Weston Pass

Since the weather was gloomy and dreary on my days off in Denver, I sought sanctuary someplace that would be less damp.

I wound up heading out to Buena Vista for it is turning out to be an annual pilgrimage. The weather was unsettled to say the least: sunshine, quick storms, heavy wind, return to sunshine, repeat and recycle.

Still I got in some bouldering sessions in between the brief squalls. Funny how I was climbing stronger and harder in February than I am now in July. But I have been preoccupied with other activities and as a result, my climbing acumen has slipped.

On the way back I decided to sate a long-standing curiosity and turned down Weston Pass Road. The dirt track is located a few miles west of Fairplay and leads up into forested hills and, deeper into the heart, mountains.

Beautiful forested area that stands out starkly to the juxtaposing flat vastness of South Park. I grinded up in 4-wheel-drive to the pass, located a few hundred feet shy of 12,000 feet.



The weather was miserable; cold, beyond blustery and the grey sky streaked with sideways sleet. I donned my rain shell and stretched my legs by first walking, and then jogging uphill to the rounded hump in front of me.



The jogging didn't seem so arduous because of the miserable conditions I was running through. Alternating between a quick walk and a slow job, I made it up to the top of the bump. I saw it was a false summit and the true top lay close by. However finding myself completely exposed now to the elements, the wind which I though couldn't be possibly worst below, was renewed with extra vigor at the top.

I began my run down and was greated by falling snowflakes when I reached the truck. Oddly enough, it was the second time I've been snowed on in July.