| Ref: Bob
Spirko's Road not taken |
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Gunnery Mountain and its south-west ridge. |
| Hike: RT 5.0;
2.5 up. A little bit needy for sunny weather, Fab and I decided to take
the dogs to the Foothills for the weekend. I was hoping we would be
able to set feet/paws on grasses but I doubted it... As we drove closer
to our objective, I started to feel excited about the absence of snow
on the southern aspects. We didn't want the hounds to struggle with
deep, unsupportive snow; Fab was willing to forgo the summit if
necessary. We parked at the west end of the guardrail on highway 541.
Instead of walking along the road to the ascent ridge, we chose to walk
along the tree's edge. This traverse is riddled with barbed wire and
should be avoided with dogs. One of our Spaniels cut the tip of his
ear, which resulted in a moment of panic before noticing where the
blood was coming from. A big scare, we were lucky... Once on the way,
the hounds were "loving it". The opportunity to hike on ground, grasses
and rock was great; except for the wind, the conditions were perfect! I
brought my snowshoes, just in case and only used them for a short
section midway; Fab didn't have any and did fine. We didn't stay that
long at the top, instead, we took a long break lower down. We found
shelter at the foot of a big tree and after some treats, the doggies
took a nap. This moment was well worth the long drive. We slowly
returned to the car and drove a short distance to one of our favorite
camping areas where we remained in the car for a bit, parked facing the
sunset. |
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Across the highway at the trees' edge. |
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Starting up the windward slope. |
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Happy, happy dogs. |
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Evidence of frequent wind. |
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We're enjoying this outing with the hounds. |
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One of several treat breaks. |
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Along the summit ridge with Holy Cross in the background. |
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Looking back. |
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Reaching the summit. |
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Lincoln pauses while Daisy roams. |
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Pleased that we all made it. |
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Fab recommends we take shelter lower down. |
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The abrasive rock reminded us of Doorjamb. |
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Fab is dispensing goodies. |
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Heading back down. |
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Choosing the road to avoid the barbed wire. |
| Back
to home page |
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