Omayra Acevedo, Wolf Creek Pass. A few days ago, I was pleasantly interrupted by the findings of a treasure box. No, not gold. It was a box someone left behind prior to my moving in. It was primarily full of frames and someone else’s recollections. As I browsed through the items in the box, I found myself reflecting on some of my own memories. Naturally, I hopped on the computer to scroll through my photo library. After spending some time dissecting my picture files and printing a few of them, one folder caught my attention. It was the brief time I spent driving on the Continental Divide; on Wolf Creek Pass. 

I remember that it was frigid, and a few days prior, it had snowed almost a foot of fresh powder. As I drove up and down the winding pass, I allowed myself to utilize some of the pull offs, more times than I probably should have, to take in the ever-changing sights. Between rivers, waterfalls, and mountain ranges, how could I not pull over? At one point, I recall feeling an immense amount of gratitude for the life that I am living and where I was.

Wolf Creek Pass is not just the corridor between South Fork and Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It is home to Wolf Creek Ski Area. Which I am told was once one of the best kept ski secrets. I promise to write about it in another column. The pass features over 40 miles of hairpin curves, breath-taking sights through the San Juan Mountains, and is listed as one of the most dangerous passes in Colorado. A switchback turn on the west side, about 18 miles east of Pagosa Springs, is one of the more dangerous areas on the pass, with a 200-foot drop-off. 

Even if you don’t plan on discovering Wolf Creek Pass for yourself, you can hear about it in CW McCall’s song of the same name. He tells the tale of summiting the Great Divide. Though I had specific plans on this day, I found myself grateful for being sidetracked and taking time out to travel down memory lane. As I printed, trimmed, matted, and framed one photo after another, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of humbleness. I didn’t spend a ton of time on Wolf Creek Pass, but it was long enough to be worthy of a column. 

For more information about Wolf Creek Pass check out https://www.uncovercolorado.com/activities/wolf-creek-pass/