After spending last evening "camping" at the DoubleTree in Grand Junction, we headed south to our 11th National Park - Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We really didn't have any idea as to what to expect. I'd never heard of this Park until recently when I began looking into the 40 parks I wanted to visit during our TrekTrax.
Much to our surprise, Black Canyon (like CapReef) turned out to be an amazing "sleeper"! When first entering the Park, you are greeted with a rather bland, desert-like landscape. Not much to look at...until you reach the rim of the canyon and begin to explore the area.
The Canyon gets its name because of the limited amount of sunlight that is able to penetrate its depths. Throughout most of the day the canyon walls have a very dark complexion. It is an extremely narrow canyon measuring only 40 feet wide at its narrowest and a very deep canyon stretching over 2700' below the rim at its deepest point.
The Gunnison River which flows thru the bottom of the gorge is responsible for carving out this unique landscape. Black Canyon became a National Park in October of 1999 and contains a 14 mile stretch of the Gunnison River canyonland.
Our last campsite on our first Trek thru the Parks - Site C5 is the ticket! We were able to grab the best site at the South Rim Campground. Shaded from the sun. Close to the woman's pee-pee room. Tucked in amongst the Gambel Oaks for privacy. And adjacent to where the Mule Deers and Black Bears roam!
Terry wasn't particularly pleased when I pointed out the Bear scat in close proximity to the Hob! To make matters even more exciting...the Ranger comes by and warns us about recent Bear sightings! Alas...we witness no Bear on our entire Trek! Perhaps Trek #2 will produce more than just Bear scat! Terry will be happy if we get "bear skunked"!
The pot of Chili is for ME...the frying pan full of soup is for HER! After the experience we had in the Rockies...soup only for the esposa! We'll share the Hot Dogs!
Tonite we let the Coleman take a break and cook out on the open fire. What a treat to dine on pinion pine smoked chili and sausages!
There is a lookout platform just outside of the Visitor's Center which gives you an excellent view down into the depths of this awesome gorge. Mark Warner, an early advocate of preserving Black Canyon as a National Park describes this area as follows:
"Long ridges of jagged granite project out into the heart of the main canyon, with deep narrow gorges on either side, through which one may occasionally get a glimpse of the rushing, roaring waters of the mighty Gunnison. Towers, pinnacles, spires and other fantastic rock formations greet the eye with an ever new challenge, as sunrise and shadow play their part in the creation of this ever changing pageant of rugged grandeur and majestic beauty."
Much to my delight, when I asked Terry what the highlight of our Trek has been for her thus far, she replied, "Camping! I've really enjoyed the whole camping experience with you." What a sweetie!
The serpentine stripes on the north side of the canyon walls were formed when magma squeezed its way between the ruddy red metamorphic rock. A zillion years later we are treated to this striped masterpiece!
I was fascinated to see our shadows on the rocks directly below us as I shot pictures of the Gunnison twisting through the bottom of the gorge.
One of the best hikes we took along our Trek thru the Parks was called "A Walk with Mark Warner". The hike came complete with a Trail Guide that pointed out the not-so-obvious highlights along the way. Mark's Trail Guide has you stop, take note, touch and smell the Junipers. We've all heard the saying "slow down and smell the roses" (or something to that effect!). But just how often do we really do that? In our daily dust cloud of activity, it seems that most of what we pass by goes unnoticed. And much of what we pass by is genuinely intriguing...if we only allowed ourselves a few moments to explore. Mark's guide asks you to do just that. Slow down and observe the surroundings.
Today, we learned to recognize the yellow buds at the tips of the Pinion Pines will soon produce the tree's pine cones. The Pinion Nut, the bi-product of the cone, contains all the protein needed by the human body...very few food sources can stake claim to that statement! One pound of Pinion Nuts contains 2880 calories. It's no wonder that the Pinion Nut was and still is a traditional food source for Native Americans.
