Secret Cutthroat Creek

After picking up my friend Scott in Salida, we drove through Gunnison and headed toward a secret creek that is full of little cutthroat trout.  By the time we pulled up to the trailhead, steady rain had chased the other groups of fishermen back to their cars, but we were not deterred.  We made the hike to the creek and got some good fishing in before lightning chased us out of the valley and into the forest--several times.

It rained so much that the trail back to the car was a small river.  By the time we got back, we were soaked to the bone, and my hands were so cold that I couldn't move my fingers--I had to hold the key to my truck between my wrists and twist my body to get it started.  But the fishing was worth it!

Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak

Before meeting my friend Scott in Salida, I squeezed in a quick hike: Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak.  I slept in my truck at the trailhead, or at least I tried to sleep in my truck--there were several groups that drove up and started hiking in the middle of the night that kept me from sleeping much.  After a few hours of sleep, I got up at 4:30 to get through the hike and be back to town in time to pick Scott up in time.  11.25 miles and 5,600 feet of elevation gain later, I was back to my truck with two new fourteeners under my belt.

After hiking for over an hour in the dark (by the light of a headlamp), it started getting light around 5:30 as I reached the edge of tree line.

The moon was still out as the sun began to rise.

After leaving the trees behind, there were a few hundred yards of shrubs and scraggly trees before  getting to alpine tundra.

Looking back toward Salida

Monarch Ski Area in the distance.

View from Mt. Shavano: Antero Peak, another fourteener, in the distance--I think.

Looking back at Mt. Shavano from the top of Tabeguache Peak.

Evening in the Canyon

I spent another day fishing one of my favorite stretches of the Lake Fork and enjoyed watching the sun set on the canyon walls.  The fishing was pretty good too!

Back at the cabin, family takes out the kayak

It was a full moon, so you can't expect me to stay off the water, can you?   I caught six nice fish, including this 16-inch cutthroat.

Morning on the Lake Fork

My friend Mitchell and I made it out on the Lake Fork for a morning of fishing on a new stretch of the river.  We did well, though the fishing turned off soon after lunch because the water got too warm.  Still a nice day on the water!

Lake Fork of the Gunnison

Mitchell with a pretty bow

Double!  We each got a fish to the net at the same time.

Pretty little wild rainbow

Sunset from the cabin after another good day in Lake City

Another Uncompahgre Sunset

I made it back up to one of my favorite places to watch the sunset.  This sunset was almost unreal, but a giant cloud covered Uncompahgre and blocked out the setting sun.  There was clear blue ski on both sides of this cloud.

This picture shows the big cloud that settled right over Uncompahgre and really dampened the sunset.

To the left of Uncompahgre, there was pretty blue sky.