2011 Ouray, CO - Day 7 Uncompahgre Peak Hike

Well it's been a few months since my trip to Colorado and I haven't written about our biggest adventure if the trip yet. The one thing I wanted to do before we even left for Colorado was to hike a mountain. And since I'm crazy I decided it needed to be a 14er. It didn't take much convincing to get the other two on board for the expedition; took a little more time to decide on which mountain to climb (started as Mt Snuffles then we switched to Uncomphagre along the way.)  At home we started a regimen to get ready for the hike (as best possible in flat Oklahoma).

Since we camped out about 45 minutes from the trail head, we had an early wake up call so we could be hiking by 7am. 4:45 came very early after sleeping on the rocky ground all night and I think we were all a little glad to just be getting up. We quietly packed up camp and got ready to go. The first 15 minutes of the drive was nice and peaceful on a paved road. That quickly changed as we turned on the road to the trailhead. The 4-5 mile trail took about 30 minutes to climb with several sharp switchbacks, streams to cross, and tight roads to pass. We finally made it to the top and put our hiking shoes on, our packs on and we were off.

Now in deciding to hike this mountain (or any mountain) I had no.clue what to expect. The first 1/4 mile or so was through a forest of evergreens. The trail was fairly flat and wide and you couldn't see our peak. We soon emerged from the trees into a beautiful clearing full of flowers, flowing creeks, and a view of Uncomphagre Peak.   The trail through this lower clearing area was beautiful. We hiked along the babbling brook for awhile with a few small hills to climb.  This area was fairly flat also and had great views of the area. Since we were above the tree line, all the views of the surrounding mountains were unobstructed. 

As we got to the top of the clearing, we came to our first major climb.  This was a minor incline with several switch backs. This turned into a flat region for awhile before reaching a steep uphill incline with no switch backs. The weather to this point had been fairly warm. We had quickly shed our jackets at the beginning but at this point the colder air started to set back in. At this point we were hiking along the lower ridge line of the peak. There were some beautiful views of the valleys on the other side as well as the mountains in the distance. We were high enough to see some of the others 14ers in the area at this point.

We were starting to get tired legs at this point and just when we thought we were close to the final climb to the final climb to the peak we realized we had a steep section of about 12 switch backs to hike. For.each 10 steps we took we would have to stop to rest for a moment. It was slow going but we were determined. We finally made it to the top and once again thought we were almost there. Wrong!!! What awaited us was a short scramble (for those not accustom to hiking terms this means climbing up a rock slide). After several minutes of questioning if we wanted to continue, we were joined by a group that told us how to do the climb and suggested we follow them.  For me, going up isn't difficult, I was happy to be climbing up the rocks and felt secure by my pack pushing on my back, going down I knew would not be so pleasant.  

Once we got to the top of the scramble we still had about a 1/4 mile  of steady incline to hike to the peak.  With the air thin and our legs exhausted each step felt labored, but as we got within a hundred yards of the top, my racing instinct took over and I picked up the pace to the top.  And finally we were there!

There is no way to accurately describe the peak of a mountain, it is something that must be experienced.  The views were amazing and you could see for miles.  We were above the clouds in many cases and above all the surrounding peaks.  We signed the log, took a few pictures, cracked open an ice cold coke, and enjoyed the views for a few minutes.  As we stood on the top, we noticed the clouds forming quickly over us and suddenly sleet started to fall...in August! To someone from Oklahoma, this is unheard of! We quickly put on some extra clothes (we had already added gloves and ear warms awhile ago) and started climbing back down.  Now we get back to this rock slide...going down is not something I enjoy, each step was carefully calculated and I took my time to make sure each rock was secure.  After a frightful 10 minutes we finally were back on the trail.  We took a few more pictures and started the long decent back down.

