Mountain Time: Fall at 10,000 Feet

At the beginning of October, we drove north to Colorado to see friends in Denver and hike in the mountains. We traipsed along at Red Rocks and got caught in a few rainstorms in the city parks. It never rains like this, my friend told me as we raced for the shelter of the car. Rain in Denver turned to snow at higher altitudes and a few days later as we drove south towards Leadville and then Buena Vista, we were rewarded with snow covered peaks, Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert included.

The sun came out as we circled the lake, melting some of the snow, burning the heavy clouds away. The next morning we hiked near Buena Vista, in between the peaks of Harvard and Yale, to a high mountain meadow and a small alpine lake, alone on the trail save for a handful of trail runners. I want to do that, Silas and I said to each other at the same time after a runner passed us by. A few moments later, the runner stepped lightly back to us, There’s a porcupine on the trail, watch out, and was off again. Our dog met one once before, on a coastal trail in Nova Scotia, not quite a face to face standoff, but she still caught a stray needle from the ground in her cheek, and we were happy to be of assistance.

All photos by me, Becca Grady, 2022.

Mountain Time: Mt. Ida

Last June, after closing up the jewelry business, Silas and I packed up the car and drove to Colorado, to stay in a cabin and hike. I’ve been sitting on the photos, editing slowly. Trying to get organized. And now as we get ready to leave the mountains I find myself sifting through them again.

Mt. Ida is my favorite hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. I’m sure there are other good ones, but this is the first mountain I climbed with Silas, way back on our very first trip together. So naturally we had to climb it again!

Just past treeline is the marmot castle. A cluster of rocks clinging onto the side of the mountain, where there is always at least one marmot hanging out. We saw more marmots than people on this trail.

All photos by me, Becca Grady

Almost Summer in the San Juan Mountains

The last weekend of Spring, Soni I drove up to the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, heading for the little ski village Purgatory, in between Durango and Silverton. Purgatory is about a half hour from Durango, but it’s at an elevation of about 8700 feet, so the weather can be drastically different from Durango’s at 6500 feet. The air was a lot chillier as we pulled in. It was clearly off season when we got there, and very quiet, perfect for us.

The first day we decided to have a slow morning, and go for a short hike, as it was supposed to rain in the afternoon. Soni had been reading about some of the trails on AllTrails and many were still impassable because of snow. We drove by the trailhead for the upper trail at Molas Lake but it was still blocked off, with the road still too snowy for cars or trucks. At the lower trail we started hiking down, and it was clear that snow had just melted or it had rained a ton, it was the muddiest trail we’d been on possibly ever. We walked down and around Molas Lake. There is a campground there, and I would love to get back there to stay sometime soon. As we got about halfway around a thunderstorm arrived.

The Colorado Trail runs near Molas Lake, and we decided to come back the next day and hike the part of the trail that goes down to the Animas River. We drove into Silverton after our walk, and saw the train about to leave for Durango. The train runs between Silverton and Durango, along the river. We’ve never done it, as it’s a lot slower of a trip, but I imagine it’s a beautiful ride.

The next day was sunny and warmer, much nicer for a longer hike. The aspen leaves were just getting started at this elevation. The first part of the trail is very open, and it feels very much like you’re walking through the Sound Of Music, but in the San Juan Mountains instead of the Alps.

As we descended much of the rest of the trail was in dense forest. There was a lot of snow left in among the trees, and without the sun the temperature dropped. Further down, there were some beautiful look out spots, with a great view of the river. We didn’t make it quite the whole way to the river. We saw and heard the train go by, snaking along the river.

Mountain Time - Nederland

It took me a little while to get this post together, so right about now this view is a whole lot snowier and the lake is almost frozen! But Nederland is one of my favorite spots, so I wanted to share a bit of our trip there.

At the end of September, Soni and I went to Nederland, Colorado for a little part work/part vacation getaway. I was exhibiting at Denver Renegade over the weekend, and Soni had made plans to do some research at archives outside of Denver during the following week. So we decided to stay in Denver for the weekend and then head up to the mountains for the rest of our time. 

