Splendid solitude, wonderful wildflowers, magnificent (?) mud in the West Elk Wilderness
Had to sneak a backpacking trip in this summer, so I snuck away for a three day, two night 20 mile loop trip to the Soap Creek basin in the West Elk Wilderness. The West Elk Wilderness is a favorite for enjoying solitude in a wonderful setting....it doesn't have any of the three major crowd draws for the Colorado high country (no 14ers, lakes, or portions of the Colorado trail). It is beautiful however, and not heavily traveled as witnessed by my three day trip where I saw exactly 0 other people. It has been a very wet spring and summer in Colorado, and it rained the first afternoon and evening of my trip, so it was probably the wettest and muddiest trail I have ever hiked - in addition to muddy trails, the meadows were lush, tall and were - so basically I hiked in wet boots and socks for three days - I am not painting a very good picture I realize, but I really enjoyed the trip. The wildflowers were wonderful, and it is still so amazing to go on a backpacking trip in Colorado and not see another soul. Here are some pics.
Did I mention the trail was a bit muddy (this was a particularly muddy section)
Hi Don. Thank you for sharing your adventure and photos. We've stayed in Gunnison several times over the years, but have never hiked the West Elk Wilderness. We'll have to add it to our list; looks like a great outing for a long, peaceful weekend.
ReplyDeleteYou are truly a trooper hiking for three days in wet socks and boots. I don't think I would have had your perseverance.
What kind of hat are you wearing, is that a Tilley? Karen and I picked up a couple of those while in BC (cotton) and really like them.
Happy adventuring!