nature photography Archives - Page 5 of 8

The Sneffels Traverse – Day 4

Morning Coffee

Our fourth and final day on the Sneffels Traverse took us 8.1 miles from the Ridgway Hut to Ouray. We skipped staying at Burn Hut for an additional night as it was only 4.1 miles away. With the final hike being mostly downhill and not too long, we voted for a later start…8:30 am.

As usual, Tina was the first one up. She turned on the propane and got the water boiling. Normally, we would have left the propane on overnight, but there was a leak outside the cabin. Given a leak can cause an explosion and even emit carbon monoxide in certain instances, I, being the worry wart, turned it off.

Happy Hiking!

The Sneffels Traverse – Day 3

Wake Up Call

For our third day on the Sneffels Traverse, we planned a 6.6 mile side hike to Blue Lakes before trekking 5 miles to Ridgway Hut. Due to speculative weather, we planned an early departure. Tanya’s phone alarm rang at 5:15 am. She was in such a deep sleep, she couldn’t even find it!

I wish I could say the same. I was up before my alarm. Though it was kind of funny, when Tanya commented, “I’m used to Karla’s 14er hikes, when a chorus of phone alarms chime.” I know! Fortunately, Tanya’s alarm worked for the whole cabin, and we began quietly preparing our day packs while waiting on the pot of water to boil for our much-needed tea and coffee.

Happy Hiking!

The Sneffels Traverse – Day 2

Pre-Hike Departure

On our second day of the 29.4 mile Sneffels Traverse, a deer made a brief visit to the meadow by our hut as Tina, the first to rise, got the water boiling. Half the group poured their coffee and tea and walked out to the beaver ponds to watch the sunrise while the other half the group packed up and ate breakfast.

Happy Hiking!

The Sneffels Traverse – Day 1

Planning the Sneffels Traverse

I’ve always been interested in a summer hut trip but wasn’t familiar with the hut system process in Colorado which can range from entering a lottery to simply making a reservation depending on the ownership and operation of the hut.

In June of last year, I stumbled across the Sneffels Traverse in 5280 Magazine. The Sneffels Traverse is a 29.4-mile trek which begins at Last Dollar Pass near Telluride and ends near the quaint town of Ouray. Along the way are four backcountry cabins operated by the San Juan Huts System.

Since 5280 mapped out the traverse and included all the necessary information about the traverse, I thought this is a trip I could do. A few months later, I mentioned it to my friend Tanya while spending a weekend in Aspen hiking through fall foliage.

HAPPY HIKING!

Roadtrip to the Rockies: Three Hikes in Breckenridge

What a nice few days in Breckenridge! I got out of 100° heat in Denver, hung out with my friend Cat, and hiked three trails. With the frigid winter, many of the trails above 12,500 feet still have a lot of snow, thus I had to be selective with my trail choices.

GO HIKING!

Roadtrip to the Rockies: Geneva Mountain

I’m so glad summer has arrived in Colorado. It was definitely a long winter for the non-skiiers like me who look forward to hiking. While some trails are still snowed in, Danelle, Mike and I found a fun hike to Geneva Mountain with little snow on AllTrails.

GO HIKING …

Roadtrip to the Rockies: Three Mile Creek Trail

Several years ago, I hiked Three Mile Creek Trail on a cold October day with my friends Cat and Chas. It had iced the previous evening, so we spent most of our time snapping photos of cool icicles hanging off the bridges and didn’t make it very far.

GO HIKING …

Roadtrip to the Rockies: Green Mountain Trail

Another day of the long holiday weekend equals another hike! Danelle was game to hike with me on Sunday too, and we decided on Green Mountain Trail in Pike National Forest.

Strangely, we’ve hiked all over this area, including miles of the Colorado Trail, and didn’t know it was here. We were the first to arrive in the dirt parking lot off Forest Road 550 at 8:30 am. The trailhead parking is near Buffalo Creek Campground and has pit toilets.

Being July 4^th weekend, the area was loaded with campers, so we weren’t sure how busy the normally lightly trafficked trail would be.

GO HIKING …

Roadtrip to the Rockies: Lory State Park

What better way to spend a long holiday weekend, but to hike. The Rockies have gotten so much snow this year that hiking has been long awaited.

On Friday, my friend, Danelle, and I hiked in Lory State Park near Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins. Tons of trails criss-cross one another to provide countless options of hikes in the park.

GO HIKING …

Gimel-les-Cascades

Gimel-les-Cascades is a small commune in the Corrèze region of France. Not in my France guide book, this tiny town is truly a hidden gem. It is a picture-perfect French village and was one of my favorite places in the Limousin and the surrounding area.

I was thankful to arrive around lunch time, as most everything closes between 12-2 in the Corrèze, and I didn’t have to contend with any traffic. As such, somehow, I managed to drive my giant rental car through the few narrow streets that we were wide enough for only one vehicle at a time.

There was so much to see in Gimel-les-Cascades including remains of castle La Rouche Haute, Church Saint Pardoux and its treasury, Chapel of the Penitents, the home of Gaston Vuillier, and of course the waterfalls for which Gimel-les-Cascades is named.

EXPLORE!