Horsethief Trail Head

The view forever from Heaven's Bridge.

September 9

We left the Ampitheater by 8:00 and it took us almost an hour to get to the Horsethief trail head. We saved two miles by taking the Jeep trail up a very steep bumpy rocky road which crossed a shallow stream. The stream crossing went smoothly and the rest of the road was bumpy, steep, but uneventful. The hike up to Heaven's Bridge was approximately 8.5 miles of trail with and elevation gain of about 3,000 feet. We topped out at 12,275. Yep, we were at the top of the world. The views were spectacular. It was cold and windy on top just like the trail guide said.

The trail at Heaven's Bridge

Heaven's Bridge is on top of the farthest peak on the left

Red mountain. We'll be driving over this pass in a few days

We found a semi shelterd spot for lunch and watched the sky as the clouds kept getting closer. Seems like every afternoon the clouds move in and it rains. We almost made it down the mountain before it started to rain, but at least the rain was minimal this time.

We return to camp and I actually turned the heater on. Its been a little chilly in the high country. My camping spot is very shady, so my solar panels haven't been able to fully charge my batteries so I have been conservation mode. I guess I could turn the generator on, but I just hate to make so much noise unnecessarily. Tomorrow we will explore some in the Jeep and travel to Telluride via the dirt roads. Ought to be fun.