Colorado peaks

[Don Lovel]

All the high peaks in the area got snow the last two days, Molly and I drove the Jeep out near the Great Sand Dunes and got some great pics, first pic is the view looking NW towards Monarch Pass from the road in front of the house here at 8550ft above Crestone


Crestone Peaks from out in the Baca Grants




Blanca Peak near Alamosa from the north side of the Great Sand Dunes park

 

[JPGLSG]

Don...Like I said...you guys out there in CO have heaven in you back and front yards. Now that my CO fun is over and I'm back east, please keep the photos coming as winter sets in, you lucky dog you !!!!!

 

[WendyZXZ]

That is some beautiful countryside!

 

[Selena]

Once more making me homesick for places I've never been.

 

[Don Lovel]

Once more making me homesick for places I've never been.

Honestly, come to the upper end of the San Luis Valley, drive to the Valley View Hot Springs on the Orient Land Trust on the east side of the valley, clothing optional, dump yer clothes, get nekid in the hot spring, see if you can figure out how to make those changes in the way you live so life always feels more like that feeling you get there.

 

[Jim Puke]

Great pics!

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Yep,
Went thru that area on Hwy160 East bound Wed. 8-1 on the way back to Texas. Spent 3 Months in South Fork CO. 50 miles West of Alamosa. The Mountains around us had snow on them and Ice on the Motor Home the morning we left

 

[whichwatch]

Nice Don, where is Crestone?

 

[Highstandardguy]

Once more making me homesick for places I've never been.

Honestly, come to the upper end of the San Luis Valley, drive to the Valley View Hot Springs on the Orient Land Trust on the east side of the valley, clothing optional, dump yer clothes, get nekid in the hot spring, see if you can figure out how to make those changes in the way you live so life always feels more like that feeling you get there.

Thanks for taking pictures of ONLY the mountains.

Last time I was there I was so busy looking at the dunes and keeping my family away from the bears that I didn't really pay much attention to the mountains. I should have!

 

[AJGUNNER]

Sort of makes a guy want to go chase some elk.

 

[Don Lovel]

Nice Don, where is Crestone?

located between Alamosa and Salida in the East side of the San Luis valley. About 10 miles as the crow flies from the north side of the Great Sand Dunes Nat'l Park.

The Elk are moving down a little, I heard a bull whistling last night from up on the mountain above us, soon there will be big herds of them out on the BACA wildlife refuge and we are between the mountains and the irrigation pivots, so they will be moving back and forth through here all winter

yesterday I was invited to a neighbor's house, he took a 380 measurement 6x7 Bull last fall with a bow, just a few hundred yards from my bedroom window from his description.

 

[Ruger36]

The crestone needles are a well known climbing spot and look up the cavern del oro was going to explore but a heart attack put a stop on plans you only have a 30 day window of time because of weather

 

[Ruger36]

The crestone needles and cavern del oro are across the mtn. from Crestone. south of Westcliff Didn't want to confuse any one

 

[Don Lovel]

Crestone Challenger, Needles and Kit Carson are all pretty rough country, you don't go anywhere near them without real prep and knowledge and the weather up here is very unpredictable, it can get real nasty in just a few minutes and lighting or hypothermia are always a problem
So is slick rocks after a light rain, somebody got helicoptered out of the range above us a couple weeks ago from a slip in the wrong place

 

[Ruger36]

We were camped on the needles trail a few years back Two young Canadians camped nearby ,They came down to climb devils tower the weather was bad there so they decided to try the needles , They left early the next morning ,Around 3PM a front moved in ,a freezing rain, I kept watching for them ,No show, Around nine the next morning I went to their tent, nobody ,After waiting a couple of more hours I went looking for them Got almost there and met them on the trail ,They had spent the night hanging by ropes ,to slick to try climbing down I'm sure they had a miserable night

 

[LarryH]

My Mom and Dad are from the Westcliffe side of the mountains shown in the pics above. I have lots of family in the Wet Mountain Valley and hope to return there someday. The Crestone Needles are a big climber attraction. I was home on leave from the Navy many years ago and was Elk hunting in the Rosita area when an Uncle who ranched there got a call to go out to the Crestone area on a recovery mission. A climber fell while climbing one of the needles. Had to be in the early 80's.