Meador Manor

June 20, 2012

Gentle Readers: I am still catching up on my posts for Operation Junebug. This one goes up three days late, and there are three more still to come.

The Curecanti Needle (click image for slideshow)

A week into Operation Junebug I awoke and drove 16 miles west on US 50 to the Elk Creek Visitors Center of the Curecanti National Recreation Area. I arrived just after they opened and for $16 obtained a slot on the 10 o’clock boat tour on Morrow Point Reservoir. I’d wanted to do this since my hike down Curecanti Creek on Day 4 had not yielded a satisfactory view of the famed Curecanti Needle, the 700 foot high granite spire which graced the logo of the old Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. Aboard the boat I would get to see it in all of its glory, and I’d get a chance to walk the Pine Creek trail which I’d seen from high above on Highway 92.

Descent Along Pine Creek

Descent Along Pine Creek

I drove another 13 miles west to a gravel road leading down off US 50 to where Pine Creek feeds into what was once the Gunnison River and is now the shallow and narrow eastern end of Morrow Point Reservoir, just below the dam for Blue Mesa Reservoir.

I followed other riders down the 232 stairs leading into Black Canyon alongside Pine Creek to the railroad grade of the old Denver & Rio Grande, blasted out of the side of the canyon back in 1881 and 1882. The railroad tracks in this area were removed in 1949 and the only operating part of the railroad’s narrow gauge system are the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which I last rode in 2010, and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, which I rode in 2011. So on my third consecutive summer vacation in Colorado I was visiting the old rail line yet again, but this time I’d be walking and boating along part of its route, rather than riding in a steam train.

Along the Railbed to the Boat Dock

Along the Railbed

The canyon walls are always crumbling, and some huge stones had crashed onto the trail since it was constructed. You can see more rockfalls in the background of the picture. The ranger aboard the boat would later say that these piles are building up since the river no longer floods through here to sweep them away; one source says the building of the three dams has reduced the strength of the flooding Gunnison River by 80%.

It was a mile-long walk from the trailhead to the boat dock, at which were docked the 40-foot long Curecata 2 I’d be riding, along with some smaller launches. Two men were already aboard the large pontoon boat: Ranger Greg and Captain Steve.

Two More Great People in Our Park Service

Ranger Greg

Another couple and I were the first to arrive at the dock. Ranger Greg came out to greet us, a tall charming high school English teacher who lives nearby and has worked seasonally here and up at the isolated North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park farther downstream. He showed off a photograph he’d taken the night before, combining several long exposures to get a twilight shot beneath one of the park bridges.

He did a great job of making everyone comfortable as he checked arrivals in and got us into our life jackets, repeatedly urging us to use the available restroom before boarding. I asked and he laughingly admitted that he’d seen someone sneaking a leak off the back of the boat before when in extremis. Altogether 40 people would be aboard the boat on this morning tour.

Captain Steve

Captain Steve was from Juneau, Alaska, where he spends the winter. (Interesting choice!) He was also quite friendly and accommodating, offering advice that if you really want to see Alaska, take the Alaska state ferries from town to town up the coast. Captain Steve, who was older than Greg, piloted the boat while Greg donned a microphone so he could tell us about the history, geology, and ecology of the area on our 45-minute cruise downstream. So in a way it reminded me of Gilligan’s Island, but this time around the skipper was thin and smart and Gilligan was actually The Professor. And instead of a three-hour tour, ours would be half that. Oh yeah, we didn’t get stranded on an island, either!

Sheared Wall

Heading Downstream

The lake is incredibly narrow at the boat dock, not all that much wider than the boat itself. That and the strong current coming from the dam makes piloting tricky, but Captain Steve made it look easy.

I could see the large veins of intruding rock in the canyon walls, and we passed sharp towering spires and rockfalls. I used my bionic vision to see one spire close up. There was one spot where the canyon wall was sheared off vertically.

Chipeta Falls

We passed Chipeta Falls, named after the wife of Ute chief Ouray. After the Meeker massacre in 1879, which Ouray’s group had not been involved in, Ouray helped negotiate the release of white captives by the Ute, with Chipeta helping searchers locate them. Nevertheless, Ouray’s group was forcibly relocated to Utah along with the other Utes and he died soon after. Chipeta lived on until 1924, a proponent of peace known late in life for spending her money on orphan children. She was buried in the appropriately named Bitter Creek in Utah but subsequently reinterred with her husband at their farm in Montrose.

