Warner Point Nature Trail Hike

October 12, 2019

Elizabeth and I were quite shocked to find that, unless one wanted to hike in the wilderness part of the park, the trails were all short and easy. I got up early to catch the light before sunrise, then came back and sat quietly in the car to stay warm, while waiting for Elizabeth to get up.  She surprised me by walking into our campsite. She had decided to hike to the Visitor Center and back - there are two connecting trails so so she made a  round trip of 4 miles.  We ate a quick breakfast and started off to look from several of the overlooks in morning light.

Then both of us wanted to hike the trail leading on along the Canyon from the end of  the road. We started together,  but I was soon far behind Elizabeth and  was in heaven trying to capture the beautiful views of the canyon to the north and the valley, complete with sand dunes, to the south.

Almost as soon as I started down the trail it turned in front of a view down into the valley looking north. And the subsequent views on this side of the trail just kept getting better.

I was blown away by the view, then by the sand dunes. 

A closer view of the dunes

An outcropping of the ridge I hiked on

The front rock was sparkling in the sun 

Then I started getting lovely pictures across the Canyon- the blue in the bottom is
 the color my camera renders snow - but I was hiking in just a winter shirt. 

The trail was easy but did have a few boulders on it

This is at the end of the canyon but on the west side of the trail

This view almost seemed like infinity

At the end of the trail - these hikers  as well as Elizabeth had climbed down and then up on this spire of rock

A last look at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison from the end of the trail

This cedar tree, near the beginning of the trail had so much character,
I had to take its picture

I couldn't find Elizabeth along the trail but she finally caught up with me on the way back.  She had climbed down from the end of the trail to the spire of rock and just sat and enjoyed the view.  Then she had shown the people whose picture I took how to get out there. She was coming back and was under the ledge I was standing on when I talked to them, so she knew she had to leave in several more minutes to catch up with me.

We had planned to stay three nights at at Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, but we both agreed we were finished.  We went back to camp and spent about twenty minutes packing up before going to Montrose where we both enjoyed a visit to a Salvation Army Resale store.  Then I assured Elizabeth. who needs winter clothes, that, as long as I was at the library, she could shop to her hearts content. I edited pictures. Then we decided we needed ice cream before we left to hunt for a camping spot in Curecanti National Recreation Area which is also along the Gunnison River.

And as I was checking on the correct spelling of the name of our second night's camp, I found we had missed this.  I'll have to add it to my Colorado Bucket List.

On a personal note: I have been trying to compete all my tasks and pin all my bees, except for the really tiny ones, which I''ll leave in ethanol for a more skilled person to glue to pins. I'll take the bees up to the Museum of Natural History on Friday, which will be my last official day.  Hopefully, I'll get my stuff packed and the house cleaned and be ready to leave early Monday morning. I will have about two weeks of camping fun, some alone, some with my friend Julie, who I last played with in Rocky Mountain National Park, and finally a weekend with my daughter at a Texas State Park.

Stay tuned.