Nederland is a cute mountain town about an hour from Denver and a half hour from Boulder. It’s near Rocky Mountain National Park, Indian Peaks Wilderness and Roosevelt National Forest. There are a lot of great hiking trails nearby. We stayed here once before, two summers ago, on our first vacation together to Rocky Mountain National Park. We had wanted to see different sides of the park, so we stayed in Grand Lake for a few nights, and then Nederland for our last two. Both places are beautiful, but we felt more at home in Nederland, so we decided to head back. 

On the way to Denver, we stopped in La Jara to see our friend Sunny and the El Sagrado farm. It’s a beautiful spot, and Sunny’s been getting it ready to host workshops and retreats. She also trains horses, and I’m hoping to get back there soon for a longer visit. Going to Denver via La Jara meant we were on 285, passing through the Collegiate Peaks. It’s a beautiful drive, and the aspens were just starting to turn, so there was a lot more color on the mountains than there had been on our last Colorado trip. 

It was really nice to get to spend some time in Denver. It was cool in the mornings, which was great for running. But it still got really hot during the day and Renegade was outside, so we were scorched all weekend long. When the fair was over, we packed up our tent at Renegade. We drove straight to Nederland, climbing 3,000 feet, and were greeted with a chill in the air that was quite the contrast to Denver’s heat. We definitely did not pack enough warm clothes for Fall in the mountains, where it was dropping to just below freezing at night. 

We stayed in a small cottage in town for the week. On the first night, we pulled in, unloaded the car, and immediately layered up for our stroll into town. We went to a dive bar called the Pleasant Inn, that served dinner late. It was a Sunday night, and we had quickly learned that most places close around then in the off season. We loved it, and even went back a few nights later to play a game of pool, learning that they had temporarily lost their liquor license which was pretty hilarious given that it’s the only bar in town.  

Soni spent the first day at the archives, and I hung out in the cottage. It rained on and off all day. When it paused (and brought rainbows!), and the sun came back out, I went for a walk to the reservoir. It was strange to see that the water levels were lower than they had been only two year ago.

Rainbows!

The view from the path around the reservoir

I slept so well in our little cottage that week. I love sleeping in the cold under a heavy comforter. It was quiet in the town, past the big summer tourist influx. 

We went for an evening hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, driving out as the sun was getting low in the sky. There was snow from the night before. On the drive out of town, we saw a family of moose at the river. We went on the trail up to Lost Lake, spying a few more signs of moose in the trees, but not getting quite another viewing like the one by the river. The light was disappearing quickly and we didn’t bring any flashlights, so we turned back before reaching the lake. It was the perfect fall week to be in Nederland, with the crisp air, and the leaves turning brilliant shades of gold and red all around us.

I’ve never seen this many moose at once before!

The trail to Lost Lake

The next day we went for a trail run at Caribou Ranch. There was a beautiful 4+ mile loop that went past open fields, and wooded areas, near the old mine, and around this old homestead. I took Soni to the Mountain Man store, where I bought a warmer sweatshirt and a hat, since I just hadn’t packed warmly enough for the mountains. And then we finally went back have the best pizza at Crosscut Pizza in town. I tried to plan our week out so that we could go twice before we left. What can I say, pizza is my favorite food. Pretty much my favorite spots in town are Crosscut for pizza and Salto’s for coffee, wine and snacks, and the trail around the reservoir for slow wandering. We were both trying to work and relax on this trip, which meant there just weren’t enough days, and I’d love to come back again soon.

The old homestead at Caribou Ranch

For our last full day in Nederland, we planned an all day hike up to Arapaho Glacier. We packed our warmest layers, lunches and cameras and headed out. The trail was beautiful, and not many folks were out given the weather. It was pretty windy, but in the trees it was great. We passed another hiker who said that she had turned back above treeline because it was too windy. Once we made it to the top we understood what she meant! We headed up the path aways and got to a point with a nice view of the glacier, but the wind was fierce. We were both having trouble keeping our balance, and there were still several miles to go. We stopped and I took some photos of the view - the glacier and the lakes are gorgeous. I hope that we get a chance to come back on a less windy day, when we have some better layers. The wind was kicking up dirt all around us, and I ended up eating quite a bit of it. When we got back to the tree line edge, Soni took one look at me and started laughing. I had dirt stuck to my teeth and lips and looked quite strange. It was good that we were heading back down…

Treeline on the trail up to Arapaho Glacier

The trail up to the Arapaho Glacier, where I decided it was too windy to keep going up….

