Boreas Pass, Gold Dust Trail, camping and Boreas Mountain

BOREAS PASS- CLOSE TO BRECK YET A DIFFERENT SCENE ALTOGETHER

Having moved our last load from Steamboat to Summit Thursday night, we were still unpacking and getting settled once the weekend rolled around.  I had thought of heading over to Leadville to pace a friend in the Trail Run 100 but never heard back.  We wanted to get out of the house as the work was endless but did not desire to drive a long way and had to be back in 24 hours to resume house work, interview tenants and meet with an electrician.  Not to worry, though, as there are countless opportunities in the Breck area to travel a short distance, yet feel like you've left the domestic life at home. Such a place is Boreas Pass, just 15 minutes drive from downtown.
We packed up camping gear, bikes and Acacia (family dog) and headed through the soon-to-change Aspens on the old railroad, which provides some of the best views (read: tourist hangouts) in the area.

Looking into South Park... Tim thought that the smoke haze settled in the valley made the hills looks like islands surfacing from an ocean floor.

Taken from a phone- an easy way to carry the map. We parked on the road about a mile down from the  Pass on the south side.  Then we road up the road and took the trail all the way down to Como.

Looking over to Georgia Pass and the Colorado Trail. The site of our night camp on our previous bike tour.

Some gnarly terrain on the lower section

And some very buff singletrack

View over towards Kenosha Pass and US HWY 285.  Glad we did not come out as far as the pavement.

Done with the down, glad we avoided private property.

A hiking trail shortcuts the road and takes you out on a nice bluff, contour around the mountainside

Getting back on the road 

Can't beat the 'climb up': middle ring, smooth and short (took us less than an hour the climb, two hours down, leisurely pace)

SUNDAY:

The next morning we woke to clear skies with a warm breeze.  After breakfast and packing up we headed straight up to the Summit of Mt. Boreas

Looking across valley to Mt. Silverheels... a worthy mountain to hike and ski later on.

A massive thistle

On the saddle before the push to the summit

Viewing north towards French Creek drainage, Keystone ski area, Loveland Pass and beyond.

I was not prepared for the exposure so I borrowed Kate's rain jacket. Here at the summit of Boreas Mountain with the register

The best example of patterned ground I have seen

A close up of one of the patches

Afterward we took the fall line, shoulder of Black Powder Pass and descended down to the Section house cabin on the road.   Good practice for what was to come ahead in our next big adventure (read the upcoming blog post about the Gore Range).. We walked down to our car and headed home... in time to take care of domestic chores and enjoy Sunday afternoon as new Breck residents.