from summer to winter and back again in one day

[ilanarama]

On Sunday, Britt and I drove about an hour north to a new-to-us trailhead in the mountains between Silverton and Telluride. It took a while to find the trail, off a jeep road that inexplicably made a loop above the highway (presumably it originally gave access to a mine); once we did, we climbed a bazillion switchbacks through a pretty pine forest carpeted with early wildflowers, until we broke out into a beautiful treeline basin.


Behind us we could see the Trinities, Vestal, and Arrow peaks through a notch. Incidentally, Arrow (and a bit of Vestal) is the mountain in the icon I'm using on this post.



Where we saw elk! A big herd of them! And they had babies! Cute tiny little elk calves! Of course they scented us immediately and scampered up the side of the basin ("we don't need no steenkin' trail") and we sat and watched them leave before continuing on.





We hiked up through the basin, over the ridge (the opposite side of the basin that the elk took) and across snowfields ranging from tiny to immense:





Looking down at a tiny unnamed lake in a basin to the east:



Finally we arrived at the still mostly-frozen Columbine Lake:





And then we hiked back down to where the snow has been gone for months already.

Comments

[mergatrude]

Oh, these photos are awesome! I can't get over the mountains you people have.

[mrkinch]

I'm so envious! Not that I could do the distance, or the altitude, but it's been very long since I've been in the mountains. Utterly gorgeous, and elk! I've never seen more than one or two.

[traveller42.livejournal.com]

Truly beautiful country!

[delurker]

Baby elk! \o/

[zulu]

Oh man, it's just like home! :D

[(Anonymous)]

I miss living in Colorado sometimes. Lovely pictures, Ilana!

Eric W.

[blnchflr]

Is that pinks snow I spy? Or merely dirty snow? It's so weird seeing snow - we're having lovely summery, if not yet (thankfully!) scorching days.

[barkley.livejournal.com]

I am moving to Colorado tomorrow!

[malnpudl]

SO PRETTY!

Also: ELKSES! :-D

I am envious. I really miss hiking, or even just long walks, in beautiful places. I used to love that. *wistful* Maybe some day I'll have cyberknees and will be able to get out there again.

[melusina]

These are so gorgeous. . .I love your photos of all your adventures - they're a great glimpse of a completely different part of the country. Just looking at these pictures cooled me off after my HOT bike ride this afternoon! And also made me want to do more hiking. . .

[pir8fancier]

So peaceful looking.