Over July, I had a few extra days to do some backpacking, and I did some structured rambling in the San Juans for a few days.
I had a plan, decided my original idea seemed too busy for my taste, and wandered to and from over the mountains to see what I could see.
I dropped Joan off at Molas Pass as she did a ~70 miles on the Colorado Trail to Durango, went to Silverton, hoisted my pack, and did a few days meandering over the area’s beautiful mountains.
I followed a mix of single track, old pack trails, x-country routes, and the occasional jeep track.
Once off the Colorado Trail/CDT I briefly used as a backbone, I found few people wandering among the mountains.
The most dramatic mountains in Colorado are arguably the San Juans, and having them so close to our home makes for an exquisite summer getaway from the desert heat.
And the wildflowers along the meandering route seemed at or near peak.
On my last night, I found an end-holding cabin getting renovated with a welcoming sign that complemented my evening meal.
The evening light show also did not disappoint.
The following morning, I returned to our truck, had a quick camp on the way back to Durango, and picked up Joan at the CT terminus.
We enjoyed our solo trips, which proved a great reset before returning to the job that pays for all these mountain jaunts.
beautiful pix. if you don’t mind, is there a name to the lake pictured third from bottom? did a similar hike years ago, and have that same image, or a similar one. thanks Paul – great stuff!
Hi John. Thanks for the kind words. I believe it is Verde Lake.