Stardate 2015.425

Where Eagles Dare

No, not the old WWII Burton and Eastwood movie (although that is a movie I enjoy). Rather, Vail Pass (10,666 ft), Colorado, which is suspended just below the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area's south side within the Gore Range. The high country is slowly thawing and beginning to open up for access. Snowcatcher and I recently went road riding in the Vail Pass area.


We began our journey in East Vail, on old U.S. Route 6. This two-lane highway used to be a major east/west route across the state prior to the completion of Interstate-70. As a kid, I remember U.S. 6 taking 6- to 7-hours to drive the 250 miles between Denver and my hometown of Grand Junction. Driving I-70 cuts the time down to 4- to 4.5-hours.

Once through East Vail, Route 6 is closed to vehicular travel at Gore Creek. The old highway now becomes a bike path for several miles, and in several different segments, to the summit of Vail Pass.



Everything is melting out fairly quickly. Black Gore Creek is still entertaining snow a little above the 10,000-foot level. During April and May, powerful spring storms cloaked the high country in heavy, moisture laden snow. The high peaks are still wearing much of this blanket of cohesive snow.



An Icy Black Lake Number Two is slowly thawing at about 10,433-feet in elevation. The background peak is 13,205-foot Jacque Peak (state rank #482).



From Vail Pass, Pacific Peak rises to 13,950 feet (state rank #61) behind the melting ski trails of Copper Mountain.



This cornice-prone alpine ridge will soon lose its wind-sculpted snow. As can be seen, there is a lot of wet slide activity mining below the cornices as well. These are fairly big cornices. It would be a hoot to watch their collapse.



Rising high above Copper Mountain Ski Resort, Jacque Peak (13,205 ft, state rank #482) dominates the view from the summit of Vail Pass. Beyond and below lies some of Copper Mountain's back ski bowls.



12,522-foot Uneva Peak (upper left) is taking a peek toward Vail Pass from within the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area.



The Vail Pass bike path has a nice new surface. The path also succumbs to extreme climatic conditions. Hence, a lot of money is spent on maintaining this path. There are a lot of wood bridges spanning creeks as well. The path gets used a lot, being a very popular ride. The Colorado Department of Transportation even tries to plow it by Memorial Weekend. There is no toll to use this bike path, which is very generous, considering what the cost of maintaining it must be. The views don't disappoint either; rising in the background is the Gore Range.



The Vail Valley is very lush. Lots of meadows are interspersed amongst the trees. Moreover, moose have taken up in the valley and possibly may be initiating a "safety" problem in town. As higher areas melt out, the moose probably will migrate to higher environs. As for cycling, the ride up Vail Pass is through two life-zones or ecosystems. The route begins in the Montane Zone of quaking aspen (quakies) and spruce, transitioning into the Subalpine Zone of primarily Spruce.



Yes, that's Snowcatcher out catching flower flakes along old U.S. Route 6. In classic European fashion, the road was painted the night before a U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge time trial. Painting the names of favorite riders is very common and allowed to remain in most places. Strange? Maybe. Perhaps you have to be a cyclist to get the feel for it.

That's it for this round!

Adios

Stardate 2014.553

Another Day Up High

Hi, girls and boys! Snowcatcher and I put in another ride up Vail Pass Saturday. Little did we know the Courage Classic was taking place as well. In a roundabout way, we were part of another sanctioned ride, which was kind of fun. The Courage Classic is a 3-day, 155-mile charity ride through mountainous Summit, Lake and Eagle Counties, Colorado. The event benefits Children's Hospital in Denver.



The ride up the west side of Vail Pass into the hazy atmosphere was a grind as usual. I felt kind of guilty riding by riders who had 80 miles on their legs whilst I had a whopping 5. Nonetheless, good spirits filled the mountains. I always enjoy pedaling on the Pacific side of the Continental Divide through the subalpine and montane life zones. In this area, the lodgepole pine of the Atlantic side have given way to the lush spruce forests of the wetter Pacific side; everything is bushy, large and green.



Many, many moons ago, I learned about dictionaries and how to thumb through them for word info. For many, many moons, I've wondered if Vail had a definition. Well, after many, many moons, I finally opened a dictionary (it was tough at first) and perused the meaning of Vail. As it turns out, the former sheep ranch turned mega ski area and year-round resort has a meaning after all, "to be of use or profit." World War II skiers from the 10th Mountain Division brought lift skiing to Vail and Aspen. Hmmmm... in all honesty, I don't think these famed skiers of the 10th Mountain Division ever dreamed Vail and Aspen would become what they've become.

Close to the summit of Vail Pass, Snowcatcher and I parted ways and I continued on over the pass and down to Copper Mountain Resort, sharing the bike path with numerous bikes.



At Copper, I picked up a bike path and headed north toward Frisco. The day's haze never did lift and I think perhaps fire smoke from somewhere in the west was visiting us.



On a side note, along the way the path dissected an avalanche chute (actually a handful of them) that hadn't completely melted out. It was a good example of the dangers of backcountry ski travel and slides. Buried within it are rock and woody debris. People caught in slides often not only suffocate, but are beat to death by wood and rock debris picked up by the slide, as well as being bounced over undulating topography and tree stumps. As a backcountry skier, it's kind of spooky to think about.





Rounding the northern apex of the Tenmile Range, I headed east along the bike path that leads to Breckenridge Ski Resort. The path is lined with purple and red flowers while 12,933-foot Tenmile Peak and 12,805-foot Peak 1 loom above. My ride too quickly ends when I make the turn south and meet Snowcatcher at the Summit County High School.

Adios