Chipeta Falls

The Curecanti Needle

At last Ranger Greg held up the logo of the Denver & Rio Grande, explaining that we were approaching the Curecanti Needle. I snapped a photo of it looking downstream.

The Curecanti Needle

Later I shot it looking upstream, the vantage point the original lithograph was made from. This was also where Curecanti Creek empties into the lake, the spot where I had stood on the shore at the end of the Curecanti Creek Trail a few days earlier.

Cliff Projection

Turnaround

We passed an enormous rockfall, which had left a fin of rock projecting from the canyon wall. Some canyon walls showed many layers of eroding rock.

When the lake suddenly widened, we had reached the far end of our journey. I took a final look downstream and then the Curecata 2 turned about and headed back upstream.

More projections stuck out from the side of the canyon. As the reservoir’s bottom lifted beneath us, occasional metal bars became visible from the side of the canyon. Ranger Greg explained those were the remains of the old telegraph line which ran above the railroad bed. One was stuck into a rock which protruded from the lake.

Captain Steve had to be careful through here what with the ever-shallower lake bed and the occasional driftwood. Finally the old railroad bed began to emerge from the waters of the lake – the end of the Pine Creek Trail. I got a good shot of one of the old telegraph poles sticking out of the canyon wall.

The Railbed Disappears

I Walk the Line

We disembarked, thanking the Park Service men, and while the rest of the group headed back toward the trailhead, I was the only one who chose to head downstream along the remains of the railroad bed. I wanted to hike all of the Pine Creek Trail, plus I wanted to avoid being stuck on those interminable stairs behind a large group of elderly couples and families with children.

I was rewarded with a close-up look at the interesting rock along the canyon wall. It was 0.55 miles from the boat dock to the end where the railroad bed sank beneath the water. I followed the example of a bird and posed out on a rock, and walked past a very dark section of wall where erosion exposed lighter rocks.

On my return trip I passed the boat dock, where Ranger Greg was prepping the next boat load of tourists. The lake narrowed and the current increased to where you would swear this was just a river. I reached Pine Creek, where the railroad bed disappeared again and the many stairs beckoned.

Pine Creek Stairs

Climbing Up

The stairs are a combination of stone and wood sections, sometimes dodging trees which provided valuable shade during the ascent next to burbling Pine Creek. I had walked a total of three miles going down to the boat, from the boat to the end of the line, and back up to the trailhead, while the boat had made an 11-mile round-trip on Morrow Point Reservoir.

Video Aboard the Curecata 2

Superb Mexican Food at Añejo Bistro & Bar

Añejo Bistro & Bar

I drove back to Gunnison for lunch, thankfully heeding TripAdvisor’s advice to eat at Añejo Bistro & Bar. It is a narrow and deep little bar/restaurant tucked in along the west side of Main south of US 50. The online advice said there were a few tables in the back and indeed the waitress offered to let me sit at the bar up front or walk past the kitchen unit to the tables at the rear. I ordered my usual, steak fajitas, unaware that I was about to have some of the best Mexican food of my life.

The cook prepared fresh salsa for me. I grew up eating cooked salsa at El Chico and it remains my preference, but this fresh salsa was amazing. It had just the right mix of ingredients, flavor, and spiciness. Oh, this boded well!

My steak fajitas were an excellent cut of meat. The biggest downfall of Bartlesville’s Mexican restaurants is the poor to mediocre quality of their meat. El Chico has much better meat, but even it pales in comparison to what is served at El Plazuela at Santa Fe’s famous La Fonda Hotel and, now I know, what they serve at Añejo’s in Gunnison. Even better, it was served with superbly cooked onions and peppers and portabello mushrooms. The rice was fluffy and flavorful, and so on. There is now a three-way tie for the best fajitas ever: La Rosa in Bend, Oregon; La Plazuela in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Añejo’s in Gunnison, Colorado. And Anejo’s had the best salsa and was the cheapest. The Hendersons called a bit later and I told them I’d already had lunch but they should try Anejo’s. They did and reported it was indeed superb. Bravo!