We learned that the Juniper is the most common tree from Colorado to California and thrives at elevations ranging from 3000' to 8000' and higher. They are amongst the gnarliest and toughest of trees on earth thriving in impossible conditions including poor soil, the intense heat of the summer, the severe cold of winter and prolonged periods of drought. Tough buggers these Junipers!
And we also learned about the Gambol Oak...commonly referred to as Scrub Oak, which grows in clumps as the root system is very shallow and produces several upshoots. The Gambol Oak grows to 10-15' and offered us shady reprieve from the hot sun along both our Warner and Oak Flat Trail hikes.
I don't know why...but I'm attracted to the dead trees I see along our Hikes. I've taken so many pictures of these "snags" that Terry has to stop me when I ready myself to shoot another! I suppose I wonder about their past. What have they witnessed over their lifespan? What killed them? Why hasn't the Park Service removed them?
I'm fascinated by their texture and the mysteriously spooky look about their lifeless limbs. I have come to learn that these dead trees are called "snags" and the reason the Park Service leaves them be is that they serve as homes for small creatures, perches for birds of prey, and sharpening tools for deer's antlers and bear's claws. These lifeless logs also help hold the sparse soil in place and eventually return their nutrients back into the earth. Live on Snags!
One of the coolest things that happens along the trail away from the masses is you have the opportunity to meet people who also enjoy nature and the peace and solitude it offers. I being one that regularly greets trail mates with a "good morning" and a "where do you folks call home?" find it easy and comfortable to meet new people and share hiking stories with them.
Terry and I had the good fortune to meet a young couple from Golden, CO on our Warner Trail hike this morning just as they were heading back to their car parked at the Trailhead. We had a pleasant chat with them, sharing experiences of hiking the Rockies, Black Canyon and other Parks we had visited.
When we had finished with our Warner hike, we ran into the couple once again. The young man said, "Follow me. And walk like you are hunting. Roll your feet and be quiet." He led us about a 100 yards into the forest, pointed to the undercarriage of a juniper and left us to observe the colorful bird pictured above.
Now had we not struck up a conversation with this young man on the trail, what are the odds he would have led us to this bird?
I couldn't resist showing off another look at this colorful creature who let me get within 10 feet of it!
2000 feet below us flows the Gunnison River. The rapids are quite fierce. You can distinctly hear their roar whenever you stand on the rim of the canyon. To give you an idea of how rough the waters of the Gunnison are, consider this: In just 48 miles, the Gunnison River drops further than the Mississippi River does in 1,500 miles. It drops an average of 96 feet per mile. In one two-mile stretch, the River drops 480 feet producing explosive rapids and making it one hell of a carving tool!
The first attempt to run the rapids of the Gunnison was done in the late 1800's by guys who thought they could do it in wood boats. That lasted about a quarter of a mile. By then, the River and its ragged rocks had reduced the boats to toothpicks. The next attempt was made in 1901 by a couple of screwballs who actually pulled it off by floating down the river on rubber mattresses!
Our 2-mile Oak Flat hike took us 400 feet down into the Canyon amongst the stands of Douglas Fir, Pinion Pines, Juniper and Scrub Oak. Steep, but shaded I would recommend this hike to anyone visiting Black Canyon.
Along the trail there are a few good views of the Gorge...however, the highlight for Terry and I was the "Spring Color"! The plant life was ablaze with purple, yellow, pink, violet and rich red blooms.
The winner of the "Most Colorful Flower Award" went to this Claret Cup Cactus...which made Terry and I feel right at home! Along our Treks thru the Park we frequently came across clumps of Claret Cup and Prickly Pear bearing flowers with a wide assortment of color. We saw yellow Pricklies, Pink Pricklies, White Pricklies...yet the best of them all were these scarlet red Clarets on our Oak Flat hike!
Rim Rock Trail Hike
One last hike here at Gunnison and then it will be off to our next Park - the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde. Yes, Black Canyon was a pleasant surprise for Terry and I. Do put this one on your "bucket list". It's not very crowded and offers a wealth of wonderment for those looking for a reconnection to the natural world.
Happy trails fellow Trekkers!
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