While I’m hiking, I find myself thinking about those who discovered and lived in the areas I’m exploring. I wonder what they thought when they came across these beautiful, albeit unforgiving, wildernesses. I’ve decided to do some digging on the history of and stories that have happened in the places I explore. We are starting with tales of Mt. Shavano.
A Tale of the Angel of Shavano
Colorado’s Fourteeners held religious and geographic significance for many of Colorado’s Native Americans. Being prominent landforms, they served as destinations for spiritual revelation and as markers of territorial boundaries. Evidence suggests that Ute and Arapaho people were some of the state’s first mountaineers.
Mt. Shavano was named after Chief Shavano who was a leader of the Tabeguache band of Southern Utes. His story doesn’t end well so I want to share a story about a famous feature on Mt. Shavano known as the Angel of Shavano which the current trail route passes through. The Angel of Shavano can be seen in the spring and early summer as the snow melts. Three snow fields converge into one that descends towards the valley giving the appearance of an angel with up-stretched wings.
There are three tales about the Angel of Shavano but I’m going to share my favorite one. It involves a Ute princess whose people were starving because of a drought. The princess went to the mountain to pray for rain because her people at the base of the mountain had no water to irrigate their crops. In response, her god answered that her prayer would be granted if she sacrificed herself for her people. She allowed herself to be transformed into a snow angel and the legend says that it is her body that appears every year on the mountain, slowly melting away to provide the water needed in the valley below. In the spring and early summer the trail traverses her left wing. (source, source, source)
When I hiked this trail on August 3rd, there was no snow left on the mountain so I did not view the Angel of Shavano but I still think it’s a cool story and one that ties the past with the present day. When I visited, the valley below Shavano was lush and vibrant green with grasses, plants and trees thanks to the snow melt from the Angel of Shavano!
Recent and Ongoing Trail Work on Mt. Shavano
The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative has been doing a lot of incredible work on Mt. Shavano’s trail and recently opened up the first section of the new trail. My hiking buddies and I went to check it out and it’s looking like the red carpet of trails. I’m extremely impressed with the work they’ve done to improve the trail’s condition, safety and combat erosion. Find out more about this six year trail project on the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative website.
Camping Near Mt. Shavano
We drove to the trailhead after work on Friday evening with a plan to camp and start our ascent early Saturday morning. We checked to make sure the weather would be good for a summit the next day and it showed lots of sunshine in the forecast. When hiking 14ers it’s important to check to make sure you have a good weather window so you’re not caught in a precarious situation. I also like to summit in the morning to avoid any afternoon thunderstorms.
Getting to the trailhead requires driving a long rocky road with beautiful views. A higher clearance vehicle is recommended for this part! We passed so many awesome designated (free) camp spots right off the road that boast incredible views of the surrounding mountains. We wanted to be as close to the trailhead as possible so we drove a little past the trailhead and stayed at a dispersed camping area.
We set up our tents in an open field, ate dinner, watched sunset and went to bed. We wanted to be on trail by 4:30am the next morning which means we would start in the dark. When I woke at 3:50am and exited my tent, I could see the milky way above. Looking at stars will never cease to amaze me. After packing up in the dark and getting dressed, we drove the quarter mile to the trailhead and started up the trail using our headlamps.
Staying on the Trail
There is a junction 0.1 miles up the trail where you will turn right onto the Colorado Trail. About .3 miles later the trail splits again where you stay left to Mt. Shavano trail. If you continue straight you will stay on the Colorado Trail heading north towards Denver. The first turn is obvious but the second is easy to miss in the dark. We missed it and after crossing a river we looked at the map and turned around. If you cross a river before turning left on to Mt. Shavano Trail, you’ve gone a bit too far! Once we got back on track, it was a steady incline to the top. The trail is 9.5 miles total with about 4,500 ft. elevation gain averaging to 1000 ft. gain per mile on the way up. To put this in perspective, hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up is approximately 5000 ft. of elevation decline and gain so 4500 ft. gain at high altitudes is not for the faint of heart but it is very doable if you keep putting one foot in front of the other.
There is a stream that follows the trail for the first mile but after that you are waterless so I recommend packing all the water you’ll need with you. I drank a liter of water before I hit the trail and brought two liters with me along with electrolytes, snacks, a sandwich, and windbreaker/rain jacket.
As we hiked, we caught sunrise as we were starting to head above treeline. The sun was fiery red due to the smoke from the wildfires across the state. I tripped over my fair share of rocks in the dark and was grateful to have my hiking poles for the rocky terrain. I don’t take many pictures with my hiking poles (or of me tripping over rocks) so I don’t look like a dork but they really help me out!
Hiking is interesting because some trails will seem harder than others depending on what headspace I am in. I was committed to slow and steady on this trail and kept a positive mindset. When my mind is strong and excited, it makes the tougher inclines much more pleasant. I also love to make little checkpoints for myself on the way up. Mentally segmenting the trail helps me see progress and creates little stopping points for snacks, water, and to catch my breath.
When you reach the top of the first ridge, you will follow the trail to the right to continue to the summit of Mt. Shavano. The views are beautiful of the mountains that appear on the backside of Shavano. Typically when you get to ridges, you are no longer protected by the mountain so it can get quite windy. Luckily, there was no wind which made the hike very pleasant. This is not often the case with 14ers so I was very grateful. As I continued up Mt. Shavano, there were a couple points where I felt like the summit was near while I was navigating the rocks and boulders towards the top. I wouldn’t say there were false summits but maybe some false hope that I was closer to the summit than I was. After 3.5 hours of hiking, I made it to the top and summited in beautiful weather with sunshine and no wind. The views were spectacular all around. I sat on a rock and enjoyed my pb&j and feeling of accomplishment.
Mt. Shavano (14,230 ft.) and Tabeguache Peak (14,162 ft.)
Our original plan was to summit Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak and check two 14ers off in one go. Once you reach the top of Shavano you can continue along the ridge to Tabeguache by dropping down a little bit and coming back up to summit. The total distance for both peaks is 11.2 miles and 5275 ft. gain. We were very content once we summited Mt. Shavano so we decided to forego summiting Tabeguache but know this is an option and is a popular connection to do!
After enjoying the summit for a little while, we headed back down the mountain to the car. Coming down the mountain, our knees felt just how much elevation we climbed that morning. My friends and I stopped in Buena Vista for lunch before going our separate ways and heading home. My calves were very sore the next day! This quick trip was about 24 hours and I had the best time checking out another 14er and hiking area I had not previously been to. I am continuously blown away by Colorado’s beauty and the endless opportunities to get outside and enjoy the mountains. This is definitely an area I will return to and stay for a longer duration. It was truly a perfect weekend and I highly recommend checking out Mt. Shavano’s new trail!
Until the next tale… Happy trails.
-Hannah
Tales of My Trails 