Southern Colorado 14er Trip

Well, we aren't working, and who want's to pack boxes up all day anyway? Not us! Ryan, Brandon, Betsy and Lee jumped into Brandon's Tahoe for two days crammed full of driving, eating, and climbing. We headed from Vail to Salida, then south on highway 69 to Wescliff where we turned up a dirt road into the awesome Sangre de Cristo mountains. Rugged, dry, and dramatic... these mountains are packed with 14ers...

Not more than 1 hour after dark and 5 minutes on the 4x4 trail up to camp, we heard a strange noise, and then some local fishermen whistleing us down. What the heck do they want?.... oh, just to tell us that our tire is shredded and we are bouncing along on the rocks on nothing more than a rim... OOPS! Not to worry, we had a full size spare and were back on the trail in no time. We reached camp late, and just before the rain. Morning came early, and the brutal 4x4 road to trailhead of Crestone Needle was waiting for us. 2 bumpy hours later, we were finally sporting our hiking boots and stretching our legs. Before long we were nearing treeline and the flowers and views were incredible. Some of the best in Colorado I have ever seen. By mid morning we had conquered the loose rock of the saddle trough. Not too long afterward Betsy started getting altitude sickness, so she stayed behind reluctantly with Rainier while the three boys headed up the summit block. 45 minutes later we reached the summit of the needle and were rewarded with a few short minutes of incredible views before the clouds engulfed the peak.

After a long walk back down and an ever longer 4x4 trail, we were back on the road. We headed down around the south end of the Sangre de Cristos and then back North again to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Brandon and Betsy had never seen this incredible national monument before, and they couldn't believe their eyes. The dunes are the highest in the world, and are truly spectacular. If you've never been there and you live in Colorado, you are missing out.

We stopped after dark in Alamosa for a 9:30pm dinner at Pizza Hut. MMMMMM... any food is good food when you finished a 14er! With full stomaches, we finished the last leg of our drive to Lake City, Colorado. Lake City is a quaint little town in the heart of the San Jaun Mountains. We drove 9 miles up a dirt road and made camp, totally exhausted. Morning came WAY too soon, but we forced ourselves out our tents anway. Before you knew it, we were back on the trail again heading towards the top of Wetterhorn Peak.

The better part of the trail lead through a huge basin crested with a razor back ridge between Matterhorn and Wetterhorn peaks. The clouds were whispy swirling apostrophes in the sky. Marmots were chirping the whole way and the wind was crisp. Betsy was feeling terrific (proabbly due to sleeping in the car ALL DAY on the way to Lake City) and the guys were dragging their feet. Two 14ers in a row looks easier on paper. Nonetheless, we all made the summit, but not before the clouds were closing in on us again. So we quickly descended to avoid any lightning and ate our lunch back in the safety of the trees.

That afternoon, we treated ourselves to gargantuan portions of chicken fried steak in Lake City, and then hit the road again, driving north through Gunnison and finally Crested Butte where we had dinner. We finished off the trip with a night drive over Kebler Pass to Carbondale and back to Vail. Fun times! PICTURES