Colorado, Diary from the Road, Fall

Fall in Crested Butte

Nick and I have made an effort to get out to Crested Butte for winter, the summer wildflower festival, and fall. Unfortunately, in 2022, we were way too early for the fall colors, even though we tried to base our stay on a previous year. For example, here is Beaver Ponds on September 24, 2022.

It’s hard to do a day trip to Crested Butte, being 4 hours from Denver, so advanced planning is required. You could camp, but it is very cold, potentially below freezing, and I was actually 11 weeks pregnant at this point, so my camping days were done for now. Luck would have it that my Canadian friends Irene and Rob wanted to come visit Colorado in October, so we planned a Crested Butte trip from October 6-8, hoping to catch closer to peak fall colors this time. I had not seen Irene in many years, so it was so much fun to catch up. Irene is a seasoned traveler like me.

It’s always a beautiful drive out there, but we caught a nice amount of fall colors when we set out October 6. This was Fairplay:

And Cottonwood Pass:

Cottonwood Pass definitely had some nice colors from the Buena Vista side up, as well.

After stopping in town for Bonez, which is a delicious Mexican restaurant, we headed to drive some of the famous Kebler Pass. It was really spectacular as we caught the timing for colors really well.

One of the most exciting things was seeing the red aspen, which are so vibrant against the golds.

It worked out because I was 11 weeks pregnant at this point, and our guests were from lower elevation, so we all needed some easier, lightweight hiking. We pulled in to Lost Lake, which we knew was beautiful from the previous year’s trip, and did a short hike to one of the lakes.  You can do a longer loop if you want, but being late afternoon, the jaunt to the lake was perfect.

Crested Butte is one of the most picturesque mountain towns, with its colorful Victorian buildings. We had dinner at favorite, Secret Stash pizza.

Crested Butte is not undiscovered in its beauty and very pricey, so we usually stay at the Wanderlust Hostel in Gunnison, a favorite spot. We got the large private room, and four adults is definitely pushing it for the bed and futon; we would have gotten another private room if it wasn’t booked. Even though it’s small, it’s very cozy.

Since we had to drive from Gunnison to Crested Butte anyways, we took the scenic route over Ohio Pass. We thought Kebler Pass could not be beat, but this drive had many places where you were compelled to pull over, each more beautiful than the last.

We knew Beaver Ponds was an easy hike with lots of aspens from our experience the previous year, and caught it at its golden peak this time.

The difference between the 2022 photo and this one amazed me. We caught peak gold this time.

We decided to take some photos for our baby announcement with all the beautiful colors and scenery.

As we carried on with our scenic drive, photographers were stopped all over the road. This beautiful scene of the “castles” rock formations and golden, pink, orange, and red aspen was like a painting.

We decided to do some of the Dark Canyon trail, stopping before it got too steep. It is hard to portray the beauty of the hike in photos; the aspen glowed in the sun, and we were both surrounded and had epic views out of the scenery.

Butte Bagels back in town is a must, no matter how long the lines are. We waited in line and did some shopping in town.

It’s really hard to leave Crested Butte every time we go, but in fall, the weather was perfect and sunny. We came just in time to beat the snow, and leaves were falling in town. It was very dreamy.

It was a perfect chance to catch up with our friends and get some adventure in as we prepared to publicly announce our pregnancy. Crested Butte is one of our favorite towns in every season, and to get to share this with others was very special. We will definitely be back in future years!

by admin
Backpacking, Bus, Colorado, Diary from the Road, Tips and Tricks

Colorado Trail Segment 7: Thru-hike by bus (car-free backpacking!)

You can take the bus exclusively to thru-hike (no out and back needed) Segment 7 of the Colorado Trail between Copper Mountain and Breckenridge (or the opposite way, of course). I am going to explain how I did it from July 26-28, 2023, with photos! Segment 7 is 12.8 miles with 3,674 feet of elevation gain located in the Dillon Ranger District. You hike across the Ten Mile Range, where you enjoy the eastern views of Breckenridge, Lake Dillon, Torrey’s and Grays peaks, Keystone, Georgia Pass, and Boreas Pass. Looking to the west, you enjoy views of Copper Mountain, the Ten Mile Range, Vail Pass, the Holy Cross Wilderness, and the Collegiate Peaks.

  • Coming from Denver, (or a number of places such as Grand Junction), you can use Bustang or Pegasus to get the Frisco to begin your journey. Note that Pegasus is a small van style service that does not have extensive luggage storage, but if you have a small pack, it’s definitely doable.
  • Check the bus schedule for the free Summit Stage buses
    • Unless you are getting off at the very end, you need to pull the cord for your stop, or the bus may not stop if no one is there. You can ask the drivers for help if you need it!
  • Google Maps is usually fairly accurate as well but can be slightly off sometimes, so refer to the bus schedules or ask the drivers to be sure.
  • I recommend the COTrex app for offline maps – although, as it happened, I got good cell reception a large portion of the trail due to the proximity to Copper Mountain, Frisco, and Breckenridge.
  • There are lots of resources for the Colorado Trail – of course, I recommend the two books put out by the Colorado Trail Foundation, the guide book and data book, and the Far Out (formerly Guthook) app, in which users update latest conditions. Here is a breakdown of the segments.
  • My gear was a bit heavy since I was carrying a two person tent and not splitting gear. See my LighterPack.
  • If you need a place to stay, our favorite place is the hostel/hotel The Pad Silverthorne, which is 5 minutes walk from a bus stop in Silverthorne. I love Frisco, Silverthorne, and Dillon.
    • If you have a “layover” at Frisco Transfer Station, Outer Range Brewing is a coffee shop by morning and brewery with Birdcraft, a delicious chicken place, by afternoon/evening.
    • Silverthorne favorites include Red Buffalo Coffee and Sauce on the Blue

Day 1 – Frisco to Copper Mountain

Nick and I were already in Silverthorne staying at The Pad for Noah Kahan at Dillon Ampitheather, which we also did completely by bus. We took Bustang from Denver to Frisco, and used the free bus to get to Dillon Amphitheater.

Nick headed on Bustang back to Denver to work and take care of the cats, and I grabbed my backpacking pack and headed on the bus to Frisco Transfer Station. I hopped on the bus to Copper Mountain and got off at the Copper Mountain Entrance station, which then has these convenient instructions on how to get to the trail. I followed the instructions to get to segment 7.

This is what the bus stop looks like at Copper Entrance.

This is what it looks like to approach the Rec Path.

You stay on the paved Rec Path for a bit, and have a nice walk that looks like this with lots of bikers.

Once you get to this sign, you know you are at the trail. I headed toward “Denver” or left to hike Segment 7.

I was not planning to hike far the first day, but find a spot to camp and relax and save the big climb for Day 2, since I had 2 nights to spend before meeting Nick again for another backpacking trip. So I stayed in sight and reception of the road and Copper Mountain, but it was still pretty and relaxing.

You can see the location of my campsite on the COTrex screenshot below – it was less than a mile out, near the water source marked on Far Out. The water source was a nice creek to filter water from. 

I had a good portion of the day to relax at my campsite with my ultralight hammock. And my campsite was right next to the trail, so I talked to lots of people passing by – day hikers, bikers, and thru-hikers for the Colorado and Continental Divide Trail.

I spent a lot of time reading on my Kindle – on this whole trip, I actually finished an entire book start to finish and read about half of two other books.

It was a beautiful evening. It didn’t rain until dark, when I was in my tent, but in my bomber backpacking tent, I was definitely super safe. I went to bed early to prepare for the climb the next day.

Day 2 – Segment 7 Climb

I woke up at sunrise the next morning and enjoyed some nice coffee and breakfast before packing up and heading out.

It was up and up and up, but with a cool, beautiful morning, felt great. I saw a couple of people camping and the first day hikers I ran into were solo older women, very cool. I started in the forest with lots of water and lots of flowers, and mountain views you knew would just get better and better.

I took a snack break at the trail junction; as you can see, there were bunches of columbines at the base of the sign. One nice thing about the Colorado Trail is the clear trail markers everywhere and good trail conditions, with volunteers doing annual projects to keep the trail maintained.

There were lots of wildflowers as I continued to climb and climb. The mountain and town views started to get better and better.

Every so often I’d like back at the steep trail I had come up and check out the views.

Soon enough, I was starting to get above treeline into open single track.

I was smiling the whole way hiking this trail in such beautiful weather. The trail snakes along the side of the mountain, but it is always solid and not too scary to walk. I mean, this is the high alpine hiking you dream about. Flowers in the breeze, gorgeous mountains, and blue sky. Snow hanging out and contrasting with the green landscape, but no snow or mud on the trail.

Looking back to see where I came from:

Finally I made it to the top of the ridge. You top out at about 12,500 feet, right near Breckenridge Ski Resort.

Yes, this is how close to the resort you are; that is the chairlift.

This was about as good a place as any to take a lunch break, which I did, even though it was only 10 ish am or so. Being up before 6, I was definitely hungry after the 2500 feet up.

Here is a zoom of the mountains, with their beautiful colors showing. It is hard to capture in photos or videos the majesty of the mountains.

I carried along the ridge to the section where you start to go down the other side, toward Breckenridge and Frisco. Looking back, I loved this view. I met a bunch more hikers and bikers up here, including a group biking the entire Colorado Trail. I also met a solo guy who had hiked the CT and CDT and was back again. He gave me good campsite suggestions.

Then as much as I had been going up, it was time to go down, and down and down. This was steep but once again, a good trail and not too scary. I could now see Lake Dillon. There were tons and tons of flowers on this side too, but different kinds.

Then I came to this beautiful view, which reminded me of nearby hikes like McCullough Gulch.

I enjoyed the views of Lake Dillon as I descended down into the forested section again.

Among the trees, it flattened out with fields of wildflowers next to flowing creeks. I found a great spot with hammocking trees and set up midday.

My view was incredible, with the relaxing sound of water and tons of flowers.

