Along the Great Divide...

The Continental Divide Trail on Snow Mesa

From Montrose and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison we climbed back up almost 3,000 feet to get cooler in Lake City, Colorado.  It seems we’ve been going up and down a lot this summer, but that is what happens in mountains.  Lake City is a cute, historic mining town that is now a big tourist attraction and seems to be quite popular with Texans.  Almost everyone we met was either from Colorado or Texas. 

The Colorado Trail runs mostly concurrent with the

Continental Divide Trail from Durango to Denver.

We stayed in Lake City for a couple of days but soon moved on to a forest campground about 8 miles outside the city on the scenic Alpine Loop, a mostly dirt, high-clearance and sometimes 4WD only road that is a favorite of the adventurous.  There are so many things to see and do along this 200-plus mile road that it could take all summer to truly explore the area.  We spent some time seeing the parts of the road and trails we could get to in our high-clearance, but only 2WD Honda.  I will tell you all about these adventures in my next blog, but the first trail we hiked when we arrived in Lake City was a section of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).

The beautiful American Basin on the Alpine Loop Road near Lake City

We had been wanting to hike sections of the CDT all summer but this was the first time we had a good opportunity.  About 10 years ago, we hiked a few sections of the CDT in New Mexico and Utah but had never hiked the trail in Colorado. The Continental Divide Trail runs from Mexico to Canada and like the Appalachian Trail in the east and the Pacific Crest Trail in the west, it is a huge accomplishment to thru-hike these cross country trails and usually takes from 6 to 8 months.

A great earth slide near Slumgullion Pass called the 'Slumgullion Earthflow'

The side of the mountain flowed down the valley about 700 - 800 years ago damming

the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River to create San Cristobal Lake near Lake City. 

From Lake City, we drove south about 12 miles on Colorado Hwy 149 through Slumgullion Pass to Spring Creek Pass where the CDT crosses the highway. We decided on taking the northbound section of the trail going east as this part climbed above timberline to Snow Mesa and we thought the views might be great from the top of the mesa.

Now that is a serious cairne or trail marker. 

No doubt about whether we were on the trail or not. 

At the pass, we met a hiker that had been out 3 days of a 16-day backpacking trip.  His spirits were very high and it was fun to talk to him.  He said that water had been a bit of a problem for him as the section he had just hiked was not near any reliable rivers.  He had been melting snow for water but was very happy to get water at Spring Creek Pass. 

Penstemon glaber or mountain beardtongue on the CDT near Spring Creek Pass

Part of the Continental Divide Trail in Colorado is also shared by the Colorado Trail which runs from Durango to Denver.  Many hikers tackle this trail every year as it only takes about 3 to 5 weeks to accomplish.  As we started our steady climb to Snow Mesa, we began to feel the altitude again.  The trail started at 10,898 feet and climbed to well over 12,000 feet -- the highest we have climbed this year.  It shouldn’t, but it always surprises me how much harder it is to breathe when we are hiking above 10,000 feet.

One of the more the more rocky trails we have walked on  in a while

Thank goodness it wasn't all this rocky!

After about an hour, we reached a very rocky and steep talus slope and footing became a bit treacherous.  We took it slow and easy for ourselves as well as Maya.  We didn’t want any more hurt feet.  But there was another reason for us to slow down – we had entertainment.  Shrill whistling cries came from the rocks all around us.  Pikas, little rat-size hares that live in talus slopes near timberline, were all around us.  Usually you hear them and hardly ever see them as they are tiny, fast and well camouflaged in their rocky habitat.  They spend all summer gathering and stashing grass bundles.  Then when winter comes, pikas don’t hibernate, they tunnel through the snow to their 'stashes' of grass and munch away.

I saw this pika as he scampered out into a grassy area.

There was only a moment to snap before he was gone but I

felt lucky to get him at all...

We were fortunate to see several pikas on this hike.  Maya was going crazy looking for them after they ‘whistled.’  She didn’t like walking on the rocks that much, but the pikas gave her lots of excuses to stop and smell and search.  I even managed to get a few pictures but as I said, they blend in so much with the rocks that only one photo turned out very well at all.

Almost there!  Snow Mesa is just over the rise.

Maya wants to go back and hunt for more pikas.

