Warner Route

 It's the worst trail I've ever been on. It's not even a trail. It is a narrow ravine, a vertical one at that. I pride myself in being sure-footed and I had hiking sticks fully extended to get the best support on such a steep angle. Yet I slid into my butt and almost twisted my knee. That's when I figured I should turn back. An injury would put an end to my trip and whatever was down there wasn't worth risking an injury. I could peak at the river through the tree though, and it was real bummer having to turn back.

The Warner route is good for 3 miles and 3000 feet drop in elevation starting from Warner point. And Warner point is almost a mile from High Point parking lot. I went straight past Warner point to the "saddle", probably another half a mile. Then the trail, I mean the ravine, went straight down the hill at such a steep angle, there were skid marks all over. Apparently I wasn't the only one that slipped and slid. I made it down about a third of way, I reckon. That's when the trail was getting even worse and I started to slide. It was such a struggle, I had to take a few breaks going down. Coming back up, on the other hand, was surprisingly easier than I thought. I kept looking back as I went down and wondering how I was going to make it back up. I made back up with fewer breaks than I took going down. My thighs are now in such a great shape,, I only took 2 breaks coming back to the "saddle". Then I didn't take any break from the "saddle" to all the way to the parking lot. And that was an uphill of 1.5 miles.

I think turning around was the right decision. I'll have to come back some other time and do Gunnison Route instead. Gunnison is not only easier, it also has chains in some sections. It's still rated strenuous and you must attend an orientation to get the permit.