Jeeping Colorado 2.0 (8-31-22)

 Yankee Boy Basin 2.5

The Yankee Boy Basin 4x4 trail is only about 12 miles long and leaves from the Ouray area and travels through some spectacular scenery.  We had heard that the last few miles is the best- but also the most difficult. Still, we were hoping we could make it.

We got as far as an area that resembled a parking lot, where we, along with a bunch of other people, stopped to have lunch.  The sign nearby stated that 4x4, high clearance and short wheel base are recommended beyond this point, so we walked up the road to check it out. 

Paul decided we had driven far enough, and we understood why there were so many cars in this spot.  We watched this truck coming back from the difficult section- his rear tire was 2 feet off the ground.

There is a hiking trail nearby, so we took that, about a half mile, to Wrights Lake.  A half mile doesn’t sound like much but we were going up hill and it was over 12,000 feet. Since the weather looked threatening (and cold) we wore our raincoats, and we did indeed get rained (and hailed) on.

This is the view from the hiking trail, looking at the section of road that we did not drive.  We watched these cars barely move for about 20 minutes, and then one of them decided he couldn’t make it and started backing down the hill.

I must be getting a little used to these “roads” since this one didn’t bother me…..too much.

I try not to look down, but look at the scenery around me- which was gorgeous.

Clear Lake 2.0

I admit I was happy the Clear Lake drive is rated a 2.0, which means its a little easier, less bumpy. I actually enjoyed this trip.  Usually I like the way home a little better, because I know better what to expect, and this was no exception to that.

There were still shelf roads on this trail but nothing outrageous.

Once we got to the lake, which was gorgeous,  it was time for lunch.  We walked around for a bit, and chatted with several people before heading back.

Its really cool actually, how the view going in one direction can be so different from the view going the other way.

We made a couple of stops on the way back….one to check out a waterfall…

and one to check out this guy…

Corkscrew Pass 2.0

The day we drove Corkscrew Gulch (we never made it as far as the pass) was a busy day because in addition to the 4x4 trail, we had a ghost town to explore and a hike to do- because of that, and also because we met people along the way who said the road ahead was sketchy, we drove a few miles and turned around.

This area seemed greener than some other areas, but maybe because we were at a slightly lower elevation, so, not above the tree line.

The hiking trail we were doing is called Grey Copper Mine Trail.  It’s 5 miles long, with 1700 feet of gain.  A little daunting, but if we made it to the end, there was some mining remnants, apparently. In any case, we set out, determined to pace ourselves and go as far as we could.

Along the way we passed a waterfall, but after the really nice ones we have seen lately, this was a little ho-hum.

I was very proud of us that we did indeed make it to the top, because even though it turned out to be a little disappointing because the mine is an active claim, and off limits, it made me feel more confident about possibly hiking to Havasu Falls next year.

On the way down, we caught sight of several elk.  I was surprised that they were aware of us, even though they were really far away.

Once we were back down the mountain, we went to check out Ironton Townsite.  The town was founded in 1883 and at one time had over 100 buildings.

After many years of on and off again mining, due to metal prices, the town was finally declared a ghost town in the 1960s.

Ophir Pass 2.0

Our final 4x4 ride before leaving the area, was Ophir Pass- and this time we made it over the pass itself.

I was feeling pretty comfortable an enjoying the scenery quite a bit, until I realized that one side of the pass is easy, and the other is not so easy- and of course, we had already done the easy part.

We stopped and chatted with a USFS worker going the other way, and when we expressed surprise at seeing him on this road, he grinned and said it cuts 1.5 hours off the trip from Silverton to Ouray- and with his vehicle, he was more than happy to take the shortcut.

My biggest surprise was that the town of Ophir is actually alive and well.  There are no stores etc but its definitely a thriving community of summer homes.

There is a hiking trail just outside town simply called “waterfall trail” but after about a half hour we realized we would not be able to figure out how to get to the falls. So, we left and went to nearby Trout Lake to have our lunch.

We have moved on from Colorado, and also from the Jeeping part of our summer- on to different kinds of fun.....

Yellowstone-The Hikes (06-27-12)

Yellowstone has a huge diversity of hikes available, and we’ve been trying to get to the ones we think have the most “bang for our buck” first.  Two of the trails we want to hike are closed due to Grizzly activity, but they should open soon.

When we first got to Yellowstone, the weather was not the best.  In fact, the first night we had freezing rain and a little snow, and it was cold the next day, but we still decided to hike to Avalanche Peak. We ended up hiking a good portion of the trail in the snow, but we were protected from the fierce wind by all the trees.  Once we got near the ridge however, that changed.

Once we were out in the open, we could feel the wind, and suddenly our jackets weren’t heavy enough.  We stopped right where I took this picture and watched a bunch of kids sledding down the slopes.  Then, instead of heading up to the ridge, we turned tail and ran.

The weather soon improved, although we’ve discovered that they never seem to forecast enough wind. It seems to always blow pretty hard in the afternoon. Anyway, one of our next  hikes took us along the ridge of a canyon, overlooking the Yellowstone River. We walked past two enormous waterfalls, and saw an osprey sitting on a nest.

At one point in the hike we descended Uncle Tom’s Trail, which turned out to be a set of stairs- 328 steps in all- down to a bottoms up view of the lower falls.  Down was fine, coming back up, at an elevation of 8000 feet, was a little slower!The views were great most of the way on that hike, although I was somewhat disappointed that we didn’t see any Bald Eagles.  I have actually seen 3 of them since we’ve been here, but they travel so far so fast, it’s been impossible to get a picture.

One of our favorite hikes was the Clear lake/Ribbon Lake hike.  That’s the hike where we saw the Elk on the trail.  It was about 6 miles or so, with not much elevation gain, but the scenery changed frequently, keeping our interest. We had views of the river for a while, then we walked through a huge meadow, and several times we came to clearings that had steam vents, mud pots and small geysers to watch.

Clear Lake was beautiful and looked very inviting, but around here, you never know if the water is safe or not.  The next lake we came upon proved that point!

Sour Lake looks very inviting as well, but the acidity of the water is similar to battery acid. There are micro-organisms in the water that consume the sulfur, creating sulfuric acid. 

To get ideas for which hikes to choose, we have spoken to several rangers, seeking their opinions.  The Washburn Peak trail was one that a ranger recommended to us.  She said it’s common to see bighorn sheep and sometimes grizzlies, but we saw neither. The day we hiked it the wind was howling and I think all the animals were hunkered down.

Once we reached the peak, the views of the surrounding mountains, including Grand Teton, were unbeatable.  The picture would probably have come out better if I had been outside to take it but it was so cold and windy, I took it from inside the observation tower.

We had an elevation gain of about 1900 ft, but the entire trail was essentially a dirt road, which made it seem easier.  Sort of. This trail was a first for me.  It’s the first time I have hiked to an elevation over 10,000 feet.  I felt like I accomplished something until we met another couple at the top.  He is 78 and she is 76.  We chatted with them all the way down the hill. Hiking 6.5 miles, at 10,000 feet at age 78? Now that’s an accomplishment!