As close as we could get to the glacier, due to the wind and our inappropriate layers.

The lakes look beautiful from up high

The view from treeline, mountains as far as you can see

The view from the trail

On the way down, we went on a shorter hike out to the Rainbow Lakes

The drive back from the trailhead was just as gorgeous

Since our big hike was cut short, we had a bit of extra time and decided check out Boulder Falls, a quick walk just off the main road in between Nederland and Boulder.

Until next time, Nederland…

Mountain Time: Crater Lake, Cathedral Lake and Mt. Elbert

In August, the day after my birthday, Soni and I drove to Colorado for the long weekend, up to the Aspen area for a few days, to do some hiking, relax, and see a friend living in nearby Carbondale.

The drive up was beautiful, on 285/24 through the Collegiate Peaks. We turned off on CO 82 and stopped in Twin Lakes for coffee. It was rainy and misty, and the lakes were beautiful. Twin Lakes is a small little town but seems to get a lot of folks passing through. I told Sonia I wanted to come back and camp or stay in the B & B. After Twin Lakes, we took Independence Pass through the mountains to Aspen. It was jaw-dropping, beautiful, and terrifying. I was glad Sonia was driving. And that it was daylight, even if it was raining. 

We stayed in an Airbnb in Snowmass Village just outside of Aspen. When I was picturing it before we left, I had imagined the Taos Ski Village but a little bit bigger. Snowmass Village was actually much larger, with tons of condo buildings, restaurants and shopping. It ended up being pretty nice, we could walk to dinner in the evening instead of driving into Aspen. 

It rained the next morning as well, but as soon as it started to let up, we headed down into Aspen for some lunch, and then to the famed Maroon Bells. The peaks called the Maroon Bells get their coloring because they are made up of a lot of mudstone, like the cliffs at Blomidon in Nova Scotia. This also makes them prone to rockslides, and extremely dangerous for climbing. They are beautiful and very photogenic. The Maroon Bells are hard to get to, as no cars are allowed up during the day, so you have to take a shuttle. They are so popular that in the 1980s park management banned cars because the pollution from all the exhaust was killing the wildflowers. Today, I’m told much of it has been restored. It was totally worth the wait to see this stunning protected area. We just had enough time to make it up to Crater Lake and back down with a few minutes before the last shuttle headed down the mountain. The Crater Lake trail is an out and back 3.8 mile trail that gets a lot of foot traffic. It’s a pretty trail, fairly easy, and short enough to do in a hurry. The lake was pretty low this time of year and there was little snow on the mountains. After a winter with a lot less snow than usual, water levels seem to be low in a lot of areas - in Maroon Bells, and as we saw later on in Nederland, and in many places here in New Mexico. 

Maroon Bells

Very happy to be on vacation, at Crater Lake with Soni

We saw a lot of Gray Jays on this trip. This one was hanging out by Crater Lake.

The Maroon Bells at Crater Lake

Crater Lake

This is the view of Maroon Bells that gets photographed the most! This shot was taken from the walking path just off of the main trailhead where the shuttle drops visitors off. I couldn’t not take one as well, it’s beautiful.

In the Aspens

Maroon Lake

The next day we decided to go on a longer more strenuous hike to Cathedral Lake. The trail is a 5.3 out and back trail up to the lake, and it’s rated difficult. It was a beautiful trail, and a beautiful day for the hike. The hardest part was towards the end, almost to the lake, when the trail gets very steep. There were a lot of people on the trail that day, and you have to go pretty slow at this point, so it also ends up being a bit of a bottleneck. But once you’re up, the rest of the hike is relatively flat out to the lake. The peak next to the lake really does look like a cathedral, and I’m a sucker for an alpine lake, so we were very pleased. Being late August, most of the wildflowers were gone, but there were still a few here and there along the trailside, adding color to the greens and darks of the mountains. 

