Crestone, Colorado

Everyday is a hike and or climb up a peak but right now I'm sipping coffee at the Shambhala coffee shop in Crestone, Colorado. Crestone is a funky small town situated on the west side of the Crestone mountain range where it meets the arid San Luis Valley of south central Colorado. It's an area that is reputed to have mystical properties of some sort and attracts various sorts of charcters. Tibeten Buddhist,Outdoor Enthusiasts, Hindu Devotees and UFO Seekers etc. commune here. The highway that runs north and south along the west side of the Crestone's is known as the Cosmic Highway. Along the highway there's an alligator farm near a UFO viewing platform that. A young girl informed you that you can feed the alligators there. Alligators amidst the sage seems oddly out of place to me...

Yesterday I hiked up to Willow Lake and climbed Mt. Adams. The Crestone mountains are outrageously beautiful and very different from other ranges within Colorado. I left the trail head for the lake a little after 6am and was expecting to be on my own all day but met an accomplished father and son hiking/climbing team. I struck up a conversation with them and as it turned out they were on their way up Mt. Adams as well. Their names are Shane and Michael. Michael is 13 and climbed his first 14,000 ft. peak when he was 8 years old and has gained quite the peak bagging resume for someone of his age. Michael and his father are both good hikers and we decided to make the ascent together. The walk up to Willow Lake went by easily despite over 2,800 feet of elevation gain. From there we left the trail and climbed up to a meadow above 12,ooo feet and stumbled upon a group of Bighorn sheep. The sheep were quite impressive and looked very healthy with large thick horns. After a pause to take photo's of the sheep we continued up to the ridge of Mt. Adams. From the ridge we could see our route to the summit. Cliffs were avoided to south as we scrambled around and rocks and scree looking for good footing on steep grassy slope when possible. As we neared the summit I searched for a way around cliffs and boulders. Steadily we made progress and were rewarded by a spectacular view from a relatively airy summit amidst cobalt blue sky. It was a perfect day made even better with good company... After a nice break on top we took our time on the descent and savored the beauty of the Crestone's....

After hiking and camping for the past 6 days I was due for a shower. Well, there really isn't all that much to the town of Crestone but I wanted to get clean. I figured I would just hop into the creek by my campsite but for whatever reason the mosquitoes are fierce here right now. I settled for a quick wash up after the climb and decided to check out a local Ashram. There are 28 different spiritual groups in Crestone and most all have an open door policy where your free to visit. The Ashram i visited is of Hindu faith. I was just interested in seeing the grounds but was invited to join a small group for a Kirtan. A Kirtan consists of spiritual singing and chanting which helps to induce a meditative state. For me I find it to be very relaxing. Anyway, I joined the group for a little while and was invited to have some food afterwards. It was a small group and everyone was friendly and easy going. After a bit of food and good conversation I noticed that the men's bathroom had a shower! Yes, the lord works in mysterious ways. I inquired if it was ok to use the shower and the reply was, "Sure, no problem". After a kirtan, healthy food, and a shower I was feeling pretty darned good! I then thanked everyone, left a small donation, and headed back to my mosquito infested campsite next to a creek..... I slept well and gave thanks for everything. Especially mosquito netting......