Riding and Hiking and a Massage, Oh My!

Rustler’s Gulch Hike

Crested Butte is known for wildflowers and this hike showcased some. We hiked a total of 9 miles out and back along the gulch and headed up along a stream of snowmelt through fields of flowers with mountains all around. We crossed several rock fields, some snow, and picked our way up the side of a mountain. At the top we stopped for a snack and sat looking at all the colors. Amazing.

Town Trails

For our “day off” we hiked 7 miles of trails that went out along Slate River into the woods. In the winter it’s a popular area for skiing and snowshoeing since it’s so close to town. It was nice to get out and stroll.

401 Trail

401 Trail is a classic in Crested Butte. We rode it years ago and knew we had to again. We started in Gothic where the Rocky Mountain Research Laboratory is and rode up the gravel road to Schofield Pass for 5 miles. 

The 401 trail peals off to the right and climbs some more. Wildflowers are everywhere up there..so are giant views of the surrounding Elk Mountains. The whole loop is only 14.1 miles but has 2,249′ of climbing with the highpoint at 11,335′. The hard part of this ride is that there is a sneaky climb halfway through that burns. Totally worth it.

I scored a free massage! Day after day of riding isn’t easy on a body. Even though I spend almost an hour every morning stretching and using a foam roller, I still crave a massage. It just so happens that sitting at the bar I noticed a guy with a full palette of colored pencils drawing on little notecards. Curious, I stuck up a conversation. He’s in massage school and yes, they need “subjects” to practice on. See what being friendly can get you? I went to the school’s massage clinic and left feeling relaxed.