Up And Over
“One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.”
The hike began at an elevation of 8,845 feet and we climbed 656 feet to an elevation 9,501 feet.
That was the “up” part. Then we went “over”. And the sights were spectacular.
The day started in our campground on the banks of the Rio Grande in Creede Colorado. We woke up to a brisk 34 degrees and considered staying in bed. But the river was calling, so I made a short hike along the rocks into the river to capture this golden hour shot.
Back to the RV where we had a quick breakfast and then began the drive to the trailhead for the Up and Over trail.
This would be our highest elevation that we’ve hiked thus far, but we were ready for it. The terrain was unlike any we’ve hiked yet on this trip.
Off she went.
Here we were, squarely in the Rio Grande National Forest.
Most of the elevation change was in the first mile …
Our path was set to the peak in the distance …
It was starting to warm up a bit, but the sun still felt really good …
Lisa paused to take in the view of the small town of Creede below …
The tall Colorado Douglas Firs framed the peaks nicely …
It was definitely warming up as Lisa shed one layer.
Here’s a look back at where we started the hike …
One more view of the valley that was screaming to be rendered in black and white …
Back to the task at hand, we were getting closer to the peak (although it’s still a lot farther than it appears).
One final heart-pumping push and the lady conquers the peak!
Time for a quick selfie at 9500 feet.
And then I found my perch …
… because just over the ridge were beautiful views of peaks across the valley.
Another look back to confirm to ourselves that we actually did it.
And more beautiful views ahead of us.
We lingered at the peak for snacks and the obligatory portrait.
With our rest complete, it was time to press on.
With the “up” part complete, it was time to head “over” to the other side, where we got to experience another sunrise in the much more heavily wooded portion of the trail.
Creede was apparently the last silver boom town in Colorado in the 19th century. The town grew from a population of 600 in 1889 to more than 10,000 people in December 1891. The Creede mines operated continuously from 1890 until 1985.
Through a clearing we were in search of the old mines …
… which now came into view.
Lisa hiked to the edge of the cliff to put the peaks in perspective.
Check out the switchbacks across the way.
Zooming in for a view of the exterior of the mines.
If the land could speak, imagine the stories it could tell …
We’re not hiking up there, but it’s still beautiful.
It was a lot easier on the way down and we made our way through the mining village.
I think we took one wrong turn as we experienced another terrain change through the loose rocks …
But we quickly got back on track.
One last peek back up before we headed into town.
Main Street, Creede, Colorado. Not Disney. The real thing.
The turquoise building on the right is the 4 room hotel. The peak in the background is what we just hiked.
With one more hike under our belts, we decided to stop at a local watering hole known as Tommyknockers for a refreshment and some lunch.
