From the Editor: There are 39 images in this story and despite their conservative 100 dpi resolution, they would take a while to load. To get past this problem, I have divided the story into three separate "chapters." You can jump to the next one using the link at the bottom of each page. Each image can be viewed in its original size by clicking on the image itself. Use your browser's Back Button to return to the story. Enjoy!
Last year's trip to the Sierra Nevada was hard to top. We hiked the Rubicon Trail and climbed Mt. Lassen, Mt. Tallac, Mt. Dana (13,057'), and Half Dome by the cable route. After carefully weighing the costs of escalation, we added the backcountry element to our Fall 2000 trip. Getting into the backcountry requires camping and so far we have been limited to car camping. Flying 1500 miles with all of the backpacking gear necessary to spend several days in the wilderness seemed like a lot to bite off, so we elected to break in to it gradually. Besides, Angie has always wanted to go on a pack trip.
The adventure began with a late night arrival in Durango. The 8:15 train to Silverton came a short 5 hours after we turned the lights out. Thankfully, vacation energy offset the sleep deprivation. The Durango Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad follows the Animas River through the heart of the San Juan Mountains and past some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable. Our morning trip was graced with clear blue skies and crisp mountian air.
We arrived in Silverton around noon just as the regular afternoon thunderheads were building over the mountains. Angie hung out at the station while Vince trekked across town (all of about 4 blocks) to pick up the Jeep. We would rely on several means of transportation this trip including airplane, train, Jeep, mule, and our own feet. It added a new dimension to travelling and emphasized efficiency in packing.
We would stick to Jeep roads for the next three days. To the uninitiated, Jeep roads look like a cross between a game trail and a dirt road. A "Jeep Road" means you drive along in four wheel low range at about five miles an hour. Being on a Jeep road also means you see the landscape from places most people only see in magazines. We climbed out of Silverton past ghost mines, over Red Mountain Pass, and down The Corkscrew into Ouray, arriving just in time for the afternoon storm clouds to clear. Dinner at the St. Elmo was followed by a relaxing stroll along the streets of this historic mining town and a dusk soak in the spa.
Dawn led to fresh St. Elmo coffee which led to a hike up the Weehawken Trail to Alpine Mine. What looked like an easy walk turned out to be a thousand foot per mile slog. The mine was small, but the view of Ouray from a ridge 2,000 feet above the town was breathtaking. What looked like an easy walk turned out to be a race against the approaching thunderstorms. We lost the race, but stayed dry thanks to Goretex.
Mining was very big business in the San Juans even into the 1970s and evidence of the once prosperous industry abounds. Rich veins of silver, gold, lead and molybdenum helped power America through the Industrial Age. Now standing vacant, these ghost mines invite exploration.
The Jeep road to Telluride took us over 11,800' Ophir Pass. The approach was well maintained Forest Service roads that were passable in 2 wheel drive. The "road" took on a different tone just west of the pass as it narrowed to a 1+ lane ribbon of rocks. At one point we observed two Jeeps passing in a maneuver that required a spotter to help one driver pull to within inches of a 50 degree talus slope. We though, "We would never be able to do that!" Little did we know...
Telluride lived up to its billing as the quintessential mountain town and we can understand why Butch Cassidy chose it as the site of his first bank robbery. Telluride sits in a narrow valley surrounded by 10,000 foot peaks. You can walk the entire length of the town in 15 minutes. The gondola up and over San Sophia Mountain to Mountain Village is free (unless you count your tourism tax dollars as the fare). Spectacular hikes like Bear Creek Falls and Jud Wiebe were steps from the front door of Bear Creek B&B. We will be coming back to this place!
We were getting better acclimatized with every passing day. Every hike began with a 1,500 foot climb out of the valley. Breathing was now not as difficult as we adapted to the thinner air at 9,000 feet. Angie was even acclimatizing to the steep talus slope outside her window of the Jeep. When it came our turn to cozy up to the dropoff on the Ophir road, Angie hopped out, edged along the Jeep to the front and guided us to within four inches of becoming part of the landscape. After taking the image at left, she hopped back in and we were off to Silverton to return the Jeep and catch the train back to Durango.