It was a delightful end to my adventures for the day. I spent the remainder of the day editing photos and blogging. This trip has been so packed with adventures that I was often three days behind on posts. The next day I would rise for breakfast with the Hendersons and a return to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, then take a scenic drive south to Pagosa Springs.

Click here for a slideshow from this adventure

Junebug Day 8: The Silver Thread Scenic Byway >

< Junebug Day 6: Three Lakes

June 19, 2012

Lost Lake Slough (click image for slideshow)

Having done moderately well above 10,000 feet for part of the previous day, I agreed to meet my friends the Hendersons for lunch at Crested Butte on Day 6 of Operation Junebug. I worked on my blog posts in the morning until about 11 a.m. and then drove up to Crested Butte.

Crested Butte

Downtown Crested Butte

That big lump reaches 12,160 feet at its pinnacle but thankfully the main town of about 1,500 permanent residents is only 8,900 feet above sea level. I parked downtown, with the mountain looming to the east, and walked the main drag of Elk Avenue. I was surprised by a banner proclaiming “Urinetown” at the old city hall. Urinetown is a musical comedy, it turns out.

There were scads of restaurants and a few hippie stores, but thankfully no truly tacky tourist shops. I liked the Old Rock Community Library building’s exterior, built as a school back in 1883.

Upper Loop Trail

The Hendersons called and I had a bit of time left before they arrived from Taylor Park Reservoir, so I drove up to Mount Crested Butte and took Hunter Hill road to an overlook which serves as the trailhead for the Upper Loop trail, which winds along the mountainside through aspen groves down to a subdivision.

The southwestward panorama from the overlook was sweeping. From left to right in the panorama are Crested Butte, Red Mountain, Whetstone Mountain, and Mount Emmons. The last one is the place of continuing controversy over attempted development of a molybdenum mine, thus far fought off by Crested Butte.

Overlook Panorama

Below me I could see the little ski town and ahead and left of the trail was the mountain itself. The trail made a steep but short ascent as it headed southeast and then descended into the aspens, with occasional wildflowers. A Tiger Swallowtail butterfly alighted and I was enjoying the aspens when the Hendersons called and I had to return to town for lunch. We had a tasty pizza at the Brick Oven and Betty and John posed on a cute bench out front. Then John drove us west about 19 miles to the Lost Lake Slough.

Lost Lake

Three Lakes Trail

John had camped with a buddy here over 20 years ago when they were elk hunting, and wanted to hike up to the waterfall at Lost Lake. We set forth on Trail #843, the Three Lakes Trail, climbing through groves of tall trees and aspens.

We soon arrived at Lost Lake with East Beckwith Mountain rising beyond. There was a significant logjam near the trail. John led us around the lake and we bushwhacked through a meadow with a few wildflowers. We rejoined the trail and made our way to the waterfalls.

Lost Lake Waterfalls

The falls was a cascade tumbling through a slot in the slope. I shot a video, of course.

Dollar Lake

Dollar Lake

Next we headed over to the third lake, Dollar. Along the way another Tiger Swallowtail was enjoying a field of wildflowers. The Anthracite Range to the southeast still sported a bit of snow. The nearest slope of East Beckwith looked like it would be a dreadful climb, being a huge rubble field.

There were mountain bluebells and we had ascended to about 10,000 feet and could now see Lost Lake Slough below us with Marcellina Mountain as a backdrop, inviting a panorama shot.

We reached the short spur leading to Dollar Lake, which was close to the East Beckwith peaks. The Hendersons and I again traded taking shots. Some of the nearby peaks were quite sharp and jagged.

Descent

We were all feeling the effects of the altitude on our stamina and glad to head downhill back to Lost Lake Slough. We again saw shifts from pines to aspens and back again, with the aspens rustling in the wind as we walked. When Lost Lake Slough was in sight, we could see a couple out in an inflatable boat. They floated out across the lake as we descended.

Lost Lake Slough

A large beaver lodge was also visible on the lake. There were more wildflowers along the path such as scarlet trumpet phlox. The view of the slough was quite beautiful in the late afternoon sun. The peaks resembled a snowy saddle. I closed out my photography for the day with a panorama.

