Tuesday, Sept. 11

Ruby ghost town - Lincoln Creek Trail

Ruby ghost town - Lincoln Creek Trail

Grizzly Reservoir - Lincoln Creek Trail

Aspen Mountain - Charlie likes his Jeep - no more mini vans!

View from the top of Aspen Mountain

As much as we love boating and the water, we equally love the mountains.  From the tranquility of a mountain stream or lake, to the silence and calm of a mountain forest, it speaks to one's soul.  There isn't a place where one can feel closer to the beauty and wonder of mother nature.
This year we set out to explore a few new areas.    First was the Hanging Lake Trail located in Glenwood Canyon, just outside of Glenwood Springs.  When I - 70 was constructed through one of the most scenic canyons in Colorado, it was diverted to the other side of the river and through a tunnel, just to protect this spectacular area.  Although only 2.4 miles round trip, the climb to the lake is steep and rocky - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger - we got lots of encouragement from the many younger and faster hikers who assured us the hike was worth it & indeed they were correct.  Hanging Lake is one of the most scenic sights in all of CO.
Another day we rented a 4 -wheel jeep and headed out on some of the mountain backroads.  We started out on the backside of Aspen Mountain climbing the Little Annie Trail.  Steep in sections it has many switchbacks through stands of evergreen and aspen trees.  Toward the top it passes through a historic mining district.  Breaks in the trees reveal views west across Castle Creek Valley to the Aspen Highlands Ski area.  The Aspen Mountain Trail descends Aspen Mountain, traversing its world-famous ski slopes and provides great views of the town of Aspen and Red Mountain.   Total distance was about 10.5 miles and 6,000 vertical feet.

Hanging Lake - Glenwood Canyon

Next we drove up Independence Pass to the Lincoln Creek Trail.  The first several miles of the trail follow alongside Lincoln Creek through pine and aspen forests where views are limited.  It is a popular area for camping and the road is fairly well maintained.  About seven miles in, we came to the Grizzly Reservoir - it has an abundance of rainbow trout and is surrounded by shady campsites.  Beyond the reservoir the trail becomes narrow, bumpy and has many potholes & large embedded rocks.  The going is slow and climbs through the Lincoln Mining District revealing expansive views of the mountain range.  Passing by abandoned miners' cabins and other evidence of the mining era, we finally arrived at Ruby ghost town near the end of the trail.  There are several old structures that have collapsed at Ruby and information boards have been posted to explain some of the local history.  The entire round trip was 22 miles and took us about 3.5 hours.  It was an awesome day!