Here is the location. It was a little sooner than I was thinking I would camp, but I loved the spot so much, and since I had an entire day to spend, thought it was worthwhile, even if I’d have six miles to hike the next day.

 

Once again, I hammocked and read a lot. Occasionally it threatened rain, but never did. I wore the gloves, socks, and rain jacket for the mosquitos more than anything, along with my head bug net. I had a fabulous, relaxing day. At dusk, it got chilly surprisingly fast, so I went in my tent before nightfall to lay down. This was the coldest night I had, and bundled up in my jacket and quilt – but my gear is great for temperatures down to freezing, so I stayed warm. 

Day 3 – Six Miles to Gold Hill Trailhead

I enjoyed another sunrise and early breakfast and coffee at my gorgeous campsite before packing up and heading out early.

 

I had about six miles to go mostly downhill. I got to Miner’s Creek, another potential campsite area near a jeep road, which had lots of water and campsites. I continued to meet lots of backpackers, mostly solo. After Miner’s Creek, the hike started to have a lot of beetle kill trees, and various dead/downed trees. 

I was motivated to keep a good pace to get to town and meet Nick for our food, and was able to do so. Even with some ugly trees, there are still gorgeous views, especially if you look back on the mountains you came from.

The last section is very open and exposed as you hike down to the road. It was already hot, and it was only morning.

This is what the trailhead looks like at Gold Hill:

I turned to walk along the Rec Path. If you wanted to catch a bus to Breckenridge, you would go to the bus stop on the same side. I, however, was headed to Frisco, so I needed to cross the highway – but there is an underpass for hikers!

There is a trusty sign with the trail symbols under the highway.

I walked to the bus stop, which was shaded and had a trash can for me to dump my trash.

 

There are also handy instructions and bus schedules posted at the bus stop. 

And then, I zipped off to shorts and changed to my sandals, caught the bus, and met Nick at Outer Range Brewing, where he was waiting with my chicken bowl.

Overall, this hike is really beautiful and I enjoyed it a lot. Stretching it out over a few days was easy and fun, and taking the bus allows an awesome opportunity to thru-hike a beautiful section of the Colorado Trail.

by admin
Colorado, Diary from the Road, Trains, US Travel, Utah, Winter

Amtrak California Zephyr: San Francisco to Denver

The California Zephyr is an Amtrak train that is famous for having beautiful scenery, and was on Nick and I’s list. When we decided to visit San Francisco for the week between Christmas and New Year’s, it was a perfect time to take the train from San Francisco to Denver. 

Normally, the train takes 33 hours for the trip. Ours was delayed 11 hours total, with 5 hours of an up-front delay leaving late due to weather, and another 5ish hours of delays from letting freight trains pass or staff board the train. Delays seem pretty common with Amtrak, so it’s definitely not the way to go if you are in any rush. However, our delay did seem to be unusually long, so us coach passengers got free Jimmy Johns and a nice credit from Amtrak. The staff was in the same boat as us and super nice. 

You have a few options for seating. We went with coach because the sleeper car (roomette) was significantly more expensive and we thought we’d only sleep on the train one night (but that turned into two). The sleeper car includes meals in the dining car, and coach only has a snack car, so keep this in mind when deciding what to book. I’d probably do the roomette for any more than one night. 

Day 1: San Francisco to Nevada

January 1, 2023, we woke up at the Hotel des Arts in San Francisco, which was only a 15 minute walk to the bus stop for Amtrak at 555 Mission Street. We arrived early and found the bus stop. A very nice charter type bus showed up and we left pretty promptly a few minutes after 8, so definitely get there a bit early. 

Of course our last day in San Francisco was sunny, so the ride over the Bay Bridge to Emeryville was beautiful. Stunning views of the city and Golden Gate Bridge. 

Nick had gotten some notifications of a delay. We walked to the train station and found out we had at least several hours. Amtrak offered to check our bags – keep in mind if you do this you won’t access anything in those bags the whole ride. But it was worthwhile to not drag our bags around. The staff notified us that all the rain in San Francisco translated to heavy snow in the mountains, which had delayed the previous train. Staff are required to rest 8 hours between trips, hence the delay. 

There are a few things walkable from the Emeryville Train Station. We went to Doyle Street Cafe for a nice breakfast and then a coffee shop. We were going to perhaps walk to the marina, but that was not very walkable, so we waited at the train station. It was a gorgeous day so we sat outside and read. The train station has bathrooms, a little coffee shop, and books. 

Tip: If you ride Amtrak, get the app. It has really updated information on delays.

Finally, at around 2:15, we were instructed to line up at different signs depending on our car. Coach was in D and E. We were checked in and told we needed assigned seats because the train would be full at Sacramento. 

 

The lower car is for passengers who cannot manage stairs and the bathrooms are on the lower level. The upper car is where we were. Seats are way more spacious than an airplane with foot rests and tables, and lean back far. There are outlets at the window. 

 

There is an observation or sightseer car with seats that face large windows and some booths, as well as more outlets. Below that is a snack car with items for purchase. Coffee, tea, soda, and some alcohol like beer and liquor is sold, as well as snacks like chips, cheese plates, sandwiches, and salads. 

Once we got going, we were along the water for quite some time, which was gorgeous. We immediately settled into a relaxing ride. You can see why this is a kind of addicting way to see America. There are beautiful natural scenes, nice houses, and junkyards and power plants. 

Part of the scenery we were hoping to see was the Sierras and Truckee/Tahoe, but in Sacramento, we were stopped for an hour waiting for a crew change. 

 

We watched the sun set and learned to play a fun game, Tree Lined Avenue (definitely recommend as a portable, relaxing travel game).

You really can’t see anything in the dark, so we did not see much more scenery. The train carries on and staff wake people up at their stops. We put on our slippers, blanket scarf, and AirPods and slept reasonably. 

Day 2: Nevada to Colorado

We got up for the sunrise from the observation car and were not as far as we hoped. We were still in Nevada. Because of the delays we got free hot drinks, so we enjoyed coffee and got some snacks for breakfast. There was some snowy scenery along towns I’d never heard of and a beautiful river. 

There was plenty of space in the observation car, and we enjoyed very cold but beautiful scenery.

 

As we passed into Utah, we saw the famous Bonneville Salt Flats, which have a surreal look to them. 

Next up was the Great Salt Lake before Salt Lake City. It was frozen and mostly snow-covered, with more snow coming down. We thought we might see if we could get off the train and get some lunch at the longer SLC stop, but the train station really had nothing nearby. As it turns out, because of all the delays, we got free Jimmy Johns lunch boxes. We have never been as excited in our life for Jimmy Johns as we were when we got called in to grab our boxes. 

Near Provo, we saw some kids sledding who waved to us, which felt very magical. We then headed through a beautiful canyon riverside on the way to Helper, Utah. 

 

We saw a lot of deer here and the train got away from the road a bit, which was really beautiful. 

 

The sun was setting after Helper, and so we would not make it to Colorado before dark.

. We ended up seeing the exact opposite scenery to what we expected – typically we would have been in the dark for Nevada and Utah. We were definitely disappointed to miss Colorado, especially Glenwood Canyon and Winter Park.

We played some more Tree Lined Avenues. As we laid back our seats to attempt to sleep, a grandma and child behind us were extremely loud. I had my AirPods and sleep mask. It was past 10 pm at this point, but they were laughing and talking so loudly multiple people asked them to be quiet. The child also kicked my seat nonstop. A man in front of us also talked on the phone around ten to midnight. The train conductors stop making announcements for stops to allow people to sleep, so it is definitely frustrating. If we’d known it would be two nights instead of one, we might have sprang for the sleeper car. 

Luckily, the loud group departed at snowy Glenwood Springs, and it quieted down. We saw now we would arrive in Denver in early morning, and both needing to work that day, we tried to get as much sleep as possible. 

We arrived around 5:45 am on Tuesday, January 3rd (instead of around 6 pm the previous day). We had to get our checked baggage at the Amtrak area inside Union Station. We only live a short walk from the Station, so we headed home and got right into working. 

We definitely enjoyed the journey despite all of the delays. I hope sometime we can get redemption and do the journey again to see the scenery we missed. Perhaps in summer so that there are also longer days with more scenery. We are going to take the special Winter Park Amtrak to the resort in February, which is supposed to be along one of the most stunning parts of the journey, so we are looking forward to that. 

by admin
Backpacking, Colorado, Diary from the Road, Hot Springs

Conundrum Hot Springs Backpacking

Conundrum Hot Springs is a famous Colorado backpacking trip.  We completed this August 12-13, 2022. It is in the Maroon-Bells Wilderness near Aspen, like the Four Pass Loop we completed last year. We thought the trip was worth the hype. A permit system has been enacted in recent years due to overuse and lots of trash and human waste, and I think it works well. This hike can have a “party” reputation, but we really enjoyed the others we met and did not observe that; ymmv, your mileage may vary.

