Beckwith Pass

About 20 miles north of Crested Butte, Colorado, lies some of the most beautiful wilderness in the United States, especially the "white barked" aspens which we hiked through this morning along panoramic vistas at every turn on the pristine Beckwith Trail.

We learned from our waiter, Sam, at the Bonez restaurant last night in CB, that the Kebler Pass, located in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado, is home to one of the largest aspen groves in the United States. This aspen grove has been tested and found to be a clonal colony and grows from a single root system and is a single living organism! It is a spectacular sight for sure. The hike was very isolated (saw only a few people) and forded several creeks and rivers (mountain run off) as we continued to be in total awe throughout the entire morning of the sights and sounds in this mountain range with clear blue skies and striking beauty surrounding us. (Photos simply do not do justice with the depth and breadth of the ranges).

Once back to our primitive Lost Lake camp, we were met with an anonymous delivery of hand picked wildflowers set on the windshield of our car, and we felt it was a fitting send off for our time totally off the grid for almost three days!

BSoleille! The bright side of mountain hiking.

Terri

Photos from the glorious day

Lost Lake

Linda in the Aspens