Over a span of 7 days in late August/early September, I hiked alone through a high route in the Weminuche Wilderness of the San Juans. The mountains here are perhaps the most rugged and remote in all of Colorado. My lengthy backpacking itinerary allowed me to take a somewhat leisurely pace with my heavy load, and to savor the awesome and pristine landscapes which are ever present in this truly wilderness mountain range.
Weminuche Wilderness Trek
September 2007 | San Juan Mountains, Colorado
My ride into the mountains: the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Originally built in 1881 to haul silver and gold ore from Silverton, the train nowadays hauls tourists.
Morning alpenglow reflection of the Needle Mountains, San Juan Mountains - August
A mountain goat climbs in front of the Turret Needles, San Juan Mountains
Mountain goat poses for me on a high pass in the Needle Mountains. I took a bunch of photos of this friendly local before continuing on my way.
A lighting bolt strikes a mountainside during a hail storm in the Needle Mountains.
Alpine rasberries. Mmmmm.... delicious!
Dawn reflection of Mount Eolus in a high lake in the Needle Mountains, San Juan Mountains - September
Sunrise light on Mt. Eolus and the Needle Mountains - September.
unnamed lake high in the San Juans
Fall colors starting to show in this high meadow in the Needle Mountains, Weminuche Wilderness - early September.
Sunrise light shines on the Grenadier Range, San Juan Mountains - September
A pristine high lake with a shore so smooth that the waterline is almost invisible. The peaks of the Grenadier Range are reflecting in the distance. San Juan Mountains - September.
Vestal Peak towers above these beaver ponds on a rainy evening in September. Grenadier Range, San Juan Mountains.
Right on schedule, our ride arrives to bring us back to civilization. The guy on the far left walked out of the woods just as the train pulled up, seemingly completely unaware of the situation, and happily boarded the train for a surprise ride to Silverton.
Posted in Backpacking & Trekking, Colorado and tagged San Juan Mountains, Weminuche, Colorado, September.
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