This week we have just a quick post from the b-e-a-utiful Sangre de Cristo Range. The Overcast Adventurers, plus Skyler’s friends Jesse (a returning guest star) and Barkley (a dog), braved glaring sunlight to hike up to Venable Lake.

The trailhead for this hike started just past the old towns of Silver Cliff and Westcliffe. The pleasant weather brought many other outdoorsmen to this part of the forest, but we lost them within the first mile of the trail. It seemed most of the traffic was veering off to see Comanche Lake instead, leaving us to enjoy what few Autumn leaves remained in the valley on our own.

The trail started as a gradual uphill through mixed evergreen and aspen, but turned to pure pine as we approached tree-level. The few aspens remaining at that altitude had long been barren it appeared from the forces of wind and falling snow. The snow remained, and the footprints we made in it were the only ones we spotted near the lake (save for those of a bear which had wandered through).

What had been easy uphill turned to a slog in the final mile as the trail’s grade sharpened drastically. All of us were panting as we finally reached Venable Lake.

The wind blew cold and harsh with no trees to block it, so we spent only a little time at the waterside. Long enough for a couple photos and a sense of appreciation, but little more. With nothing but downhill to look forward to, we went back down the trail at a near jog and were back at the trailhead with the sun still high in the sky. All in all, not bad for a lazy Saturday.

Take care!

~Ty & Sky