GET 2017 Day 21, May 16, Tuesday.
Start get shuttle from Glenwood back to village of Alma, Section 19 mile zero of 5.6.
End Silver Creek Divide on Bursum Road, Section 20 mile 12
Miles walked: 17.6
Got breakfast at Alma’s Diner while listening to the ranchers at nearby tables.
Going up Mineral Creek Road, a plaque recognizes the tomb of James C Cooney, who discovered a mineral deposit near here while in the army but kept it secret until he mustered out and started a gold and silver mine.
Several fragments of mining artifacts can be seen along the route.
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What did all this stuff do?
And these can be found in the narrow Cooney Canyon with the creek running and the path crossing water many times.
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Rain and sleet started mid-way up the canyon, and stopped at about the end of the canyon. I guess if you are already splashing through creeks then rain shouldn’t matter.
After going over a mountain on another trail, the route follows Bursum Road the rest of the day, gradually climbing, mostly going straight east high on the mountains
The pine and aspen trees here were so tall! And so close together! I could not frame a good shot with my camera. This photo does not do it justice.
It seemed like Manhattan of forests.
Bursum seemed very high-end for a forest road– a lot of engineering must go into dealing with erosion from steep mountainsides and from fires.
As the day ends, the road has risen to over 9000 feet altitude. With the weather change and rains, this means a cold night. But tomorrow altitudes will be even higher, and I need to go as far as possible today so I am not stuck at an even higher location tomorrow night.