Alpine Gulch is in a part of Colorado which is littered with evidence of mining (usually gold or silver). A fast flowing stream has to be crossed several times during the first half of the trail since the gulch is very narrow in places. USGS (the poor cousin of Ordnance Survey) maps indicate several pits, shafts and adits, but the surface structures are more easily spotted.
Just feet away from the trail lies this open adit:
With 3500ft to climb and no appropriate kit, this is as far as I got:
Further along the trail:
Fairly substantial structure:
Left behind by the prospectors:
At first I assumed these were all food cans, but several seemed to be paint or solvent cans. Only one had remnants of the original paint, and I'd guess it dated back to the 1950's or 60's - more recent than I would have expected.
The log structures continued up to around 11000ft
Just feet away from the trail lies this open adit:
With 3500ft to climb and no appropriate kit, this is as far as I got:
Further along the trail:
Fairly substantial structure:
Left behind by the prospectors:
At first I assumed these were all food cans, but several seemed to be paint or solvent cans. Only one had remnants of the original paint, and I'd guess it dated back to the 1950's or 60's - more recent than I would have expected.
The log structures continued up to around 11000ft
Last edited:
