The four of us hiked with my parents up to ORAK:
Category Archives: Hiking
Summer 2021, Day 27: Run/hike of Redcloud Peak and Sunshine Peak, Hartman Rocks reposition
Today I motorcycled down from Slumgullion Pass to the Alpine Loop to access the trailhead for the fourteeners Redcloud Peak and Sunshine Peak. I started up:
I ran over the summit of Redcloud Peak (14,034’) and on to the summit of Sunshine Peak (14,001’):
I ran back from Sunshine Peak to the Summit of Redcloud Peak:
Views from Redcloud:
On the way back down:
The hike was 12.5 miles in total, with over 4,000 feet of elevation gain:
After the run/hike, I packed up and repositioned to Hartman Rocks near Gunnison. See the trip map for today’s drive.
Summer 2021, Day 24: Run/Hike Handies Peak, Motorcycle Alpine Loop
I drove the motorcycle down from Slumgullion Pass to ride the Alpine Loop. Along the loop, I parked at the trailhead to run/hike the fourteener Handies Peak:
Off I go:
The run/hike was a relatively short 3 miles to the summit at 14,058 feet:
Views from the summit:
On the way back down:
I continued along the Alpine Loop over Cinnamon Pass:
I next arrived at the ghost town of Animas Forks:
I next drove from Animas Forks down to the town of Silverton, visiting ruins along the way:
Silverton, Colorado:
I was hoping to drive the road from Silverton to Ouray, then drive the off-road route from Ouray to the Alpine Loop, but I was told in Silverton that the off-road route from Ouray to the Alpine Loop is too technical for a motorcycle, so I instead drove back to Animas Forks, then further along the Alpine Loop towards Engineer Pass:
Engineer Pass:
Views from Engineer Pass:
I finished the Alpine Loop by continuing on towards Lake City:
I drove down into Lake City, then back up to the RV at Slumgullion Pass.
See the trip map for today’s motorcycle ride.
Summer 2021, Day 22: Motorcycling and Hiking Wheeler Geological Area
I drove the motorcycle down to the Wheeler Geologic Area today. Round trip, it was 18 miles on pavement, 16 miles on gravel, and 28 miles on a 4×4 rough road. Turns out motorcycles are not the most popular choice:
Once at the trailhead, a 4-mile hike took me into and around the hoodoos and other structures at the site.
On the way home, I dropped the chain, which was much harder to fix on the motorcycle than it is on a bicycle. Tough place to be stuck:
I managed to fix the motorcycle and get back to pavement:
A neighbor happened to have a shower tent he didn’t want, so I bought it from him:
Summer 2021, Day 21: Motorcycling Rat Creek, Climbing San Juan Peak
I set out to climb by first Fourteener today. I used the motorcycle to get to the trailhead:
The trailhead:
Beginning the hike:
I ran and hiked the 5.5 miles to the summit of San Luis Peak at 14,022 feet:
Great views on the way back down:
I continued on to motorcycle the rest of the Rat Creek loop. Back at the RV: