The Phantom Terrace - Comanche Peak and the Comanche Venable Trail

The Sangre de Cristo mountains, also known in English as the Blood of Christ, is one of my favorite mountain haunts, one you might be familiar with if you watch some of the other videos here at Future Ruins. However, I've only touched upon some of the history and signficance of this region that includes over 242 miles from southern Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Once upon a time, the Comanche and Ute Indian tribes dominated these mountains and the Great Plains to the east. From allied forces to waring factions, the tribes prospered, and struggled for survival in this rugged wilderness. I'm interested in seeking communion with that past. My path for that sentiment is the strenous 12 mile loop known as the Comanche-Venable trail. Here I'll explore the mountain valleys of 2 high alpine passes and traverse a narrow and exposed ledge that is legend in native history and Colorado mountaineering. Eventually I'll approach the summit of Comanche Peak at 13,277 feet and make a few friends along the way. They have their stories to tell. I'd like to tell you one. Though I don't expect to be dodging arrows or arranging large scale bison hunts, we can still imagine, and reflect on what it must have once been like on this fateful ruin of the future. So join me, from legend to reality, on a challenging and ultimately rewarding passage through time, via the invisible ledge known as The Phantom Terrace.

I had often read about the phantom terrace on previous hikes in the region, a ledge connecting the Comanche and Venable trails above, which you could also access the 13k foot peaks, and the other side of the mountain range. Seen from afar, it makes sense how it was named. You would never even imagine there was a route that is passable where it lies. Only when you approach it, do you see the long narrow path along the ledge giving way to a 1,000 foot drop to the lower valley of the Venable Lakes.

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