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Hayden Pass 050805

August 5, 2005 by Monica

Hayden Pass

Trail Run on August 5, 2005
Report and photos by Monica I., Trail Leader
View trail information for Hayden Pass

Bob R.
Green 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Bob S.
Green 1997 Jeep Wrangler
Monica I.
Red 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

This trail ended up being a nice surprise for everyone. We expected nothing more than a dirt road shortcut on our way from Denver to Alamosa but instead we found a nice trail with gorgeous views and fun rocky sections. It was a great start to our weekend.

We met in Castle Rock early so we could get to Alamosa in time to relax for Saturday's trip to Blanca Peak. Though we had a group of six vehicles on Blanca Peak we only had three vehicles on Hayden Pass. Ladd's Jeep filled up with water during recent rains and it was still drying out, so he was hours behind us and decided to stay on the pavement. Robert and Eric met us the next morning, instead.

We got to Cotopaxi around lunch time so we decided to stop there instead of eating on the trail. We had a great lunch in a small cafe. The whole trip through the canyon was gorgeous and fun as we watched a lot of rafters go down the river. It was pretty chilly, though, so it was probably better just to watch.

We aired down at the campground which was very nice. It was a little hazy, with the clouds very low between the mountains. We started the trail and it was a little damp but not wet or particularly muddy.

The climb up the hill was fun though not particularly challenging. The scenery was amazing, though. We stopped and took lots of pictures of the low-hanging clouds as we drove up into them.

It was close to the top when we actually drove up to above the clouds on the pass. It was sunny and nice as we got out to stretch our legs.

The trip down was sunny and much different than the trip up. The hill was very long and very steep. It was wide, which meant even though it was loose it wasn't too intimidating.

The western side of the Sangre de Cristo mountains is very sloped, so it takes awhile to come down to the valley floor though you can see your trail for at least a mile, stretching out in front of you. It was beautiful as we came down to the floor and aired up at a turnout on the side of the road.

It was a great start to a great weekend as we headed off to Alamosa with plenty of time to check into hotels and get to dinner and a relaxing evening of playing pool. Ladd met us later and we got ourselves mentally prepared for Blanca Peak in the morning.

above_the_clouds
airing_down_part_1
airing_down_part_2
airing_down_part_3
big_view
blue_sky
bob_r_at_the_pass
bob_r_at_the_top
bob_s_and_monica
bob_s_at_the_pass
bob_s_on_the_trail
bumpy
colors
down_the_steep_hill
early_dirt_road
first_climb
forest
great_sand_dunes_and_blanca_peak
hayden_pass
hiking_trail
into_the_clouds
jeeps_at_the_top
low_clouds
misty
monica_at_the_pass
narrow_trail
parked
pavement_start
pose
puffy
rocky
sangre_de_cristo_mountains
shelf_road
sign_at_the_top
steep_hill
thinning_trees
trail_of_rocks
trailhead
trees_and_clouds
valley
view_of_the_other_side
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