Winter Hike

Yukon and I headed out for a hike in the mountains over the weekend. Thinking the weather was going to be a little more mild than it actually was, we were greeted with a more wintry hike with more snow on the ground than I had anticipated. Nevertheless, we ended up getting a good hike in and earned some seasonal Colorado cred in the process. 

The temperature at the Ute Creek Trailhead was 15 degrees with a stiff wind blowing in some snow. We were headed for the Lost Creek Wilderness, a true regional gem, especially considering we never saw another hiker on the trail on a Saturday.

About 20 minutes into the hike we hung a hard left to start our ascent up the mountains along Ute Creek and we were miraculously sheltered from the wind with the temperature increasing enough for me to shed my winter hat and a layer I had been wearing under my jacket.

Yukon pointing the way.

As we got closer to the junction with the Brookside-McCurdy Trail, the tops of the Tarryall Mountains above treeline began to appear, shrouded in snow. I think the above peak is Bison Peak, which sits at about 12,500 feet.

What had started as a mere few inches of snow on the ground at the trailhead turned into a couple feet up around our destination at the roughly 11,000-foot Bison Pass.

If we had followed the Brookside-McCurdy Trail after the junction, we would have had to ascend another 1,500 feet over a mile and a half or so in deep snow to summit Bison Peak. I didn't have any snow shoes and I couldn't even see the top of the mountain, so it was a no-brainer to head back to the car.

On the way back down the clouds dissipated and grand views of the frosted landscape presented themselves. 

Yukon took a moment to contemplate what had been a great day for her.

I just like the contrast between the red bark of this pine and the white snow.