I sent an email to Mark the evening of our bike ride and asked if they planned to hike the next day. I had read about the Weehawken/Alpine Mine Overlook trail and wondered if it might be worth doing since it was just a few miles from Ouray and rain was predicted after noon. Mark wrote back that it was in the woods, not very interesting, and they hadn’t hiked it in many years but would give it a try. Who am I to pick a trail based on reading about it on the internet when Mark and Bobbie know most of the trails around Ouray like the back of their hands, but Chris, Jim and I agreed to meet them at the trailhead at 8:30, driving through rain on the way. By the time we got to the trail on Camp Bird Road the rain had stopped and there were patches of blue sky, so off we went.
As is the norm on the trails in these parts, we began climbing immediately, and continued doing so for most of the 2.8 miles to the overlook. As it turned out, Mark and Bobbie had previously taken the Weehawken Creek trial at the fork where we turned off to go to the mine, so they had never actually been on this part of the trail. I have a feeling this will be one of those trails they return to again and again, as the overlook was even better than expected. It’s quite a workout, gaining 2,200’ in those 2.8 miles. But it was more than worth the effort and skinned knee I got when my foot slipped off the edge of the trail coming back down.
Even though the trail is mostly through the forest it is very open and we had views of the mountains much of the way.
What’s left at Alpine Mine.
We finally made it to the overlook.
Mark powered up the last climb well ahead of the rest of us and we found him sitting on a rock below the overlook taking in the views, or maybe getting ready to jump.
We had quite a commanding view of Lovely Ouray.
A rain shower passed over town while we ate lunch on the edge.
Jim did some exploring on a ledge that made us nervous.
And took our picture from down there.
Now you see us.
Mark followed Jim later.
We managed to get back down the trail with only a few drops of rain, another excellent hike, one that would be even better on a clear day.
These hikes are amazing. I love all the different colors in the mountains and valleys. All the pics on the ridge made me nervous :-)
ReplyDeleteNice views! Glad it was worth the skin loss.
ReplyDeleteOh, that overlook is calling my name! What a great pic of the four of you at the top!
ReplyDeleteThat was my kind of beautiful - green trees and rust!
ReplyDeleteI can't get over the continuing adventures you have!
ReplyDeleteLove that you found a new hike for M&B!
ReplyDeleteGood job, Gayle, finding a new trail for the gang! Great views:) Love the photo of the shower moving over town. Why do the men feel the need to go off on this edgy adventures! John does this all the time and it makes me so nervous. You are going to have power lungs when you leave the area:)
ReplyDeleteDid that hike back in 2009 and really liked the Aspen trees and views of Ouray. I did get rained on but used my rain jacket to stay dry from the waist up. Your pictures show some very happy hikers.
ReplyDeleteThere is no end to the fabulous hiking to be done there! Great job Gayle finding a hike that Mark and Bobbie hadn't done in years.
ReplyDeleteGreat find! I feel so fortunate to have such great hiking info; your efforts are appreciated!
ReplyDeleteBeautuful photos! We are looking forward to visiting next spring. For now it's Ohio for work, then Tennessee Cumberland for a few weeks and down to Austin. I'll let you know where we land, we may move around a time or two trying different parks before we choose a particular one to live in while I'm working during the rest of the year and early spring 2016. The plan, at least, is for me to fly out of Austin for my two week assignments but anything can happen with scheduling. Thanks for the post. We are trying to keep our blogs interesting although it's a lot less exciting here than in Utah!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, but that picture of Jim made ME nervous and I wasn't even there.
ReplyDeleteYou guys take the most amazing hikes!
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