Matt Duffy
New member
With a free pass from campers spreading good karma, we drove up the highest auto road in North America today (14,260'). Normally it would cost $10, but for nothing we got to see things like this next to the auto road: <BR> <BR> <A HREF="http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_deer.jpg" TARGET="_top">http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_deer.jpg</A> <BR> <BR>Also sighted were countless marmots, 3 bighorn sheep, about 20 mountain goats and a snowshoe hare. Unfortunately all of these were too far away for my zoomless camera to capture. And most unfortunate was the single mountain goat that walked straight at us on a hiking trail and passed within 10 feet of me and my camera... I'd shot the last picture on the roll prior to the encounter, and the loading of a new film and that mechanical winding noise spooked the white fuzzy beast and he ran off in a tizzy before I finished the loading process. <BR> <BR>We'd parked at Summit Lake, which is an inaccurate name as it lies well over a thousand feet below the summit of Evans. Killer views though, like this one of our goal: <BR> <BR> <A HREF="http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_er1.jpg" TARGET="_top">http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_er1.jpg</A> <BR> <BR>To get there we left my red chariot parked at the lake and used our thumbs to get to the top. After several perplexed looks from tourists passing us by, finally a family from Switzerland stopped their rented RV and picked us up and we rode to the top among convenient solutions to modern living; with a view: <BR> <BR> <A HREF="http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_RV.jpg" TARGET="_top">http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_RV.jpg</A> <BR> <BR>After parting ways with our new Swiss friends, we hiked along the trail and took one last look over our shoulders at the observatory, <BR> <BR> <A HREF="http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_Observatory.jpg" TARGET="_top">http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_Observatory.jpg</A> <BR> <BR>then we answered questions from many a confused summer hiker. Yes, we're going skiing. Yes, that snowfield is skiable. No, we're not crazy. Hey, can you take our picture with it in the background? Thanks! <BR> <BR>Alright, alright. Enough dilly-dallying, on with the skiing! <BR> <BR> <A HREF="http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_es1.jpg" TARGET="_top">http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_es1.jpg</A> <BR> <BR> <A HREF="http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_es2.jpg" TARGET="_top">http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_es2.jpg</A> <BR> <BR> <A HREF="http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_es3.jpg" TARGET="_top">http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_es3.jpg</A> <BR> <BR>At the bottom of the snow we moved over to the little patches to skiers right and skied every one of them. Well, Mir did... after skiing one of those little extras I saw the omninous clouds colliding with the mountain and decided just to head down. Mir wanted to keep skiing - I wanted to keep from being shocked to death by lightning. Turns out I was just being paranoid, as neither thunder nor lightning ever appeared. <BR> <BR>Then we walked out across the grassy meadows down to the lake. It was at this point that the clouds really came rolling in. Thick, dark, clouds that envleoped the lake, the mountain and us. We walked along in the foggy lucid haze; glowing in the aftermath of yet another high line in the Colorado Backcountry. <BR> <BR>Back at the red chariot we drank the champagne of ski bums (Natty Ice), and stared at our latest run. <BR> <BR> <A HREF="http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_eb2.jpg" TARGET="_top">http://back-pack.org/ninja/PM/uploads/images/duphphy_-_eb2.jpg</A> <BR> <BR>Then we went home. <BR> <BR>Bring on August!!!