After the hike, we drove to Carbondale to meet up with a friend of mine from Maine, Allegra, who has been working on trails all summer in the White River National Forest. She was still on her way down the mountain to meet us but recommended some river hot springs for us to visit in the meantime. Penny Hot Springs is a cluster of small pools on the Crystal river just outside of town. They can get pretty crowded. We found a good hot spot to sit and soak in the pools for a bit, and then headed into to Carbondale to meet her. We had dinner at a fun diner and got to hear about her summer of trail work (she loved it!). She’s been doing work on trails all over the forest, some in the Maroon Bells, and elsewhere. And if you want to see what the Maroon Bells look like now that they are covered in snow - there are some good photos on Allegra’s instagram.

Cathedral Lake

wildflowers on the Cathedral Lake trail

The general plan for our trip was to stay in Aspen/Snowmass for three nights, hanging out and doing some shorter hikes during the day. Then we would drive to Mt. Elbert, near Leadville, and camp near the trailhead so that we’d be ready to try our very first 14er (14,000 feet high mountain). The weather decided not to cooperate with us, and we had to move our hike up a day. So, on Monday morning, we got up at 4am, packed up our car and drove to the trailhead. Thankfully, again, Sonia did the driving. Because heading out so early meant that we were on the windy Independence Pass in the dark, spooking some of the deer that were out in the early morning. 

Sunrise at Twin Lakes, on the way to Mt. Elbert

We got to the trailhead around 6:30am. It was so damn cold as we packed up our gear for the hike. The North Mt. Elbert trailhead is at about 10,000 feet, so it’s higher up and colder than where we’d been staying in Snowmass, at about 8,000 feet. While it felt a bit was a bit crazy to get up at 4am and drive for two hours before hiking for 8+, we would have been really cold camping out near the trailhead. 

We were still cold when we started on the trail by 7am, but there’s a good incline fairly early on so we soon warmed up a bit and were able to take off our warmest layers. It’s a pretty trail, mostly wooded until we got up to tree line. Once we got to tree line, it became significantly harder. Soni had read up on the trail guide ahead of time and knew that there were three “false peaks” which really came in handy. False peaks are when you think you can see the top, but the top is actually beyond it. It was actually nice to know that, but I still found myself pretending that I was almost there with each one. We took a lot of breaks, had a lot of snacks. The trail is steep, and the elevation gain really started to get to me above tree line, so I just always wanted a break to catch my breath until we got to the top. 

On the way up Mt. Elbert

The weather was really clear, sunny, and very hazy. With no chance of thunderstorms, we could take our time getting up to the top and back down again to tree line. The next day (our original Mt. Elbert day) called for thunderstorms all day. 

I’m not sure where it was along the trail, it was close to the top, but don’t know how far or what the elevation was, but I hit a pretty big breaking point and almost lost it. The trail started to get really eroded, with softer dirt, and rocks sliding everywhere. It was very much a scramble, and a steep one. It also gets windier as you get higher, and I felt really unbalanced. I pretty much felt like I was going to fall off the mountain. I went really slowly and took a lot of breaks, but still had a hard time catching my breath. In part from the elevation, part from the anxiety (can I really do this?), it was hard to breathe, and I finally took Soni’s offer of the can of oxygen we’d brought along. We made it past that section, and up to an equally steep very lichen covered rocky section, and I had a similar panic. I had to stop for a bit longer here. This portion of the trail was still tricky, but the rocks were bigger here and felt like they weren’t going anywhere, so I found myself a seat, gripped the rocks and closed my eyes. After a while, my breathing returned to normal, and I finally began to relax.

After a break, we continued up the rest of the way. It was still hard, but the panic didn’t come back. At this point, as we passed folks on their way back down, they were sincere when they said, “almost there!”. Also, we passed a few older hikers, one who said he’d had five knee surgeries, who all said variations of “if we can do it you can do it”. Which sounds cheesy, but at that point I really appreciated it. 

the hazy view from the top of Mt. Elbert

We made it to the top, finally! There was actually a fair amount of wind cover if you stayed on one side of the top, so it was quite comfortable to be up there for a rest before heading back down. There are also a few shelters that I’m sure come in handy on rough weather days. There were lots of folks at the top. Many who we’d been on the trail with at some point. A few runners, and a pair of mountain bikers with their bikes who took our photo with our camp stove and picnic lunch. To be honest, having had such a hard time walking up the mountain, I was completely flabbergasted by the runners and bikers. But maybe once you’ve done more of this kind of thing it’s less daunting. I also heard someone say that some folks once drove a jeep up to the top. 

