Nevada Adventure

It seems the older we get, the more adventurous & spontaneous we've become; that's not a bad thing, we're just creating memories. Last week we decided to make one last trip to Nevada for the year and hike North Schell Peak. It is the highest point in the Schell Creek Mountains at 11,884 ft. The Schell Creek Range extends 142 miles North to South; while driving along HWY 50 at Connors Pass we traversed the mountains. The hike was difficult, we gained 2,600 ft. mostly without a trail, through talus and tundra. We took several breaks and inched our way to the top. Once we reached the ridge-line we weren't sure if we were looking at North Schell Peak or not....thankfully we were.

We were treated to an amazing sunset on the drive to Ely

I think the West has the best sunsets

The top of North Schell Peak was our intent

Starting out before the sun comes over the mountains

Timber Creek flows along part of the trail

The sun is slowly inching its' way into the valley

We are starting to get warmed up now

The trail was nice while it lasted . . . 
Uinta Peak (11,545) lies directly ahead of the path

Then there was no trail . . . 

It was tough hiking, we took several breaks

We're just about to the ridge-line, it has not been easy

So we think this must be North Schell Peak, we sure hope it is

Kent leads the way

It was unbelievably windy the last mile of the hike

Great views make these hard hikes rewarding

We can almost taste victory

We made it to the top . . . 11,884 ft.  Notice the spelling "Shell," today it is Schell.

Kent checking his GPS, we have hiked 3 miles

It was so windy, but we had to get a picture

Looking towards Mt. Moriah a hike we did in June 2014

Following the ridge-line south you can see Taft Peak & South Schell Peak in the distance

It may not look that far to our car, believe me it is

It's fun to read the names & comments of those who have reached the top

We added our names to the log

North Schell in the background

Heading back down the trail

Fall has already peaked, but we did see some color

Almost back to the car . . .

Aerial view of the route we took

There must be a lot of deer around here, we did see a few on the hike

Sacramento Pass Recreation Area

Jeff Davis Peak & Wheeler Peak, which we hiked in Sept. 2012

Strawberry Creek

We drove to the Blue Canyon trail-head along Strawberry Creek

This tree looks like it's on fire, it's the sun shinning in just the right spot . . . cool

View of Mt. Washington from Hidden Canyon

The car was a bit dusty, Kent decided to wash the tires in Snake Creek

A herd of antelope north of Cedar City on the drive home

Pagosa Springs

Colorado has been a favorite destination of ours for many years, especially Pagosa Springs. In recent years we have hiked and fished throughout the San Juan Mountains. We just spent a few days in the La Sal Mountains of Utah before heading to Colorado. We are creatures of comfort so we went from our Utah cabin to our Colorado condo, combine that with the great outdoors for the perfect getaway. We had a nice visit in Ouray with our friend, Jeannine; dinner in Pagosa with Fred, Debbie & Duke Sutton. We hiked into Quartz Lake, with amazing 360 degree views & got caught in a hail storm. What an adventure! Dinner at Ramon's followed by the Hot Springs and we were good to go!

Although this is Colorado's motto, I would have to say Utah ranks right up there, too

This place is 133 years old, bet it has some stories to tell

Ouray County Courthouse

Getting together with Jeannine, she's the County Treasurer

Lunch on the rooftop deck at Ouray Brewing Company

The original courthouse built in 1888

A few scenes from True Grit were filmed here in 1968

Heading out of Ouray

Red Mountain & the Yankee Girl Mine

I liked the chalk drawings in the windows

The Silverton area had a lot of Fall colors

Cold Bank Pass

These turkeys were in no hurry to get out of the way

This is where we begin our hike into Quartz Lake

This coyote was a little startled when he saw us on the trail

It's nice to have an actual trail, which is not always the case

I love seeing colorful flowers this late in the summer

We liked this part . . . nice and level

Up on the ridge

We had great views on the entire hike

Kent was feeling a little goofy

Look closely Kent is pointing the way

We've reached the Notch

The mountains seem to go on forever in every direction

So far we have gained 2,400 ft in elevation

Looking south

So this is the way to Quartz Lake?

We are slowly descending, which means we must climb back up

There it is . . . Quartz Lake

The lake is at 11,500 ft.

We have come 4.7 miles and we still have to hike back out

This little buck kept an eye on us

Aerial view of the Quartz Lake Trail

Fishing Williams Creek north of Pagosa Springs

I have a hard time passing up on wildflower photo opps

Four Mile Creek was cold, it made my bones tickle

The trout were small, but fun to catch

A short hike to fish one last stream

Kent had a blast fishing the streams

The water was crystal clear

Last but not least . . . a Mocha to go from the Silver Bean in Cortez