Date: 07/17/2015
Who: myself
Length: 14.5 miles
Time: 10 hours
Weather: about 75 degrees, cloudy

This was a long day-hike consisting of Dexter Creek Trail, Difficulty Creek Trail, Horsethief Trail, Cascade Pass, and County Road 14. The route makes a loop around Cascade Mountain northeast of Ouray. My favorite highlights were Disappointment Gulch in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, a geographic feature called Bridge of Heaven, and abundant wildflowers. Distance, weather, and elevation gains made it challenging to complete this as a day hike.

Disappointment Gulch felt like a special place because of its absolute quiet, clean air, and solitude. It is found just east of the Amphitheater above Ouray. Here’s a photo of the scenery:

Disappointment Gulch

The second highlight was the abundant wildflowers on the 1/2 mile climb approaching Bridge of Heaven. I experienced a strong moment of gratitude here, where I felt very happy to be there and just soaked it in. Here’s a photo of the Bridge of Heaven feature. It’s just a narrow ridge that goes nowhere. It is a short spur off of the Horsethief Trail, and optional to walk along the ridge.

Bridge of Heaven

One practical note is that the plants and flowers along Dexter Creek Trail have overgrown the trail in long sections. It had just rained, so my feet got soaked by all the wet leaves. It would have been helpful to have waterproof shoes and pants in this section.

This hike followed the GREEN line:

View Colorado Chris Hikes in a larger map