Soni’s best hiking trick is to bring the camp stove up and heat up some veggie chili for lunch, it’s better on top of a mountain.

very tired, but happy to be at the top!

This fella also made it up there, but not sure when…

At the top, you could see pretty far out, but everything was dimmed by the haze. Some other hikers said that it was all the smoke from the nearby fires that was causing the haze, and that there was a smoke warning in the area. This, of all things, made me feel better. Not because there was a fire, but because the added smoke in the air makes it harder to breathe at high altitudes and this made me feel like less of a wimp for struggling so much. No plans for another one, but it perhaps it won’t be as hard?

Last of the wildflowers on the mountain

The Cottonwood Hot Springs are in Buena Vista, about an hour and a half drive from the trailhead. After we made it down, we headed straight there. We pitched the tent next to the river and headed straight for the first pool. It was getting late, so we just did a quick dip, and then went into town for dinner. When we got back to the springs, we went back in for another soak, and then straight to bed. I have never slept so well in a tent in my entire life. The combination of exhaustion and the sound of the river, I slept ten hours straight no problem. We spent the morning in the hot springs and then headed back to Santa Fe. Surprisingly, neither of us were sore from the hike. The hot springs did their magic.

The rock pools at Cottonwood Hot Springs. This one was the hottest!

My dad sent me flowers for my birthday the day before we left, so I decided to bring them on the road trip with us. Here they are, dressing up our campsite at Cottonwood Hot Springs.  

Mountain Time: Ice Lake

In July, before the forests in Santa Fe opened back up, Soni and I headed to Colorado for some mountain time. 

We drove up the night before and stayed at a motel in Durango. On the way, just past Abiqui, New Mexico, we saw smoke in the distance. With fire season well under way in New Mexico and Colorado, and the summer rains only just begun, the fire danger was pretty high. Neither of us had any cell service to call it in, so we kept driving, paying attention to the mile markers as we passed. We rounded a big curve and were suddenly upon the fire, and a line of cars. It appeared to be a brush fire just at the edge of the road, possibly started by a cigarette tossed out a car window. A fire truck and police car were already there, with more coming up behind us. The fire crews worked quickly and put the fire out while we waited to pass. Forty-five minutes later, we had the go ahead and made our way slowly past the fire remnants. A burned-out van was on the side of the road, most likely abandoned, and there were scorch marks left on the pavement. 

The rest of the drive was uneventful, and we stayed the night in Durango, Colorado and got up early to drive to the trailhead, near Silverton. On the way, we passed some of the burn scars from the 416 fire that had been raging around Durango for the previous month. There were signs along the way warning of the dangers of subsequent mudslides. The road between Durango and Silverton is a narrow windy mountain road and I’m thankful Sonia is always up for the driving on these because they terrify me. (Also, we found out later on, that not long after we headed back to Santa Fe, and passed back through Durango, part of road washed out in the rain storm.)

Coming up on Silverton, the mist was still hanging out in the valley, slowly burning off as the sun rose. The mist and the mountains made me think of the mountain cloud formation that features heavily in the Clouds of Sils Maria

From Silverton, we turned onto a dirt road and drove for a ways before arriving at the campground and parking lot by the trailhead for Ice Lake. This hike is rated strenuous so I was a little intimidated, but excited for the challenge. It’s one of Sonia’s favorite hikes. Last summer she sent me a photo of her picnicking at the lake, and I’d been like “what is this amazing place and when can we go?”. 

The first part of the trail is forested and goes along a stream. The trail guide online recommended crossing it as early as possible. There’s a trail on both sides for a while, but the further up crossings are more difficult (as we saw later on). The wildflowers were very abundant next to the water. Much more so than we’d seen in New Mexico with the lack of rain. We found that the bugs were also more abundant in Colorado, and we had to bum some bug spray from fellow hikers. 

