Today was the best day of the trip so far because I didn't have to drive hundreds of miles, hustle to find a campsite, or set up a camp site. So, that left me with alot of time to play. Originally I was going to spend the day checking out the mining turned tourist town of Silverton but decided to go mountain bike riding and hiking instead. Because it could possibly rain almost every day in the Rockies one needs to take advantage of the weather when it is good. As you can see from the photos the weather wasn't all that great and there were storm clouds on the horizon but the rain never materialized.

I went hiking and biking today near Molas pass which is around 10,500 feet. The bike ride is nothing to write home about. All I did was ride around Molas Lake. I was hoping to find other connecting trails to take me deeper into the wildernes but I could never find one....so...I just rode around the lake, headed back,and moved up the road a couple of miles to go on a hike to Crater Lake.

When I hit the trail to Crater Lake I had no idea how long the hike was but since reaching the lake was not my particular goal that was o.k., as long as I could see some beauty...which I did. The trail itself snaked it's way between high Alpine meadows and forest. The Alpine zone is my favorite because I love looking at high mountain peaks in the distance. Also, I think it takes one mind off how steep the trail can be when one is surrounded by such majetic beauty.

I never made it to Crater Lake. I later found out that Crater Lake is 11 miles round trip. I suspect I hiked about 7 or 8 miles. One interesting note about the hike back. I met a 24 year guy whose name slips my mind and we hike back together. It was an interesting conservation as we talked about other hiking trails, job careers, life in general and girls. He talked about girls, not me. I just listened...anyway....it was interesting talking to a young buck who is just starting out adulthood in many ways. At the end we parted ways and I wished him the best. I was glad we hiked together because when you are hiking with someone else you are more likely to "not" notice the potential pain that comes from a long hike.

Since I didn't go to Silverton today tomorrow I'll go back and play the tourist. Silverton has a rich history and it's look a lot of fun just walking around. I'll probably take my bike and ride around a bit and see what I can find that is interesting...