Stardate 2017.178

Sunrise on 14,267-foot Torreys Peak and 14,270-foot Grays Peak; elevation ranks of 11 and 9, respectively.


I Wish I Lived In The High Country
Snowcatcher and I did some cross-country skiing recently. We celebrated a belated Valentine's Day and got in some cross-country skiing on Grand Mesa, Colorado. The Grand Mesa towers close to 11,000 feet above my home town. It often receives copious amounts of snow and is a delightful area to visit and play. The road up the north side by bike is often considered one of the top three most difficult climbs in the state. I can vouch that the climb does indeed hurt.

We left the Denver metro area around 5 a.m. and reached Frisco, Colorado, just in time for a beautiful sunrise. Touching the sky on the left is 13,370-foot Mount Guyot (rank 344). The peak on the right is the terminus, and northern summit, of 13,684-foot Bald Mountain's long ridge.



Cross-country skiing on the "Mesa" was primarily backcountry touring (i.e., you took turns breaking trail) in the early years. Portions of the area now are groomed for skate skiing (below pic) and classic Nordic skiing.




Mechanically formed furrows for classic kick-and-glide skiing are parallel to the skate ski routes.




The Grand Valley lies below the escarpment (Bookcliffs) in upper center to upper center right.




Grand Mesa is flat, undulating between 10,500- and 11,000-feet of elevation. The deciduous trees are aspens.




Still wild and wooly, the mesas, plateaus and canyons of northwest Colorado rise in the distance.




Glade skiing can be at its finest here. Today's snow ranged in depth from 4.5 feet to 5.5 feet.




Here's a snow-corralled parking area.




Thanks for reading.

Adios

Stardate 215.764

Kenosha Pass to Georgia Pass
Autumn Visits Segment 6 of the Colorado Trail
Part II

In the previous post, the Black Pearl and I had reached Georgia Pass and were admiring 13,370-foot Mount Guyot (GEE-oh). Georgia Pass is a nice setting, and it was fun to sit and stare at mountains for a while. I wondered how many mountain goats were staring back at me. After lounging around replenishing energy stores, it was time to get motivated for the pedal back to Kenosha Pass.

Not overly high by Colorado standards, Mount Guyot (state rank # 344) still has a mystical ambiance to it.



A handful of miles to the north towered 14,267-foot Torreys Peak (left, rank 11) and 14,270-foot Grays Peak (rank 9).



Lodgpole pine typically does not harbor a luscious and thick understory like spruce forests on the west-side of the state. However, vegetation it does sustain can be quite colorful in the fall.



Back into stands of aspen and Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road comes to mind.



Another patch of baby-smooth singletrack welcomed the Pearl. Considering at least 50 percent of the trail is very rough, root-bound and rocky, I guess I need to go back for some photos of those segments of trail.



Eventually, the climb back to Kenosha Pass comes into view.



This year's leaves have already been dropped in places adjacent to Kenosha Pass.



Kenosha Pass was the end of the trail for me. Hopefully more leafy rides are yet to come this year.

My parting shot is for Mrs. Micawber!




Some stats for this ride:

Elevation gain.....3,369 feet
Start elevation....9,969 feet
High point........11,874 feet
Low point..........9,828 feet

Total trip time.....5:00 hours
Ride time..........4:03 hours
Distance............23.7 miles

Weather and daytime temperatures...sunny and low 50s to 70s

Stay tuned...

Adios

Stardate 2015.751

Kenosha Pass to Georgia Pass
Autumn Visits Segment 6 of the Colorado Trail

Autumn has arrived at Colorado's higher elevations. Moreover, trees down low are beginning to show signs of fall as well. I recently had the opportunity to take the Black Pearl (mountain bike) out for a fall grunt along segment 6 of the Colorado Trail. Rolling across the skin of the earth on a warm Indian summer day full of yellow, gold and orange tapestry is about as good as it gets.

The Colorado Trail is a collection of trails linking Denver with Durango, Colorado. Much of the trail penetrates some of Colorado's most striking landscapes, especially the southwestern San Juan Mountains between Lake City and Durango. The trail is approximately 500 miles long and divided into 28 segments. The path visits 6 wilderness areas, 7 national forests and 5 river systems. Except for the wilderness areas, it is open to hiking, bicycling and horseback riding. Designated detours route cyclists around wilderness areas, where bicycles are forbidden.

My day started at the 9,961-foot level of Kenosha Pass. I rode a sleeveless out-and-back from Kenosha to Georgia Pass. Close to the halfway mark, Georgia Pass is the high point of Segment 6. From Georgia Pass, the segment descends to the winter ski town of Breckenridge.



Segment 6 is entirely singletrack to Georgia Pass. Much of the trail is an enhanced cardio challenge due to physically handling the bicycle over root-bound trail while climbing steeply. The pay-off is baby-butt smooth trail in other areas and needless to say – the views.


The leaves in the Kenosha Pass area are some of the first in Colorado to change color. Leaves were at various stages of change this year. In the following pic, the trail is seen traveling from the lower right to the center of the photo (not the dirt road). My destination is in the background; 13,370-foot Mount Guyot is home to Georgia Pass. Yes, the trail loses elevation near the start; and it has to be made up at the end.



Although yellows were a bit muddy this year, there was some good orange; flame-tips I like to call them.





In addition to groves of aspen (quakies), stands of Lodgepole pine make-up a large portion of the montane ecosystem. The following pic shows some of the smoother trail scattered here and there.



Around 10,000 feet in elevation, Lodgepole pine gives way to Engelmann spruce and the subalpine ecosystem. Mount Guyot dominates the view.



Georgia Pass cradles the Krummholz, which is the interface of the subalpine and alpine ecosystems. Note the stunted growth and wind-shaped branches on the coniferous trees.



At 13,370 feet, Mount Guyot is the 344th highest peak in Colorado. Guyot is named after Arnold Henry Guyot (GEE-oh) who was a Swiss-American Geologist and Geographer (1807-1884).



Viewing northwest, the northern Gore Range rises in the background.




More pics from this trip to come...

Adios