Black Bear is open. For those who haven't run it before, it is listed in most books as an hardcore trail. Actually I think it is on the lower end of moderate. The views are hard to match. There is an infamous first switchback that everybody rants and raves about. It's a myth. If you are afraid of heights, it can cause a bit of pucker, but it's no big deal. You turn as far as possible, stop, turn the wheel the other way, back up, turn the wheel back and then go on around the corner. The slope off the side of the trial is about 45 degrees, but there are trees and I'm sure most of you have done worse before. I posted pix somewhere of my rig going around it two years ago.
The roughest portion of the trail is a downhill section that has a series of roughly 12-18" steps on a ledge. Take your time and pick your line and a stocker can make it with no problems other than maybe scraping the bottom or a ding in a rocker. If you freeze up when you are exposed to a narrow trail shelf road, then you might want to think twice about running this trail, but if you are willing to give it a try, I am sure we can get you through.
Just so you can see what the worst looks like, I had the wife videotape that section as I came down. I will see if I can get it edited and compressed so you can see what is instore. Black Bear is one of my most favorite trails, not because it is hard, but because it is so beautiful.
The return trip is via Imogene Pass. It runs a few miles north of Black Bear. The trail couldn't be more different. While Black Bear is lush and green above treeline, Imogene is rocky and baren with a wide variety of colors. The panoramas from the top of Imogene are a site to behold. There are lots of small stream crossings on the way back down Imogene.
I will be trail leading both the Black Bear and Imogene Pass trails on a one day loop. Our hope is to leave fairly early, say 8-9am from the trailhead and take our time with lots of picture stops. That will put us in Telluride for lunch. There are lots of restaurants, or our favorite is a grocery store there with a deli, where we get a good sandwich and chips for a couple of bucks. There will be a little time to do a little tourist shopping in Telluride before heading back over Imogene. Depending on how much time is left, some may want to do a side trip up Yankee Boy Basin on the way down. We should return with time to spare.