Cool, Clear Water

Any time we come across a mountain scene like this, an old song comes to mind. Its name is “Cool Water” and the line, “cool, clear water” is repeated several times in the composition.

Written in 1936 by Bob Nolan, the song is about a man and his mule named Dan, crossing a desert area and being tantalized by mirages of cool, clear water. What is pictured here is certainly and gratefully no mirage.
The group, “Sons of the Pioneers” first recorded this song in 1941 but it did not immediately become a smash, country hit. The same group recorded it again in 1948 with Vaugn Monroe and it held a much higher position in the radio charts for 13 weeks. Since then, a wide variety of musical artists have recorded their own versions. They include: Hank Williams, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Marty Robbins, Burl Ives, The Rooftop Singers, Tom Jones, Riders in the Sky, Lorne Greene, Mason Williams and Johnny Cash. Go figure! 


The clarity and purity of the water in this scene is what seems to attract most people. We found this pool on the return from a climb of Apache and Navajo Peaks in the Indian Peaks Wilderness south of Rocky Mountain National Park. When you find a place like this, you’re immediately drawn to take a cool drink or dip your feet in and give them a refreshing bath before continuing on the long hike back to the trailhead. The beauty of our Colorado Rocky Mountains is water like this in a high mountain setting.