July 20, 2020
Thought upon waking up: I wonder if we can make it over the pass with all our gear.
Thought upon going to sleep: This was the best part of the trip.
Craving: a marshmellow
Columbine Pass awaits
Mountain passes are always very interesting while thru hiking. A pass is usually a lower, easier way to cross between two peaks. I’ve never found climbing passes particularly easy, however I can say that passes have been where many of my fondest trip memories have come from. For some reason their picture etches into my mind and replays with each blink of my eyes when I remember back on the events of a journey. Certainly the passes of the 4 pass loop resonate in this way. I long to see leading my family up to them and getting to experience the look on their faces when I point up high in amazing at where we are crossing the mountain range. Hopefully someday I can dare to dream of making that trip a reality.
An unexpected Journey
The path over Columbine is definitely the path less taken. Most hikers take a round trip from Purgatory (or Silverton when the railway is operational). Upon sharing our plans to complete a thru-hike of the area by scaling Columbine Pass and ending roughly 20 miles away by the Vallecito Reservoir most hikers gave a glancing look at the pass and followed their stare with commentary about how they wouldn’t want to do that with a backpack on. Ending their conversation with a hearty “good luck”. After 5 days of hearing this, a bit of anxiety had built up in the group. Yes it was a high altitude pass at nearly 12,800 ft. Yes we still had relatively full loads. We were tired. Would we be able to make it?
All of this rambling was a preface to what was arguably the best and most unexpected footpath of our trip. If there was a hike that beckons your sense of wanderlust, Columbine Pass, and the descent beyond, will challenge, inspire and entertain in spades.
First – climbing the pass
We broke camp about 8 am. We did not want to tempt mother nature and her 11:30 am thunderstorms by lingering any longer though the temptation was definitely there after the previous days climbs. We started off with our packs loaded. Soon we crossed the stream and began our ascent of Columbine Pass. The first point of interest is an old abandoned mine. A stack of boulders closed her contents off from the rest of the world. Old rusty railcar rails lead a mangled dance out of her mouth. Oh to grab a light and do a little spelunking!
After a brief stop we continued our climb. The trail soon became switchback after switchback winding through the trees. All in our group were anticipating this meandering trail abruptly changing to a solid, steep climb at the next turn, however that corner never came. Soon it became apparent that this pass was graded for horse travel and we would not have the challenging steep sections which everyone had feared. We continued our climb and with each ft of alitude gain Chicago Basin opened up behind us. The 360 degree view at the top was amazing. We reached the pass around 11 and crossed to begin our long decent towards our vehicle 20 miles away.
First stop was Columbine lake. Our intention was to fish this lake, obtain dinner and eat trout at a campsite not far away enjoying the last of the alpine landscape before sinking down lower. As we walked around the crystal clear water of this alpine lake, however, it was soon to be realized that this lake had not been stocked. Moreover, with its altitude above the treeline it would be subject to a winter hard freeze and thus it did not contain any fish. Our plans changed.
Thru-hiking always seems to deviate from plans. Finding no fish available we quickly devised a new plan. New plan…Hike as far as we could today and then tack on fishing at Vallecito Reservoir at the end of our journey. Our poles would have to wait a few more days.
The Flashbacks begin
After a small snack of beef jerky, we leave the lake behind and continue down the rocky sidewinding path to the valley below. As we arrive to the treeline, the topography begins to change. Each switchback we take begins to lead to new and ever-differing views from the switchback before it. We go from desolation, to wetland, to flowery meadow, to mountain stream, to granite spire after granite spire. Soon you slowly begin to feel the truly immense and omnipresent creative power of nature surrounding you.
While understanding that Our Creator is with us at all times, there have only been a precious few that I have honestly felt the power of God and his presence enveloping my skin. Ive never had the words to fully describe, but the closest feeling is almost as if a warm embrace of grace wraps you. Pure creation, raw, invigorating, healing humbles a man. At the same time it calms him, infers safety and exacerbates growth through knowledge.
The last time I felt this way in nature was during the Maroon Bells trip in which I fell. This is not a feeling one forgets, though with sadness it does fade as life continues. Because of these feelings, my mind began to travel back to my accident. It would replay images in my head: My fall itself and most importantly the feelings I had after my hard landing. God was there then just as much as he was here now. It’s a major reason why I’m out here amongst the trees. In short, I look to recapture that feeling of being in the presence of God and feel his arms around me again. No drug, no drink, no earthly temptation can provide that embrace. The connection is real and it’s lovely.
The good memories do come with some bad. There are a few regrets in my life that pop up. One of which is how I didn’t spend as much time with my parents and grandparents in my middle years. Passing our time and knowledge to each other is an important part of life. My accident on Snowmass Mountain taught me that lesson in spades when I feared I hadn’t passed mine to anyone. Its reflected mostly in my grandmother I suppose. I didn’t visit her hardly at all after graduating though I was her first grandchild and held a special place in her heart due to that privilege. Out of my accident came a renewed sense of family purpose. I longed to visit and to reconnect with her. She was my last remaining grandparent. Like me questioning my own legacy after my accident, I wanted her to pass on her knowledge to me so that it was not lost. I vowed to spend more time with her. She was the first visit I took after my accident. With motivation, I worked hard to heal myself up, commandered my father to drive, and me and my trusty wheelchair went up to see her. Below is one of my favorite pics. Both of us in our wheelchairs. It was a good day, I wanted more with her. Sadly, this would be the last time I would see the smile on my grandmothers face. She died of a stroke soon after. The memory of this event clouded the pure joy of the day. I shed some tears.
The day continues
We continue down the trail into the valley. The river begins to carve out deeper and ever deeper channels in the granite beneath our feet. Glacier activity and millions of years have graced this area with spectacular cliffs, granite towers and powerful waterfalls as the snowmelt continues forth on its inevitable journey to sea level. The views were breathtaking and no camera can capture the true sight your eyes cast on the chasm below. No one in our group wanted this day to end. Each step became lighter than the previous. Our pace quickened by our hearts as we chomped at the bit for what might come next.
Finally the day comes to an end
We continue on down to the Vallecito river and to where the final leg of our journey will be. As we reach the valley floor the mountain woods open up into spectacular meadows full of wildflowers and fruited shrubs. Its 5 pm and the evening showers are scheduled to arrive shortly. We find an excellent campsite near the streams. It was probably too low and thus we had a rather cold and wet nights sleep, however the space was ideal and falling asleep next to a babbling stream always calms me. We ended this special day with a campfire and sat around it as a group giving praise to God and talking about how incredible today’s journey was. It was definitely the highlight of the trip. More so than even the spectacular nature of the 14’ers in Chicago Basin which we climbed the days previous. If there is one part of the entire trip I’d love for my daughters and family to see this is it. It moved me. It improved me and I will long to return to this area again.
