What started as an unexpected solo trip after a conference turned into a fun little adventure. When I was looking for lodging, a room perfectly named “the owl room” appeared, and I was certain I was meant to still do this trip. With a free upgraded Subaru key in hand, I hit the road from Denver.
My home base was an Airbnb not far from the park hosted by an artist who worked as an animator on the original Star Wars. I only had one full day at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park so I was determined to make the most of it. I hiked every single trail available except for the full-day backcountry trek.
The weather did put me through the wringer…relentless, chilly winds that whipped up sand, a rainbow, and a sudden smoky sunset. Some areas of the gorge only get 30 min of sunlight.
The highlight came when a birder I met along the rim tipped me off to an eagle nest down in the canyon. I had just missed the spotting of a golden eagle, which would have been a lifer for me. After a nerve-wracking drive down to the canyon floor (in first gear the whole time) and a sketchy trek along the cold river…I had my doubts. But right when I was about to question the detour, there they were: two magnificent adolescent eagles perched right by their nest. I spent about an hour sitting and watching these two eagles eat, surrounded only by the flowing river and a few bold fly fishers in the quieter areas of the river.
It was about that time that I really started to smell smoke. In a hurry, I made my way back toward the car. In a rush, I quickly jogged to my car, and after a minute or two of sitting, I realized I sat in the wrong car. The family who owned the same red SUV next me to had a nice laugh and we chatted about the poor weather. It’s the small, silly moments that made me smile.
Thankfully, I was able to get service at the top of the canyon and see that the fires were about an hour away, so I had the all-clear to keep trekking. I had one last trail left that I had planned to do right before sunset for the best chance of wildlife, but I suppose the smoke cleared most things out because it was quite eerie - just me, no other hikers, and the howling wind. I did spot a few lovely flowers that I hadn’t seen on any other trail.
A notable sighting for me on the drive home was a badger! Sadly, I did not have enough time to snap a photo because I had only quickly seen something run across the road. I pulled over, and before I could grab my camera from the back seat, he trotted away - but I did get a fun short video on my phone.
I wish had an extra day or another person to join me so I could do the full trail to complete the park, but I’m very proud of the miles I was able to cover in such terrain.