Sneffels High Line

I wanted to get out for a hike, but the weather did not look so hot. There was a 60% chance of thunderstorms after noon, so I decided as long as I was not hiking after noon, I would be okay. So I got up at 4:30am and left home by 5am. I got to the trailhead which was in the town of Telluride by 5:45am. I wanted to do the Sneffels High Line trail which was a 14 mile loop that would lead me back to my vehicle. When I got out of the Xterra I was immediately shivering. It was 39 degrees in the middle of summer and my thin blood was not used to it. I was a little confused by the signage for the trail, but eventually I found my way according to the GPS. Moving helped me to warm up. Then the trail split again and it took me a while, but by 6:30 I hit my only cut-off with a sign that said I was going the right way with a single track leading me up the mountain. From there, I climbed steeply up into the mountains through the trees. Occasionally the trees would lighten up and I would get an excellent view looking back toward the ski area in Telluride and the mountains beyond it. I spent time following a stream, then broke away to go switchbacking up a ridge until I popped out in a wide open cirque.

 I was finally above the trees and this was a beautiful green area with a large mine right at the top of the cirque. The trail lead me past this and up until I reached the high point of the day. I was above 12000 ft and it was still only 8:30am. I looked over the saddle and the view was amazing. From the way I came, I could see back to the Wilson Range and all the peaks around Telluride. But looking to my new vista I could see Mill Basin and over to Dallas Peak. It was really quite a spectacle of peaks. Dark rock with patchy snow still left in some of the crevices. The valley below was so green with a meandering stream running through it. As I started down the steep rocky switchbacks, I looked a little closer at the brown dots I saw below me. Amazingly, it was a massive herd of elk. There had to be close to 200 head in this group.

 I could hear them making noise below in a way that you usually only hear around the rut. They noticed me too and were maneuvering away from me. I was just impressed and continued to watch them just move so gracefully in this beautiful valley. The valley was amazing and the trail lead me right through it. Eventually it started to drop down and I was thinking I was making some great time. It lead me to a waterfall and I was thinking wow look at how quick I am. Just then, I was shocked to see someone running behind me. Wow, you gotta be in good shape to run a trail like this. The trail continued past the waterfall and I assumed it would start leading me down, but instead it kept me at high elevation traversing around and below these mountain peaks. I got a good view of Dallas Peak, one that looked impressive from Dallas Divide and I figured this side would be the one to climb it from. I was wrong, though, because this side seemed just as impossible as the other.

 There was probably some way to get up it from this side, but I did not see a way to do it myself. I eventually got in the mood to be a clock watcher while I constantly was a cloud watcher. I made goals to be at certain elevations by certain times to keep myself out of danger. The way the trail was going though, I was still far too high by my goal of being below 10000 by 10:00am. But it was not soon after that I was hiking down through the aspens and to the junction with the Deep Creek trail that would lead me back to Telluride. 

From here on, the scenery was not too impressive, just kind of a mountain biking trail through the trees. I was impressed when I got back to the car before noon and had my whole hiking day done so I could go back home, stay out of the afternoon thunderstorms, and enjoy the time with my brand new daughter. I loved the hike and would do it again. The scenery was comparable to any trail in this region and I was able to soak it all in on this day.