Our second tent camping trip of the year was just a few miles south of the first. We went to the Cascade campground in the Collegiate Peaks area, west of Nathrop, Colorado. It’s a very popular location. ATV’ers especially seem to like the trails around St. Elmo, which is billed as a “ghost town”, but is more of a quirky hunter’s lodge/tourist trap.
It was raining buckets the entire drive from Denver. When we pulled into the campsite, it was still sprinkling, and the thermometer registered 50 degrees. The entire campsite was soaked. There was a huge puddle all around the fire pit and picnic table. The boys couldn’t stand the idea of driving all the way back home that night, so we decided to drive up to St. Elmo and kill some time. By the time we got back, the rain had stopped, and the boys insisted they wanted to stay. They promised to stay out of the puddles (yeah, right), and not complain about being cold. So, we pressed forward and set up the tent.
That was it for the rain. It was chilly that first night, but outside of that it was a beautiful weekend. We did a little hike around Chalk Lake, and along a trail that followed an old railroad grade. The boys drew a hopscotch court in the dirt, and we played some baseball around the campsite. Other than the challenges getting a campfire lit, it was a great trip.
