Mountain Secrets Blog

Traveling in the alpine region for this long was a special treat for us that we will cherish for a long time to come. Sunsets, sunrises, extreme views and starlit skies beyond imagination made for great moments and everlasting memories. 

We found an inviting saddle to camp in that would offer, not only a great sunset in the coming minutes, an incredible sunrise the next morning, but also a starlit sky that night like nothing we had ever seen before. 

We neared a known avalanche debris field and began a tedious game of "where is the trail" in the dark. Our headlamps allowed us to see only so far.

We paused, looking forward into segment 21 and were in awe of the trail as it climbed straight up the other side of the valley as if a stairway to heaven. We had arrived, we were in the San Juan Mountains. We pushed on in silence.

The bridge crossing, more like log crossing, had been washed out earlier in the season, so we took off our shoes and waded through the cold waters to the other side. It was invigorating.

It was just a quiet stroll through a place lost in time. Nothing out here spoke of modern man. It was just earth, sky and far off mountains as far as the eye could see. 

The thunder cracked, the rain began to increase and we found ourselves pitching our tent on an awkward hillside trying to take shelter. 

In the middle of the night we heard what sounded like a pack of wild hyenas coming up from the valley below in search of a late night snack. Coyotes.

We were in a happy place. Good vibes just seemed to wrap around us. We hiked, we talked and we shared our stories. It was a day of recognizing all the good that exists. 

Remember, smiles are contagious! 

The day had been great, travel had been great, breakfast had been great. We were hiking with a new and encouraged mindset, each day just seemed to bring new and wonderful surprises.

We were nearly at the halfway point of the Colorado Trail and were beginning to realize that someone was watching over us.

We had found ourselves in a valley surrounded by mountains, lush with pines and aspens, cool running streams and a beaver pond the size of Texas. It was obvious that here, in this place, man was just a visitor.

We were a sight. With our backpacks leaned up against a tree, we began going through our resupply box, inhaling our fries and chasing them down with cold blueberry iced tea. 

We listened to audio books and enjoyed some of our favorite music. Straight forward hiking with seemingly one goal in mind, reach the end of the segment. 

The following morning was quite cold as we quickly moved down the trail and dove into what we called, " the Valley of the Sun." It was as it sounds, a beautiful valley full of morning sunlight and much needed warmth. 

The wind was calm, the clouds growing, but the window of opportunity remained. It was almost as if we had been invited for this personal journey across this heavenly place far from any city and high above all else. 

  What an incredible place it was. Surrounded on three sides with jagged peaks and steep scree fields, the alpine bowl opened up down the valley to an expansive view of the Dillon Reservoir.

The air is changing. The energy is changing. The landscape is changing. We are changing. Everything is changing. 

Sure, we weren't in the high alpine yet, but we were getting there, and after our low point with the early heat, this was an unexpected gem at lower elevation.