Silverpass hike 9-4-14

We parked below Silver Pass and made our way up about 200 feet to the Pass and the Continental Divide Trail.  We then took the CDT West for about 1.5 miles to Railroad Pass and paused to take in the scenery, then on West toward Alberta Peak for a lunch spot.  After about another mile we found a nice spot for lunch on the Pacific side of the divide.

After lunch we went back to Railroad Pass and went down from it to an old logging road, took it East for about 1/2 mile until the road quit. We followed a game trail for about a 1/4 mile until finding another road, took this road until it disappeared, then found another old road.  We had to jump from one old road to another 6 times before we made it back to Silver Pass and the truck...............

Monday night will be a Full Moon and we will have our cookout on Shaw Mesa to celebrate the occurrence.  We will bring brats, dogs, buns, condiments, paper products, hot & cold drinks for all to enjoy.  Please bring a dish to share with all the other folks.

We will start the fire about 630PM and plan to eat around 730PM while it is still light .  After eating we will hike over to the overlook and enjoy the light show out in the valley, by this time the full moon will be up and barring clouds we will have a bright moon to hike by.

When we return to the campfire we will have s'mores...................come on up and join us.

 

Dennis

 

Our short, informative trial trail

Tuesday's hike was short, sweet, but maybe more revealing than most. Four of us went up the flank of Sentinel Moutain--about 200 steep strides--then strolled around and sat down to observe nature in three separate, different tiny plots. After revealing "tours" of each, we strolled homeward.

This "slow hiking" gave us three different inventories of living and dead things plus once-molten rocks, as each "hiker" sat with a splendid view of South Fork. It also gave us a deeper sense of the many different species interacting on the partially forested hill behind our "Ponderosa Estates" (we came down a gully that led us past Ozzie and Eve's lovely home).

Sorry--no pictures. You'll have to come along next time. Or ask David, David, and another David's gracious wife. They also helped polish off the ice cream afterward.
--Doug Knudson

Hike to Alberta Peak

Wayne led 22 of us on a great hike on the Continental Divide Trail from Wolf Creek Pass to be base of Alberta Peak.  Wayne, Tim & David Pryce went on up to the summit while the rest of us chose to have our lunch in the lee of some shrubs.  Windy as all get out, had to hang onto your hat or it would have beat you back to South Fork.........

Thursday hike will also be on this same trail (CDT) but about 7 miles to the East; we will start at Silver Pass and go West until lunch time then return to Railroad Pass where we will pick up an old logging road that parallels the CDT and take it back to the vehicles.  An easier hike with lot less elevation gain.

Next Monday night is the FULL MOON,  you know what that means, right?  We will have a cookout on Shaw Mesa and a short hike over to the overlook in the moonlight.  I will send more info out Thursday if we survive the hike............

Dennis

 

9 Labor Day hike scenes

It was a great day for hiking the Great Divide of the continent--Pacific (Sea of Cortez) water on our right; Atlantic (Gulf) water on our left, as we headed south from the Wolf Creek Pass parking area.  The Continental Divide Trail is a great resource to have just up the hill from South Fork. All 23 (maybe 21, 22, or 24, depending on who counted) made it  to the sheltering shrubs in front of the summit.  Several felt it vital to summit this peak, gaining about 300 feet on the relaxed lunch munchers.

 

Tomorrow-- I'll lead an easy, close-in walk on the East side of the base of Sentinel Mountain (not to the top).  This could take as little as an hour or as much as 2.5 hours, depending on our interests and group speed. That's Tuesday, getting underway at 9 a.m. at the visitor center.  I want to try something special as we rest tomorrow.  BRING A MAGNIFYING GLASS if you have one.

 

Quiz--Whoever gets all four of the flowers/plants correct will be given some kind of special recognition in the annals of the Silver Thread Outdoor Recreation Club.  Just respond to this e-mail to enter this valuable competition.  I'll also give you an extra dip of ice cream after the hike. --Doug Knudson

 

Note--I hope that Dennis will also send you his pictures of this lovely hike. 

 

Our target--Alberta Peak; South San Juan Mountains in the background

 

Our Scenery--Alberta Lake and the Rio Grande National Forest

Our floral arrangements (by nature): Flower #1

Our Route-- Hiking the rim of the Continental Divide Trail--a few miles of the 3,100 available

Plant #2

 

Our Pathway--Dennis on the Continental Divide Trail, just out of bounds from the Ski Area

 

Well-prepared hikers

 

Plant #3

 

Plant #4 in wetland