Kebler Pass Road (Gunnison County Road 12), Somerset, CO, 9/25/2011
On a crystal clear early autumn day, I explored Gunnison National Forest and the West Elk Mountains of Colorado on my way to the town of Crested Butte. Here is the view south from Gunnison County Road 12 at an elevation of 7,825 feet above sea level, looking out over Snowshoe Mesa behind a row of golden quaking aspen trees (Populus tremuloides). We're directly above Schaefer Creek and Grouse Spring Creek. This scene attracted me because of its colorful trees and shrubs, all backlit by strong afternoon sunlight. Backlighting really brings out the colors in autumn foliage! In the distance just left of center is West Beckwith Peak, which has an elevation of 12,185 feet. Further in the distance by the puffy clouds is East Beckwith Mountain, elevation 12,432 feet. The large mountain at right is Mount Gunnison, elevation 12,719 feet, and the very distant mountain under the small green branch at extreme right is Coal Mountain, elevation 11,705 feet. The county, the national forest, and Mount Gunnison are named after John Williams Gunnison (November 11, 1812 - October 26, 1853), who was an American military officer and explorer. The two mountains at left are named after Lieutenant (later Brigadier General) Edward Griffin Beckwith (June 25, 1818 - June 22, 1881), one of the most significant explorers of the Great Basin. On May 3, 1853, Captain Gunnison, a member of the Corps of Topographic Engineers, received orders from President Franklin Pierce to take charge of an expedition to survey the best and safest route for a transcontinental railroad between the 38th and 39th parallels. Lieutenant Beckwith was assistant commander. The surveying party left St. Louis, Missouri in June 1853 and arrived by mid October in Utah Territory. There they began the search for a possible route, surveying areas across the Rocky Mountains.
