Rainmaker

On Saturday, July 29th, my parents and I drove to Durango. I had been to Durango several times before, but this is the first time I have been there since I had become a Colorado resident in 2006. The town has gotten more spread out, but I still like it. We stayed downtown at the Strater Hotel. It is an old hotel that was built in 1887. It is worth a stay.

The next morning, it was raining in Durango. The plan was to start another backpacking trip. It is never fun to start in the rain. Fortunately, the sky looked brighter to the north where I would start my hike. We drove to Molas Pass where my parents dropped me off. The weather had cleared for the start of my hike.

Potato Hill (Middle) Engineer Mountain (Right)

View along the Colorado Trail

North Twilight Peak (Left) Potato Hill (Right)

Scenery at a saddle along the trail.

Trail entering a wildflower field

A Marmot with Potato Hill in the background

Columbine

A couple of waterfalls

As the day progressed, the clouds started building up again. Fortunately I had gotten past the above treeline portion of that day’s hike before the rain started. It was a long drizzly rain. There was some lightning in the beginning, but the lightning didn’t last long and wasn’t close. I ended up hiking about 18 miles before I found a place in which I wanted to camp.

The picture taker

A small lake near the intersection of the Engineer Mountain Trail

Rolling Mountain

Looking back on the trail

Heading towards the pass that is south of Rolling Mountain

Northern view of Twin Sister East & West from the pass

Looking south from the Pass (12,500 ft)

Fields of wildflowers on the way down from the pass

Looking back at the pass

Paintbrush

Sheep

Camp

More Colorado Trail posts to come…