Our plan had been to take the way down slowly, take pictures, and enjoy...nope - it started hailing on us, we ran.  Well as fast as you can run on steep, rocky switchbacks thousands of feet in the air on a sheer cliff... and once again I don't like going down which majorly slowed down our little group.  We stopped to put on rain jackets and pack ponchos, but outside of that it was a race to the car.
We finally made it back to the truck - 7 hour round trip to the peak and back.  It took us 5 hours to climb up, and just a little over 2 hours to make it back down - hail is great motivation!

Since we were already late to get the Jeep rental back in time, we opted for the highway over the Jeep trail for our return to Ouray.  Instead of traveling 10 miles over 3 hours, we traveled about 70 miles in 2 hours.  We were so exhausted we probably never would have made it over the those crazy trails.  We had great plans of going to the hot springs and going out to dinner after our trip, but when we made it back to camp all we could think about was a shower and bed.  And so that is what we did.

Climbing Uncomphagre Peak was similar to the feeling I had when I finished my first half marathon - it is an amazing feeling to accomplish something that not everyone can do or wants to do.  There is also something exhilarating about being able to conquer fear and overcome muscle exhaustion and push on to finish something you set your mind to. Even months later as I write this I still can feel the rush and the high of the accomplishment.

2011 Ouray, CO - Day 6 The Jeep Trails

Day 6 started the biggest part of our trip - the Jeep trails that connect Ouray to Silverton and Lake City.  We had decided before going that we wanted to rent a Jeep and drive these rocky roads that show some of the lesser seen areas of Colorado: uninhabited mountain areas, old mining towns, beautiful waterfalls and views, and sheer drops inches from the side of your vehicle.  For those of you who are runner friends, this Jeep trail we are taking is a portion of the Hardrock 100 miler, a ultra marathon in Colorado.  And for the record I will not be running that race...ever!

Uncomphagre River

We left fairly early in the morning, stopped by the bakery in Ouray to get something yummy to eat (a delicious cheddar and bacon scone for me) and headed to the head of the Jeep trail.  The head of the trail includes some parking areas for ATVs and for Jeeps that have been altered past standard road driving.  Heath and Sandy had tried to talk me into riding ATVs on the trail - I said I would rather be in a Jeep - more car around me...I quickly found out that the small width of the ATV is actually preferred as you don't have to get as close to the side of the trail (aka hug the inside edge of the mountain!)  The first mile or so of the Jeep trail was probably the worst of the entire drive.  There were tight switch backs, narrow lane, and large rocks protruding up from the road ready to jam into the bottom of the car.  After this area the roads became tamer, there were less sheer drops, and it was easier to sit back and enjoy the scenery.
The views from the Jeep trails were amazing.  We started by driving along the Uncomphagre River (which is the river that feed the waterfall next to the highway we visited earlier in the week).  There were several waterfalls and dams as we climbed in elevation beside it.  After we rose above the river area we started seeing the peaks of the surrounding mountains and the diminishing trees as we came up to the tree line.  We also saw several old mining towns along the roads.  It was crazy to wonder how these miners were able to make their ways to these villages without the use of cars and ATVs - these were really remote areas and most of them built into the side of mountains.  The danger of working in the mines was only compounded by the travel to get there.  Even though we passed and got passed by several people on the road - there were very few people in general on the trails.  Most of the time you really felt like you were out on your own.

After about 2 hours of driving we made it to our first pass of the trip - Cinnamon Pass.  As we climbed out of our warm Jeep we were hit with the winds and colder temps of being at a +12,000 elevation.  Brrrrrrr.

American Basin

As we headed down the pass we realized that we were a short 5 minute drive from the American Basin so we took a slight detour to see this basin.  This is where the people were - and obviously from the look of their vehicles they did not take the same road as us to get there!  We took a few pictures, but unfortunately the wild flowers were not at their full peak so it was not a beautiful as many of the postcards show it.

