Fall Via

The weather has been fantastic the last week or so. We had one bit of rain on Sunday night but other than that its been nothing but warm temperatures and clear skies. I've taken advantage of it and went out and did a Via Ferrata. The via is a "hike" that requires harnesses and special leashes. It skirts along a rock ledge that at times requires the use of a steel cable and bars that have been bolted into the rock wall. It starts at the end of the valley and provides beautiful views of town. If you can get over your fear of heights, its definitely something worth doing! Check in with our concierge and they can get you squared away with a guide who knows the route and has all the proper equipment. Have fun out there!

Great views of the valley

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Not the place you want to fall

What a weekend!!

Sorry I’m a couple days late! We had ourselves quite the weekend here in Telluride and I had a lot to catch up on when Monday came around! Great weather, great music, and great beer! What else could you ask for? My buddy Chris was in town from Minnesota so I had the pleasure of playing tour guide for the weekend. I love having friends come to visit in Telluride…always cool to see how excited people get when they arrive in this gorgeous valley!

First up on the weekends agenda was to check out the festival.  We picked up some last minute tickets and headed in to Town Park. Chris and I are both originally from Milwaukee, so we had to make sure to catch the Violent Femmes (also originally from Milwaukee). Good company, cold beer, and good music made for and awesome Friday night! Blues and Brews is always such a fun festival and this year proved to be no exception.

Saturday turned out to be a very action packed day. Chris and I had climbed Mt. Sneffels last year and he was interested in summiting another peak this time around. My living room window looks out at Wilson Peak (14,017ft) and so that seemed to be the obvious choice. Climbing 14'ers in this area is serious business and we wanted to make sure we were adequately prepared. Despite our best efforts, we were ultimately under prepared. We left the house at 6 and by the time we arrived at the Rock of Ages trailhead it was already 7am. The trek begins just below tree line and then snakes up and around the peak making it a somewhat tedious 10 mile excursion. After a couple hours of walking up scree, we arrived at the false summit. Everything up to that point had been pretty mellow…but things were about to change. We ran into a couple guides at the top of the false summit and they were bringing out the ropes and harnesses. Roughly 3-4 inches of snow had fallen on the highly exposed north facing slope we were preparing to cross and it became evident that we were missing some essential gear. Since a fall in this area could prove to be fatal, we made the decision to turn around and come back another time. It’s always tough to turn around on a climb…especially when you’re only 200ft below the summit! Knowing we made the right call we began our descent through the talus fields back to the trail head. It was a  long and arduous hike down but eventually we got back to my truck. We quickly swapped our hiking books for flip flops and headed home. Slightly disappointed and with tired legs made for the decision to recline on the patio and enjoy and ice cold beer. I feel we earned it!

The trail just above Navajo Lake.

The climb up to the false summit.

Knowing we made the right call we began our descent through the talus fields back to the trail head. It was long and arduous but eventually we got back to my truck. We quickly swapped our hiking books for flip flops and headed home. Slightly disappoint and tired legs made for the decision to recline on the patio and enjoy and ice cold beer. I feel we earned it!

I’m hoping to get out on a nice hike later this week. The leaves are just starting to change here in Telluride so look for that in my next update. I love this time of year. The valley lights up with color as the leaves change. Hopefully I can get some good pictures. Cheers!

Open for Business!!

Black Bear Pass and Bridal Veil road are open once again. Maintenance crews finished dealing with the rock fall and access has been restored. Now its time to get out there and have some fun! In other news, the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival starts up today. Great beer and great music combine to create one of my favorite festivals. 56 breweries will be presenting at the Grand Tasting on Saturday! In terms of music we have the Violent Femmes, George Clinton, the Meter Men, and Peter Frampton to name just a few! Tons to do in Telluride this weekend. Make sure you get out there and enjoy the great weather!

Drying Out!

The rain has moved out and just as the forecast promised, sunshine has returned! Today has been absolutely spectacular. There’s no wind, temperature is perfect, and the sun is shining! I was able to get out for a quick Village lap during lunch and although the trail was pretty muddy, it was still a ton of fun.  Since we did get a lot of rain, I’ll probably wait a few days before I ride Prospect.  As of right now, Bridal Veil Road is closed due to maintenance work on Black Bear Pass. Crews are up there dealing with some rock fall. This means access to the Via Ferrata, Ajax, and Bridal Veil is closed. Hopefully they will have it open soon. I’ll update when I know more. Make sure to get out there and enjoy the weather! 

Heavy Rain

Sometimes paradise gets a solid rain. Telluride has definitely gotten its fair share over the last 2 days. It’s rained pretty much non-stop since Monday morning. We are currently in under a flash flood warning from the national weather service and they are advising hikers to stay away from streams. I have also heard reports of rock on the roads. We are graced with over 300 days of sun a year here so I guess I really can’t complain. Plus, on the upside of things, gorgeous weather is supposed to return tomorrow and stick around through the weekend! If your looking for a rainy day activity, head to the Sheridan Opera House tonight for the Telluride Historical Museum's 2nd Annual Adult Spelling Bee! Hope everyone stays safe out there today!!!

Imogene Pass Run

Summer is winding down so get out there and play! The weather has been great the last couple days.  Let’s hope the weather holds up for everyone running the Imogene Pass Run tomorrow. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the run, it’s one of the craziest events in Telluride…and that’s saying a lot! Runners start in Ouray (elevation 7,810ft), head to the top of Imogene pass (elevation 13,114ft), and then head down into the town of Telluride (elevation 8,750ft). As if the elevation wasn’t enough, the weather doesn’t always want to cooperate. You never know if it’s going to be foggy, rainy, sleeting, or snowing! If all goes well, the weather will behave and everyone will finish strong. Hope everyone has a great weekend!   

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