Last weekend's hike along Grand Junction's Tabeguache Trail proved to be Mission: Impossible. Even as early as 9 in the morning, the trails proved far too muddy to hike. For the sake of the trails, not mention muddy feet, the mission had to be aborted.

If you're like me, you look forward to days off so you can hit the trails. Ideally, I like to hit them early when the ground is still frozen. That's what I thought I was doing Saturday morning. At 8 a.m., the ground was still solid. At 9 a.m., not so much. Even at 36 degrees, the ground rapidly became muddy. Mother Nature dictated I bail and head back to the truck to pursue other plans.

In addition to gunking up your shoes, and consequently, your car floor and your house for the next month, hiking in the mud is extremely hard on the trails. As a matter of fact, hikers and cyclists are asked NOT to hike during muddy conditions.

The sign posted by the Bureau of Land Management at Tabeguache Trail on Little Park Road reads:

Attention Trail Users: These trails are easily damaged if used when wet. Please help protect these trails by avoiding them when they are muddy.

Check out the following video from Fox 21 News, further explaining the matter.

Looking ahead, it seems hiking this particular trail is going to have to wait a while longer. Rain and snow are expected tonight, February 7, 2017. That weather will continue through next weekend. Fortunately, we have miles and miles of paved trails in Western Colorado just for this contingency.

Western Colorado's mountain trails are awesome. They are even more awesome when they haven't been obliterated by traffic during muddy conditions. Please protect our trails, and the surrounding area, by avoiding when muddy.

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