What more could you ask on a beautiful fall day when time is short but the call of the outdoors is strong?
After driving quite a way into the canyon and finding a parking space, we set out on the gentle incline which gradually took us up above the canyon floor. We passed the junction for the difficult Rattlesnake Trail and continued on our way.
Soon we were treated to views of the great walls of the canyon and we stopped to look for teams of rock climbers. Can you spot them? Look for the red t-shirt in the right photo.
Ben has climbed on some of these walls over the years and we enjoy spotting and commenting on the climbing.
Since the path runs right by the canyon, some caution is advised, even for hikers.
In addition to wall climbing Eldorado has good "bouldering," where climbers attempt to scale a large boulder without ropes. When they fall or jump down, they land on thick pads that they've hauled to the boulder, earning them the nickname "Pad People.'
Once we walked by the beautiful canyon walls we headed down a pretty path to the end of the park. I love the stroll through this lovely little area almost as much through the canyon.
The stone walls are particularly impressive. Ben's trail maintenance work has given us a renewed respect for what it takes to build and maintain such improvements.
There was a small stand of sumac in this area and other interesting plants to admire.
At the park boundary we stopped to read the signs.
When we reached the park boundaries we turned back towards the car, again passing through the breathtaking canyon.
Here's the view towards the eastern plains. Can you see the person high up on the buttress, apparently strolling around without a rope? I sure hope Ben never does that. Well, what happens in climbing stays in climbing, and there are some things I'd rather not know!
Linking to Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.
crikey... rock climbers are a different breed. I liked the term pad people. Your mosaic is well done, easy to view. Sometimes they are too chaotic for me but these are a nice blend.
ReplyDeleteThat makes my heart beat faster to see those people on the rock faces OR high up at the top! I love to hike but I'm a sissy! lol And Pad people? I've never heard of that! I sure wouldn't want to see them jumping...or falling! What wonderful trails you have though! ENJOY!
ReplyDeleteMary - I can really relate to the sentence "Time is short but the call of the outdoors is strong." I was feeling that today, but we are leaving on Sunday and there are many winterizing tasks to be done before we go. Sigh. I have always been impressed by rock climbers - but not something I have any desire to try. Rock falls deserve our caution - unfortunately we had a death in Glacier National Park this summer when a rock fell through a car windshield and killed a teenage passenger. I have never heard of "pad people" - thanks for enlightening everyone at Mosaic Monday!
ReplyDeleteSometimes best not to know is a good thing. :-) Thanks for the hike. I enjoyed it immensely.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fabulous trail. I must say I don't like the sound of what the "pad people" do! Happy hiking and thank you for visiting my blog this week.
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