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