Total Miles: approximately 18 round trip

Total Elevation Gain: about 3000 feet gain

FAQs and Tips:

  • Permits: Permits are required from recreation.gov to camp overnight near the hot springs. Make sure you get online as soon as permits are released to snag them. You may have some luck trying to find last minute cancellations. As with many Colorado high-country trips, the prime time for this trip is mid-July to August since you may encounter snow the rest of the year, and so getting one of these weekends is competitive. Proper bear containers are required (we used the Ursack). Additionally, free wag bags are at the trailhead and you should pack out all your waste (yes, this means poop).
  • Campsites: The permits are for specific campsites. As stated, it is competitive and some of the campsites are fairly far (half mile) from the hot springs. Our campsite, number 10, was past the hot springs and up an additional 300 feet elevation. I will describe more in this post, but be ready for some hiking. This site would be great for hiking up Triangle Pass since it is on the way (which we did not end up doing, but wanted to!). To me, the ideal sites seemed closer to the hot springs (like 7 and 8). The sites on the way up to the springs involve a bit of a trek, so you would want to do what we did and go out for soaking sessions rather than plan to go back and forth frequently.
  • Where to stay: Aspen is extremely expensive and campsites get booked fast. It is also a long drive from Denver. We stayed in Twin Lakes before and Salida after, which we really enjoyed.
  • Parking: There is a small lot and as of now, no parking permits (please add them!) and no alternative to getting to the trailhead, so I recommend getting in early. Do not illegally park, as this is a hazard to emergency vehicles and you can get towed.
  • Difficulty: Lots of people do this as a first backpacking trip, which I do not recommend unless you have done some high altitude hiking, as it is not an easy trail. Nine miles and 3000 feet elevation gain is intense. I have a post on beginning backpacking trails, and will always recommend testing out your gear on an easy trip. It is doable as a first trip if you are very fit and have the high altitude experience, but always be mindful of altitude sickness and bring proper nutrition, electrolytes, pack light as possible, and take your time.
  • Gear: See my LighterPack. Most gear was typical except for Ursack, required for food storage, and some kind of swimwear. I brought my Tera Kaia top and bottom, which is a cool brand that makes “basewear” that acts as both underwear and swimwear and is very light and compact. I also brought my ultralight travel towel. I always bring Skechers for camp shoes, but you can go in the hot springs barefoot, so it’s not required. I did not use my hammock, but probably could have hung it if I had more time. We wanted to maximize hot springs time, so did not hang out at camp much.

Day 1

Nick and I camped at Twin Lakes (free dispersed camping), as staying anywhere near Aspen is either booked up or very expensive. Sidenote: We later learned that a couple at Conundrum booked a campsite near Aspen with a last-minute cancellation. Lesson of the summer: always check for cancellations. This required a drive over Independence Pass, which is always slightly scary but gorgeous, as you drive right over the Continental Divide.

We arrived at the parking lot before 8 and were able to grab a parking spot in the small lot. We grabbed some free wag bags for number 2 just in case and started hiking. The trail was really nice (especially compared to the rough condition of the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop), and we really enjoyed the greenness and lushness of this trail.

There were still lots of wildflowers hanging out. And with the ferns and undergrowth, it was the most green trail we have seen yet.

There was also water along the whole trail, which was really relaxing. Yes, we trekked uphill, which was slow going at times; but so beautiful.

A few miles from the hot springs, we were in a part of the trail with lots of trees when a giant moose came running down the trail at us. Moose are actually one of the most dangerous animals in Colorado, partly because humans do not understand the danger. I yelled to Nick to duck behind a tree, and we both got off trail behind trees and bushes. This was a tip we got on the Maroon Bells bus last year, since moose won’t necessarily move to avoid you but will not charge through a tree. Luckily, the moose went off the side of the trail.

Unfortunately, I was reminded of a story told to us by our raft guide in Grand Tetons, who met a man that had his tent destroyed by a moose running from a bear. Nick and I started shouting “hey animal” so any animals would be aware of our presence. Four hikers came meandering down the trail, and we realized they likely spooked the moose. These hikers seemed unfazed by our scary moose story and said “oh cool, a moose!” and went off trail to approach it (by the way, this is what you should not do per the video I linked above). We warned several more people on the next section of trail, since this marshy area was prime moose territory with low visibility, being enclosed with lots of bush and tree cover. As a sidenote, both Nick and I have taken Colorado Mountain Club’s hiking safety class, which I highly recommend as they cover every type of animal encounter, among other topics.

After lots more uphill hiking, we finally reached the first campsites, quite tired and hungry. However, we kept going on and on. We saw the hot springs, which are at an elevation of 11,200 feet. But we had to keep going up and up and up to our campsite, number 10, which was an additional 300 feet up a steep trail on the way up to Triangle Pass.

The scenery was incredible, as you can see from this picture near our campsite trying to find water. The water source required a lot of bushwhacking, so we decided to collect water near the hot springs instead for the rest of the trip.

Our site was designated as a two-person site, but barely had space for a tent and a lot of rocks.

The picture above shows the other possible space at the site to set up camp, but it was not very flat and fairly root-y. No one ever came to campsite 9, below us, which looked much flatter; but I would not suggest trying to switch campsites, since we observed several people come in to camp very late (past sunset even).

We decided, given the distance to the hot springs, to eat our dinner first even though it was only around 2 pm when we got to camp, and then really hang out at the hot springs for a good portion of the afternoon.

The campsite area was a gorgeous place to hang out and eat, although there were lots of mosquitos (why are mosquitos hanging out at nearly 1k feet??). We then made the journey down to the springs, around 4:30. At first, we thought we might be in the wrong spot, because no one was there. However, it was a lovely temperature, so we headed in and realized this is definitely it. We did not know how we would ever get out; there were no mosquitos, and it was beautiful.

We had only a deer friend (see below) for around 45 minutes, before another couple joined us.

Soon, it started to rain. But there was no thunder, and so we thought we might as well stay in the springs. It was really nice. We avoided any thunder and lightning, luckily.

Eventually, more and more people joined us in the hot springs, but it was really fun talking to a variety of people about lots of random things. We even met a couple of guys who backpacked over Triangle Pass from Crested Butte and were carrying on toward Aspen, but taking a break at the springs. The hot springs definitely lends itself to socializing. We even filtered more water there.

We stayed for several hours; our campsite did not lend itself to wandering back and forth. We headed back to our camp and headed into the tent. We got some rain throughout the night.

Day 2

We had wanted to try to hike up to Triangle Pass, but felt quite tired and had a long hike out. We decided to pack up our campsite first thing in the morning and hike down to the hot springs for breakfast. Once again, I was surprised that no one was down there. We carefully made our breakfast and coffee while soaking in the hot springs (packing out all trash and food, of course!). It felt luxurious, since it is so cold in the morning backpacking.

Yes, it was very difficult to get out since the sun had not yet hit the hot spring. But we were able to change into our clothes quickly and layer up.

We headed out around 9 am. The hike back always seems longer, especially when you know you can get delicious food in Aspen, Colorado. It’s a beautiful hike, and we eventually got some clouds and light rain which was actually nice in helping keep us cool in the non-shaded areas.

We got to the trailhead around 1:40 pm, and we were ready to be done! The parking lot was overfilled at this point, including people parked in some very tough positions to drive around who hopefully got towed, since they would definitely block emergency vehicles. We were able to get out and had just a short drive to Aspen. One of my favorite places, where the locals took me when I did a consulting job there, is Meat and Cheese. We were able to get in to sit at the bar and have a delicious feast before we had to drive back over Independence Pass to get to Salida, where we had an amazing time staying at Simple Lodge, a fantastic hostel.

Overall, even though this trip takes quite a bit of planning and permitting, it was very fun, and we would like to return and try to do two nights, if possible. We would still like to make it up to Triangle Pass and have even more time to relax at the hot springs.

 

by admin
Backpacking, Colorado, Diary from the Road

Pawnee-Buchanan Loop Backpacking

The Pawnee-Buchanan Loop in the Indian Peaks Wilderness of Colorado has some of the most stunning scenery of any backpacking loop in Colorado. It is also the hardest backpacking trip I’ve done to date (AllTrails). 30 miles, about 7650 total elevation gain, two mountain passes, and some steep terrain. We had some weather and trail condition challenges that made this one extra difficult. We completed this July 29-31, 2022.

I’ll start with some tips and tricks and then break down the details of each day! To skip to Day 1, click here.

FAQs and Tips:

  • Rockfall obscuring route on Pawnee Pass: From FSDA– ALERT! A rockslide in Indian Peaks Wilderness Area has impacted the upper portion of the Pawnee Pass Trail west of the Continental Divide, presenting a significant route finding challenge and potential rockfall danger. The 2-3 switchbacks 50 feet below the top of the pass have large rocks completely obscuring the path. Workaround routes are sandy and unstable. Use extreme caution or pick and alternate trail. 
    • I describe this in detail, but I found this section absolutely terrifying. The women we were with said it was comparable to Longs Peak which is Class 3 climbing.
  • Permits: You are required to get a backcountry permit for this trip from recreation.gov. You will need to mark the day the permits come out on your calendar and determine your route; depending on how many days you want to spend and mileage per day, there are a lot of ways to route this. We had a permit for the Buchanan Backcountry Zone and Cascade Creek Backcountry Zone. We were unable to get a permit for the Crater Lake zone even though we were online as soon as permits were released – I’ll describe how we did a side trip there on Day 2. While we did not experience it, I’ve heard of park rangers checking the permits.
  • Parking: The overnight permit does not include overnight parking, which is not clear on the website and as you will see, is on totally different pages on recreation.gov. For this loop, the most convenient parking would be either Mitchell Lake or Long Lake trailhead, which are less than a mile apart. Make sure you chose overnight parking and not day pass. Brainard Lake is an option if those are full and adds about .8 miles of extra hiking. We did not get the parking permit, so we parked at the winter trailhead, Brainard Gateway, which is free with no reservation. This meant we hiked three extra miles in. It was raining when we reached Long Lake Trailhead and we were able to hitch a ride with a nice young couple – THANK YOU.
    • Tip: For permits for both camping and parking, try checking for last minute cancellations on recreation.gov. We have met several people who had luck with that recently.
  • Check for updates to any policies on FSDA or recreation.gov; these apply as of summer 2022 when we went, but could change in the future.
  • Campsites: This is the most trouble we have ever had finding campsites on a backpacking trip; usually I’ve found them very obvious. A lot of the terrain was not flat, had tons of blowdown/widowmakers aka dead trees, or was marshy. I would try to both plot out your trip to known campsites, and have flexibility in case campsites are taken. I will provide advice on where we camped.
  • Trail Condition: Overall, this is also the poorest trail condition I’ve seen in a while. There were a lot of downed trees that required workarounds, and we got off-trail easily in sections. It’s still a fairly well-traveled trail, but be mindful of directions and have a map.
  • Gear: Check out my LighterPack for my gear list. I didn’t end up using the hammock because our days were very long, and it rained and stormed quite a bit.

