Finding myself winded within one minute of starting the hike up Jud Wiebe Trail, I struggled during the entire hike. The trail is only a three-mile long loop, but gains 1300 feet of elevation in little over a mile, averaging over a 20% grade. The trail climbs steeply on the east side of Telluride. The trail zigzags through groves of aspen trees, open meadows, and provides stunning panoramic views of Telluride and the valley floor.
The hike took me three hours which means I averaged less than one mile per hour. Breathing was difficult for a flat-lander like me. The starting elevation was 8,800 feet, which meant with the 1,300 feet of elevation gain, most of the hike was about 9,000 feet and crested somewhere around 10,100 feet, or nearly two miles above sea level. I don’t know which was harder, climbing up the side of the mountain or walking back down. On the way up, my heart would race close to my max heart rate. On the way down, my legs ached.
Fortunately I had my new Salewa hiking shoes which were a size larger and much lighter than the hiking boots I used on the extremely painful Appalachian Trail hike back in May. My big toenails are still black, purple, and red from my painful day back in May on the Appalachian in North Carolina because of those old boots . The new shoes were extraordinarily comfortable, while providing excellent grip and traction on the rocky trail. During the ascent, I stopped many times along the way to rest and get my heart rate back down to a manageable level. Walking back down I stopped often to rest my legs.
The steep descent left my knees sore and quads rubbery. Towards the end of the descent, my quads quivered with every step. The amount of time required to make my way back down the steep descent surprised me. I kept thinking I was close to the bottom of the trail, but then I would come across a clearing in the wood where I could see down into the town far below. I just remember seeing how far below the rooftops of all the buildings were and realizing how far down I still had to descend.
My Leki Hiking Poles saved me once again. I don’t know how I would have gotten back down the mountainside without them. Using the poles the correct way is hard and counter-intuitive. The correct technique is to plant the pole first with your right arm, then step forward with your right leg, then plant the left pole and step forward with the left leg. The idea is to take some of the stress off the knees and legs by absorbing some of the shock and weight with your arms, shoulders and back. A more natural motion is to extend your right arm and left pole while stepping forward with your left leg to balance yourself as you would with a cane. I concentrated on using the poles the correct way and for a few minutes would find myself in a good rhythm with the poles. Within a few minutes, I would slip back to using them the wrong way again. Finally near the end of the painful descent, I used both poles anyway I could to slowly limp my back down the mountain.
The views from the top of the climb were simply beautiful. The entire town of Telluride below was visible. There was also a great view of the valley leading into the box canyon. Fortunately I hiked from south to north which gave me near continuous views of the mountains at the far end of town and Bridal Veil Falls. My favorite part of the hike was walking among the Aspen Trees. The Aspen trees are so incredibly beautiful with their white bark and delicate oval heart shape leaves. The Aspen leaves shimmered in the wind and bright sun.
I’m going to have to rest a day before going on another one of these hikes. That is the nice thing about coming to one place and staying for a while instead of being on a tour. Today I can just rest and relax instead of getting back out on another strenuous trail the next day, and the next day, and the next day.
There is something about being out in the mountains that restores and soul and spirit. While sitting on a rock high above the canyon floor, I realized that the mountains surrounding me had been there for over 70,000,000 years. Five ice ages had come and gone over the last 1,000,000 years. These ice ages had carved out the spectacular valleys and mountains that I was now seeing. The last ice age, the Wisconsin Age, occurred around 15,000 years ago. I quickly realized that the 70-90 years I might spend on this earth was just a blip in geological time. Ninety years is totally insignificant when compared to the time these mountains have been here. Thinking about my brief flash of existence in the eons of time made me feel very insignificant and quite humble. I thought of all the people with large egos and people who are so full of themselves. I thought that all those arrogant people needed to sit on the rock I was sitting on, and realize how little their existence really matters on this earth. These mountains will be here for another 70,000,000 years, and by that time, mankind will have long since vanished from the face of the this earth.
Rocky Mountain High – John Denver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOB4VdlkzO4