More Hiking

Colorado is an absolutely beautiful state. Much of that beauty is found within the numerous National Monuments and National Parks in our state. Yesterday, we drove 17 miles out of Montrose to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.  Here you can see why it is called the Black Canyon.  Not only is the canyon carved out by the Gunnison River deep--meaning not much light reaches the lower part of the canyon.  In addition, much of the rock that the river cut through is a dark color.

Look at how narrow the canyon is.  Part of the canyon is 2,250 feet deep and it ranges from only 40 feet up to 1,100 feet wide.

This picturesque tree is on the canyon rim.

These steep canyon walls are quite popular with experienced rock climbers!  We hiked on the Rim Trail and Upland Trail, but I would never--now or in the past--have considered rock climbing.

The river continues to erode the rock walls, sometimes separating the rocks into narrow  outcrops.  We could look into the canyon for several overlooks.

A selfie of us with the canyon in the background.  I took off my hat.  Isn’t my white hat hair great?

 

A Vertical Landscape

More than twice as deep as it is wide, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a spectacular chasm. It is 2,250 feet deep and 1,100 feet wide at the top. In places it is only 40 feet wide at the river's edge. Thursday we hiked about three miles on the Upland and Rim Rock trails. As you can tell from the trail names, we didn't hike very far down toward the river. In fact, that requires a permit. The views were spectacular.

Even in late July, the wildflowers were still colorful.

Just look at these rock walls.  It must be a rock climber's paradise.  But nothing for older adults to attempt.

These lily-looking flowers with creamy white petals and colorful center were blooming by ones and twos in many places along the trail.

 

We have hiked here once or twice in the past. We were so glad to see this beautiful place again.

Return to the Black Canyon

Twenty years ago we bought our first 5th wheel trailer. The dealer gave us a voucher for a free stay at Blue Mesa Ranch for a shake-down cruise. John's sister Kendal, husband John and their grandson Brian were camping nearby that August and we all took a boat tour through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument. It was a beautiful tour. In 1999 the area became a national park and we needed to come back and visit this park (and get our NPS book stamped). This time we viewed the stunning Gunnison River Gorge from the south rim.

The gorge was named the Black Canyon because it is so deep and so narrow the sun rarely reaches the canyon floor.  See how dark the canyon is in these photos.

You can see the Gunnison River in this photo.  The video at the Visitor Center reported that the river lowers the bottom of the canyon one inch in 100 years--1 hair-breadth a year.  Think how long it to the water to cut these impressive cliffs and pinnacles.

When we came to the first viewpoint, we saw this young couple cooking breakfast. I commented they found a great place to prepare the meal. The man replied, "Breakfast with a view."

For many years farmers in the Montrose area looking with longing at the water in the Gunnison River, hoping to find a way to bring it to their valley to water the fields. In 1901 two men floated 33 miles through the canyon on a rubber mattress and reported a diversion tunnel was feasible. Construction on the 5.8 mile tunnel began in 1905 and was dedicated in 1909. Just look at the lush fields in the Montrose valley today.

After our great visit to the Black Canyon, friends contacted us on Facebook, saying they, too, were camped at Ridgway State Park. Dick and Nina, who we first met in Grand County where John served his first churches as priest, came to our site for wine and snacks. It was good to see them.