On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Wag
Last summer my wife and I completed climbing all the 14,000 foot peaks in the Elk Range of Colorado. When I last left off, we had finished climbing Pyramid Peak. As seems to be the case with all of our climbs in the Elks, climbing Snowmass required multiple trips. We first attempted to climb in early July. Unfortunately, our daughter had brought home from gymnastics a nasty upper respiratory (not Covid) virus that completely kicked my ass.
The trip to Snowmass is a long journey. From the trail head it is 22 miles round-trip, with a gain of almost 6000 feet altitude. For our first attempt at Snowmass we planned to hike into Snowmass Lake, a beautiful Alpine lake that sits right below timberline. Unfortunately, as we began hiking in I began developing muscle aches fevers and a severe cough. The final push to the lake, which sits at 11,000 feet, was brutal. I had to stop every 50 yards to catch my breath. We got to the lake at about 7 PM, set up camp, and after dinner I promptly fell asleep. After sleeping poorly through the night with ongoing fevers, I knew I would not be able to climb the next morning. It was a shame, because the next day was spectacular.
So we hiked back out.
Luckily, PCR testing when we got home to Denver was negative for COVID, both for me and for the vector child who brought the illness home from Gymnastics.
Steeplejack
Excellent post and excellent pictures!
rikyrah
The pictures are gorgeous
JPL
Beautiful pictures. I’m so sorry that you were unable to complete your hike.
HinTN
The photo of the lake is just stunning, as is the blue of the sky above the boulder field. Congrats on the climb(s).
Benw
Very cool
Rusty
Stunning pictures. Thank you.
Amir Khalid
The Snowmass Mountain photo made me think of Robert Plant’s young son clambering up a slope full of broken rocks on the cover of Houses of The Holy.
Denali
Oh, how I miss Colorado! Why did my son move to Hungary? Cruel fate!
Torrey
Amazing views! Thank you for sharing these, Wag.
BTW, WaterGirl, where’s the VAAC thermometer?
raven
Sweet, some 50 years ago, on my first honeymoon, we did Mt Quandry. It’s another 14’r and we made it all the way to the saddle going to the peak when a storm rolled in and we decided to skeedattle off that ridge. Great pics!
Wag
@Amir Khalid:
While climbing the loose and shifting rock to the summit I thought of Frodo and Sam sneaking into Mordor.
Wag
@raven: Quandary is a fun mountain, and is the most popular of the 14ers. In 2020 about 30,000 people climbed it. The Forest Service and the town of Breckenridge have instituted a shuttle bus from a parking lot in town to access the peak.
Anyway
Very cool! Enjoyed the account of the climb to go with the pics.
eclare
Wow! Impressive photos and hike! 6000 foot ascent in one day?
JanieM
Great shots of some spectacular country. The reflection shot is otherworldly.
Thanks for taking us there, Wag — it’s the next best thing to having young knees again so I could go myself. :-)
Miss Bianca
Wow, do I miss the Western Slope. Still dreaming of returning for good someday. Thank you for these photos.
(I am not much of a climber, personally. Two hikes up Mt Lamborn outside Paonia were enough for me!)
frosty
Amazing pictures and an amazing hike! Not on my bucket list though – Ibailed at 3:30AM at the trailhead LOL.
C Stars
Cheeze, that top image of Snowmass Lake is otherworldly.
DAstronomer
I grew up in Paonia, nestled in the West Elks. It’s a beautiful area.
munira
@Wag: Neat – so did I (think of Frodo and Sam that is). Amazing photos. Trying to imagine myself hiking 22 miles up a mountain.
WaterGirl
@Torrey: I took the VAAC thermometer down because we had met our goal. As long as people were still donating, I left it up, but with no donations in 24 hours, I took it down.
Here it is, though.
Watch their one-minute video.
You won’t regret it.
BigJimSlade
Great shots and story! My wife and I hike every week, but dang, we cap it at about 14 miles and maybe 2,500 feet of climbing. Also, we haven’t gotten up at 3am (6am is about the limit, but don’t aim to do stuff that requires it). Also, too, we try not to do stuff that requires helmets!
But your hike looks fantastic :-)
BillinGlendaleCA
Nice shot of the lake.
Wag
@ BillinGlendaleCA:
Thanks! Means a lot coming from you.
dp
Spectacular photos.