After 63 years of admiring Pilot's Knob and Golden Horn from Trout Lake (as shown at the right), I finally got to see "the other side of the mountain" (as shown below).
Like the bear in the song, I went over the mountain (by way of Telluride, Ridgway, and Ouray) and had the thrill of seeing the other side.
Leaving Trout Lake at 10 am, I drove to Ophir. Friends told me my new 4-WD Subaru would have no trouble getting over that pass and arriving on Hwy. 550 near the trail I wanted to hike.
Looking up at that thin road cutting through a mountainside of scree, I realized I wasn't going to try it, 4-WD or no 4-WD. Nor did I have the nerve to knock on doors and ask someone to drive me to the top of the pass and walk back into town.
Instead I drove two hours over Dallas Divide and Red Mountain Pass to Mineral Creek's south fork, parked with forty other cars, and left the Ice Lake trail head at 1:30 pm.
The trail, however, wasn't clearly marked, and instead of crossing Ice Creek I found myself crawling on all fours up the hillside beside rapids and a waterfall. Not good to be grabbing rocks and small trees to pull myself up only 30 minutes into the hike. (Note to self: improve upper body strength.)
I had wanted to be like the bear who went over the mountain, not be the bear.
Finally I got to the top and reached another branch of the trail that had been partially washed out.
Looking down at the one-hundred foot drop, I couldn't walk around the top of the falls to where I saw other hikers who had made it over.
I turned back but found the jeep road to Clear Lake and walked on up to it (4 miles, 12,000 ft.).
Along the way I enjoyed spectacular views of the east side of Pilot's Knob and Golden Horn.
At 6 pm I started down. By 7:30 dusk was falling and I gratefully accepted a jeep ride back to my car.
Then I drove 2 hrs. back to Trout Lake to rescue Mocha, who had been locked in the house all day.
I hope someday to try again to get to Ice Lake, closer to Pilot's Knob and Golden Horn.