Slumgullion Slide

The remainder of the trail was relatively uneventful.  Eventually the trail became a paved road as we got closer to Lake City and we were able to make up some time that we spent going 10 mph in the beginning miles.  We stopped at a campground to make sandwiches and eat just outside of Lake City.  After lunch we headed toward our short overnight campground location.  Along the way we passed San Cristobal Lake which is the second largest natural lake in Colorado.  It was created when there was a natural earth flow (rock slide I'm guessing) called the Slumgullion Slide from a near by mountain both 700 and 350 years ago.  Reminents of the rock slide are still evident on the mountain side and scientist are able to calculate the years by the age of the trees along the side of the mountain.

Lake San Cristobal

We drove up a pass on the nearby highway to get our first real view of Uncomphagre Peak - our main hike we would face tomorrow.  Wow - I think we might be crazy!!!!

Uncomphagre Peak - center of the picture

We then headed into our campground.  It was a cute little RV park beside the river in Lake City.  There was only 1 or 2 tent sites and ours was right on the river.  It was a beautiful view and a great back drop for our tent.  The people at the park were so generous.  That night they were having a potluck dinner and invited us to join, even though we didn't have food to share.  Since we had plans to visit Lake City we said thank you but that we would probably pass.  After our Lake City outing we got back and as we sat by the fire getting ready to cook hot dogs they walked over with plates of leftover food - soup, potatoes, roast... they told us to eat up!  We were just amazed that they were so ready to adopt us into their group after a few hours!  We will definitely visit their campground on every trip.  During dinner a deer started walking into our campground, apparently she is the camp mascot.  She was very tame, drank and ate out of dog bowls and visited several different sites. So cute.  Early to bed was the theme of the night so that we could get up at 4:50 and get ready for our trip to Uncomphagre, so there ended our evening.

2011 Ouray, CO - Day 5 "Minor" Hike

Day 5 - about the time in vacation when you are comfortable in your new location and really become part of the environment.  About the time in the trip when you either love your vacation or start thinking about going home.  I was definitely thinking about how I could pull off moving to Ouray, CO at this point in vacation.  For the first time on vacation we took the morning to sleep in and enjoy just being at the campground.  Due to a strange craving for pancakes (I hate breakfast which makes this strange) we decided to go to the cafe for a filling breakfast of pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs, and other breakfasty foods.  We headed back to our cabin to read and sit out on the porch for a few hours.

Around lunch time we decided to head into Ouray and try a "small hike" to the Upper Cascade Falls. ... We probably should have done some more research on this hike (or atleast brought more water) before setting out - our first clue of trouble should have been the fact that the map said it was 1. 7 miles to the falls.  We should have checked out the elevation chart to go with that also...looking back.  We decided to start the hike and just see what it was like - couldn't be that bad, we thought we saw the falls the other day so it must just be a hike around the edge of the mountain.  So off we go!  The first 1/4 mile or so was fairly flat trail, nothing to exciting.  We thought we were good.  We started worrying when we would get to the signs that told us how far we had gone - and we hadn't gone very far.  Worried even more when we passed people coming back down that looked exhausted - now these people had dogs and small children so they should look exhausted but we should have paid heed.
We started ascending the mountain and going through a series of switch backs (steep rocky ones with bad footing) - what looked like 4 on the map turned out to be about 10.  We contemplated turning around but decided we had to be close - people kept saying we were close.  We finally got to the top and were treated to a 1/2 mile hike around the edge of the mountain (that hike we anticipated at the beginning...).
I have to say when we got to the falls it was really pretty.  Because it required such a hike it was very serene and peaceful, not covered in annoying tourist like the lower falls.  We took pictures, we took our shoes off and dipped our feet in the stream (brrrr), we enjoyed a few minutes on top of the mountain.
Then we started the descent.  I don't mind climbing up things - mountains, rock slides, bunk beds - but going down is not my cup of tea.  I slid, I went slow, I fell - it was sad.  After what seemed like hours (who said going back was quicker????) we made it back to the start, looked at the map again and cursed ourselves for not paying more attention.  We hoped we didn't kill ourselves and hurt our chances of making it to the top of the 14er 2 days later.  Oh well atleast we got great pictures!

