Yankee Boy Trail to Imogene Pass
Pawel Pielaszkiewicz, my Polish friend who loves 4x4ing, and I rode with him from Ouray toward Imogene Pass (13,133) to drop Mike, a gold panner, off at a an old abandoned mine below Chicago Peak (13,343). We continued on up toward Imogene Pass through the plowed snow field, hoping the snow packed stayed in place.
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Driving up through the snow field.
Video credit Pawel Pielaszkiewicz (05:51). You may also like to see Pawel’s This is PaulLand YouTube channel for more of his adventures.
Standing at the edge of the Trail View cliff, and looking down into Imogene Basin, you feel humbled by the grandeur that surrounds. The temperature had dropped 10 degree celsius as we rose from tree line to the View Point. The air was crisp and felt like an ice water on a hot day.
Panoramic video of the peaks and basin below (48 secs)
Unable to continue over Imogene Pass to Telluride we turned around and headed back down to the tree line and the world of waterfalls, spring stream runoff, and those unwilling to continue higher. We saw no one coming or going above treelike.
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I love waterfalls and the streams filled with trout below them. (video 20 secs)
Thank you again Pawel for a lovely morning of grand views and thrilling heights.
The following link is the entire decent from Imogene Pass back to Ouray. Includes some of our conversation and the rest in fast forward. Great waterfalls, gorges, and 4x4 footage (49 mins).
Fantastic Fungi
Netflix link. I rewatched this earlier in the week, and found it even more compelling than I did the first time, four years ago. Whether you have seen it or not, it is worthy of viewing. The videography is stunning, and the importance of fungi to our lives is revealing. Even if you never want to forage for mushrooms or don’t even like mushrooms, it is important to know about the largest living organism on earth and the neural network the lies just below the ground.
Above are my two favourite mushroom foraging books (field guide left and reference book right).
Earthing: The Remarkable Science of Grounding
I met a couple this week Morgan and Amy from Idaho who mentioned a concept and movie I had not seen. I found it on YouTube and watched it immediately. It is compelling and after reading some of the peer reviewed research, thought it worthy of sharing with you. I am half-way through the book and enjoying it greatly.
Link to the book: amazon.com / amazon.ca
Another Book Recommendation
Some of you may wonder why I love trout fishing so much. I was never a fan of The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton, and for some fly fishermen that is a heresy. But I have enjoyed many other classics of Angling Literature. For angling is one of the few sports that have created truly classic literature. The English and Irish traditions have alone filled rooms with volumes about the joys of the sport. The Canadian, Roderick Haig-Brown, is one of my favourites, though I recently found a used copy of Fishing and Thinking by A.A. Luce written in 1959. This classic which I read thirty years ago for the first time, could have been written by an English Lord in the 1800’s, it so captures the essence of fishing in the grand tradition. If you want to understand the pull of standing knee deep in the clear cold water of a high mountain stream, the beauty of vividly painted fish, and simplicity of rod, line, and fly read this meditation on a magical activity. Book links: amazon.com / amazon.ca
Thank you for following along on my journey. If you know of anyone who may like to travel with us, please share with the button below. Be well. Big hug to all. Lloyd
Next post (every Sunday)
Refreshing Sunday scenery, with my comfie chair and coffee!