Day 1

Brainard Lake Gateway to Mitchell Lake Trailhead to Buchanan Pass to Fox Park

Total Miles: approximately 13.5

Total Elevation Gain: about 3500 feet (would have been 3000 if we got parking)

Total Descent: about 3100 feet

We drove up in the dark to get a sunrise start, since we did not have a parking permit and the addition of 3 miles would make for a long day. We parked at Brainard Lake Gateway (winter trailhead) with few other cars on this early Friday morning.

Starting at 5:45 am, we took the trail for a bit and then did some road walking. The sunrise was beautiful. There was a magical pink glow reflected on the trees.

The magical thing about the Indian Peaks Wilderness is that it is beautiful from the parking lot on.

We made it to Brainard Lake itself, finally.

 

We still had to hike to our starting point, Mitchell Lake Trailhead. Our first leg was on Beaver Creek trail. We had a steep climb, but it was a beautiful day. The landscape was full of trees and then opened up. We only saw a handful of people, which surprised me.

At about 5 miles in, we made it to Coney Flats trailhead at about 10:45 am. We would continue on Beaver Creek trail to Buchanan Pass trail, with a goal to get over the pass without getting stuck in a storm. The possibility of a storm seems wild with the blue skies photos so far, but storms blow in very quickly in the mountains.

We started to get rained and then hailed on. We continued up toward the pass, trying to determine which way the storm was moving. Before the pass, we started to hear thunder, so we set up our tent quickly before it started hailing again. We waited out the storm and enjoyed a break in the tent. The temperature dropped rapidly and we went from sweating to putting on our down jackets.

As the storm let up and the sun came out, we decided to continue up the pass. It started raining lightly, but no thunder and lightning, so we carried on, hoping to catch blue skies on the other side. Part of the beauty of this park is that you are hiking along the Continental Divide.

Overall, this entire loop has some of the steepest terrain I have encountered, and this was quite a climb. There was a scary section for me with a ledge drop-off, but we made it to the top and – blue skies suddenly appeared. By this point, with our waiting out the storm and hiking up, it was around 4:30 pm. We took a little break at the top, and a man suddenly appeared with a small day pack walking down the side of Sawtooth mountain in one of the most Colorado things ever. We said hi and then he set off to “continue his loop,” likely running, whatever that was!

Coming down the other side of the pass was like a whole different world; and this world was a real Sound of Music, Lord of the Rings, gorgeous mountain painting.

We descended down, and down, and down. This is where we came up the most wildflowers I have ever seen.

It was a magical wildflower field. We enjoyed the beauty of the afternoon light, but it was getting to be almost 6 at this point, and we were ready to find a campsite and make dinner. However, there was nothing suitable, so we carried on downhill for what seemed like forever (apparently it was only 30 minutes, lol) with no flat ground. Finally, we opened up to a flat meadow in Fox Park and camped among some trees near where the photo below was taken, with amazing views.

We quickly set up camp, found water at a stream nearby, and made dinner. We were absolutely wiped after hiking over 13 miles in a day. Every trip I think I’ve had my hardest day ever and could not be more tired, but the next trip seems to top it. We had some cute deer near our camp for company as we got ready to go to sleep. We thought Day 2 would be easier, but would it be? All 3 days were extremely hard, as it turned out.

Day 2

Fox Park to Cascade Creek to Lone Eagle Peak to Pawnee Lake

Total Miles: approximately 10

Total Elevation Gain: about 2500 feet

Total Descent: about 2000 feet

We woke up at sunrise the next day and made breakfast, feeling better and prepared to get an early start. We said goodbye to our deer friends and started out in the chilly morning.

This was a really nice section of the trail as we carried on Buchanan Pass Trail. Flat and relaxing with lots of water and flowers.

Both on this trail and the next section, Cascade Creek, there were many waterfalls. Impressive ones too! It was so gorgeous.

After 4 nice miles, we made it to the junction of Cascade Creek Trail around 10:30 am, and it was noticeably busier with people on Cascade Creek Trail. Cascade Creek was also beautiful and packed with waterfalls, but extremely steep in several sections and a lot of elevation gain.

 

 

We were hopeful we could find a campsite on the way to the junction where you turn off for Lone Eagle Peak and Crater Lake, but we could not find anything. There were a couple of spots taken, but no obvious water, and a lot of marsh and non-flat land. Even though we did not snag a campsite at Crater Lake, we wanted to do a side trip there another 2 miles round trip, and once you see the pictures, you will understand why. We left our packs at the junction and carried on.

The scenery is like…the Alps? A painting? Remarkable to see in person.

The rain we got added to the moody landscape. The pointy cone mountain is Lone Eagle Peak. It was around 3 pm at this point, and although we were tired, we needed to press on to find a place to camp.

Looking at the map and talking to some others, we decided we would try to find a campsite along the Pawnee Pass Trail, and if we did not find anything, we could camp by Pawnee Lake, which is in the Cascade Creek Backcountry Zone and does not require it’s own permit.

There was a lot of uphill hiking and nearly no campsites; little flat land, and any campsites we found did not appear to have water nearby. This is also the section where we got the most off trail.

We now were determined to camp at Pawnee Lake, and made it around 6 again just in time. A thunderstorm was rolling in, so we quickly had to set up camp. The storm was relentless, and it was raining hard and thundering for a couple of hours.

Keep in mind we still had not eaten dinner, so we were hungry. Luckily, the storm let up, and we were able to quickly cook dinner by the lake as darkness moved in on us. We hung our bear bag in the dark, and went to sleep.

Day 3

Pawnee Lake to Pawnee Pass to Lake Isabelle to Long Lake Trailhead

Total Miles: approximately 6.5

Total Elevation Gain: about 1600 feet

Total Descent: about 2000 feet

So the previous night had been pretty rough – but we woke up to blue skies and this beautiful view.

After a peaceful breakfast at Pawnee Lake, we started the climb up past the lake up Pawnee Pass Trail. There were several camping spots between the trail and the lake, and we saw a few more backpackers. The scenery was as beautiful as ever.

Pawnee Lake got smaller and smaller, and we reached a portion of switchbacks heading up to the pass that was all scree (loose rock as pictured). At this point, there was at least still a very visible trail.

It started to get more and more scary for me with my fear of heights (or evolutionarily advantageous fear of falling down a 1500 foot dropoff), the loose rocks, and the steep dropoff.

We came to a section that seemed to have no trail, and just involved climbing boulders up near the top of the pass. We did not know at the time, but this was the rockfall I described above. I started to have a true panic attack. We paused, and I did not see a way I could make it up, but I knew that if we called search and rescue, I’d have to hike out anyways.

Nick spotted a group of women backpackers coming up and asked if we could go with them. They had come down this way already to camp at Crater Lake. I can’t thank this group enough. They let us go between them, and one woman was a volunteer ranger with the most calming presence. She suggested going hand over foot and ditching my trekking poles, and found a good route with handholds. They had just completed Longs’ Peak, which made me feel even better because that is Class 3 climbing. She said the route must have had a rockfall because it was comparable to Longs. I would never choose Class 3 climbing on purpose, and max out at Class 2 with my anxiety for heights.

I’ve never been so relieved to complete a section of trail, and we relaxed at the pass, but of course as you can see, rain was threatening. It was still only 11 am at this point. We carried on down and down and down and down.

The scenery never lets up on this trail, and even when we were tired and hungry and ready to go home, we had to enjoy moments like this.

We were heading down to Lake Isabelle, and it seemed to take forever. Nothing would compare to the scariness of the boulder climbing, but there were some pretty steep dropoffs along here as well.

And after what seemed like forever, this is what that lake above looked like up close. Lake Isabelle was gorgeous, but it was starting to rain. And this trail is an extremely popular day hike, so the trail was crowded now.

When we reached Long Lake, we knew we were getting close. We saw our third moose of the trip near the trailhead.

At the trailhead, it was starting to rain, so we started to approach people to see if we could get a ride from anyone the 3 miles to the trailhead. We rode with a couple and their dogs, and it turns out that they were backpackers too, having permits for Conundrum Hot Springs later in the summer just like us.

In Boulder, we had an epic selection of world foods from Rosetta Hall and well-deserved drinks. It was definitely my hardest trail to date, with the most challenge for my fear of heights. But like I said, arguably the best scenery of any trip ever. Would I do it again? I’m not sure, but I’d love to camp at Crater Lake and Lone Eagle Peak from the Monarch Trailhead (and avoid Pawnee Pass altogether), or spend more time in other areas of the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

by admin
Colorado, Diary from the Road, Hot Springs

Iron Mountain and Hot Sulphur Springs

After Nick and I’s Four Pass Loop backpacking trip this summer, we rounded out our vacation with a trip to Glenwood Springs to soak in Iron Mountain Hot Springs, and then headed to Hot Sulphur Springs near Granby before finishing our trip in Grand Lake (August 5-7, 2021).

Iron Mountain Hot Springs

After our epic backpacking trip, we stayed at the Residence Inn Glenwood Springs, which offers a small discount for Iron Mountain Hot Springs. It felt like a great luxury to have a suite to ourselves, and plenty of space to unpack, clean our gear, and shower. Indoor plumbing is just amazing after you’ve been without it for a while. I wanted to go to Iron Mountain after my amazing experience during my Rifle Ice Caves trip.

We headed right over to Iron Mountain Hot Springs, which is a few minutes from the hotel (reservations were required this time, but they had plenty). We brought our robes, which are less of a necessity in summer compared to winter. Iron Mountain has a variety of pools with different temperatures and sizes set next to the river with lovely mountain views. There is an area where you can get some pretty nice charcuterie and other snacks, and drinks to enjoy in the pool. In summer, you can also enjoy lounging in the tables and chairs (less appealing in winter, for sure). We enjoyed trying the various pools, getting some drinks, and watching the sun set over the river. We made some new friends as we chatted with people in the pools.

