The long hours of dawn and dusk would be the hardest thing about living in Ouray long term. Should we call it "sunrise" when the morning sun finally clears the mountains that are 2000 feet over the town, or should we call it "cliff-set"?
I follow the trail information left to me by Box Canyon Blog. On the approach, it always seems like there has been a mistake: there's no way that a hiking trail could go up that cliff. Surely only a serious rock climber with all the equipment could do it. But the trail does make it up.
Yet, a hiking trail is so simple: it's just a triangle cut transversely to a steep slope. How could it work as well as it does?! If the trail wasn't there you would never bushwhack it; it would be too daunting.
How was the trail built in the first place? They didn't look up the terrain on Google Earth and run a software program that told them to put a switchback right here or right there. As usual, I feel humbled by the hardiness of miners in the 1800s. What softies we are today!
Coffee Girl and I have hiked quite a few of the trails that can be done from our front door. (My gasoline "fast" is on Day 10 or so. There is no better way of traveling economically.) The odd thing is that we only see a couple other hikers each day, usually on the way down of course. There must be a couple thousand tourists in town on a Labor Day weekend. What the heck are they all doing?
I follow the trail information left to me by Box Canyon Blog. On the approach, it always seems like there has been a mistake: there's no way that a hiking trail could go up that cliff. Surely only a serious rock climber with all the equipment could do it. But the trail does make it up.
Yet, a hiking trail is so simple: it's just a triangle cut transversely to a steep slope. How could it work as well as it does?! If the trail wasn't there you would never bushwhack it; it would be too daunting.
How was the trail built in the first place? They didn't look up the terrain on Google Earth and run a software program that told them to put a switchback right here or right there. As usual, I feel humbled by the hardiness of miners in the 1800s. What softies we are today!
Coffee Girl and I have hiked quite a few of the trails that can be done from our front door. (My gasoline "fast" is on Day 10 or so. There is no better way of traveling economically.) The odd thing is that we only see a couple other hikers each day, usually on the way down of course. There must be a couple thousand tourists in town on a Labor Day weekend. What the heck are they all doing?
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