On the way home we picked up our Jeep for our next grand adventure to start the next day (thankfully we got white not burnt orange).  Once we got back we made a nice camp fire to roast hot dogs and we packed our hiking bags for our trip through the passes.

2011 Ouray, CO - Day 4 Yankee Boy Basin

Day 4 turned out to be our first true adventure day in Ouray.  Our original plan we put together the trip was to climb Mt Sneffles, a 14er to the west of the Ouray area.  After doing some additional research on the Sneffles trail and climb we decided that it would be too technical for our novice Oklahoma hiking skills.  The Yankee Boy Basin at the base of the Mt Sneffles trail was supposed to be really beautiful and we still wanted to get a chance to see it so we decided to take a day trip and drive to it.

We headed out fairly early in the morning and was immediately presented with what a Colorado county road was.  Non-paved, possibly rocky in areas, and more then likely a steep drop off throughout the drive.  Wow was not expecting that at all!  Heath had inquired at the campground if his truck could make it to the Yankee Boy Basin and they said he would have no problem since it was 4 wheel drive and higher off the ground.  So trusting their expertise we forged ahead on the road.  I do have to admit that in taking these smaller roads you see a much grander scale of the beauty of Colorado. Since the surroundings are virtually untouched there are several waterfalls and streams, abandoned mining towns, wildlife, and wild flowers to enjoy during the drive.  I have to admit at the end, the first 3/4 of the trip to the basin was not that bad.  I later would discover that we were on a fairly "wide road" that was also fairly smooth.
At this point we got to a set of waterfalls called the "Twin Falls" at the lower end of the Yankee Boy Basin.  These were gorgeous waterfalls that fell several times in a small valley area, surrounded by wildflowers and the mountains.  We got out and explored the area, climbing up and down and taking pictures.  I was definitely beginning to see why people loved Colorado so much - everything was beautiful.
We saw that the road continued on from the point we were at.  Since none of us had been here we weren't sure if we had actually made it to Yankee Boy yet, if this road continued to it, if we could even take it.  As we sat and pondered for a while we saw several vehicles pass us and head up the road (one very unsuccessfully).  There was a tour group by us so Heath asked if we could make it up the road, he said he was pretty sure (comforting huh!) and so we decided to head on.  While this road was much rockier and had several water crossings, it was all flat in the valley without drop offs - something I liked much more.  There was a Y in the road at one point and we chose to go one direction (remember this for later).  When we made it to the end of the road we were in the top portion of the Yankee Boy Basin.  Several mountains came together in a valley at this area and it reminded us of the opening scene in the "Sound of Music".  For several hours we took pictures, walked around, hiked a small ways on the main trail, and ate lunch.  It was so secluded with only a few people passing during the time. 
After lunch we packed up and headed back down the road.  For adventure purposes we decided to try the other portion of the Y on the road.  Bad idea - this had a much steeper decline back to the bottom area with deeper water crossings.  At one point we got stuck on the edge of a rock just past a stream crossing backing up traffic for about 5 minutes as we maneuvered our way out of the mess.  At this point I decided I had enough of the front seat and seeing the road so I switched with Sandy and took up the back seat.  Later I would post on facebook "I saw God today - Between the beauty of the mountains and the terror of driving on the road barely wide enough for the truck"  Oh if I only knew what was coming up the rest of the week!
The remainder of the trip back to camp was uneventful.  I discovered I saw a lot more of the landscape from the backseat as I was not concerned about the road in front of me.  I did however see the drop off the side a little better though!  Once we got back to the main highway we decided to drive south to Silverton and go shopping and explore the town.  Silverton is a Victorian mining town so all of the building were more of a Victorian style look.  Unfortunately Silverton didn't appear to put as much work into upkeep of the town.  It was much more run down then Ouray - reminded me a little of a wild west town by the look.  We started by going to a restaurant and bar called "Handlebars" (like the mustache) for some french onion soup that was recommended to us by a friend.  The bar had a ton of character and the soup was very good.  After that we walked through the stores, bought a few shirts and other items, got some ice cream and headed back to Ouray.
After the excitement of the day we kicked back and relaxed at the campground that evening and ordered food from the cafe and enjoyed the campground area.  

