Hiking Fools!

We're counting off the days now, down to only 6 before we leave this wonderful, beautiful place.  We are also checking off several more to-do's on our list including two more hikes, combined with a couple picnics, even got a small motorhome maintenance item done.  We swapped out the air filter on the motorhome.  It was badly needed, I was kind of remiss in not replacing it sooner, especially after our incredibly dusty and dirty trip to Alaska.  

Fall is here, and the aspens are glowing their yellows and oranges against the green of the pines, and the mottled shrubbery.  It is stunning and it seems to have happened almost overnight.  We went up to Molas Pass, the highest point between Durango and Silverton at 10,910' to check out the colors, and we weren't disappointed.

Molas Pass

It was then just a short drive down to Andrews Lake, a very scenic small high altitude lake, which is also the trailhead for the Crater Lake Trail.  Now that whole hike is 5.5 miles one way with a 870' elevation gain, so we did not intend to do the whole thing, but we had heard really great things about the hike and wanted to at least go part way.  

Beautiful Andrews Lake

We worked around the lake and picked up the trail which wound through the woods and relentlessly climbed for the first mile, although it was manageable even for me:) 

The beginning of the trail

It was a gradual climb switchbacking back and forth across the mountain as we steadily worked our way up.  It was absolutely worth it as the views were sensational.

Super!

The uphill finally gave up as we leveled off and popped out overlooking a high meadow with an incredible backdrop of Snowdon Peak, 13,077'.

Snowdon Peak across the meadow

Looking north

The happy couple

We turned around at about the 1.75 mile point and vowed to come back and go farther, and have a picnic up in the highlands, that will be later this week.  After looking around for awhile, we headed back down and had our own picnic right beside Andrews Lake.

Our picnic view

We had an interesting discussion with some folks that live year round in Silverton, brrrrrrr.  Lots of snow and cold, cold, cold!

Jan was able to get a few shots of the brilliant aspens on the way back down the mountain.

I have to admit another one of our to-do items is eat several more times at Rice Monkeys here in Durango.  I have mentioned this restaurant before, it is excellent fresh asian fusion, part sushi and sashimi, but also has Vietnamese Bun and Pho, along with many other unique and tasty items.  It is a tiny, tiny place, but we also like to get take out and either go to the top of the mountain overlook

Overlook

Animas River

 or down along the Animas River to have our little picnic.  

Jan had been talking with a few of the work campers here at the campground and one mentioned that someone had made a little hand drawn map of a very enjoyable hike accessible directly from the campground.  We figured why not?

"The Hike"

You cut out the back gate of the campground and go about 1/2 mile up the road and then cut up the hill on a well marked path.  Now for this hike the operative word is UP!  Up and up and up and is this ever going to end?  Now we are pretty used to the altitude and hiking, but for both of us this was nuts.  But we persevered.

The way UP

Look closely, I'm back there struggling along:)

Finally following the map and realizing nothing is to scale, we leveled out, entered a meadow, crossed 2 little bridges, and broke out into an enormous open meadow surrounded by mountains, maybe it was worth it??

We break out

Beautiful fall colors in the dry lake

So we walk and walk really enjoying ourselves, get passed by several mountain bikers, and what goes up must come down and down we go.  We come to understand quite quickly why the map is marked with one way indicators, if we had gone up where we came down, neither one of us would have done it, to say it was steep was an understatement.  Some of the rock was very interesting, we couldn't really tell if it had eroded that way or was formed that way.

Almost looks like stamped concrete

But finally we broke out and saw the end!

Yehaw!

It was enjoyable and scenic and ended up being 4 miles, and we both decided we would not be doing this trail again:)