Monday, December 19, 2011

Winter Wonderland in Hinsdale County, Colorado


           Hinsdale County, Colorado is the perfect place for winter fun and adventure. Use the town of Lake City as your base for winter exploration in the county, 97% of which is public land.   Hinsdale County grooms 112 miles of trails every winter for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing, and also offers four backcountry yurts, accessible during winter on cross-country skies or snowshoes.  
           Tim and I traveled to Lake City last weekend and drove south of town to the summit of Slugullion Pass on Highway 149.  The 11,500’ summit provided acres of fresh powder for snowshoeing.  Enjoy these pictures from the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado.
           Happy New Year to all!  The adventure continues in 2012...


Two of the San Juan's 14,000 ft. peaks are visible from this 
viewpoint—Uncompaghre on the right and Wetterhorn to the left.

Ready for the Descent, from the Top of the World.


Living on the Edge.

Rabbit Tracks in the Snow.

Merry Christmas from Colorado.


Learn more about the Hinsdale County yurts here:  http://www.lakecity.com/index.php/winter-activities/hindale-haute-route-back-country-hut-system
Plan your trip to Lake City and Hinsdale Country on this website: http://www.lakecity.com/index.php

3 comments:

1HappyHiker said...

WOW! That San Juan Mountain Range is way beyond awesome-looking! I just looked it up on the Internet, and apparently strong hikers can climb Uncompaghre and Wetterhorn in a single day! Is that true? From my "armchair perspective", it hardly seems possible!

And last, but not least, Rita that is a terrific holiday picture of you atop the snow with your Santa hat and snowshoes!

John

Vickie Bates said...

Hi Rita,

I'm with 1HappyHiker - love the holiday masthead!

So glad you had such spectacular weather, clear skies and perfect views of the San Juan range. Thanks for bringing back these photos.

And, may I add, they grow some mighty big rabbits up there!

Happy Holidays!

One Day in America said...

Thanks for the accolades, John and Vickie.

John, you're right—a climb of Wetterhorn and Uncompaghre in one day hardly seems possible to me either. The peaks are only three miles apart so it is possible that very strong and acclimatized hikers could attempt the climb of both peaks in one day, however I would say that it's not too probable for most (normal) people.
Tim and I climbed Uncompaghre a few years back and the eight mile trip took most of the day. Adding 6+ miles to tack on another 14er? Not for me!
Rita