2011 Ouray, CO - Additional Photos

If you would like to see more photos of our trip - follow this link and check them out.  There are lots, but hey we were there for 8 days!!!

2011 Ouray, CO vacation pictures

2011 Ouray, CO - Day 3 Shopping Ouray

Our morning started walking up to cool temperatures and mountain air.  The cabin was a cozy little place to sleep but we definitely weren't use to the cool temps.  After stumbling in the dark to find sleeping bags in the middle of the night to warm our feet (as well as throwing things a Heath so he would stop snoring and a quick visit to the camp restrooms) we went back to sleep and woke up "refreshed" - or atleast with the knowledge we were on vacation and there was not a work week looming over us.  We started the day out right with a full breakfast from the KOA campground cafe - Heath and Sandy had pancakes, bacon, eggs - normal breakfast food; and I had yogurt and granola (yes I know - you are supposed to eat real food on vacation, my body needed something simple after all the fast food!)

Our first full day in Ouray.  What better then to spend it shopping!? (none of us could really qualify as hard core shoppers so the fact that we spent the morning browsing shops seems only a little odd.)  Like most tourist minded towns there were tons of little souvenir shops as well as collectibles, book store, and other various products - including a "gourmet" kitchen store.  We wandered around for a few hours looking at possibilities for gifts, shirts, and other various must haves (like ghost chili hot sauce...).  Like all shopping trips, at some point you need food to sustain the extreme effort.  We started a little backwards with huge scoops of ice cream from the ice cream parlor and then in our sugar induced coma we wisely sought out bread at the german restaurant in the form of a giant pretzel.

After more then enough shopping for all of us we decided to go to a couple of the waterfalls located within the town.  The first was the Lower Cascade Falls (the upper portion will come to haunt us later in the week).  This was a beautiful waterfall that can be seen from the north end of the shopping district and was a simple walk to get to.  After waiting for some annoying OSU Cowboy fans (and why did they feel the need to crash our party?) to finish their very long turn at the waterfall we went over and felt the cold water and snapped a few pictures.  Not knowing what was to come later in the week I was in awe with the beauty of the fall and how cool it looked cascading over the rocks above.



Next we moved onto the Box Canyon Falls.  I had read a review online that this was a pay attraction but was well worth the cost. Taking the advice we paid our $4 and headed in.  Box Canyon is a very cool gem of a waterfall.  As you start the walk toward the fall all you hear is the trickle of the stream below, but as you move farther into the rock canyon the roar of the waterfall envelopes you.  You never get a clear glimpse of the fall, it is completely hidden within the canyon, but you can hear it and feel the spray.  We hiked up a 1/2 mile to a bridge that overlooked the fall (long way down!) and the stream that feed it - once again you never actual saw the fall.


After leaving Box Canyon, we headed a few miles south on the Million Dollar highway  to a small waterfall off the side of the road.  Later in the week we would see the stream feeding this waterfall, but for this time we only saw a water fall that appeared to spring out of the side of the road (and go a long way down!)  A few more pictures and we headed back to our campsite.

On the recommendation of a friend, we decided to visit a restaurant called Buen Tiempo.  Amazing mexican food.  Everything had a different flair then we were use to with our authentic mexican and tex-mex we have in Oklahoma.  I tried tamales, Sandy had carne asada tacos, and Heath had a mammoth burrito.  We also shared taquitos and sopapillas.  We trudged home stuffed and ready for a good night sleep.  I throughly enjoyed my first full day in Colorado and all the beauty I had seen so far.