Hot Sulphur Springs

Due to mudslides from 2020 fires, I-70 was closed, so we went all the way around through Steamboat Springs (a five hour drive) to get to Hot Sulphur Springs. We stopped for a nice lunch and coffee at one of our favorite bookstores, Off the Beaten Path.

We had never been to Hot Sulphur Springs or nearby Granby before. We checked into one of their simple, small, but nice rooms. We got two soaking times includes: one was in the evening and one was the next morning. Because it was summer, they recommended the latest soaking time due to the heat of the day, from 8-10 pm. The only restaurant in Hot Sulphur Springs, the tiny town, was closed, so we headed to Granby, about 10 minutes away, and got some excellent takeout Chinese at the Pearl Dragon. While we waited, we enjoyed beer from Never Summer Brewing. Granby has some nice places!

Hot Sulphur Springs is a bit more rustic and dated then Iron Mountain, but we enjoyed it a lot. There are some pools that only fit a couple people and some larger pools, all of varying temperatures. The water has a lot of minerals and a “Blue Lagoon” Iceland type color, as well as these white floaties that are don’t worry, also minerals.

We woke up for our soak the next day to the smell of smoke and hazy skies. Fire smoke was rolling in not from Colorado, but California and Oregon. We enjoyed a morning soak before the smoke worsened.I highly recommend Simple Coffee in Granby, which has delicious drinks served in glass jars you can return or reuse.

Grand Lake

Sadly, we really did not get to enjoy Grand Lake much due to the smoke, which was the worst we’d ever seen. We went into lunch at One Love Rum Kitchen, which was really good. We wore our masks more due to smoke than COVID at this point. We got some groceries and settled into Shadowcliff Mountain Lodge Hostel, which is a really cool place. It’s too bad we didn’t get to explore more of Grand Lake and get out of the lake, which you could barely see.

We ended up hanging in the beautiful lodge common areas all day, playing board games and eating snacks, and trying to glimpse the lake through the haze.

We had reserved hostel beds, but each had a room to ourself, which was nice. We headed out early the next day, eager to return home after our long adventure.

I really enjoyed both hot springs, which were a great way to recover from our backpacking journey. All of the towns were really nice, and I would love to return to Grand Lake and Shadowcliff when it is not as smoky.

 

by admin
Car Camping, Colorado, Diary from the Road

Twin Lakes and Marble

Nick and I’s big planned vacation for summer 2021 was our Four Pass Loop trip, and we decided to really make a trip out of it! Take off the week and explore some more of Colorado. Usually, when I take off a week or more, I’ve traveled internationally, but it’s fun to stay closer to home, and there is some pretty cool stuff to see around here.

Twin Lakes

July 31, our first stop was Twin Lakes, a small mountain town not far from Leadville. I-70 was closed at Glenwood Canyon due to mudslides, but luckily for this leg of the trip we already had been planning to drive through Buena Vista and then head over Independence Pass to Aspen/Marble.

We found a remarkable campsite on Hipcamp called Moose Crossing that I’d highly recommend. Unfortunately, it rained a lot so we did not spend as much time at the site as we would have liked, but it was a gorgeous rustic site next to a river. There’s a fire pit with firewood, a nice deck, and a lovely spot to pitch your tent. And it’s only a ten minute drive into Twin Lakes.

Calling Twin Lakes a town might be a stretch – there’s a general store, a lodge/restaurant, a couple food/coffee trucks, and a visitor’s center. But, it’s all so awesome. We set up our camp and decided to grab a drink at the restaurant and lodge, which is one of the historic 19th century buildings of the town. We made our reservation for dinner later – apparently the only place to eat in town (inside) during rain is popular!

The General Store is small but really fun. It’s also a historic building – be sure to check out the antique, working gas pumps. Twin Lakes is along the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail, which means you get lots of thru-hikers. The shop is stocked with just the type of things backpackers would want for resupply – including smart things like individual hair ties and individual hot chocolate packets. There’s also cool gear like hats, shirts, patches, stickers, and books. Nick and I had fun shopping and bought some things to commemorate our visit.

The rain was light, and we decided to possibly do a bit of hiking with our rain gear. We went to the small visitor’s center first, which had two amazingly enthusiastic and helpful ladies who were excited to provide maps, brochures, and suggestions, as well as show off some of the history with the displays. One item they provided was a walking tour of the town – a map explaining what the different buildings in the small town used to be. The visitor’s center, as a matter of fact, was a brothel. The visitor’s center also provides WiFi and phone charging – there’s even an outside outlet you can use when they close.

We did a very short hike nearby with a view of the lake, and then decided to check out the Interlaken Trail. I had heard of this trail and read about it in our snowshoeing book, and really wanted to check it out. It includes part of the Colorado Trail/CDT. We found the trail very pleasant in the light rain. There are lots of aspen trees and lake views the whole time, and it was not very busy.

The cool part is it leads to a historic vacation home you can actually go inside!

The house is beautiful and has lots of clearly expensive details like the wood and door handles. You can walk through all the rooms and imagine vacationing there in the late 1800s, looking out over the lake. Nick said the house reminded him of New Orleans, and as it turns out, the owner/builder was from New Orleans!

After you explore the house, you can check out the ruins (not go inside this time) of Interlaken Resort.  It’s a Victorian era resort, and the educational information really painted a picture of a lively 19th century resort with canoeing, dancing, cards, and even a full orchestra that would come play from Leadville. In winter, horse-drawn carriages brought people to the resort. The resort closed at the turn of the century.

We headed back in the pleasant light rain and enjoyed some of the walking tour and looking at the General Store again before heading for an excellent dinner at the Inn, with great views of the mountain and lakes. The Twin Lakes Inn was built in 1878 by female entrepreneur Maggie Weber, and was visited by Theodore Roosevelt and Ulysses S. Grant, among others. It has a very illustrious history you can read more about on the back of the menu.

Marble and Aspen

We spent the night at our beautiful campsite and woke up early to drive over Independence Pass. It was still rainy, cloudy, and moody, so we played the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Independence Pass, which I drove over years ago with my coworkers on our way to Pitkin County, our client, does not seem as scary as it did then – maybe it’s having driven the Million Dollar Highway and other Colorado roads since then.

We got to Aspen, where I have not been in years. Aspen is a beautiful, small mountain town. It seems down-to-earth, yet has Gucci and Versace stores, despite the fact that everyone in town wears a puffy jacket. My clients at the County told me that those stores do not make a profit but are kept so that the brand can say they have a store in Aspen. There is a weird vibe of rich people cosplaying as normal people, wearing athleisure that is a little too white.

We stopped at Paradise Bakery before heading to a 9 am dress rehearsal of Gil Shaham playing Barber’s Violin Concerto at the Aspen Music Festival. Aspen is a famous music festival and camp, and I just could not believe that we could hear Gil Shaham for $20! He was amazing – he is the most interactive soloist I’ve seen, engaging with the orchestra and audience. It was well worth it to attend.

After this, we grabbed lunch at Meat and Cheese, which had been a favorite lunch spot of mine years ago. We had an excellent lunch before heading to our campground near Marble. Bogan Flats campground is just stunningly beautiful, next to the Crystal River, with big camping spots and hammocking tree. We were able to relax and hammock a bit before the rain started.

We headed into town. Marble is another tiny but remarkable Colorado town. There is actual marble everywhere; the marble used in the Lincoln Memorial came from here! We stopped at the small General Store, which doubles as a marble sculpture gallery. There are lots of intricate sculptures of all sizes and price ranges. A very unassuming woman chatting with the store owner was one of the artists!

Our next plan of action was to go to Slow Groovin’ BBQ, the only restaurant in town. We sat outside and enjoyed a leisurely meal asit started to really rain. Typical Colorado monsoon rain are usually quick, intense storms in the afternoon, but this rain pounded on for what seemed like forever. We enjoyed some hot chocolate too before finally heading back to our camp for the night. We definitely are excited to come back to this small town and check out the Crystal Mill, which we did not have time to see on this adventure.

To see what we did the next few days, check out my Four Pass Loop post!

by admin
Backpacking, Colorado, Diary from the Road

Four Pass Loop

Four mountain passes to summit. Over 25 miles and 8000 feet of elevation gain. Highest elevation around 12,600. 4 days, 3 nights. This is the Four Pass Loop! Nick and I have had this on our list since 2020, and I’ve had it on my bucket list since 2019. I’ll start with some tips and tricks and then break down the details of each day! To skip to Day 1, click here.

