Bill chose perfect September days to hike from the Pitkin lake trailhead near Vail, up and over the crest of the Gores at "Might Pass", and down into the remote South Fork of Slate Creek. A long, long hike took him the entire length of Slate Creek
6. Heading out on Pitkin Creek Friday morning 7. 8. looking back to the I-70 corridor 9. Pitkin waterfall 10. 11. fringed gentian 12. 13. 14. * marks the pointy gendarme at Might Pass 16. 4 hours to Pitkin Lake 17. 18. 20. * marks the pass 21. looking back at Pitkin Lake 22. a little higher... 23. last push to the pass (*) 24. russet tundra 25. gendarme 26. 7 hours to the pass 27. looking back (Vail ski area to the right) 28. first view over Might Pass of the headwall of South Slate Creek 29. South Slate Creek 30. ugh! looking over Might Pass, down a steep, narrow defile with rotten rock, scree, dirt. No signs of any goats or people going in there. I almost turned around... 31. I backed down the Slate Creek side of the pass slowly. This is looking back up. 33. it was 30 minutes of dicey down climbing 34. 35. But I was rewarded with my first view of the South Slate valley 36. an hour of unpleasant, but not dangerous rocky downclimbing 37. 38. 39. 40. camp at about 11,400' 41. 42. water nearby 43. sunrise. It was incredibly warm - the temperature did not fall below 40 degrees at night 44. * marks Might Pass 45. * shows the gendarme 46. Time to move on down the valley 47. 48. 49. Looking back up 50. 51. This marked the end of the upper valley, quite flat and nearly treeless. From here, it narrowed and fell steeply in thick timber 52. fossil whale? 53. 54. 55. the famous (among the few who know it) Slate cascade. Perhaps the most beautiful spot in the Gore Range. In June it must be stupendous. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. first glimpse of Slate Lake 61. 62. Slate Lake 63. 7 trailless hours to the lake, no thanks to the endless willows, rock fields, unannounced cliffs, and downed timber 64. Slate Lake 65. A trail! And a good one, made by the CCC in the 1930s 66. 67. 68. 69. Signs of beaver activity 70. looking back up the valley 71. 72. 73. beaver dam 74. the old cabin ruins at the junction of the Gore Range Trail and the Slate Creek Trail 75. 76. 77. 78. Looking across the Blue River Valley 79. Part of Slate Creek Ranch 80. The next morning, back at the cabin 81. some scenes around the ranch... 82. 83. 84. Keller Mountain 85. La casita nestled in the aspen |