2011 Ouray, CO - Day 1 & 2 Travel Days

My first real trip to Colorado.  I've been twice before.  Both times to see OU football games, one on a bus to the Air Force game in Colorado Springs and one by plane to Boulder for the Colorado game.  Neither of these really count in my mind as trips to Colorado because I didn't really see what it had to offer.  It did lay a good foundation for my love of Colorado however - I had thoughts of picking up and moving there after graduation, but I found a job in OKC so I stayed.  I have been wanting to take a trip to Colorado for years and finally got something organized - I spent the whole summer excited about finally seeing the true Colorado.
We left on a Friday afternoon after work and after a stressful couple of weeks of work I could not wait to get away from the world.  I wasn't sure where we were going (okay I knew we were going to Colorado, but the route we were taking) so the whole trip was going to be an adventure - after Amarillo it would be an entirely new world to me.
If you have never driven through western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle I will spare you the pain - it is boring.  The best view is from the massive Texas rest stop that overlooks a canyon area - I thought that was beautiful, no views like that in Oklahoma.  Besides that there is a giant cross and a leaning water tower and lots of windmills.    After Amarillo we turned NW and headed towards New Mexico - not much different then the rest of the trip so far but we did see a thunderstorm - first one in months!  8 hours later we pulled into Raton, NM - and at 9pm Raton has rolled up its streets! (a surprise from a group that comes from a college town where everything is open till midnight or later!).  We finally settled on Arbys and headed off to bed.

Day 2 we slept in a little and had breakfast at a nice little diner cafe next to the hotel.  Heath had eaten breakfast here for years on all his trips to Colorado so it was tradition. After our first bear encounter  Pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs and more filled us up and we prepared for the remainder of the 8 hour trip.  17 miles into the day we entered Colorado.  After stopping for our picture with the welcome sign we continued our journey.  We immediately turned onto a scenic byway which took us by some cool rock formations, lakes, and small vacation towns.  First thing I thought was "this is so beautiful!" The mountains were covered in evergreens and there was something great about not being able to see for miles.  Unfortunately the mountains faded away as we headed into the desert regions of Colorado (ummmmm never knew that!).  I sat back with my Nook for a few hours and read waiting for more of these majestic mountains.
The next set of mountains did not disappoint.  Our next set of mountains started with the Continental Divide which is the spot where all the water on the east side runs to the Mississippi River and all the water on the west side runs to the Pacific Ocean.  More surprise for me, never thought of this since in my world all the water runs to the Mississippi.  We continued through the mountains, stopping at scenic turnouts, watching mountain waterfalls and streams, and being generally awed by the beauty.
After a quick stop at Walmart in Durango to stock up on camp ground supplies and McDonalds for some french fries we headed out on the last leg of our journey.  The trip to Silverton and onto Ouray was the most eye opening on the whole day (in several ways).  To start with I have rarely been out of Oklahoma and when I do leave I tend to stay on flat terrain - so the idea of skirting along the side of a mountain with no shoulder is completely foreign.  I was sitting in the front seat and just sure we were going off the side at some point.  Outside of that, I was just amazed at the beauty of the mountains.  We stopped at one of the passes between Durango and Silverton and the colors of the wild flowers was amazing.  on the road the streams and waterfalls took my breath away.  Then there was the Million Dollar Highway which just looked like it was jutting out from the side of a mountain.

Finally we came down the side of a mountain into the valley where Ouray was settled.  A cute little picturesque town known as the "Switzerland of America".

We drove through the town to the north side where our KOA campground was located.  We checked in and settled into our cute little cabin we would call home for the next week.  The view was amazing and the air was cool and clean.

Wonderings on my Wanderings

Well this is more of a blog to look back at trips I take - I've got a couple of really good ones coming up over the next year and I suck at keeping a diary during the trip, so maybe if I come back and create a blog then I will have something I can look back on and share with others. So hopefully you enjoy my thoughts and my travels!