The trail climbs steadily, with a number of switchbacks. Eventually it opens up into a high valley, full of wildflowers and a small lake. A lot of folks camp out here overnight, and make the final ascent the next day. We saw a number of tents nestled in among the trees. We walked through a ridiculously beautiful alpine meadow full of tall wildflowers and made it to the edge, crossing over a stream and began the final ascent. The last part of the trail is the hardest. There’s a little bit of rock scramble, but mostly it’s just a steep trail at the end. Lots of folks were going up and down, and I was so out of breath that I didn’t mind stopping every other minute to let someone pass us. 

Ice Lake is one of those crazily colored deep blue alpine lakes. I can try to describe it, but I took so many photos that I’ll let them do the telling. Ice Lake is truly a beautiful spot. Surrounded by snowy peaks, waterfalls, and a river heading down the valley, the setting was perfect. Exactly as Soni had described. We picnicked at the water’s edge and watched a few brave folks jump in. It was pretty chilly so we weren’t even tempted to join them. 

A fellow hiker told us that there are about 11 lakes in the area. Ice Lake is the main attraction, with a smaller lake right next to it, and a few other smaller ones up towards and past the waterfall. In the opposite direction is another lake (and more?).

Later on, back in Santa Fe, I looked up “why is ice lake so blue” and found a couple of pieces explaining why a lot of alpine lake were so blue. It has nothing to do with the altitude, but rather what is in the water. Which makes more sense given that the surrounding lakes have nothing on the turquoise waters of Ice Lake. A lot of the water in the lake comes from melted glaciers, and with the melted glaciers comes glacial flour or rock flour. The glaciers rub against rocks and create a fine powder that gets distributed into the lake water as they melt. The particles are really light so they don’t sink to the bottom, instead floating in the middle and near the top of the water. When the light hits the lake, it’s distorted by the particles and we see turquoise.

The one downside to the beauty of Ice Lake is that it’s so popular and photogenic that there were also 3-4 drones circling the lake most of the time we were there. As a photographer, I can understand why anyone would want aerial footage of the lakes if they can get it – they’re jaw-droppingly gorgeous. But the drones sound like enormous insects/mini planes swarming and they end up being incredibly stressful and unpleasant to be around. 

The clouds were rolling in and we wanted to escape the drones, so we headed up the trail just a bit further to investigate the other lakes and waterfall. There were two small lakes near the waterfall, each fairly shallow and offering a lot of contrast to the deep blue of Ice Lake. We kept climbing until we reached a larger lake, with the remains of a structure in pieces next to it. Some of the roofing had blown away and was sitting at the bottom of the smaller nearby lake. I couldn’t imagine trying to build a hut at 11,000 feet, especially given the state it was in now. The clouds really started to build up, and it was after noon, so we decided it was time to head back down. 

I was really slow making it back to Ice Lake because I wanted to keep photographing all of the flowers. I found a tiny wildflower bouquet that someone had picked and then abandoned lying in the middle of the trail. I stopped again to photograph it, to give it a little more life before putting it back alongside the trail for someone else to find. 

Going down is always easier, though the steepest part was still a challenge. I love how the view changes, I feel like I always see more when we are going down. With the toughest climb behind me, it’s easier to appreciate the views!

On the way down, we passed a number of groups that had big packs and looked like they were planning to camp just before the top. Also, several kids accompanied their groups with their own kid-sized packs. We wished them luck getting up there before the rain came. 

We made good time getting down but didn’t manage to beat the rain. We pulled our raincoats on with the first few drops and picked up the pace. We could tell that we were getting close, and it really started to pour and then hail so we took off running. Sonia’s sunglasses were on her head so to keep them from flying away, I put them in my raincoat pocket and then forgot all about them for weeks. We thought that her brand-new multi-colored sunglasses that fit perfectly over her everyday glasses were gone until we got caught in another rainstorm and I re-discovered them in my pocket. 

I’ve started making a drawing after each of our big hikes or trips, and here is the sketch from Ice Lake - wildflowers of course!