All good things must come to an end, and after an action-packed few days in Chicago Basin we packed it up for our return to Durango.
The hike out was much faster downhill, and much more beautiful without the rain that accompanied us on our way inbound.
Easy Out
This is a much easier hike outbound!
Last Views
Enjoying the last of the Chicago Basin views!
Weminuche Wilderness
Tom has another good story, and proof of where it happened.
The best thing about the hike?
Digging out the cold Eddyline Crank Yanker IPAs (thanks Tom for picking these up!) that we put in a bag and buried in the Animas River for our return. There were a lot of jealous eyes looking our way as all of the other outbound hikers watched us thoroughly enjoy our ice cold beer.
Spot the Hidden Beer
We hid our beer here submerged in the Animas River. Bet you can’t spot where.
Beers For Any Adventure
Tom picked the perfect post-hike beer!
Storm Behind Us
These storm clouds are moving in fast over Chicago Basin.
Chill Time
Taking a bit of a chill break while we wait for our return train to Durango.
Moment of Enjoyment
Greg solemnly enjoys his post-Chicago Basin beer.
Inbound Train
Finally our train arrives, good thing since we ran out of beer already.
Awesome Shot
I love this shot of Shelby and Tom on the return ride.
Hand Brakes Tested
Exactly how do you test hand brakes on a locomotive?
Soaking It In
Greg enjoys the rain falling between cars as we return to Durango. This kind of weekend really wears you out.
Gary the Train Guy
This old guy Gary greets every train returning to Durango, even in pouring rain.
I think that the outbound train ride was more beautiful too, maybe just the beer talking, maybe the satisfaction of a great weekend in the mountains?
Top it off with a Big. Fat. Burger in Durango, then from here the kids and Greg head to their hotels. We head back to the Vallecito Reservoir where Colette has been staying the last few days that we’ve been gone, and tomorrow we’ll all make our way towards Telluride for some boondocking and more 14ers!
