This morning I woke up in Montrose at 7AM and spent a few hours working at Starbucks. At about 10AM I drove about 15 minutes to Black Canyon of Gunnison NP with low/average expectations.
Almost immediately, I was entranced by the awe-inspiring views. The cliff walls throughout the park are primarily black with some lighter colors. The surfaces of the cliff walls and rock formations are extremely jagged and steep. Thousands of feet below the top of the cliff walls is the powerful Gunnison River which is continuing the process of eroding the canyon walls at a rate of one inch per century. It was interesting to view such a unique, detailed, complex landscape and trying to grasp all the weather patterns and geological processes that have been occurring for millions of years to create today’s landscape.
In the early 1900s, the intimidating canyon was described by surveyors as “impenetrable.” Eventually, two willful explorers risked their lives and explored the entire river at the bottom of the canyon.
Today, I hiked Oak Flat Loop and Warner Point Nature Trail, which totaled about 3.5 miles. Additionally, I stopped off at many of the lookout points and attractions along the main road. During the hikes, the weather alternated between light snow, rain, and sunshine. Hiking in snow is not nearly as bad I was imagining. The snow doesn’t make your clothes wet and the temperature isn’t much different as when it’s raining. However, when it’s raining my clothes become wet and uncomfortable.
After touring the main part of the park, I drove about 15 minutes on a narrow, steep road down to the Gunnison River. The grade was about 16% and the maximum allowable vehicle size is 22 feet. Considering that the RV is 19 feet, I was allowed to make the trip to the river, but I was still hesitant. It wasn’t too difficult, just had to keep the car in 1st gear and steer the car without braking.
The portion of the Gunnison River that I accessed was an upper portion with a much more moderate, calm landscape. About a mile before this portion of the Gunnison River, there is a dam and another structure that regulate water flow. The dam holds back water for 6 miles upstream, and probably plays a major role in calming the flow of the river.
After visiting Gunnison NP, I drove about one hour to Colorado National Monument. Seeing the word “monument” I thought I would be seeing a structure or single landscape dedicated to Colorado, which would take a maximum of one hour to enjoy and experience. The Colorado National Monument was actually a relatively large national park, which could easily be a full day trip.
There is a main road named “Rim Road” which stretches 23 miles from one end of the park to the other. Rim Road travels along steep cliffs/canyons with no guard rails or protection. This is not somewhere you’d want to lose focus or be distracted while driving. While driving through the park, it came to mind that many people must have died by accidentally driving off the road. While conducting a google search, I read a sad/disturbing article that Colorado National Monument is a commonly chosen place for suicide. People choose to drive off cliffs, jump off cliffs, or even shoot themselves at the lookout areas (http://www.denverpost.com/ci_7739306). Based on the article, there are about 12 attempted suicides each year, including 3 accomplished ones. This is sad, but there isn’t much the park rangers can do. If they put up warning signs or safety mechanisms, they can easily be overcome and may even attract additional attention to potential suicide victims. These people are going through a lot and would just resort to another suicide method if this one wasn’t available.
Afterwards, I made the short drive to Grand Junction, CO, and am preparing for the upcoming Utah adventure.