Once we finally climbed over the top and were on Snow Mesa, our ankles needed a rest and we were ready for lunch.  But once again, our efforts payed off and we were on top of the world.  Snow Mesa was one seriously huge mesa, stretching for miles and filled with tiny flowers and mountain views in every direction.

Finally on top!

Alpine flowers -- tiny but profuse.

With the short growing season, flowers have to bloom quickly

so they don't grow very big or tall.

We spent about an hour on the mesa, hiking around, having lunch, resting, trying to ID the wildflowers and enjoying feeling like we were alone on top of the world.  It was a fantastic experience.  Eventually, we left the top of the world for life at lower elevations but it was quite a hike and quite a day on Snow Mesa and the Continental Divide. 

David and Maya getting ready for lunch on Snow Mesa

Alpine sunflower

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked      1
Total Miles Hiked   4.81  
Total Elevation Gain 1,410

Highest Elevation (so far this trip)   12,313   
  

Alone at the top of the world -- that is what it felt like!

Going back down that rocky talus slope was more tricky than climbing up...

Alpine Forget-me-not

Visiting the Black Canyon

Tomichi Point

Our first good look at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River

Though we were quite content in our cool, high mountain campground and could have stayed there the rest of the summer, we did have other places we wanted to visit.  Reluctantly we said goodbye to the Lizard Head and descended several thousand feet in elevation to journey to Montrose, Colorado.  Both of us wanted to see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and as we were only a few hours away, it was a perfect opportunity.

 

Overlook near the visitor center

We did whine a bit when we arrived in Montrose – it was 85 degrees!  We lost almost 3,500 feet in elevation and gained 20 degrees.  But after checking the Texas temperatures we decided we didn’t have much to complain about.  Even so, we decided to get up early the next morning to visit the park.  The canyon rim varies from 1000 to almost 2500 feet higher in elevation than Montrose but the drop from the top of the canyon walls to the turbulent Gunnison River is about 2700 feet.  Summer temperatures at the canyon’s edge as well as the bottom of the canyon can be quite warm.

 

Pulpit Rock

The haze was caused by southern winds blowing smoke from New Mexico fires

Because we didn’t have reservations to camp in the park and because we wanted an electric hook-up so we could run the fans & air conditioner, we stayed in a commercial campground in Montrose.  (This also allowed us time to get some groceries and wash clothes.)  Montrose is a small, clean city with great views of the mountains.  Many people love its close proximity to ski areas and all the water recreation areas along the Gunnison River so it is becoming a popular place to visit and live.

 

The Gunnison River has been carving the canyon for over 2 million years

The next morning, we did get an early start and the drive to the visitor center at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison was just a short 40 minutes.  Canyons, by their very nature, tend to sneak up on you.  Often you are driving or walking along in a fairly flat area and surprise, there is a great slit in the earth. 

 

Though much of the rock is dark, there are areas of color

The Black Canyon is no exception.  Driving there, we kept looking for signs of the canyon but were practically on the canyon’s edge before we could see it.  One of the reasons that this canyon is so dramatic is that it is deeper than it is wide in many places and so sheer and narrow that very little sunlight penetrates to the bottom, thus the name.  The rock walls themselves are composed of a dark metamorphic rock formation of gneiss and schist that also add to the canyon’s “blackness.”

 

Pink and white pegmatite, an extrusion of magma

that seeped into cracks and hardened,

streak the otherwise dark rock with color.

It took about 2 million years for the Black Canyon to form.  Hard rock was uplifted and then cut through by fast-moving water laden with debris.  The water became entrenched in its course and had to keep cutting through the hard rock causing steep cliffs to form.  The metamorphic rocks exposed by the river at the canyon’s bottom are nearly 2 billion years old, dating from the oldest era of the Earth.

 

Near the canyon edge with the elk mountains in distance

Juniper and pinyon pine along with Gambel oak are the major trees

In comparison, the Grand Canyon is made up of varied rock types both soft, river-carved rocks and harder rocks resulting in both slope and cliff formation.  The Grand Canyon is much wider and the variety of minerals in the rock types give it more colors.  Plus, it has been eroding three times as long as the Black Canyon.  I’m glad to have now visited both canyons!

