(Another in the "Can you believe we live less than an hour from here?" series . . . )
A fellow newcomer to Colorado told me that Eldorado Canyon reminded her of the Southwest. Jenn didn't mention that Eldorado is a rock climber's heaven, with over 500 technical climbing routes. The routes have ski run-type names: The Whale's Tail. Potato Chip. The Bastille.
Being flatlanders, we were awestruck by the tiny figures inching up the canyon walls. (When the only thing you ever "climbed" in Michigan was Sleeping Bear Dune, and your two-year-old son went up and down it twice in one morning, you realize that there is climbing, and there is CLIMBING.)
Eldorado Canyon also offers a bit of historical color. In the early 20th century, a luxury hotel perched at the edge of one of the cliffs. Although Crags Hotel burned to the ground less than five years after it opened, you can still see the skeleton of the main fireplace. You'll also see a lot of hikers standing around that fireplace scratching their heads, trying to figure out how anyone ever managed to haul guests and their luggage, much less building supplies, up the mountain.
More pictures from Eldorado Canyon:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Katharine.Gillette/EldoradoCanyon
1 comments:
Yes, I spotted both of them and it makes me queasy just to look at the picture, never mind considering climbing!
It's a beautiful area, isn't?
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