After a morning hike of Mount Zirkel, I started the drive out to Craig to head north on CO13 and up the Black Mountain road. I had a nasty hot dog and a Pepsi from the 'Routt 66' Phillips station while I gassed up. The road is in goos shape, though washboarded for the last four miles or so to the trailhead. There were several people sawing wood along the road. At 3:00 pm, I started the hike up the mellow trail at 9,900'. Wildflowers were abundant, though not quite as they were on Zirkel. Tree-line was definitely higher here, probably due to a lack of higher ground above to send avalanches down. Clouds were steadily building up, and I tried to be as expedient as possible to avoid getting rained on. The trail switches back just below the mesa top, and this is the steepest section. On top, a stroll to the highest contour is less than a quarter mile. I found the cairn near the cliff edge at 4:00 pm and walked around in other adjacent areas. I headed down and was able to move slightly faster than my ascent, reaching the 4Runner at 4:53 pm just before it started to rain. It was a long drive home, but was a nice deviation from the usual I-70, 285, or I-25 routes.
|
 |