A Hardrock loop

The Hardrock 100 is among the country’s most famous and challenging ultra runs. It is a hundred miles with much elevation gain through gorgeous San Juan mountain country.

Much of the route is along the jeep track or similar. But some of it is on old mining trails through gorgeous country, which connect to other single-track.

The tread may not have switchbacks and often goes up steeply, but overall, it is in good condition and makes a fine route for backpacking.

We started our weekend in our typical way with a quick camp the night before, some cold drinks, and a short walk at sunset.

An unexpected bonus of the walk was that the trail passed by the base of an ancestral Pueblo tower. This is a bit of a preview for our desert wandering in the coming weeks.

The following morning, we briefly followed The Colorado Trail and then went to a locally known social trail leading to the Hardrock 100.

We encountered stunning scenery and one of our best mountain trips this past year.

We soon left the Hardrock route, joined a defined trail, and approached a mountain pass with a welcome creek along the way.

We soon joined The Colorado Trail again and headed the trail in the evening light.

We saw a few CT thru-bikers who seemed in good spirits and enjoyed these mountains as much as we did. I’ve also noticed more bike-packing in the past few years, which is undoubtedly something Joan and I will try out ourselves.

And a local resident.

We found a suitable place to make camp on the tundra.

From Joan.

At 12k feet or so, we felt a bit of fall chill but enjoyed the upcoming light show.

It is a perfect place to take in the sunset, enjoy our dinner, and be thankful for the solitude.

We put on our rain fly and made our hot drinks just as the storm moved in for the night. We found ourselves warm and dry, enjoying the hot drinks and the sound of rain on our tent.

A clear day greeted us in the morning as we went down The Colorado Trail.

A quick walk brought us back to the trailhead, where we enjoyed a late lunch and a beverage before we headed back home.

Another excellent weekend in the mountains as we start towards autumn.

There’s a touch of fall up high, with the ground cover starting to show yellow and red and the wildflowers fading. August truly is the “Sunday of Summer.”