In the darkest hours of winter, while a pandemic rages on, can there be any goodness and light?

The wilderness has a way of ignoring all the news, the umbrage , the stress of day-to-day life. Which is why it was so exciting to be returning to the mountains.

The mountains of southwest Colorado, the San Juans, are imposing and beautiful.

Rising up out of the desert, they conjure images in the mind of enormous gates, guarding the evergreens and ski resorts of Colorado from the dusty encroachment of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

For those unfamiliar, the San Juans are an outpost of mountains tucked into the very furthest corner of Colorado. They are far from the metropolitan reach of Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, or Albuquerque – you don’t pass through by accident. Which means the people who call these mountains home are typically isolated and self-sufficient.

The people are as rugged as the mountains. A blend of skiers, ultra-marathoners, mountaineers, river rafters, anglers, and cowboys and cowgirls.

Pardon my poetry. But if you can’t tell, I love these mountains. So, when I set out to explore the San Juans for an upcoming episode of Epic Trails, I was very eager for the adventure.

Continue the journey via Erichanson.tv