolled up the Platte Valley, and even up the sides of the Foothills of the Front Range in the Rocky Mountains.

But after that start, there was still another goal: the top of Devil’s Head, and the Fire Observation Tower upon the summit. At sunrise, I was at Chatfield East Park, next to US Highway 85, AKA “Santa Fe Drive,” and it would be a short drive south to Sedalia, then a turn on Colorado Highway 67 to Rampart Range road.

When I was in the area last February, I caught the sunrise, but the clouds covered the summits, including Devil’s Head. On my most recent visit, clouds were just starting to encroach upon the Rampart Range, but had yet to reach the afternoon peak that will continue to grow throughout “Monsoon Season.”

The trail to the summit of Devil’s Head is less than a mile and a half (~2.4km) and at a 12% grade only goes up less than a thousand feet (less than 300 meters). It follows the same path up as down, so there are plenty of opportunities to cross paths with other hikers. When I arrived, people at the campsites in the surrounding recreation area were just waking up, and I was the only one at the parking lot at the trail head.

For the first hour and a half on the trail, in fact, I was alone. It was a beautiful, calm morning, once again. I have visited many times in the past, but this time would mark several firsts for me, personally. The trail is shaded by trees, but some additional light, high, clouds provided cover, as well.

The fog that had descended upon Littleton, Colorado, forced its way up the Platte Canyon north of the Rampart Range. Rock Formations were either highlighted in relief, or shaded by cloud cover. The fog split at Two Forks, following the rivers upstream both north and south.

The view of Mount Blue Sky, to the north, was dominated by its neighbor, Mount Bierstadt, as seen from the vista above the Rampart Range. The rolling clouds kept changing the light, revealing and hiding various parts of the landscape, while the fog crept along the lowest parts of the river canyons.

Getting up close (but not too personal) with the rock formations along the Devil’s Head Trail gave me an excuse to take several breaks while hiking to the summit. But I didn’t pause to fly a drone until I was overtaken by a group of exercising youths who hadn’t realized that they just stepped out of a Mentos television commercial from the 1990s until I was about to inform them. However, I decided at that point instead to divert myself by taking some more drone photos from an overlook adjacent to the trail, and they continued on their way.

Once the day had progressed, more people arrived to join the trail. It’s easy to see why, as the vistas from the summit go on and on. But it was easy to see generational differences, as young people universally wore workout clothes, while older people like myself dressed in layers for the 50°F temperatures and occasional gusty winds.

Pikes Peak is about thirty miles south of Devil’s Head, but the southernmost part of the Front Range stands alone in its own escarpment. But before I could be alone after completing my quest, I had one more mission to complete: scale the Fire Observation Tower atop the tallest rocks above the summit. The last 143 steps of a metal staircase attached to the rocks will be my first time going to the tower, despite the numerous times I visited in the past.

Like Pikes Peak, Mount Blue Sky to the north isn’t part of the Continental Divide. They both are almost equally distant from Devil’s Head, and the views were equally breathtaking. The fog was still thick over the Denver area, but the intermittent clouds over the mountains were hugging the alpine peaks.

From the tower, you can see it all. I had to capture several panoramic views, trying to account for the different lighting in the different directions. I was able to fly my tiniest drone while near the tower, capturing stunning views of “Hell’s Half-Acre” as the meadow at the summit of Devil’s Head is called.

Catching the drone wasn’t the end to the mission. I still had to get back down the mountain, and days later, my knees are only now shutting up about the hike. The parking lot had completely filled since my lone arrival, and more were arriving even as I left for home.

I’m grateful to share a little part of the world with you. It was a thrilling trip, and I have more trips planned in the weeks to come. Please, let me know if you have any suggestions!

Thanks for reading all the way to the end, and have a great start to your Summer!