Hobbling Home

We returned to Crested Butte to eat dinner at the Wooden Nickel, worn out from a mere three mile hike. But we had been hiking at elevations between 9,600 and 10,000 feet. As we left the restaurant, Betty commented on how John and I were walking. I said we were swaggerin’, but John admitted we were really hobblin’.

We parted ways, with plans to join up again in two days. The Hendersons have never been to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and my pass was good for a week, so I would be taking them over there. But before that there was a boat ride I wanted to take…

Click here for a slideshow from this day hike

Junebug Day 7: Aboard the Curecata 2 >

< Junebug Day 5: River and Mountains

July 17, 2012

Gentle readers, I’m keeping very busy on this summer vacation, so I’m now running about three days behind on the posts…bear with me, I will get everything posted as quickly as I can. 🙂

On my third night of Operation Junebug I slept much better down at Gunnison, so the lower elevation prevented a recurrence of altitude sickness. After breakfast I drove west along the Gunnison River and Blue Mesa Lake to hike at the Curecanti National Recreation Area. The Dillon Pinnacles, breccia intrusions exposed by erosion, had caught my eye two days before and there was a hiking trail to them.

Dillon Pinnacles

Dillon Pinnacles (click image for slideshow)

I drove 23 miles over to the trailhead, where a young lady park ranger was also heading out on the trail ahead of me. I poked along, seeing her diminishing figure ahead on the trail from time to time. I was rounding a big hill and then the pinnacles came into sight.

A sign explained how 30 some million years ago volcanic explosions yielded accumulating lava, mud flows, and rocks to form the breccia forming today’s pinnacles. Two million years ago the Gunnison River began carving away at the breccia, leaving behind what we see today.

The trail led upwards alongside a dry tree-lined channel. The day was warming quickly and I paused to sip water and zip off the lower part of the legs of my hiking pants, converting them into shorts.

I was close enough to the pinnacles to see large stones projecting from the breccia and a couple on the trail ahead of me provided some scale. The trail continued to climb and as it levelled out below the pinnacles I saw a sign and that the park ranger had stopped to chat with the couple on the trail.

The Ranger

Friendly Ranger

I walked up and the couple headed onward while the park ranger turned and greeted me. We talked for over 30 minutes, with me asking her trail recommendations and her pointing out a few things about this trail. This friendly and clearly intelligent young adult brought out my past experience as a college advisor, prompting me to ask about her background and future plans. I found out she has a degree in geology and loves physics, conducting astronomy hikes at her different postings. She’s considering some day settling down and perhaps teaching high school earth science and physics, which of course led me to proffer advice and encouragement. It was a wonderful encounter and it is great to see such fine people working in our national parks, out helping folks and making us feel welcome.

I also learned from the ranger that this reservoir was topped out a few months back but had already been drawn down about 38 feet and she expected they would take it down to 55 feet below its full level. She explained that the primary purpose of Blue Mesa is to store up water so that the water level in Morrow Point and Crystal farther down the Black Canyon could be held up and for their big release of water from Crystal to recreate flood flows. The farmers are already making water demands in the unseasonably warm late spring weather.

Little Pinnacle

Pinnacles

Finally we parted and I headed along the trail, which does not try to make the steep ascent up to the pinnacles but runs parallel to the lake below them. I was now close enough to see their texture better, especially using my superzoom camera. I had a sweeping view of this portion of the lake, including the dam which I would be crossing later in the day.

One part of the formation had clearly different rock at the top, something the park ranger could have told me all about. A small pinnacle beside the trail allowed for a close-up inspection of the breccia and the lichen growing on it as well. I posed with the little guy and walked to a loop at the end of the trail, overlooking the lake and providing a view of more yellowish rock layers.

Windy

Windy

The wind suddenly picked up from a nice breeze to strong gusts, covering the lake in whitecaps and sending boats scurrying. I scurried too, ready to get off the windswept overlook. I took in another last view of some of the pinnacles along the way and was not surprised to find the ranger had left her lonely and windy vigil at the earlier overlook. She’d mentioned she would probably go work another trail down in the canyon. But the trail she’d mentioned that perked my interest most was a different one leading down into a side creek, so I would not be seeing her again.

I passed a young couple who had ventured down to a big driftwood tree by the whitecapped reservoir, and walked by the small mesa adjacent to the pinnacles while watching a sailboat motoring upstream. Reaching the trailhead, I hopped in my car and drove across the dam along highway 92, which hugs the north rim of this stretch of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, upstream from the national park.