 

Colorful map lichen on dark rock

We drove along the North Rim and took 9 short hikes along the canyon’s edge.  Maya was allowed to walk these short overlook trails with us as long as she was on leash, and given the narrow rims and rocky trails, we wouldn’t have had it any other way.  (I sort of wanted to be leashed in places myself…)

 

The canyon widens as the Gunnison flows west 

From a couple of the overlooks we saw a bird that I had never seen before, the violet-green swallow.  It is a beautiful bird with a white rump, white cheeks and throat and dark iridescent violet-green back and wings.  The canyon was a great perspective for viewing birds because they were flying so close to us and almost at eye-level.  We also saw white-throated swifts and a peregrine falcon.

 

Pink pegmatite streaks in dark canyon walls

By noon, we had hiked the trails and visited the visitor center.  It was warming up nicely, so we were happy to return to the car for a trip down to the canyon floor.  The breeze funneling down the canyon and the coolness of the river kept the canyon floor from being too hot. 

 

A side canyon enters the main canyon

The Gunnison River loses more elevation in the 48 miles of the Black Canyon than the Mississippi River loses from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, dropping an average of 96 feet per mile in the national park.  Pretty impressive and not a river that is very navigable, though sections can be run by experienced kayakers.  Rafting is discouraged by the national park because of the unpredictability of the river.

 

Mountain mahogany with its string-like seeds

This hardy shrub can grow to 20 feet and has extremely hard wood.

One thing I found hard to believe is that people are allowed, and that some actually do, walk down from the edge of the canyon to the floor.  Near the visitor center is a trail that is only a mile down to the river but it is a wild free-for-all.  In places, the trail plunges over 1800 vertical feet down scree slopes littered with large rocks.  Then you have to climb back up.  Or maybe it’s a crawl.  I’m adventurous, but it sounds like broken bones or worse could be involved…

 

Sunset view, one of the wider parts of the canyon

Grand Mesa is the big blue mesa in the distance.

There is no bridge between the north and south rims of the canyon so we did not drive to the North Rim, as it would have taken over 2 hours and it was already mid-afternoon.  Besides after everything we had experienced and learned, were ready to return to our RV, cool off and take a nap.

The Gunnison River just before it enters the steep canyon walls

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked  1     
Total Miles Hiked   2.25
Total Elevation Gain  395  

Above the Timberline!

Wildflowers above timberline

While we had been close to timberline a few times in both northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, we hadn’t yet had a hike that was clearly above timberline.  However, our stay in the San Juan National Forest near Telluride provided us with several opportunities to do just that. 

Pink Paintbrush

We opted to stay at Cayton, a forest campground just off Colorado Highway 145 at an elevation of 9,400 feet.  Nearby were three separate trailheads leading into the Lizard Head Wilderness as well as several other trails in two National Forests within easy driving distance of the campground.  With the higher elevation to keep us cooler and so many trails to choose from, we didn’t think we could go wrong.

The beginning of the trail to Lizard Head Peak

Getting closer (and breathing harder), but still below timberline.

David and I don't think the peak looks at all like a lizard's head.

The Lizard Head Wilderness is named after Lizard Head Peak at 13,113 feet in elevation and is located in both the San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests.  Three peaks in the wilderness are among Colorado’s many 14,000 footers and many ‘peak baggers’ try to climb all the 14,000 feet and higher mountains in the Rockies.  Since most of the trails to the 14,000 footers were well over 10 miles round trip and climbed anywhere from 3,500 to 5,000 feet, David and I did not count ourselves among the peak baggers.  We could have blamed it on Maya, but really we didn’t feel like killing ourselves this trip.  We wanted to enjoy our time and not stress Maya’s feet so we contented ourselves with achieving timberline.

 

Peaks to the west of Lizard Head Peak

Our first hike into the Lizard Head was the Cross Mountain Trail to the base of Lizard Head Peak.  The trail started at 10,034 ft. and ended at 11,975 ft., an elevation gain of almost 2,000 ft. in about 3.5 miles.  Since we had been at lower elevations between 7,000 and 9,000 feet for the previous two weeks we FELT the altitude on this hike. 

Above timberline at last and near the base of Lizard Head Peak

I just thought I was in pretty good shape.  The trail wasn’t that bad, it climbed steadily most of the way and steeply in a few places, but as we neared 11,000 and then almost 12,000 feet we were all huffing and puffing.  After a few miles it was like my energy was gone.  David and I agreed we would have to train and stay at high altitudes for several months before we would consider attempting any of the 14,000 footers.  (Oh, the disadvantages of being a lowlander and over 60.  But then again, the advantages and blessings of being free to travel!)