FAQs and tips:

  • Permits will likely be required to be reserved in future years, so do your research! This article explains more. Currently, if you want to start the hike from Maroon Bells, the most typical starting point, you must reserve parking or shuttle tickets. We reserved shuttle tickets the day they came out, and much was sold out already. Aspen Highlands was charging $40/day for parking, so to avoid that, we parked in Rio Grande garage for $12/day and took free Aspen public buses. It’s quite easy! And, as of 2021, masks were required on all of these buses. Personally, I think this is great. While we met lots of amazing, well-prepared people, I have never seen so many novice backpackers with giant backpacks. There was also a large amount of trash, which is always disappointing.
  • There is an excellent Four Pass Loop Facebook group, as of my writing this post. Search and ask for approval to join! People provide trip reports, conditions, tips, etc.
  • This is not a beginning backpacking loop. Everyone brings too much on their first trip, and gaining 2-3k vertical feet at high elevation is not the time to try out backpacking. There are a lot of great easier loops/trips in Colorado. See my post on beginning backpacking trips. After an initial overnight, try a multi-day in Lost Creek Wilderness. We also felt Highland Mary Lakes was great preparation since it is at a similarly high elevation. And a lot of great classes out there too that will help prepare  – I did the  Introduction to Backpacking class via REI and a hiking safety class with Colorado Mountain Club. Ideally, you can also practice some day hikes with a lot of elevation gain or at high elevation. I initially found this loop when I was trying to prepare for the Laugavegur Trail and wanted to do it solo as practice for that trail, but realized Four Pass is much harder and I should wait, which was a great decision.
  • Pack light! My pack for Four Pass: https://lighterpack.com/r/pf59u4. Nick and I weighed and were around 24 lbs fully loaded with food and a liter of water, so the estimates are quite accurate. We had hammocks and I had a chair too, as well as each having Kindles. We certainly did not sacrifice comfort for pack weight. See my Gear page for more details about how I lightened my load. There are a lot of easy, low cost ways to lower pack weight including: don’t bring full size bottles like sunscreen (decant or buy one ounce), don’t bring a heavy water bottle – Nalgene or what we use, SmartWater, don’t bring clothes for each day or anything extra “just in case” beyond 10 essentials/first aid.
  • Temperatures can get down to freezing, even in summer. Lowest temps were at our campsite at about 11,700 after West Maroon Pass going CCW. My thermometer said 35 degrees in the morning, but there was ice and frost on the tent.
  • Clockwise or Counterclockwise? The eternal debate. We did CCW because we are acclimated and wanted to get the hardest over with first. We dislike long downhills and wanted a shorter last day. Honestly both ways are hard and so I don’t know how much it matters which way you go? Most people seemed to be going clockwise so we liked going opposite. If you are coming from out of town and attempting to acclimate, clockwise would probably be slightly better. Or if you are starting later in the day – there are a lot of camping spots on the way up and you can avoid completing a pass on the first day.
  • Afraid of Heights? I push my limits a bit for rewarding activities like this trip – I do not do things like climb class 3 14’ers. I’m afraid of heights and found Buckskin to be easiest to manage and Trail Rider and Frigid Air were my least favorite due to steep uphill or downhill, but everyone is different with these fears. Just go slow, look at your feet, talk to yourself. I didn’t find the passes themselves scary personally, once I got up.
  • Use COTREX. COTREX is the app created by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. It’s an awesome app generally for hiking in Colorado – you get up to date trail closures, for one, and the maps are great. You can also download offline maps and customer routes. For Four Pass, someone has mapped the campsites which appear to match the Forest Service and were very accurate. Be aware of water sources – some are intermittent, but anything in solid blue is fairly accurately running. We forgot our paper map and COTREX worked great for us. We also had an emergency satellite device, Garmin InReach Mini, if all else failed (the trail is also extremely busy, if you’re worried about navigation).
  • Look at elevation gain, not just miles. Usually when backpacking you mark your progress with miles, but elevation gain is no joke here. A very short distance can take a long time both up an down. So don’t forget to look at it (which you can see on COTREX). All the passes are around the same elevation between 12,400 and 12,600 feet.
  • Rainproof everything. We got fairly unusual weather for Colorado mountains Monday and Tuesday – instead of big monsoons, it rained a good portion of both days. We were well prepared, but our REI Flash 55 packs, like many light packs, are designed to be used without pack covers and use internal waterproof bags, which worked fine. It rained horribly Tuesday and apparently everyone got wet (which made us feel better, ha!). I think a pack cover would have helped since we mostly wetted through where the bottom of the packs collected water- hope that helps anyone else with that pack!! I am definitely going to bring a pack cover as well as the internal waterproof bags.
  • Flowers were great but were past peak by about a week.  We are spoiled since we were in the San Juan’s in July.
  • River crossings did not require taking off shoes, at this time. These fluctuate based on on snow melt and such so this may not always be the case, but Nick did not take off his shoes – I did only a couple times, as more of a precaution. These crossings weren’t even half as bad as other backpacking trips in Colorado – I hate sketchy logs over rushing water.
  • Please LEAVE NO TRACE. There was so much trash on this trail and at the campsites. You should pack out all toilet paper. I highly recommend a Kula Cloth for squatters for #1, if you insist on wiping. Do not burn trash – we saw trash in campfire rings – I recommend not having a fire, even if allowed, which is not for many of the campsites (all above 10,800 feet ban fires). Pack out absolutely everything you bring in! If you are not prepared to do this, then please reconsider overnight camping in this area.

Day 1

Maroon Bells Trailhead to over Buckskin Pass

Total Miles: 6

Total Elevation Gain: about 3000 feet

Total Descent: about 1000 feet

Day 1 was August 2! We had an 8 am bus. We woke up at 4:45 am to pack up our campsite in the dark near Marble (Bogan Flats) and drive about an hour and fifteen minutes into Aspen. We got to Aspen and rearranged our packs while we waited for Paradise Bakery to open at 6:30. We grabbed a cup of coffee and some breakfast burritos, and then parked in the Rio Grande lot. Luckily it was not raining, although it was cloudy. We locked our car and headed to the bus stop and ate our burritos while we waited for the Aspen free public bus. It showed early, so we hopped on with our packs and got off at Aspen Highlands. The reason we did not park at Aspen Highlands is they are a ski resort charging $40 a day (at the time of writing) for parking, and paying $12 a day at Rio Grande saved us significantly. We checked in and had plenty of time to wait to board the 8 am bus; you must arrive 10 minutes early or they might give away your seats to standbys. While we were waiting, we started to see backpackers. There was a group of young guys who asked if we were doing the loop. They had driven 24 hours from Georgia just for the trip! They were going clockwise, opposite of us. It’s fun to talk to people participating in such a unique and difficult experience; it reminded me of the camaraderie I felt with people on the Laugavegur Trail.Our bus ride was surprising – there was a lot of educational content. Before we got on, they warned us not to get near or feed wildlife. They said just the day before a women was feeding a fox and encouraging children to as well, claiming it was her “spirit animal” (I mean, multiple problems here, wow). On the bus, the drive pointed out a marmot along with avalanche trails from winter.

We were excited to arrive at around 8:30. It’s a bit odd because there are mostly day hikers, walking around the lake or heading up to Crater Lake. Maroon Bells was moody and cloudy. We set off, filled out our self-serve permit, and started climbing uphill. The day hikers drop off after Crater Lake, and we set off counterclockwise.

 

I was excited to talk to backpackers going the opposite way about the Loop. We met a few people who had completed it but been rained on the whole time. We met some people turning back for various reasons, including weather. The previous day, they had been forced to spend all afternoon and evening in the tent due to rain. It was a bit worrying, but we were hopeful the weather would turn around at least our last couple of days.

We started to have to deal with some on and off rain as we continued the climb up. There were a ton of clouds blocking the epic views. It kept seeming like it would clear, and we would see bits of blue sky, but then the clouds would roll in again. The climb over Buckskin had some wide switchbacks. Some guys we met while it was raining said the key is to go slow, and I have to agree. Basically pretend you are walking in slow motion, stop, look at the views (if any), and keep going. This was my favorite pass to go up and down for heights, as I did not feel I could slip easily and it had some switchbacks.

We did at least get some views at the top, though cloudy!

We started following the path and it seemed odd, but luckily spotted a solo backpacker coming up (we were maybe going to accidentally summit the deadly Bells? oops) and talked to him. He was caught in a storm in Trail Rider (which now sounds so terrifying), but really enjoyed the loop despite the rain.

We headed down and had planned some flexibility in campsites. The furthest we would go was Snowmass Lake, but that was 8 miles total for a day and involved going slightly back uphill. There were also some campsites around the creek about 7 miles in we eyed. We ended up camping at some of the first sites after Buckskin, so it was more of a 6 mile day. This was because there was a break in the rain to set up our tent, and the spot we found had good tree coverage and nearby water. Plus, we were tired. We did well on Buckskin and had trained well for it, but 3000 vertical miles is no joke. So at 2 pm, we set up our tent, which still never dried from our previous nights camping, and made dinner. We made our hot chocolate and brushed teeth early so we could hang our Ursack and relax.

In the first of weird misfortunes on this trip, the plastic pack liner I used got caught and ripped on a plastic hook meant to attach a hydration bladder, which I was not using. I tried to duct tape but it was pretty done for. Luckily, I had a DCF rolltop bag and some water resistant bags for my quilt and wool sleep clothes, the most important layers to keep dry.

Here, Nick demonstrates the glamour of wearing full rain gear and bug nets and cooking your food in a Ziploc with seat pad insulator.

We got lots of on and off light rain, but were able to hang out comfortably under the tree in our hammocks with our rain gear and our Kindles, which we can read without worrying about rain since they are waterproof. It got chilly early so we retreated to the tent before sundown. We saw some deer in the evening and probably the only bits of sunlight.

Day 2

Campsite to Trail Rider Pass, with Snowmass Lake on the way

Total Miles: 7

Total Elevation Gain: about 1900 feet

Total Descent: about 3,100 feet

We are waking up later with the sun rise later, and got up and got going as quickly as we could, with a goal to enjoy a breakfast at the spectacular Snowmass Lake. There was no rain, just clouds, so we enjoyed the hike and set up right at the lake edge around 9 to enjoy coffee and oatmeal. There were plenty more moody clouds setting the scene. This is truly a stunning lake with beautiful reflections. It looked like a painting.

We were satisfied with our camping spots – a lot of people seem to have a goal to camp at Snowmass Lake. We met a ton of people headed there. I’m not sure how busy it gets, but there could be potential competition for camp spots. I enjoyed our time there, but I was glad we were not deadset on camping at the lake.

As we met people on the way up, they told us the views of Snowmass Lake are spectacular. They are right! Close to the lake, the water was clear and reflective; as we started to hike above it, it was a beautiful, bright turquoise color. We had to cross some scree pretty high up, which was slightly scary, but not as bad as other scree fields I’ve seen in Colorado and with a trodden path, so I did fine. I don’t love jumping on rocks a lot to cross trails!

We met a son and dad as we approached Trail Rider and chatted with them before started to head up the pass. This was the first time I started to get a bit scared of the heights, as we headed up and up the steep path to the top with a huge drop off. At the top, we got to enjoy some views of the lake again. However, some women we met at the top pointed out that it was now raining on Snowmass Lake, so we got a move on to get down the pass before the rain started.

