Metro 5-0: Witches Hollow

Thursday, May 12th, was sunny with the promise/threat of reaching the mid-80s. Joan and I drove down to Clear Creek Metro Park to participate in a "Metro 5-0" hike, a guided five-mile off-trail tramp for those over 50. Today our goal was Witches Hollow, a route and destination through areas of the preserve normally off-limits to the public.

We arrived neither first nor last; the parking area as shown here would end up hosting twice as many cars.

Our group included two Metro Parks employees and three volunteers, sufficient to prevent any losses to the herd as we strung out along the route. After an initial flat section we passed the last chance to turn back and began to climb.

Our first major stop for water and regrouping was at "the gorge." This feature looked familiar; Joan and I had visited it on another Metro 5-0 hike in some earlier year.

Marty, the manager of Clear Creek Metro Park, was one of our guides. He revealed that they'd recently gotten lost doing a "pre-hike" for this event, which amused everybody. But things seemed to be under control as we worked our way through underbrush, briars, and more open areas, navigating from blue tape to blue tape dangling from the vegetation. We noticed both spotted wintergreen and rattlesnake plantain and learned to distinguish between the two.

Several water and regrouping stops later we dropped into the upper reaches of a stream.

It soon became necessary for our guides, official volunteers, and unofficial path-finders to scout several crossings of this creek, necessitated by numerous fallen trees and, in spots, thick brush. Well, it was advertised as a rugged, off-trail hike!

We were rewarded in the downstream locations where the deepening hollow opened up, revealing sandstone formations.

We could explore the sides of the valley,

and poke around a bit,

as long as we came together for the next leg.

The name "Witches Hollow" might come from folks visiting it in the 1970s, before the park existed, for magical purposes. However, lingering evidence including empty bottles and an abandoned boom-box/radio/tape deck (I didn't get a good look at it) indicated that this could just as well have been a hidden party spot. Our guides carried the trash out.

With a mile to go it was time to cross Clear Creek itself. (Our route was a loop, not an out-and-back.) A rope was strung diagonally across the watercourse to a landing spot while Joan and I swapped our hiking boots for Tevas. The current wasn't an obstacle, although it varied from ankle- to knee-deep, and the cold water felt wonderful. On the far side we wiped our feet and put the boots back on.

For the last mile there was an option to ride in a ranger truck, but Joan and I hoofed it back to the parking area. You can see that there are impressive sandstone formations to be seen at Clear Creek even if you're not in the mood for a five-mile ramble.

Witches Hollow was an adventurous hike, but well worth the effort.