A Frozen Magnificence: The Start of a Journey Down the Colorado River

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erbeek)</figcaption></figure><p id="38a7">It is named after Edward Berthoud, who discovered it in 1861 or likely rediscovered it since he was unlikely the first to see it while surveying a possible route for a railroad track. His advice not to build the railway there but to construct a road instead was followed up, and I followed that route this afternoon. Unfortunately, due to its elevation, high gradients on both sides and many switchbacks on the southern side, the pass is among the most infamously challenging in Colorado for drivers. A reputation not helped by an average of ten meters of snowfall each year and the possibility of avalanches.</p><figure id="4eb9"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*RunUV3KwbIWGHKDUf2jzwA.jpeg"><figcaption>Berthoud Pass, Colorado (photo: Alexander Verbeek)</figcaption></figure><p id="bcb7">That first day, I continued north towards Grand Lake. It lay before me as you see it in this photo: frozen, vast, cold, and magnificent. Some six weeks ago, I stood there, but I still remember the excitement that my journey had begun. And I remember my eagerness to see the boundless beauty that awaited me further downstream.</p><p id="9a35"><b>If you find articles like this valuable and want to support my work, consider <a href="https://medium.com/@Alex_Verbeek/membership">signing up to Medium</a>. It’s $5 a month, giving you unlimited access to all my articles AND all stories on Medium.</b></p><p id="235a"><b>If you sign up using <a href="https://medium.com/@Alex_Verbeek/membership">my link</a>, I’ll earn a small

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A Frozen Magnificence: The Start of a Journey Down the Colorado River

Grand Lake, Colorado (photo: Alexander Verbeek)

As the sun dipped below the horizon, I stood at the precipice of Grand Lake. The day had been a symphony of beautiful encounters and scenic marvels, which I will always cherish as the first day of my Colorado River road trip. Boulder had welcomed me with open arms; I always feel at home in this great community that organizes each year my favorite event: the Conference on World Affairs at Colorado University. I enjoyed the warm hospitality of my friends and every moment of my days in this city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. After spending lots of time with old and new friends, I left only in the afternoon, full of anticipation for the road ahead.

(photo: Alexander Verbeek)

The journey to the source of the Colorado River showed me nature’s grandeur. I stopped for a hike on a snowy and windy trail and continued to Berthoud Pass, traversing the continental divide at the Front Range on the border between Clear Creek County and Grand County.

Berthoud Pass (photo: Alexander Verbeek)

It is named after Edward Berthoud, who discovered it in 1861 or likely rediscovered it since he was unlikely the first to see it while surveying a possible route for a railroad track. His advice not to build the railway there but to construct a road instead was followed up, and I followed that route this afternoon. Unfortunately, due to its elevation, high gradients on both sides and many switchbacks on the southern side, the pass is among the most infamously challenging in Colorado for drivers. A reputation not helped by an average of ten meters of snowfall each year and the possibility of avalanches.

Berthoud Pass, Colorado (photo: Alexander Verbeek)

That first day, I continued north towards Grand Lake. It lay before me as you see it in this photo: frozen, vast, cold, and magnificent. Some six weeks ago, I stood there, but I still remember the excitement that my journey had begun. And I remember my eagerness to see the boundless beauty that awaited me further downstream.

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