Views from Trail Rider:

This was the hardest rain yet. We put on our rain suits. We thought the earliest sites we might camp at would be about 5 miles in, but it was pouring so hard we wanted to keep going (plus it was only like noon). After we walked through a valley for a bit, we started a steep descent down. This was the toughest part of the trail in a lot of ways, because of the neverending rain and the steep downhill grade hurting our knees and feet. Also, apparently my phone got wet enough that it never really dried out (my fault, should have just left it in the waterproof pocket). iPhone are not really waterproof – be careful!

We got onto the North Fork Crystal River trail, which starts to flatten out. We found a campsite about .12 miles into the trail, and the rain had stopped reasonably to put up a tent. We discovered we had wetted out – my butt was wet on my pants where my pack had been gathering water, and a bit on the bottom of my shirt. Nick was similar. As I noted above, we will definitely be using pack covers in addition to internal dry bags. Our base layers had stayed dry in our pack bags, so we changed into those once we got into the tent for the day.

We rushed to eat dinner during a break in the rain, but soon heard thunder so hurriedly put away our items into our Ursack and retreated to the tent – this was around 3 pm. It turned out, we would not emerge again until the next day (no hot chocolate, what the heck!). Also the next of random/weird misfortunes happened: my long spoon with its silicone head broke. The spoon head completely broke off the top. So Nick and I spent the rest of the trip sharing his spoon, which was surprisingly not bad. We took turns eating.

We got some rain and hail that really did not let up until around 8 pm. We were tired anyways, but napped and read. Being under a tree was less advantageous than our previous site since the tree dripped on us all night, even when the rain ended. Oh, and we were definitely on a slant that became noticeable once we were trying to lay in the tent for so many hours.

I was dead asleep, but Nick said he heard some kind of creature running close to the tent at night – running close and then running away. It definitely seems most likely it was a marmot – they will get at your food and chew anything salty including trekking pole handles and boots. Later, we met a ranger who said porcupines do the same thing, so I’m guessing it was one of those if it was not a marmot!

Day 3

Campsite to summit both Frigid Air and West Maroon Passes to camp about half a mile down from West Maroon

Total Miles: 8

Total Elevation Gain: about 3100 feet

Total Descent: about 1700 feet

We were really relying on the 0% rain forecast, per Garmin, and woke up to a beautiful sunny day. Nothing was dry and it was cold to start; it takes a while for the sun to come over the mountains and really warm you up. We put on our wet clothes and packs, hoping everything would dry. The sun quickly shined on us, and we had a nice flat walk to start.

We saw some guys who appeared to be sunning themselves on their sleeping pads by a river, and it turned out to be our Georgia friends we had seen at the shuttle stop! It was comforting to hear from them and others throughout the day that everyone had gotten wet, but now we had a beautiful day ahead. I find it so comforting on these trips to get to see people you saw earlier again – so nice to report out how everyone did.

There is a really cool waterfall and some great campsites before you start heading up again.

We had two passes to get over, and finally nice weather to take our time! Frigid Air was up first, and probably the moment I got most scared was going up the steep, crumbly rock. The pass itself was nice and we finally had a full, sweeping view without clouds, but man was the downhill steep! The ground was not slippery and the dirt was almost sticky, but my brain could not comprehend that, so I still made it pretty slowly.

Once you descend Frigid Air, there is a stunning valley that is truly a highlight of the trip, particularly with the nice weather.

There were tons of wildflowers, which even past peak by about a week were wonderful. There’s a huge variety of color and type in this area – yellow, pink, purple, and red. The mountains, greenery, and flowers are so beautiful.

We stopped to get water at a little creek. We were excited to only have one more pass to complete, West Maroon. Even day hikers come up to hike the pass from the Crested Butte side. It is a very steep ascent and descent with little to no switchbacks, as I recall. We proceeded up slowly, and I found this one not as scary as Frigid Air or Trail Rider.

We once again got to actually enjoy the view instead of rushing down, which was nice. We heard many people say this was their favorite view, and I had to agree.

Then we just had to get down the steepness of the other side. It was not too bad, especially as I distracted myself by staring at my feet and recounting my book to Nick. It was now getting to 3 pm though, and we were worried about finding campsites, since many people coming clockwise would be snagging them. We heard from a group they were filling up, but there were some good campsites not too far from the pass.

We found an amazing campsite, one of the first coming down the pass, that it off the trail in a jut of trees, past some bushes. The views of the mountains were phenomenal. It felt absolutely amazing to put everything out to dry – in the sun, all the items that would not dry yesterday dried in an instant. We got to have a leisurely dinner by the creek and enjoy our hot chocolate.

As soon as the sun fell behind the mountain, it started to get cold. We retreated into the tent but left it fully open – not just to prevent condensation but to see stars. We stayed warm in our gear but this felt like the coldest night. In the morning, we still had condensation, which had frozen, and frost outside the tent. My thermometer said 35, but it clearly got down to freezing!

Day 4

Campsite to Maroon Bells

Total Miles: 5.5

Total Elevation Gain: about 400 feet

Total Descent: about 2300 feet

We were excited for our last day, and woke up to cold but sunny weather.

We started heading out at around 7, after a nice breakfast by the creek, with dry gear.

We saw a few people we had seen previously, including the dad and son again! This seemed to take forever since we were hungry and ready to be finished.

There was a lot of rocks and scree that slowed us down a bit, despite the mostly downhill and easy grade. We started to meet day hikers, many of whom were walking Aspen to Crested Butte – it’s about 15 miles and you can arrange a shuttle. Then, when we got closer to Crater Lake, there started to be a ton of day hikers from Maroon Bells. People kept asking us “how far are we?” and we were like, from what? Where are you going? Someone asked us how far they could go and we were like, you could walk to Crested Butte? Go over four passes?

It is definitely tough to push through crowds after what we had done, but we did it. We passed Crater Lake, which we did not think was appealing at all. It was kind of muddy and small. We though Maroon Lake is much prettier (and obviously both incomparable to Snowmass), but I wonder if it was once prettier. We met an older woman at Maroon Bells who said she used to come with her parents 70 years ago and thought Crater Lake was beautiful and crystal clear. Personally, I’d recommend people just walk around Maroon Lake and go do another hike to an alpine lake (St Mary’s Glacier? McCullough Gulch?).

Maroon Bells and lake was beautiful in the sunshine. We finally made it to the bus stop and were on our way! The bus driver recommended Aspen Highlands Ale House at the resort, which turned out to be perfect backpacking food. They have beer, burgers, pizza, and AMAZING chips and salsa. Truly. I’m a chips and salsa snob – but I asked why they were so good, and they make their own chips and salsa!

We took the bus back to Aspen and got into our car. Our next stop was Glenwood Springs, where we enjoyed the hotel room so much, and soaked in Iron Mountain Hot Springs. We then headed to Hot Sulphur Springs the next night – definitely recommend hot springs post backpacking!

Overall, like Laugavegur, I can’t believe I did this. Nick and I did a lot of hard working, training, and planning, and it paid off.

by admin
Backpacking, Colorado, Diary from the Road, Hiking

Highland Mary Lakes Backpacking

Nick and I had a four-day weekend for 4th of July, and were definitely wanting to do a backpacking trip July 2-5. We had originally been considering Ice Lakes and Island Lakes in the San Juan mountains in Colorado, but the entire trail is closed for summer 2021 due to fires/overuse. We put a few possible trips on our list and kept an eye on the weather, which at first was predicting storms, and then decided to do the Highland Mary Lakes Loop in the San Juans near Silverton, about a 7 hour drive from Denver.

Day 1

It is a fun drive from Denver to this area – we went through Fairplay, Buena Vista, and skipped Salida this time, stopping in Ridgway for lunch. What I did not realize was we would be driving the famous Million Dollar Highway, which is between Ouray and Silverton. We were taking turns driving and I started to get a lot of anxiety so Nick took over. Now I feel a lot better knowing this is considered one of the most dangerous, windy roads; however, it is absolutely phenomenal scenery. I would highly recommend it despite the fear of heights. There are mountains colored red from oxidized minerals.

There are numerous mining ruins throughout this entire region, and some educational signs along the highway at viewpoints. We got to Silverton, but needed to get to the trailhead, so drove through. Silverton is a beautiful Victorian mining town.

We were originally planning to drive to the Colorado Trail Segment 24 trailhead as an “add-on” to the loop, since it is considered a beautiful part of the trail. However, as soon as we left Silverton, we were on narrow dirt roads mostly occupied by OHVs and large trucks. These are clearly old mining roads with lots of mining ruins. We attempted the road to the Segment 24 trailhead and it just did not seem feasible in our Crosstrek; we knocked a plastic cover off our car. So, we turned around and headed to the Highland Mary Lakes trailhead, nearby, to just do the regular loop.

The scenery is like a painting the whole time. The road was rough and rocky so we proceeded slowly, and we saw bunches of wildflowers and marmots running. There is dispersed camping near the trailhead so we saw people camping all over. We parked and decided to proceed with the river crossing to the trail on foot.

We started hiking, intending to possibly even camp by the lakes the first night, since it was only a couple of miles. But the trail was extremely steep and we were very tired from the drive. So we decided to camp at a spot we found fairly close to the trailhead, near a waterfall. Even the small bit of hiking was stunning; I’ve never seen so many columbines.

We set up our camp and read near the waterfall for a little bit before heading to bed.

 

Our campsite was very peaceful, and we were glad we had stopped to rest. We had the entire next day to head to the lakes in the morning, which was a great feeling.

Day 2

We woke up early the next morning and had less than 2 miles to hike to the lake, but it was steep! We were also at high elevation, which makes everything feel harder – breathing, walking, and certainly backpacking. The lakes were above treeline at 12,000 feet.

But the scenery is so beautiful you really do not mind stopping to catch your breath.

We had to climb over a rocky section to get to the lakes that was a bit tricky.