Curecanti Creek Overlooks

Pioneer Point

Curecanti Creek, which is named after a Ute Indian chief, tumbles southward at Pioneer Point down into what was the Gunnison River and is now Morrow Point Reservoir in the upper section of the Black Canyon. Highway 92 has multiple overlooks at Pioneer Point, where Blue Creek also feeds into the reservoir from the south.

The narrowness and depth of both the side creeks and the main river channel are impressive, with the reservoir looking like a small green pool down below. It was a bit intimidating to think how I’d be descending 880 feet to reach the reservoir, part of the descent following Curecanti Creek. It was even more intimidating to know I’d have to haul myself back up!

The various canyon views were impressive, and from this overlook one could see another overlook nearby, which was perched on an enormous slab of swirly-colored stone. Later I found the overlook I was on was perched right on the edge of a big near-vertical slab. I used my camera’s superzoom to peer down at Curecanti Creek and the series of waterfalls I would be walking next to. This looked challenging and rewarding.

Upper Bridge

Descent to the Creek

I headed off along the trail, which at first led north along the rim high above the eastern side of the creek. There was a nice view south along the creek’s canyon as the trail began a few switchbacks in its descent down the eastern side of the canyon, with a jutting needle beside the trail. There were only a few steps along the way.

I reached the bottom of the eastern side of the trail and could now see the creek below me as the trail headed to a bridge crossing, providing a nice view of the creek. There were huge chunky rocks beside the trail and across the creek. I could look across at the eastern wall of the canyon, and one huge rock which had broken off and tumbled onto the trail showed signs of its turbulent formation.

Descending Beside the Creek

A tree growing across the trail and then up provided a unique seat for me while a butterfly alighted on a nearby pine tree and then shifted to another perch. The trail edged away from the western side of the canyon in a wider spot, where I was startled to see a picnic table, since this clearing was still high above the reservoir yet hundreds of feet below the rim. The table provided a nice view of the western canyon wall and here it contrasted sharply to the eastern wall’s appearance.

The trail ran through trees and alongside huge rockfalls on the western slope. Cool air blew out of holes and cracks in these rockfalls, providing some natural air conditioning. There are some deep crevices back there.

Waterfalls

Now began a long series of waterfalls, cascading down boulders and ledges as the trail descended quite steeply. Somewhere along here something had died and the smell was quite atrocious. Later I found rotting fish remains beside one of the falls, so perhaps these were leftovers from a bear’s snack or the merciless waterfalls simply pounded them to death.

The view opened up and I could see a large spire on the eastern wall with a big bite taken out of it near the top. Later I found the enormous chunk of rock which had broken free. What an impact that must have been!

The view downstream was still gorgeous, with another bridge ahead, and the eastern wall was becoming much steeper. I crossed the second bridge, shifting me to the eastern side of the creek. There were more waterfalls below that, and a tree competing with the canyon walls.

Morrow Point Reservoir

As I approached the end of the trail, the eastern wall became truly intimidating and Morrow Point Reservoir became visible. The creek was tumbling over a broader array of rocks as it approached the lake. A large slab marked where the creek leveled out.

A vault toilet was situated here near the end of the trail, clearly brought in by boat. The trail finally ended at the lake shore. I turned around to look up the creek. The reservoir was quite narrow here, deep below the canyon walls.

I took the last bit of trail I could find for a promised view of the 700 foot high granite spire called the Curecanti Needle, which graced the logo of the old Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, a remnant of which is the Durango-Silverton line I’ve ridden twice before. If that was the needle before me, it sure looked different from this angle, so I probably missed something. Most shots I’ve seen of it are taken from a boat. Regardless, it had been a splendid and gorgeous hike down to here.

Morrow Point Reservoir

Ascent

On the way back up I walked out on boulders to shoot the falls below the lower bridge from a different angle and then posed on that bridge. Farther up I again walked out on boulders to shoot one of the higher waterfalls. A Pearl Crescent butterfly posed for me as I ascended to the upper bridge and made my way back up to the rim overlooks.

Waterfalls are best appreciated in video, so here’s my collection of such clips from the Curecanti Creek Trail.

