Gothic, CO

July 30, 2018

Climbing up Rustlers Gulch.

Breakfast

We needed to be up early for the hike today so we just ate some granola bars and on the way there. Gothic is about an hour drive from Lake Irwin. We passed through the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab which opened in 1928 and saw they were studying wildflowers. They even had camps for kids who were getting involved and helping! So cool!!

The Hike

We knew today would probably be our last hike as to keep the stress to Bear as low as possible. That being said, we really wanted to try to avoid the first mile of this hike if possible. It was strenuous and steep. There was a road for 4WD vehicles to drive up to get to the trailhead. But of course, this road had one part that was flooded. There was even a sign saying to pass at your own risk and that 5 cars had been totaled trying to pass through. As much as I wanted to test the Subaru’s limits, I also knew we needed this vehicle to get us home. So we walked up the strenuously steep mile long road until the trailhead which immediately leveled out and we sat near a creek to eat and let the dogs play. Around a few bends opened up to a field of wildflowers. We saw our first columbine, which is the state flower.

The wall back was stressful for Bear. Going downhill hurts more than walking up. Slow and steady, he made it back. We headed into the town of Crested Butte for lunch.

Lunch

I cannot find the pictures of this food right now, so I will repost. But this was hands down the best lunch I’ve had so far on the trip. Rainbow fiesta bowl 🍲 and a cold ramen bowl were so incredibly tasty. This place makes their own rum, so I had a Dark and Snowy and a twist on a pina colada. Let’s just say it was the perfect ending to a long hike.

Dinner

We walked the streets of Crested Butte for a little while before heading back. We passed so many cute puppies! Just the best!

Back at the campground, we decided to do hummus and veggies for dinner. Simple and easy.

I didn’t heed Chris’s warning to bring winter gloves and hats on the trip. Thankfully she had an extra hat I could wear, but I had to improvise the gloves. Glad I brought tons of extra socks!! 😂

Sunset

Just beyond our campsite we set up to photograph the sunset. Just no words.