Leslie and David's Wanderings: 28 March 2021 Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Our research had warned us that most of Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park was going to be closed for winter. The South Rim road was open up to the Visitor Center that was still closed due to COVID. The North Rim Road and East Portal road were also closed for the season. But the gift shop was open so David collected his park hat, Leslie her post cards, and we got our park passport stamp. The views into the canyon from the visitor center were incredible. Talking with a park volunteer, we learned the South Rim Road was stilled covered with 2 feet of snow that they groom for cross country skiing and would not open up for the summer until late in April. We discussed the trails we had researched and decided we would hike the Oak Flat Loop trail. The trail was mostly packed snow and ice. But we had our micro-spikes with us, so we were good to go. But not having used the spikes since Rocky Mountain NP in 2019, we had to figure out how to put them on again! Based on the volunteer’s recommendation, we hiked the trail clockwise since that would leave the steepest part of the hike for the climb back up to the rim. The trail was slippery and a bit challenging in spots on the way down. At one point, Leslie slipped off the trail and sunk on leg up to her hip in the soft snow just inches off the packed part of the trail. We made it down to the overlook and took the time to sit on a rock, with gorgeous views, and enjoy a snack and some water before the trek back to the top. The return portion of the trail was steep and icy. But, since were going up hill, it made it easier for us to really plant our micro-spikes for good traction. Between the micro-spike and our spiked hiking poles, we did not have many traction issues getting up the slopes. Now getting enough air was another issue. At 8000ft altitude, we were definitely huffing and puffing on the climb. But surprisingly, our legs were not tired. The trail was 1.9 miles, 267ft of elevation gain and 1624 calories burned. When we returned to the Behemoth, we were not ready to leave the park. But we could not figure out anything else we could do with so much of the park closed. So we headed back into town. On the way, we decided to look for a brewery. We ended up on the patio of Two Rascals Brewery. We were surprised to see Cheese Curds on the snack menu. That’s a Wisconsin thing, not a Colorado thing! After a few tastes, we picked our beers, ordered some green chili cheese curds and settled in the beautiful warm sunshine on the patio to relax and enjoy the views of the mountains in the distance. There we met a character from Mexico City with a very interesting life story of education and travel in the hospitality industry. He was living and working in Telluride but made the journey to Montrose to buy dry goods and groceries because Telluride is such a pricey place. We paid $16 for sandwiches!!