Above Morrow Point Reservoir

Pioneer Point

From the overlooks I took a shot of the view upstream and a bird of prey flying across the canyon. I found a nice spot for a shot and offered to exchange shots with a couple who were at the overlook with me. They have been coming up to Blue Mesa for years but until today had never crossed the dam over to this side of the canyon. I told them about the trail and the picnic table, etc. and they were very interested, planning to make the hike for a picnic lunch sometime.

Pine Creek Trail and Blue Mesa Dam

I drove back along Highway 92, stopping to shoot the view westward along the canyon. Farther along the road I could see the old Denver and Rio Grande narrow gauge railway path leading along the canyon wall. That portion is now the Pine Creek Trail, leading over to a boat landing on the lake for a park service boat tour I shall take someday to get a good look at the Curecanti Needle.

I pulled over for the view of the Blue Mesa Dam, an earthen dam now covered with riprap which rises 390 feet and is 785 feet long at the crest. The outflow spins two great turbines, each of which can put out 30 megawatts of electrical power. Below was the Pine Creek trailhead, with 232 steps descending from the canyonside down to the old railway grade.

The Curecanti Creek Trail was quite delightful with its magnificent canyon walls and waterfalls. The next day I’d be braving a return to the high country, heading up to the cabin rented by the Hendersons up at Taylor Lake Reservoir so they could show me around their favorite vacation spot.

Click here for a slideshow from this day hike

Junebug Day 5: River and Mountains >

< Junebug Day 3: Hartman Rocks

June 16, 2012

Hartman Rocks (click image for slideshow)

Altitude Sickness

My comfortable room at the Grand Lodge could not lure me to sleep. I have suffered from insomnia since childhood, but I could tell something more than that was at work. Had my constant guzzling of fluids over the past few days failed to prevent altitude sickness? In the wee hours I gulped some more water and I did finally drift off to fitful dreams, only to awaken at 7:00 a.m. with a brain-busting headache. The last time I had a headache like that was when I hiked at Wolf Creek Pass last July. That time I’d driven up from Pagosa Springs at 7,105 feet to the 11,780 foot Alberta Peak for a day hike. This time I’d driven from Pueblo at 4,692 feet to hike at the Black Canyon at 8,000 feet and then driven up to Mount Crested Butte to sleep at over 9,500 feet.

About 20 percent of the population is susceptible to altitude sickness, usually triggered by elevations above 8,000 feet, and my symptoms matched its milder profile: headache, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, and sleeplessness. I didn’t ask my doctor for acetazolamide to help with it before I left Bartlesville, so that wasn’t an option. The fast cure is to drop altitude. I needed to heed the old adage of “Hike high, sleep low” and get off the mountain.

Crested Butte

So I packed up, cancelled my reservation for the next two nights and checked out of the hotel. I pulled over briefly to snap a few shots of what I’m now calling Crested Brute. I was sad to be leaving the big mountains, but I would attempt a return later in the week, hoping that by then I might have acclimated better. Neither of my parents had altitude sickness when they visited Crested Brute, but I’m just special.

I headed back down to Gunnison at 7,700 feet, happy to see the big W of Western State University, which I took for Welcome this miserable morning, although from the photo you might wonder if it stands for Wal-Mart. My skull felt like it would burst. I forced myself to eat a tiny breakfast at the McDonald’s and took some ibuprofen. My symptoms began to ease after an hour and I reserved a room at the Quality Inn in Gunnison for the next four nights since I wouldn’t be staying with the Hendersons overnight at Taylor Lake either: it has a similar elevation to Mount Crested Butte.

The advice after a bout of this condition is to take it easy for awhile. My method of taking it easy was to go hike 8.25 miles with cumulative vertical elevation changes of over 1,600 feet. It takes all types!

Hartman Rocks

I really did want to hike but I knew I needed to stay around 8,000 feet and be on trails well stocked with people. So I drove over to Hartman Rocks by the Gunnison Airport. This is an 8,000 acre recreation area with over 20 trails, serving hikers, mountain bikers, 4-wheelers, skiers, you name it. It is recommended as a warm-up area to hike to acclimate to the elevation – that’s the ticket!

