Friday 7.15....I picked Laura up in the morning & we headed out to Scarpe Ridge trail. I’ve hiked this trail 2 times before, but have never been able to find the connecting loop
Laura climbing up & over the snowfield. The trail is 1+ miles straight up the mountain...a real lung buster, but so worth the effort
the views on the way up are great...Lake Irwin (photo on left) & Green Lake.....still under snow (photo on right). Lake Irwin usually gets around 500” of snow each year...this year they received 800”
the view from the top of the ridge..one of the Maroon Bells peeking up behind the mountain...the road you see going along the mountain (in the forefront) is Washington Gulch road
the view of Crested Butte mountain & the town from the top of the ridge
we were determined to find the “loop” part of the trail, which meant we had to bushwhack across the steep slope
we finally found the trail & started back tracking...back up to the top of the ridge...hard work, but sooo worth the effort!
(we just liked these wind-snow-tortured trees)
We finally found where the loop connected, then backtracked (once more) down the loop to find the end...a long day, but it was so wonderful. It was great to share the experience with Laura & super fun to have someone excited as I was to hike long & hard to figure the trail out. We treated ourselves to a yummy mexican dinner in town, complete with margaritas. I bunked at Laura’s amazing cabin (a second shower in 2 days....must be some sort of record (when camping anyway)
This morning we left on a weekend road trip...to Telluride; a really cool place to hike & hang out
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Saturday 7.16
We got to Telluride about 11:30 this morning...made a quick stop in town & then hit the Bear Creek Trail. We were both a little sun-scorched from yesterday & welcomed the overcast skies & tree-lined path we took to the falls
the mist from the falls was really chilly, but felt great. so we hung out there a little while, then started the downhill trek (thank goodness...finally downhill!)
after the hike, we went touring the town, had dinner & then drove to the end of town to see Bridal Veil falls...a Telluride landmark
We then rode the gondola up to the ski area & took in all the views of the surrounding mountains
another good day of hiking, views, conversation & beauty!