A 4-Wheeling Adventure To Ptarmigan Lake (Photos - August 4, 2007)
| The Sunrise
We were driving west into the mountains on Chaffee County Road 306
("Cottonwood Pass Road") when Steve and I realized there was a wonderfully
colorful sunrise happening behind us. We quickly pulled over to capture the
view above. Nice! |
| Clouds Engulf Mt. Kreutzer and Emma Burr Mountain
Now the original plan was to hike to the summit of Emma Burr Mountain, perched
along the Continental Divide at 13,537 feet. To get in its vicinity,
we drove west into South Cottonwood Canyon
(past Cottonwood Lake) and
continued to its end in an area known as Mineral Basin.
(Last month, my friend Shannon and I drove in his Land Cruiser on a sunny morning to this area.
See photos here.)
Unfortunately, clouds engulfed much of the mountains and the forecast called for rain
and the possibility thunderstorms all day, so we opted to postpone this hike for another week.
LEFT PHOTO: The view of Mt. Kreutzer, a nearby "13er" that was mostly covered by clouds.
RIGHT PHOTO: The entire peak of Emma Burr Mountain covered up. |
4-Wheeling - Mineral Basin Area To Ptarmigan Lake
Ptarmigan Lake
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... and just over that pass, we were practically right there at Ptarmigan Lake! :) |
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It was so nice to be at Ptarmigan Lake and the novelty
of coming over from the other side was a thrill! I snapped a bunch of photos of the lake,
including this one that focuses on Turner Peak (alt. 13,232 feet) to the north. |
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LEFT: Jones Mountain stands above Ptarmigan Lake.
RIGHT: That pointed peak is actually "Jones Mountain South," a
sister peak that stands at 12,995 feet. |
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Another photo of the lake with a clear
view of the saddle that leads into the South Cottonwood Canyon and Mineral Basin area. |
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Special thanks to Steve Quilico
for generously driving his 4-wheel drive vehicle up there and sharing this adventure with me.
Steve fished in the lake for awhile as I wandered around the lake. |
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I ate a turkey and cheese sandwich up there! ;) |
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One more grand view of Jones Mountain. |
Colorado Wildflowers
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Ahhhhh! The wildflowers near Ptarmigan Lake
were just wonderful! Colorado has had a relatively wet summer and
it appears the rains have lengthened the life of these beautiful wildflowers in the high country. |
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Lots of color! |
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We also spotted a few columbines, which is the state flower of Colorado. |
The Skies Clear For A Short While - Emma Burr Mountain
Last but not least, as we were driving back down the gulch, we noticed things had
cleared up at least somewhat in the skies. And what do you know?
I got this photo of Emma Burr Mountain! (Right peak in the back)
We definitely made the right decision to postpone hiking this mountain,
for soon after clouds and rain took over and dominated the rest of the afternoon. We'll be back soon! :) |
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