We arrived to the lakes still quite early in the morning and saw just a few tents. We found a perfect camping spot by the third lake, 100 feet from water as required but with amazing views.

This was quite a leisurely day in which we explored the lakes, ate, and read. The weather held up nicely and we did not get any storms. We found a lovely kitchen/dining spot.

I was able to finish a book and complete its prequel on this trip as well, which was amazing.

There were some day hikers, backpackers, and trail runners, but it was amazingly uncrowded for a holiday weekend, and it seemed like there were few people camping by the lakes. We went to bed early with lake breezes blowing into our tent.

Day 3

Once again, we woke up early. We had breakfast and coffee on our cooking and dining rock and enjoyed last views of the lakes. We were excited to climb to the top of a hill and get views of the lakes. We decided we would have hot chocolate and snacks at the Verde Lakes. People had some pretty incredible camping spots. These lakes were gorgeous with the epic mountain views starting to peek through.

We were excited as we continued on, because we knew we would be connecting with a section of the Colorado Trail that is also along the epic high-altitude Continental Divide Trail, a thru-hike from Mexico to Canada. These sections are supposed to some of the best.

On the way to the connection with the CDT, we started to get some stunning Lord of the Rings style mountain views.

Best snack break ever?

 

The Continental Divide Trail has these markers, so we are trying to take pictures every time we conquer a small part of the trail.

The scenery only got more beautiful as we went along. We met a Continental Divide thru-hiker, who had a bag of Fritos strapped to his pack (never has anything looked so good). He said he had been in this area in May and it was absolutely snow-covered, so they had done the New Mexico portion and then planned to do the Wind River Range next.

We soon left the CDT but the gorgeous scenery continued. Tons of flowers. We started to look for possible campsites, but there was not much flat land with water near.

We had decided to camp another night so we didn’t have to hike and drive 7 hours in the same day. We wanted to give ourselves an easy last day and time to enjoy the drive. As we reached Cunningham Gulch, the last section of the loop, we managed to find a flat spot for camp. It required some steep climbs up and down slippery rocks for water, but then we settled in for reading and eating.

 

We once again went to bed early, after a day full of remarkable views and mostly easy hiking at high elevation, with some steep and rocky downhills.

Day 4

We had an easy, short hike out the next day, crossed the river back to our car, and drove the rough road to Silverton.

Silverton is a beautiful preserved Victorian town, with colorful buildings surrounded by mountains. We stopped for pastries and coffee at Coffee Bear, a charming coffee shop with a rooftop deck.

We then could take our time on the Million Dollar Highway to stop at some of the viewpoints and read about the immense mining projects that went on here. The region seems remote even now from Denver, so it’s fascinating imagining what it was like in the past. Here is Nick with the mountains and some mining ruins.

As you drive to Ouray, there is a sign declaring the town to be the “Switzerland of America.”

It’s definitely worth enjoying your time on this highway.

 

Once in Ouray, we tried to find a breakfast spot as it was still quite early but there was really nothing open. We headed down the road to Ridgway, and waited about an hour and a half for what turned out to be a huge green chili breakfast. The mountain towns have suffered worker shortages even pre-pandemic, due to a lack of affordable housing, which has been worsened by the pandemic. So this wait probably would have held anywhere similar we tried to go.

We then had a long drive home featuring rain and lots of traffic. It was all worthwhile for this incredible trip. This region of Colorado is harder to get to, but the hiking and scenery is remarkable, along with the charming preserved towns. We can’t wait to see more of it!

by admin
Biking, Colorado, Diary from the Road

Wine and Rocks: May Western Colorado Tour

Nick and I decided to do a May trip from May 5-8. This was one of the few breaks Nick had in his grad school schedule, which is jam packed. We decided to basically repeat the trip I had done in October to Western Colorado, as the weather would be really nice and we could escape mud season (melting snow), and snow hiking. See my October entries for details about these areas. We followed this itinerary:

Day 1, May 5: Denver to Paonia. See Paonia, Colorado Wine and Orchard Tour for details from my October trip.

Day 2, May 6: Paonia to Palisade. See Bike Wine Tour in Palisade for October trip details.

Day 3, May 7: Palisade to Colorado National Monument. See Colorado National Monument Scenic Drive for details.

Day 4, May 8: Colorado National Monument to Denver. See same entry above.

I’ll summarize some of the differences between this and the last trip and new things we did.

Day 1: Paonia Wineries and Orchard Camping

Nick and I had a beautiful drive out to Paonia. In the spring there is snow on the mountains which I didn’t get in the fall — but I did get those stunning fall leaves. I had us head straight for Root and Vine Market, but it was closed Wednesdays as it turned out. We needed lunch so we headed into town but it turned out a lot of places were closed — with being a weekday and more of a shoulder season and coming out of pandemic restrictions, I’m guessing. Most wineries were closed but it appeared the Azura up the hill was open. We decided to go to the grocery store and get a picnic lunch and head up to Azura.

Azura was absolutely stunning and not very busy. We did a wine tasting and then  shared part of a bottle and took the rest with us. I had loved this place in the fall, but in spring you get the snow capped peaks.

So it all worked out! We had a peaceful time with the place basically to ourselves before heading over to Big B’s. The orchard camping was not open so we camped next to a pond (which is right next to the orchard). The view were amazing. The top photo for this blog entry is an orchard blossom view!

After setting up camp we headed to main area to get food and cider and go shopping. It was lush and green with perfect temperatures, and we both tried out the swings.

At night we slept with the tent fairly open so we could stargaze. The stars were just incredible. One point during the night and early morning, Nick and I both couldn’t sleep. Nick and I went outside to look at the stars and saw these crazy lights moving across the sky in a formation. It was creepy! We later found out this was a SpaceX launch and lots of people saw these. I can’t believe we caught them though!

Day 2: Palisade Winery Tour and Peche Dinner

The next morning, we headed out early and stopped for coffee in Hotchkiss before driving out to Palisade. We repeated my strategy of going on a bike ride by the Colorado River at the lovely Riverside Park with our fold-up bikes. We then headed to park at our motel, the Spoke and Vine. We loved it here so much and it’s the perfect location to start your biking wine tour of Palisade.

We started bright and early at 10 am and got flights at Plum Creek Cellars, which I had skipped the last trip.

It was a great start to our tour before we headed to Maison La Belle Vie for food. Last time, I hadn’t gotten a charcuterie since I was solo and they were for 2 or 4, so this time we got their famous charcuterie with a tasting, which we enjoyed. It was much less busy than last time I’d been here and very beautiful.

We had a nice ride through the orchards with Mount Garfield in the background.

Next we stopped at Talon and St. Katherine’s for a tasting (it had been so busy last time I’d skipped it). We then went to Varaison, which does a free tasting with wine education. I had done this last time, but had the vintner’s wife this time around as our guide. We did the tasting at a table with others (outside) and it was fun to do something so social after the pandemic. Nick loved the educational element as much as I did.

By this time, we had acquired a lot of bottles of wine so we went to check in to Spoke and Vine. I hadn’t stayed here in October since I had a free stay at a Marriott, so I stayed in Grand Junction, but I’d spotted it as a future place I wanted to go. It’s a revamped motel that has small, lovely rooms (true luxury after camping) with lots of character. Since I had been to Palisade last, they added an outdoor patio in the parking lot.

We wanted to make our last wine bike tour stop of the day Colorado Vintner’s Collective. They are a winery but also showcase a variety of makers’ wines. I fell in love with their rose last time and had brought it home. We did a tasting and ended up joining their wine club to get our rose fix.

We headed back to the motel to get ready for our dinner reservation at Peche. This has been called the best restaurant in Colorado. I didn’t eat there in October for a number of reasons; staying in Grand Junction was one. But now, Nick and I were staying a short walk away and fully vaccinated (2 weeks from our second shots), so this was our first indoor dining experience since probably February or early March of 2020.

Wow was this dinner amazing. The cocktails, the food, the experience, and the ambiance were perfect. It’s not overly formal but very nice inside.

We slept amazing in our king bed.

Days 3&4: Colorado National Monument

Spoke and Vine delivered us amazing coffee, yogurt, and locally made granola in the morning. We brought the tray to the patio and enjoyed our breakfast outside.

After that, we headed to the monument. We repeated the hikes I did, Devil’s Kitchen and Serpent’s Trail. However, in October, I couldn’t find how you got inside the Devil’s Kitchen rock formation, and this time we figured it out.

My advice is go to the left of the big formation and kind of around; you will see an entrance around the left side. This photo shows where you start going around to the left of this “balancing rock” formation to find Devil’s Kitchen. The second photo shows the formation once you pass this rock and turn to the right, where you can then go inside.

 

We then did the scenic drive I described previously. It was so fun to show Nick all the stops along the way.

By afternoon, it was getting pretty hot (I think we got into the 90s) so we retreated to our campsite to relax and read. This was our first time setting up our non-freestanding backpacking tent in the desert, and rocks worked decently for set up.

We then enjoyed the sunset at the Books Cliffs overlook with some cans of cider from Big B’s. There were these really cool birds (swifts I think?) diving and gliding that were so fun to watch.

We saw some great sunset colors on the walk back to camp.

 

Since it was relatively warm (I think it only got into the 50s), we kept the tent open. However, in the night, the wind really picked up and started blowing dust into our tent (and into my nose). This woke me up and it definitely took me way too long to figure out to close off the tent and keep the dirt out. Don’t recommend, but what can you do? It wasn’t windy when we went to sleep.

We woke up early to watch the sunrise. It was too cloudy and not the incredible sunrise I saw in October, but still very peaceful. We made coffee and breakfast while watching the clouds float.

We finished out the scenic drive and then headed to James R. Robb State Park to do a quick bike ride along the Colorado River looking back at the Monument. Next, we headed to Fruita and got a big breakfast at Kamila’s before heading back to Denver.

This is probably going to be a regular trip, and is perfect for those shoulder season times when it’s too cold to camp in the mountains.

 

by admin