Day 59 - Red Rocks to Hanging Lake

I don't linger around a place much. My plan today was to drive to Red Rocks Amplitheatre in Denver then to Telluride then to Vail then to Hanging Lake then to Aspen for dinner with a friend.

Red Rocks is used for athletic training when there isn't a concert. The famous outdoor theatre, set among red-colored high rocks, similar to those from Garden of the Gods, was filled with army rotc candidates running the rows up and down and climbing the outer walls. See pic. I wanted to see a concert here but the last few days were rainy and I didn't care for the performers.

Next was Telluride. The ski resort town was quaint and the surrounding moutains still snow clad, but without the ski slopes open, this wasn't much of an attraction. Vail was even more empty. Then came Hanging Lake. Wow. The stretch of highway through the Glenwood Canyon was the prettiest stretch of highway I've driven on-- the roads engineered in such a way that they melted seamlessly into the canyon. The final piece of environmental mastery demonstrated by this interstate road construction was the fact that the road went through a tunnel instead of curving an easier-stretch that would've ruined the special hanging lake.

Now, Hanging Lake is one of the most popular hikes in Colorado! After a 1000 foot elevation gain rocky one mile hike up, I came to the beautiful lake-- with a large waterfall and crystal teal-blue waters, all set high up on the side of the canyon, hanging. I hiked under the falls and spent some joyful time on a log near their fall, before having my picture taken facing the falls. A quick hike up further revealed a second higher but less scenic falls but one with a special feature: water thrusting from the middle of the cliff, having tunneled there from above. Cool.

Once back on the highway I received a text from my friend; he wasn't feeling well and the weather in Aspen was terrible. He suggested I divert to Black Canyon of the Gunnison instead, so I did. I arrived at Black Canyon Park's remote north rim just before sunset, having spent the last twenty minutes driving along dirt roads to the park. Ohh the views. The mountains nearby perfect in symmetry. The black canyon a terrifying-haunting beauty.

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Day 57 - Rocky Mountain National Park

Ever since I decided to go west for my big trip, I had dreamed of high mountain lakes with snowy peaks arching in every direction, with chilly air making every moment crisp, and with clear skies bringing all into perfect focus-- pure bliss. Today was the first of many great mountain lake days to come. Hiking here was far easier here than in the San Juans because the snow was packed down on the trail, but I brought my mini crampons for the downhill. I made it safely past a narrow ridge with narly black peaks across the gorge (pic 1), then up to Mills Lake (pic 2) then Jewel Lake then the Loch (pic 3) then down before the afternoon rain started falling. I hiked around some lower, more accessible lakes but the sky was now overcast and pictures no good. I drove up the open portion of the Ridge road amid a very light dusting of snow before heading back to camp for dinner and bedtime. I did manage to capture some fine Elk grazing in a meadows on the return trip and a g...

Day 51 - Canyonlands Needles Pt 3

A deep connection to the nature surrounding you comes from the solitude of solo travel, but sometimes it is nice to have a companion! I ran into David, a retired telecom exec from Canada a few days ago on the Syncline Loop trail at Canyonlands Island in the Sky. Then I ran into him again halfway through my Chesler Park hike two days ago, then again later in the hike, finishing the last two miles together. David hiked his favorite trail, the Peekaboo trail yesterday, and said I could join him, but my heart was set on confluence trail, so we hiked separately. We did share a campsite though and exchanged travel stories. David was 55 and had retired at 50 from a high-level international job with Nortel and was now traveling full-time. We instantly bonded over our solo travel style. He outclassed me by leagues. He had trekked one month in Nepal, then another month in India, then some months in Asia. He had hiked and skied and adventured all over the western U.S. and Canada....

Day 40 Escalante Hole-in-the-Rock Road

I woke up late following a lovely slumber in a REAL bed-- such a luxury. I stayed in bed reading my maps and guidebooks, trying to put a plan together for the next months travels. I decided I would spend two more weeks in Utah and add on two weeks in western Colorado instead of spending all four weeks in Utah-- I was starting to tire of the desert and Colorado seemed like a good mix of backcountry beauty and civilization proper. The last must do in Escalante was Coyote Gulch, so I read and reread the route description in my guidebook and went to the visitor center to get my permit. I was going to do a loop down Hurricane Wash to Coyote Gulch to the Escalante River and then up Crack-in-the-Wall overland back to my car. Permit in hand, I lingered by the Outfitters wifi emailing and blogging and then drove out Hole-in-the-rock road forty miles to my trailhead. The road was dirt but well graded in most parts. A high-clearance vehicle was recommended for the last five miles but my Dodg...

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