Some
of the historic information provided in this blog is from "Backcountry
Adventures Colorado" by Peter Massey, Jeanne Wilson, and Angela
Titus. And, as always, Click on the
pictures to view a larger size.
Today's
trail-run was Stony Pass, traveled with Ronny & Bonny. Top elevation is 12,588 feet. It gets its name because of its rocky
terrain. Trust me, it's appropriately
named. It was used by the Ute for
centuries and later by prospectors. It
was the stage route and major supply line for the 4,000 miners working in the
area in the 1800s. Once the railroad
came to Silverton, it was less frequently used.
However, it was designated a state highway in the 1900s, only to be
closed later and then re-opened as a 4-wheel drive recreational trail in the
1950s. A GPS will sometimes try to route
people this way as the "shortest route" to Lake City. Sure would be fun to watch a regular vehicle
attempt this narrow, rocky ledge road.
The
trail starts along Cunningham Creek thru Cunningham Gulch before reaching the
turnoff to Stony Pass. It runs along the
Weminuche Wilderness Area and follows the headwaters of the Rio Grande River
taking a path thru forests & valleys with several different types of
terrain. Crossing Pole Creek is always
fun, but we didn't attempt it today.
It's way too deep & swift from snowmelt this early in the
season. Means we will not be crossing
the Rio Grande River by driving thru it.
Still
a fair amount of snow on this trail.
Today's pictures (most of them taken thru the windshield while moving):
Cunningham Creek
Still a fair amount of snow:
Heart shape here every year:
Rio Grande meandering; just past the headwaters
Frequently see people fishing here:
Pole Creek
No driving across today:
Today's lunch room on the banks of Pole Creek:
Not sure what the grayish rock is:
Jingles enjoying one of the snowdrifts:
Mini avalanche?
Sighting of the rare Red Columbine:
No comments:
Post a Comment