IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

Friday – Sunday, August 10-12, 2012

I had really wanted to go backpacking in the San Juan Mountains this weekend, but was unable to find anyone that was able to go with me. Since this would only be my third backpacking trip (first time in the mountains), I was a little hesitant to go by myself, but a few days before the weekend had finally arrived I decided that I would take a solo trip up to Ice Lake Basin. I figured that it was a popular area and that I probably wouldn’t be the only one camping up there anyway.

After work on Friday I headed south to the San Juan Mountains and drove up to Clear Lake to spend the night before starting my first solo backpack trip on Saturday morning.

Evening clouds reflected on a small lake below Clear Lake.

Reflected Clouds by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

My campsite up near Clear Lake with some sunlight breaking through the clouds and lighting up the peak in the background.

Morning Camp by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After setting up my camp near Clear Lake I hiked around the basin to take some photos as the sun was setting.

A mountain peak across the valley lit up and reflected.

Peak Reflection by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

A beautiful sunrise over Clear Lake in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Clear Lake by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Saturday & Sunday, August 4-5, 2012

On Saturday I met up with Jackson and his family so that we could float a section of the Green River known as the Green River Daily. This section is a few miles long and located within Gray Canyon a few miles north of the town of Green River. There aren’t really any big rapids on this stretch of the river, especially at this year’s very low water flows, so we were just expecting a nice relaxing float with a lot of swimming to stay cool. I also hoped to find some new petroglyphs along the way.

After dropping off my Jeep at the Swaseys Rapid takeout, we continued in Jackson’s Prius to the put-in at Nefertiti. The last time I was on this road it had been freshly bladed and I don’t recall it being too rough, but unfortunately this time around it was a bit rocky and almost too much for the Prius. The most difficult part was through a few stretches of sand that he had to power through. Luckily, he somehow managed to get that little car to the end of the road without getting stuck or scraping up the bottom too badly. If he hadn’t, we would have been walking back to the Jeep and not getting on the river.

After reaching the put-in at Nefertiti, we got our boats setup under the shade of a large cottonwood tree.

Getting Ready by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Ready to get on the river for the day.

Ready to Launch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Just around the first bend we paddled under the large Nefertiti Rock.

Below Nefertiti by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Sunday – Tuesday, July 29-31, 2012

Since the afternoon monsoons were still around this week, I headed out a few evenings to try and take some more photos during sunset.

On Sunday evening, after returning home from the Paradise Divide, I left again and went to a new area in the Colorado National Monument. It must have been the weekend of rainbows, because when I arrived another one showed up.

Devil’s Point Rainbow by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This photo has it all! A nice curve in Rim Rock Drive as it exits a tunnel, warm sunlight striking the top of the sandstone canyons, nice clouds in the sky, and even a rainbow!

Curve by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The monsoon rain had filled up some large potholes on Devil’s Point, so I went looking for reflections.

Water by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Saturday & Sunday, July 28-29, 2012

On Saturday morning, Amanda and I took a leisurely drive over Kebler Pass to spend a nice and relaxed weekend in the Elk Mountains just outside of Crested Butte.

On our way, I stopped a few times along Kebler Pass to take photos of the many aspen trees found here.

Aspen Chaos by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A view along Kebler Pass Road. It’s been a few years since I came this way to photograph the fall colors, so I think I might need to return again in a few months…

Kebler Pass Road by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After reaching Crested Butte, we continued through town and then followed the Slate River up to the Paradise Divide. This was where we were planning on camping, so we found a spot and setup our tent before the afternoon storms started. We had a great view from camp!

Paradise Camp by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr