Posted on Tue, 28-Jun-2016Fri, 01-Jul-2016 by HenryRoutt National Forest / Mt Zircle Wilderness In North Park, near Walden, we saw beautiful plains and this herd of buffalo. We stayed at a Trailhead that turned out to be full of mosquitoes so we did not hike that trail in the morning! It was a fairly sleepless night. We enjoyed a day in Steamboat and made this hike to Fish Creek Falls as we heard it was especially beautiful this year. The day could not be beat. This is why we love Colorado! We dispersed along the Elk River near the trail head to Hinman Lake. The wildflowers were especially beautiful. And the water Lilies on Hinman Lake were in bloom as well. Our morning entertainment was watching this fox catch his breakfast. Our second day hike was up Elk Creek into the Mt. Zircle Wilderness towards Gold Lake. With the creek flowing so full, we had a couple fun crossings. Such a beautiful day with lots of time to enjoy Gold Lake! We noticed the wildfire near Walden had grown in size (5,000 to 9,000 acres according to the paper and into the other side of Mt. Zircle Wilderness). The wind also had shifted – we did see some helicopters flying overhead. With all the beetle kill, it will be interesting to see how far it spreads.