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Dan S
·Picture-heavy post warning. ;-)
All summer I have been anticipating a return to the Weminuche Wilderness in SW Colorado. It's quite a long drive for me, and I haven't been in 10 years, but I really think it's the most spectacular part of the state and one of the highlights of the Rocky Mountains. Zelda and I spent 5 nights in the wilderness, hiking out on a section of the Continental Divide Trail and returning via several loopy detours. Ten-years older, the hiking was more difficult than I recalled, mostly at elevations in the 12,000-13,000 foot range with frequent ups and downs, and even the on-trail sections were often badly overgrown. So I didn't cover as much ground as I had originally expected but I still got to see a lot, and the scenery was amazing.
After a climb from the trailhead, views opened up with alpine meadows surrounded by peaks. These signs indicate that the Continental Divide Trail and the Colorado Trail coincide in this section.
The Grenadier Range in the background was a frequent dramatic backdrop.
Because of the late snows this year, the wildflowers were at their peak in mid-August.
A tarn below Mt. Nebo with the Grenadiers in the background.
Moose family.
Poor Zelda was constantly having to bash through willows over-growing the trail.
Campsite by Twin Lakes on the Continental Divide Trail.
Some nights were chilly. I left some water in Zelda's bowl over night and found it mostly frozen in the morning.
Pack-llamas (not mine) with Ute Lake in the background.
Typical scenery on the trail.
Flint Lake lunch stop. Pretty but no fish.
More scenery. Rock Lake at lower left.
Just constant amazing views in every direction. I took more photos this trip than on 4 typical trips.
Wildflowers and Rock Lake.
Still some snow remaining in August for Zelda at higher elevations, with Twin Lakes below.
Campsite at Middle Ute Lake.
Classic San Juan range scenery.
Views of Eldorado Lake from the continental divide.
More continental divide views.
Flower-covered meadows at 12,600 feet.
Vestal and Arrow Peaks.
Verde Lakes. We found a nice campsite on a small rise at the far end.
Verde Lakes campsite next to a lake literally boiling with trout.
Peak-a-boo mountain views from the Verde Lakes campsite.
On chilly nights, Zelda sleeps in my puffy. As you can see, she's totally content.
We ran into legendary through-hiker Hawkeye Johnson (https://gohawkeye.org) a couple of times and took this photo near one of the Highland Mary Lakes. Hawkeye was nearing completion of a 400-mile fundraiser hike from his home in Telluride. He is one of a select group that has completed the three major North American "long trails" two times each (Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Pacific Crest Trail).
All summer I have been anticipating a return to the Weminuche Wilderness in SW Colorado. It's quite a long drive for me, and I haven't been in 10 years, but I really think it's the most spectacular part of the state and one of the highlights of the Rocky Mountains. Zelda and I spent 5 nights in the wilderness, hiking out on a section of the Continental Divide Trail and returning via several loopy detours. Ten-years older, the hiking was more difficult than I recalled, mostly at elevations in the 12,000-13,000 foot range with frequent ups and downs, and even the on-trail sections were often badly overgrown. So I didn't cover as much ground as I had originally expected but I still got to see a lot, and the scenery was amazing.
After a climb from the trailhead, views opened up with alpine meadows surrounded by peaks. These signs indicate that the Continental Divide Trail and the Colorado Trail coincide in this section.
The Grenadier Range in the background was a frequent dramatic backdrop.
Because of the late snows this year, the wildflowers were at their peak in mid-August.
A tarn below Mt. Nebo with the Grenadiers in the background.
Moose family.
Poor Zelda was constantly having to bash through willows over-growing the trail.
Campsite by Twin Lakes on the Continental Divide Trail.
Some nights were chilly. I left some water in Zelda's bowl over night and found it mostly frozen in the morning.
Pack-llamas (not mine) with Ute Lake in the background.
Typical scenery on the trail.
Flint Lake lunch stop. Pretty but no fish.
More scenery. Rock Lake at lower left.
Just constant amazing views in every direction. I took more photos this trip than on 4 typical trips.
Wildflowers and Rock Lake.
Still some snow remaining in August for Zelda at higher elevations, with Twin Lakes below.
Campsite at Middle Ute Lake.
Classic San Juan range scenery.
Views of Eldorado Lake from the continental divide.
More continental divide views.
Flower-covered meadows at 12,600 feet.
Vestal and Arrow Peaks.
Verde Lakes. We found a nice campsite on a small rise at the far end.
Verde Lakes campsite next to a lake literally boiling with trout.
Peak-a-boo mountain views from the Verde Lakes campsite.
On chilly nights, Zelda sleeps in my puffy. As you can see, she's totally content.
We ran into legendary through-hiker Hawkeye Johnson (https://gohawkeye.org) a couple of times and took this photo near one of the Highland Mary Lakes. Hawkeye was nearing completion of a 400-mile fundraiser hike from his home in Telluride. He is one of a select group that has completed the three major North American "long trails" two times each (Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Pacific Crest Trail).
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