Even though there are several very good Thai restaurants in Flagstaff, when I want Thai food, I always go to Pato Thai. And even though they have many excellent food selections on their menu, I always end up ordering the orange chicken, #3 on the spicy scale….which I realize isn’t authentic Thai food. So, even though I have lots of options, I keep choosing the same thing. Boring? Perhaps. But here’s the thing…I really like Pato Thai’s orange chicken.
That explains, in part, how once again Sharon and I ended up in the San Juan mountains of southwestern Colorado. We considered going back to the Canadian Rockies (after a long absence). We considered going to some mountain ranges in Idaho and Montana that we have yet to explore. Even though we had all these intriguing choices, we finally decided that we really like the San Juan mountains. Of course there was the added bonus of being able to see Aaron, Vanessa – and grandson Oliver along the way.
Last summer we spent an amazing week on an off trail backtrip trip through the Grenadier range in the Weminuche wilderness. (You can read about it here. Wet and Wild in the Weminuche) This year, the backpacks stayed home. This, we decided, would be a car camping, relaxing, trail running, peak bagging adventure.
Following the well worn path from work to the George-Moore Casa, we arrived in Durango on Friday and spent a pleasant evening. We set out Saturday morning for the high country west of Lake City. The monsoon weather pattern smiled favorably on us, and even though it was already 2pm, the four of us set out for the top of Handies.
The weather continued to cooperate, so we were able to lounge for a bit on the summit. We chatted with some fellow hikers, enjoyed the amazing views, and most importantly, helped Oliver throw rocks – which apparently is the main reason anyone would climb a mountain.
Congrats to Aaron on Oliver’s first “Teener!” Unfortunately work called, so the two boys headed back early the next day. Sharon and I used the all day rain (and threat of rain) as an excuse to lounge around camp, eat and – the ultimate luxury – read a whole book. The rest day was actually planned, since day 3 was going to be a double 14’er day. Being on the same ridge, Red Cloud and Sunshine are typically both climbed in a day. After reaching Red Cloud, the trail continues and drops – and then climbs 500′ back up to the summit of Sunshine. This ends up being a longish day of 12 miles and 4,600 feet of elevation gain. Other than bouts of manic wind, it was another beautiful day in the company of my amazing, lovely bride.
One of the problems with “Juan-dering” in the San Juans is that the choices are endless. As we lounged around that evening, savoring the afterglow of another successful day in the mountains, we weighed and discussed our many options. Since neither of us had been there, we finally decided to explore/hike/climb in the area around Crested Butte. We would then continue around to the Silverton/Ouray area and meet up with Aaron, Vanessa and Oliver at St Paul Lodge at Red Mountain Pass.
So on our nation’s birthday, we made a casual journey through Lake City, Gunnison, and Crested Butte. By days end we found ourselves several miles up Washington Gulch Road at a stunning campsite. We settled in above 10,000′ looking across at the Raggeds Wilderness.
Next day we opted for an ascent of nearby Mt Baldy. Once we’d reached the long, summit ridge we met up with Becky from B.C. Becky was something of an overachiever. She had ridden her mountain bike (up) from Crested Butte to the trailhead, and then come up to the ridge by a different route. We decided to make the long traverse to the summit together. Along the way, and on the summit we had an extremely pleasant chat with our new friend. We didn’t know at the time, but later found out that Becky was doing the Hardrock 100. Two weeks later we watched her race to a 5th place finish among women. Well done Becky! (Especially since she’s our age – truly awesome!!!) While Baldy might not be the most aesthetically pleasing mountain, it did benefit from location. Looking north we were treated to the Maroon Bells in all their splendor.
Despite the initial gnarliness of the route, Baldy turned out to be a fun mountain. And even with a ‘relaxed’ start time and plenty of time spent on top, there was plenty of time back at camp to relax, quaff adult beverages, read and enjoy a gourmet meal before bed. Hopefully I don’t sound too boastful when I say that I think we’ve got this whole vacation thing pretty well figured out. Our last bit of exploration around Crested Butte took place the next day on the “Oh Be Joyful” trail. The name itself was reason enough to go explore. While nothing dramatic, the trail did ascend a pretty canyon, along a beautiful creek, with some dramatic waterfalls spilling down from on high. After lots of high peaks, it was a relaxing and enjoyable “stroll.”
Friday was a big day. We had a pleasant hotel night in Ouray (can you say hot shower??) on Thursday plus some liquid carbo loading at a local brew pub. All this was prep for a training hike/run up Imogene pass. We both wanted to take the opportunity to gauge our training progress for the annual IPR. Results were mixed. It was somewhat encouraging, yet humbling as always. After a shaky start, Sharon finished very strong. I felt decent both ways, but clearly not where I need to be to put up a good time on September.
We celebrated a grueling, but successful training run/hike with dinner at one of our favorites – the Colorado Boy brew pub in Ridgeway.(http://coloradoboy.com/ ) EXCELLENT pizza and tasty beverages. And as always, enjoyed in the convivial company of fellow diners.
We wrapped up our week of fun and frolic with a weekend at the St Paul Lodge with Aaron, Vanessa and Oliver. Activities included Oliver led adventures, more vertical human powered travel, food, conversation, reading, naps, and enjoying time in a very special mountain setting.
All too soon we had to part ways with the kids and with the mountains of Colorado. As always, we came away full of wonderful memories of the people and places we’d visited. Once again, the carp was well and truly seized!