Hartman Rocks

It is named for a pioneer family and the area did look fascinating as I drove up to the main entrance, or “base area” – a skiing term, I believe. There was a big sign providing details on the area along with a map dispenser. That map would come in handy, even though it only concentrates on the motors-allowed trails. It turned out that my iPhone’s MotionX GPS App also had many of the trails on its terrain map, which helped me navigate in this immense area criss-crossed by trails of various types.

I peered into the camera for some reason at this point – I still had a bad headache, so I’m not sure what my intention was, but it does record my bad habit of ducking down my head to peer over my glasses rather than elevating it to try and peer through my progressive bifocals. If only big lenses from the 1980s were back in fashion, I’d probably do better at this!

Conquering the Main Ridge

Several people were mounting mountain bikes and heading out. An SUV was driving up a steep road which I later found out goes behind the main formation and is popular with rock climbers as well as bikers looking to start up high. I hiked up to the first landing, still below the higher part of the ridge, pausing to rest and drink at a picnic table.

My headache was finally gone and I decided I was good to go on up. I took a video of a mountain biker riding the Collarbone trail while his friend also shot a video of his ride and provided encouragement. I’d walk that trail myself at the end of the day, and those curves were far too steep to walk on; I had to run along some and find flatter side trails for others. I’d never ride a bike on them, but then again, I never even learned how to ride a bike until I was about to finish elementary school!

Speaking of encouragement, a bevy of scantily clad jail bait were running up the hill ahead of me. I’d managed to pick a very steep trail while the ladies were crisscrossing ever higher, putting me to shame. My route got even worse, but at least the steepest section had solid rock for my boots to grip, rather than loose sand and gravel.

Cottontail

Rising another level, I rested again and drank some more, with a cute cottontail keeping a wary watch on me, ready to leap to my assistance…oh, scratch that…ready to leap away if I moved a muscle. I was getting fairly high up, with interesting rock formations scattered about. But the final ridge remained. I shot a 360-degree panorama to record my progress, and posed by a trail sign, delighted that my altitude sickness was gone.

I looked down at some rare trees for this area and could spot Princess in the distant parking lot. The sun was peeking out to make interesting shadows on the convoluted rock formations and different shadings, while a chipmunk took over for the rabbit in monitoring my progress, backed up by N948CA of the Civil Air Patrol overhead. The 20x zoom on my Canon Powershot SX 260 makes me feel like Steve Austin sometimes. I wish it would make the bionic eye sound when it zooms in!

The rocks were now riddled with thin quartz strips and from the top I saw more long ribbons of volcanic intrusions in the granite. I was finally leaving the 160-acre Base Area jointly owned by the City and County of Gunnison and entering the thousands of acres owned by the federal Bureau of Land Management.

The Geocache

I passed a large dead tree and ahead saw an oasis: trees with a bench and a fire ring, although the entire state is under a fire ban right now. One tree had a large hole and I peeked in, discovering a geocache.

The Geocache

I was thrilled by my accidental discovery, although my pleasure was reduced when I realized this area up top is easily accessed from the road system. You can take that steep road I saw earlier and drive right up here for an easy climb to the top of the ridge, something rock climbers do to reach their spots.

Big Brown Lands

The view westward was of rolling brown desert punctuated by protruding rock formations. I left the geocache area by the “V-Drop” trail, reaching an area crisscrossed by vehicle roads. On the eastern side of the ridge a turkey vulture was riding the thermals.

Colorful Rocks

A nearby ridge of stone resembled a prone rock creature, at least to my altitude-addled brain. There were larger veins of milky quartz along here, with large chunks popped out across the ground. Someone had placed a few choice specimens in granite hollows. There were a variety of colors available, and someone had made a stone curbing for a part of this trail.

Some of the shapes and forms of the granite in this area, sans the intrusions, reminded me of the Wichita Mountains back in Oklahoma, while some of its color and mineral distribution reminded me of the pink granite of Oklahoma’s Ten Acre Rock. Interestingly, Ten Acre Rock was mined for pink granite for Oklahoma’s capitol building and Aberdeen Quarry here at Hartman Rocks was mined for Colorado’s capitol.

Rock Climber

I heard voices and trooped over to a large stone face to find a piton and ropes. I clambered up a ledge and watched a young lady who was working her way up a rock face with guidance and encouragement from below.

