Over 4th of July weekend, we wanted to go to Telluride, CO to do some hiking. Mainly, our goals were to hike Mt. Sneffles (14ner) and Via Ferrata. We had never been to Telluride before but heard it was gorgeous and this town definitely did not disappoint.
Day 1: Bear Creek Preserve was our warm up hike to get our legs moving after driving from Denver CO. Then it was off to explore Alta Lakes and Ghost town.
This hike started off fairly easy, I was sweating at the top due to the quick elevation gain, but I did not find it “moderate”.
After this, we drove to Alta lake. This was a 45 min. drive. I do not have fear of exposure when hiking, but I do not like driving near drop offs. We were a little disappointed with the lake. There is no paddle boarding or kayaking just fyi. The drive was still gorgeous and worth it. Just wanted to let ya’ll know you cannot actually do much at this lake.
Day 2:
Plan A: Mt. Sneffles. I have been looking forward to this 14ner for a long time. When our alarm went off at 3:30 am we checked the weather. The weather changes so quickly in Colorado it is very important to check the weather several times before heading off on a 14ner. The weather said thunderstorms and rain all day. The only thing worse than bailing on a 14er is going 1/2 way, seeing the storm and turning around. That would drive me insane. So, we sadly went back to bed. When morning came, we came up with …
Plan B: Walk around the town of Telluride, visiting t-shirt shops etc. and then off to Ouray. The drive from Telluride to Ouray is about 1 hr. There is a lot to do in Ouray: a large hot springs pool, shopping and a lot of hiking outside of town. However, we were there for the breweries. Although we were disappointed about not summiting Mt. Sneffles, this was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.
Red Mt. Brewing, Ouray Brewery, Colorado Boy Brewery and Telluride Brewing Co,
Day 3: VIA FERRATA
Raise your hand if scaling across a cliff, 500 feet above the ground sounds fun. Then head to Via Ferrata. This is more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge. It is certainly not for anyone who is afraid of heights and I would definitely recommend hiring a guide of you do not have the correct equipment. I was hesitant to hire a guide…who wants to scale a cliff with a group of 50 people? However, after calling around, I found they only take 4 people in a group. This was less expensive than buying all of the equipment, plus our guide took awesome pictures for us.
Here are some things you might want to know before you go:
- You will need special equipment. As one Telluride website points out: “These elements include necessity of harnesses, carabiners, shock-absorbing leashes and knowledge of how to utilize hand and footholds (both manmade and natural). These technical elements show up fairly early in Telluride’s via ferrata and require you to make decisions as to whether or not you are prepared for the endeavor. The via ferrata isn’t for everyone, but it is for everyone who is prepared.” If you do not have this equipment, hire a guide, which comes with all of the equipment you need for a more safe experience.
- A metal rung is the only thing under your boots, then 500 feet of air and then tree tops. Although this sounds dangerous, you feel completely safe. You are wearing a helmet remember 😉 I do not know all the technical gear/words, but you are double carabiner-ed (is that a word?) in. You undo one carabiner to move it to the next rung while your second one is still clicked in. You are never in the air without being attached…ever. Or you are doing it wrong.
- If you do not hire a guide and you use your own equipment, make sure it is an absorbing leash (I am assuming if you own equipment you know what I am referring to), it is a bungie type leash that you can stretch and it moves. I saw one poor girl going across without an absorbing leash and where the iron rungs are far apart she was having to lift her whole body weight to try to reach the rung to click in. The absorbing leash just stretches to where you want it. Her poor body was shaking from exhaustion since she was doing 10 times the amount of work necessary, plus the mental exhaustion of trying to reach a rung to click in and not fall 500 feet.
- The “main event” is over too quickly. Most of the 2 mile hike is exposed trail. I could have stayed on the cliff all day, it was so much fun.
- Do not let anyone else get in your head. One person in our group froze, saying she was so high up. She kept repeating it over and over and she could not move. That made me look down and it makes your feet weld in place to the iron bar. Get out of your own head. Do not look down, just get into the flow of things first and then look around. Many people, young and old, do the Via Ferrata.
After doing Via Ferrata you will want to reward yourself for your bravery. Go to the ski village and take the free gondola up to Allreds. Beautiful views. Get there right when the bar opens for happy hour or you will be waiting for a long time for a good table. We got there 10 min before the restaurant opened and had a great spot.
And that completes our little getaway. We took the long way back to Denver and went through Black Canyon (this is a national park so expect to pay. I think it was around $25.00).
