Altitude Gained: 843 feet
High Point: 7484 feet
a quick intense push
up a steep slippery slope
careful! the shale slides!
Hogsback, named for the geological feature that it is, looks over Durango from the west side of town. It is the highest point in Durango Mountain Park, a collection of trails that is a favorite among runners, hikers, and particularly mountain bikers. We have been itching to gain some actual altitude, and Hogsback has been staring at us from across the valley, looking drier every day. We knew we may encounter some snow, but we just couldn't stand it anymore. So we walked out of the back door of our downtown house, walked across the valley through the Town Plaza parking lot, crossed the river and walked up El Paso St. into the westside 'hood to Leyden St, where you catch the trailhead right from town. This is one of the coolest things that Hogsback has going for it: its convenience from town. As noted in the 4th edition of Hiking Trails, you can do it on a long lunch break.
We sure did pick a cold windy day to do this hike. It was 34 degrees as we passed through town, but the sun was shining and our spirits were high. As we began our ascent, clouds were starting to rise behind the mountain to the west. At the top, we were met by snow flurries and whipping winds. We couldn't even enjoy the large sandstone rest stop because the cold was painful; we had to hide underneath it away from the wind.
We have to be honest. We don't love this mountain, never have. Its burley ascent has never failed to invoke fear in either one of us. Pixler used to rate it as "easy, except last 200 yards." John Peel has revised it to read "moderate, due to steep finish." We agree with the change. This mountain is only easy for the first ten minutes. You couldn't rate it as difficult because it is just too short to really be difficult, but make no mistake: it's a serious climb. It is steep. Some of its steepest spots are nothing but open shale with nary a bush to grab onto. And the shale is eroding right under your very feet. We sometimes get vertigo on the way up when we allow our peripheral vision to mess with us.
Not everyone feels this way about Hogsback. We passed people and dogs on the trail today who seemed undaunted by this eroding ridge. We ran into Meghan Wells (wife of Olympic mountain biker Todd) on the way home, and she said it's probably her favorite hike. She likes it for its exercise value and quick up-and-down convenience. It is a butt burner without a doubt. But we tend to like hikes with a little more enchanted forest and a little less slippery slope. We can't believe that Michael Hurst (and Todd Wells and many other hard cores for that matter) ride their bikes down this hogsback. Props to them. We are happy to just get down on our two feet.
facing west toward Perins Peak
Nevertheless, Hogsback gave us what we needed today: a lot of adrenaline, a little bit of altitude, and views from above of the valley we love. Even though it scares us some, we will be back when the weather is better.
facing east toward town