Nearby were some large stone sentinels, and I posed to give them scale, showing that one standing stone puts even Stonehenge’s massive ones to shame. A blue bird flew past and posed in a tree with a snack in its beak. I came across the rock climbers’ vehicle, adorned with a 686 clothing decal. (I had to look that up, since jock clothing is not my forté.)

Flintstones House

Outcrops

I stopped up top at one outcropping for a snack break, my lunch for the day consisting of a large PayDay bar. But I would make up for it with a huge dinner later on. The view west showed a rolling brown landscape with occasional protrusions of stone.

Another outcropping looked like a home out of the Flintstones and another like a stone sandwich. A tree popped out of another, bent but not broken. I saw tilted planes of stone looking like part of a loaf of bread…that would be hard bread indeed. Two more dead trees looked to me something like a natural version of something Roxy Paine would do.

Trail Guides

I followed the road for awhile, heading back toward the Base Area. The managers have done a nice job of marking trails off for various uses, and periodically close some trails for reseeding and repair. Barriers help delineate trails not meant for motorized vehicles or in a few cases for anything with wheels.

I followed one such trail over the ridge and back into the mountain biking area, with a friendly biker passing by. I caught us exchanging hellos on video. My map showed another hiker-only trail on the north edge of the area, and I trooped over to try “The Ridge“. A gap in the rocks gave a lovely northeast view of a farm down below and purple mountain majesties beyond.

The Ridge

Wow – this was by far the best hike I found in the park. The Ridge trail slowly worked its way up to the north rim of the uplift, with more interesting rock formations, including a huge cleaved boulder which I posed by for some scale. I heard a jet and used my bionic vision on it, then used it again on a blue bird which flew past me and alighted on a tortured tree. Another tree silhouetted against the sky was framed by clouds.

The Ridge View

Then I reached the north rim and saw a tremendous panorama. Tomichi Creek flowed below through its floodplain. I walked to where I could site along the rim and show you the difference in vegetation between the Tomichi Creek floodplain on the north and the high desert on the south. I shot a video for a 360 degree panorama of the view, zooming in on a golf course down below.

The view westward of the Gunnison River valley showed the same dramatic effect, and from the high point on the ridge I could see the shorter back side of the Base Area ridge.

Show Off

I couldn’t resist posing up on a pinnacle, showing that while I may suffer from altitude sickness I’m not afraid of precipitous perches. I think Christ the Redeemer up on Corcovado Mountain in Rio may very well be holding his arms out to help balance, now that I think of it!

Walking the Bike Trails

The Ridge Trail then turned back southeast with a series of switchbacks and curves designed for mountain biking fun. I could only maintain my footing through them by running instead of walking. I posed beside another huge boulder.

Aspens

Golf Course Trail

From up high I had seen trees lining a dry creekbed. This turned out to the trail leading around and down to the golf course. I took it, adding an extra mile to my hike. I was rewarded with a very different trail than all of the previous ones. The doubletrack trail is used by people and horses and sported butterflies and aspens, which I always love, and a small grove of tall trees.

I reached the end, passing through an old fence which had buckled in interesting ways. A new barbed wire fence enclosed the entire area, however. A trail leading along the base of the ridge was closed off, and I had to laugh at the repetitive NO iconography on the trail sign. The golf course was also fenced off; evidently they tried letting people walk from Hartman Rocks along the paths in the golf course, but people strayed across the greens and fairways and that led to it being blocked off.

Bike Trails Wrap It Up

I spotted a hiker sporting what from a distance appeared to be a huge backpack. Was he in training? But then I realized it was some large partially zipped pad…oh, that’s a crash pad used by rock climbers. I’m learning.

I decided to return to the parking lot along the Collarbone Alley Bike Trail. As I mentioned earlier, the sweeping curves were quite a challenge.

Whirlpool Tubbin’

I’d hiked a total of 8.25 miles and was rather weary. I checked into my new hotel room and was delighted to find a bathtub with whirlpool jets…I’d forgotten I’d picked that when making the reservation. The warm jets took my cares away and then I dressed for a tasty big dinner at Viva Mexico. I’d survived the altitude and was ready to take on pinnacles and needles the following day.

Click here for a slideshow from this day hike

Junebug Day 4: Pinnacles and Needles >

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