 

Melting snow made some of the alpine meadows very muddy

Some of the snow had a pinkish cast caused by an algal bloom similar

to 'red tide.'  Maya ate a little before we stopped her and got sick.

But she recovered quickly and had lunch.

We were exhausted by the time we neared the base of Lizard Head but then the trail became less steep at timberline and we really enjoyed the last mile.  Seeing the beautiful alpine country and all the wildflowers was our reward.  It was worth the effort!  To top it off, we saw a small heard of elk near timberline and then one lone bull in a meadow on our way down.  We were able to observe the bull within about 100 yards for a few minutes before he noticed us and disappeared into the trees. 

A herd of sheep near the trailhead

Maya makes a new buddy and offers to help

As we were returning to the trailhead, I kept hearing a lot of noise that eventually we recognized as sheep.  Soon we saw the herd and Maya immediately made friends with the sheep dog.  We had to leash her as she was pretty sure she could help out even though as far as we know, Maya has never been around sheep.  We were pretty sure that the shepherd would not appreciate her help.

 

Columbines on the Kilpacker Trail

Over the meadow and to the woods, David points the way.

Near the trailhead, Kilpacker Trail

The next day we took a break from high altitude and went down about 2,000 feet to the Calico National Recreation Trail in the San Juan N.F.  As we started out on the trail, a red fox trotted into view and we watched him hunt until he vanished into the tall grass.  Though we stayed below 10,000 feet on this trail, it was still very steep in places and gave us a workout.  Coming down from the top over the cutoff made us thankful for our hiking poles, otherwise we would have been sliding on our rears in a few places.  With four legs, Maya doesn’t need poles and even at her age she climbs and descends with much more grace than we ever manage.

 

Waterfall on Kilpacker Trail

We took two more long hikes into the Lizard Head Wilderness, on the Kilpacker Trail and then the Navajo Lake Trail.  Both of these trails meandered through high mountain meadows in and out of stands of aspens, spruce and fir with streams and waterfalls along the way. The wildflowers were in their full glory and the columbine in particular was profuse and stunning in these high mountain meadows.  I don’t know if the columbine puts on this same glorious show every year, but I can see why Colorado named it the state flower.

Insect damage to Aspen leaves

Columbines and  skunk cabbage dominated the meadow

Our campsite for the week was right on the Dolores River and we had to walk all of 15 feet from our RV to cool our feet in the river after hiking.  Maya had a little swim most every day to wash off the trail dust.  The only negative thing was that flies were beginning to hatch out that week and they did bite.  But they were so slow that it was easy to swat them before they bit and compared to the swarms of flies last summer in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota it almost isn’t worth mentioning them.  Yes, the upper Midwest still wins the prize for flies.

 

Orange Sneezeweed

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked  4   
Total Miles Hiked    28.06 
Ave. Miles per Day   7.02  
Total Elevation Gain     5,892
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  1,473

Mariposa Lily

Interlude...

Sorry for the long silence on the blog, but we have been in ‘dead zones’ for almost two weeks – at least as far as internet and cell service goes.  However, I would not call the fantastic forests and wildernesses we have been camping and hiking in, dead in the least.  I guess I have to amend that statement a little.  There are areas of dead spruce where the spruce bark beetle has done its terrible damage.  But because of this destruction, the wildflowers have the sun they need to really put on a show and that they have been doing not only in the spruce kill areas but all over the mountain and alpine meadows of southern Colorado.  Even the locals have commented on how beautiful the wildflowers are this summer. 

What a marvelous time we are having seeing places we have never been before!  I have so many places to show you…  

 

After leaving Durango we stayed for a week in the San Juan National Forest near Telluride, Colorado hiking in the San Juan N.F. and the Lizard Head Wilderness.   Next we visited the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and then went on to the Lake City area where we stayed out in the Gunnison National Forest.  There we hiked on the Continental Divide and Colorado Trails and also took hikes in the Uncompahgre Wilderness and two other Wilderness Study Areas (that means they may someday be official Wilderness Areas).

We have passed through a few small towns and been able to make a couple of phone calls but otherwise we are weeks behind in e-mails and every other form of electronic communication.  Stay tuned as we are headed back to civilization and I will try to get up a blog or two almost every day until I catch up.