S.O.B. Draw

Date: 07/01/2015
Who: myself
Length: 3.5 miles roundtrip
Time: 4.5 hours
Weather: about 75 degrees, sunny

This hike is on the North Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The route for S.O.B. Draw starts near the North Rim campground, and drops 1,800 feet down to the Gunnison River, in about 1.75 miles. Entering the canyon requires filling out a permit form at the ranger station, so they know where to start looking for you in case you don’t make it out in a timely manner. There is no trail–it is a scramble down a rocky slope. When on the way down, it’s advisable to look back up often in order to note landmarks for route-finding on the way back up. There is poison ivy along the route. I wore long pants, and was able to avoid the ivy. Climbing back out often requires rock scrambling using both hands and feet.

Video:

This hike followed the BLUE line:

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East Spanish Peak

Date: 06/25/2015
Who: myself
Length: about 9 miles roundtrip
Time: about 7 hours
Weather: about 80 degrees, sunny

I returned to the Spanish Peaks Wilderness a week after hiking West Spanish Peak, in order to hike the East peak. This was a day trip from home in Colorado Springs. I woke up very early and drove down to the East Spanish Peak 4WD trailhead, hiked the peak, and returned home. The “4WD trailhead” is accessible with a 4WD vehicle–otherwise, it’s necessary to start about 2 miles lower.

The trail felt similar to West Spanish Peak, but a bit more difficult. It’s easy to follow for the first few miles. But, then the trail becomes less defined after the turnoff from the main trail. It gets steep and a bit exposed above treeline. East Spanish Peak is lower than West (12,683 ft., compared to 13,626 ft.). But, the trailhead starts lower and the trail to the summit is longer in distance. Overall, I would say that the East is more difficult than the West. A highlight of this day was seeing an eagle up near treeline.

Video:

Summit Selfie:

East Spanish Peak Summit Selfie

East Spanish Peak Summit Selfie

This trail followed the BLUE line:

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West Spanish Peak

Date: 06/17/2015
Who: myself and Sammy
Length: 7 miles roundtrip
Time: about 6 hours
Weather: about 80 degrees, sunny

The Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado are visible from Colorado Springs on a clear day. I would often see them driving to and from work and think to myself that I would like to hike there. In June, I finally hiked both East and West Spanish Peak. The Spanish Peaks are prominent landmarks, and have sacred significance to Native American tribes. The Native American name for them is “Wahatoya” or “Huajatolla” which translates to “breasts of the earth”.

Spanish Peaks

Spanish Peaks

We camped with the popup camper at national forest campground, Purgatoire. The campground is southwest of the Spanish Peaks Wilderness at the headwaters of the Purgatoire River, and turned out to be about a 50-minute drive to the West Spanish Peak trailhead at Cordova Pass.

Helpful signage at the trailhead:

Sign at Cordova Pass

Sign at Cordova Pass

The trail (#1390) was easy to follow until treeline. Above treeline, the route is quite steep and marked by cairns.

Summit selfie:

West Spanish Peak Summit Selfie

West Spanish Peak Summit Selfie

Video:

This hike followed the BLUE line:

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