Jerry Dodges Pikas
07/16/20 – Slept pretty well and awoke to overcast skies. Hoping that the moisture in the air won’t mean heavy rains today! After breakfast, we packed up wet tents and hit the trail. We hiked lots of ups and downs today as we traversed several valleys and ridges along the vast San Juan range. The views were incredible!!
Ascending the Trail
Bruce and Lance Among the Sunflowers After a Climb
Marmots and pikas would greet us periodically along the way and we were blessed with cool, dry weather as we made our way along at elevations between 12,300′ and 13,000′.
Large cairns mark the trail.
Wild flowers were abundant and spread out like a carpets in many areas.
Columbines Among the Rocks
We arrived at our camp site at Stoney Pass and the end of Segment 23 (elevation 12,524′) after hiking a total of 10.4 miles. Once again, we were met by a large flock of domesticated sheep. They were grazing on the hillsides and were being watched by several sheep dogs. The sheep herder was camped a bit lower in the valley. We camped away from the sheep near some willows. It was a strenuous day for all of us with many climbs and descents at high elevation.
Camping at Stoney Pass
It was chicken teriyaki night at the Camp Kitchen. Rain chased us into our tents to eat it and we had heavy rain from about 9 pm to 11 pm that night.
Click here for Pledge form.