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 The Schell Creek Mountain range on the southeastern side of Ely may not be a nationally known hiking region, but I can tell you that its day will come. It’s a beautiful area and, well, just gorgeously alive.
We (my husband, Erik, and I) hiked a mountain called Kolcheck Basin. We went during the time when the leaves on the Aspens were changing. The Bucks were in rut and the air was a little more chilly then usual.
The weather was a quite uncooperative, so lucky for me, I dressed appropriately. (Read my thoughts on fabrics that 'wick' here.) I had learned this lesson two years ago when we hiked another mountain range in the same area and froze to the core. This time, I stayed warm during our hike, even when it snowed on us. Sunrise Over Kolcheck BasinAs we reached the top of Kolcheck Basin, we decided to sit under a Mahogany tree and eat a Balance Bar. We got quiet and watched the wild animals. It was early, so we saw the sunrise.  Because of the weather and because it had rained the day before, the sky filled up with oranges, reds, purples and blues. I could have soaked it in all day!
As the sun rose, the air became a little bit warmer, and it seemed to blanket the mountainside and welcome us. What an amazing feeling, to feel the love of the sun! It made me want to explore every single mountain range I could see. Rutting Season Up CloseAs the visibility became clearer we saw three bucks and several does, but once they got wind of us they were off in a flash. They were beautiful to watch, and we couldn’t get enough, so we followed them over the next ridge. Once we got to the other side, we came upon about a dozen or more deer, including a huge 28-inch, 4x4 buck. He was comical, making us laugh as he frolicked around the does. It was mating season, so the bucks act like boys in love, and they tend to forget to hide from humans, which made it possible for us to watch them up close. We sat for quite some time while they played. Then it began to snow and we headed back to camp to dry off. What an amazing day! And we did the same thing for six days -- a peaceful and rewarding vacation.
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