Roaming To The Rockies!!!!!!!

“yes, i think you would do well to come out here.

The way the seasons tend to work, you could catch fall color out here in Sept and then back east in Oct TOO!”

“Well, since Roam brought up the thread, here’s my “I’m still tired from the hike, the Chiefs are getting spanked and I’d rather be in bed” trip report.

Friday evening I met my girlfriend for supper before driving over to Chante’s house to meet her and Roam. Embear and her dog Layla have already left for the Bells, so I switch gear to their car and we hit the road. Roam & Chante are good traveling partners, and the time passes quickly. As we get into the National Forest, I get the treat of seeing my first wild porcupine. Man, that thing was huge! We wander the various campgrounds until we find Embear’s car and set up tents. I was too tired to stay up long, so I stretched out while the other three chatted for a while.

The morning came waaaayyy too early, but eventually we take down camp and get to the trailhead. Roam had said this would be a very crowded trail for a while, and he was right. It was a constant stream of people until we cross Crater Lake in about 2 miles and then the trail crowds thinned out. Roam had a comment about the dayhikers we left behind, which is worth remembering. We come to a fork in the trail, and we take the left hand turn, which we verify with two maps. After a couple more miles on this trail, we break for lunch. While we’re taking a break, we meet some hikers with some climbing gear coming down the trail. Again, that’s worth remembering. After finishing lunch, we resume what’s becoming a challenging, technical trail. While its marked with cairns once we reach the talus (this flatlander learned a new word!), Roam starts to wonder where the heck we are, because it sure isn’t Buckskin Pass. Roam and Embear compare maps and guesstimates before we figure out we’re on the wrong stinking trail! We debate our options and decide there’s no way we want to go back down the trail we just climbed, so we plot a cross-country route back to the proper trail and hopefully to a campsite.

Now, things get really, really interesting. We have to race the sunset to find either the trail or a spot to spend the night. We start out following a creek down the mountain, which meant a lot of step, step, slide, step, fall, step, step and repeat. We ran into a bit of a problem at the first significant drop in the creek with Layla having more sense than we do, but Embear is able to coax her down eventually. Roam is ahead of us and suggests we now work the side of the mountain through the underbrush, as the creek is about to present a steep, sheer drop. We spent more time walking on trunks of small trees than on rock as the trees grow mostly sideways with the steepness of the mountain. Get through that and we find more tree cover, but it’s more open. Things are getting better, right? Nope! We make it to a rocky but clear area and make better time on a game path until we come to yet another ravine. We have a “right or left” kind of choice at the ravine, and we wind up going left, hoping to find a less-steep crossing. We pick a spot to walk/crawl/slip our way down to a creek running to Crater Lake. This presents a real challenge – getting back up the other side of the ravine. I have no problem saying this drop and subsequent climb presented my most challenging (and terrifying, if I’m perfectly honest) time on the trail. I said more than a few prayers in the minutes (or was it hours or days) it took to climb up the ravine.

Thankfully, this climb presented a flat spot where I was more than ready to sleep like Rip van Winkle. As we’re debating our options, Chante calls out the magic words – “I think I see the trail!!!” It’s the trail we started out on, so we head down the mountain. We debate finding a campsite as night falls, but we decide to call it a dayhike (dang poetic justice) and we head for the trailhead. You’ll probably never see such a quiet group of hikers. I know I spent the last two miles or so on cruise control, just following my headlamp’s glow. We safely reach the cars and realize what we just survived before heading for Glenwood Springs and a hotel. That’ll be easy, right? Nope, not on this trip! First, Roam has to pull over on the highway so this sick, beat-down hiker can get have fun with dry-heaves. Then, we can’t find a hotel in anywhere in Glenwood. We split up there and Roam finds us a hotel in Eagle, where we blissfully crash for the night.

So, we planned on a hard 25 mile two-day backpacking trip and wind up with a 12 hour, 10 mile DAYHIKE.  Some days, your plans just don’t work out. That said, we made it through some brutal scrambles, climbs and drops. We also saw some of the most beautiful, rugged terrain around and saw the Aspen trees at their peak colors. It was worth it, for sure, but next time I’ll take the trail! 

Well, I’m calling it a night. I’m sure I forgot some stuff and mixed up some details, but its the effort that counts, right?”

“right!

thats pretty accurate, but when i plotted the route we covered on my map, i was shocked and embarrassed at the mileage total.

and i'll never tell what it was.

suffice to say that it was the absolute most difficult bushwhacking i've ever done and the shortest mileage i've ever been able to cover in 12 hours!”

“Dang it, I typed that report into word and it changed my :) marks into ? marks in the next to last paragraph...”

“That actually sounds like a good time. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of adventure.”

“It was a terrific adventure. Learned a couple of good lessons too.

Interesting note: at the western end of Maroon Lake there are two signs. One has the heading "The Deadly Bells" and the other "Where Climbers Fear to Tread". They both talk about how dangerous the Maroon Bells peaks are - downward sloping sedimentary, very brittle and rotten rock. Apparantly numerous people have died climbing on the peaks. I can attest that the rock is indeed rotten and breaks very easily - we encountered that in the creek bed that flowed out of the talus slope. And the entire eastern and northeastern face of the mountain is a cliff face about 100 feet high coming up from the lake.

It was very frustrating being able to see the lake we wanted to reach so close below us and being unable to get down the cliffs.”

“I know all about that rock, the hike I did in the Raggeds was just a few miles to the West of where you guys were, it's the same sedimentary formation. On one long downhill section the trail just seemed to constantly give way under my feet, I fell several times.”

“yeah, makes me really question whether i'll summit North Maroon or not - and gives me a lot of respect for that guy that did all the 14'ers in the winter last season.”

“Let me know when you want to do North Maroon!

Toejam summited North Maroon after the Tetons trip, he didn't seem to think it was too difficult.”

“The hike to the base of the summit dome wasn't that bad, but it looks really steep from there. My guide book suggests that you carry some rope and a few 'biners and your harness to facilitate some short rappels on the descent off the summit dome.”

“From Toejams TR -

"I set my alarm for 5:30 to get an early start. I have an on-going disagreement with many Coloradoans who espouse really early starts as the “right way” to climb mountains. I think this is driven mostly by snobbery and doesn’t significantly alter your risk of being struck by lightning. I’ve seen groups start climbs so early they were off the mountain before the weather ever turned nice, and read more reports than I can count of those losing the trail in the woods before dawn, which I think is really dangerous. “Alpine starts” are for snow/ice climbs.

Anyway, I was on the trail just before 6, fueled by Diet Dr. Pepper and granola bars. The trail is really rough but wide past Maroon Lake and climbs steadily. I was unfamiliar with the normal route up Pyramid Peak and didn’t watch for its trail crossing the valley to the left. I made it to Crater Lake with the Bells glowing pink and got one good picture from a little further up the trail. I had no trouble finding the climbers trail leading to the left from about a half a mile up the trail to Buckskin Pass.

The trail climbed steeply toward treeline and included Class 3 scrambling up dirt, grass & tree roots. When I finally got to the big talus slope at the foot of the peak it had already been a long hike. The scenery was incredible. Past the talus the trail followed the narrow ledges on the steep face of the mountain. Over the ridge and into the grassy gully, the real climb started. I could look back between my legs at the last step and see Crater Lake as if it was directly below me, but the trail was well-used and the footing was good. The climbing was long and steep but not technical and no serious scrambling was required until on the summit ridge after the two gullies. I made it to the top about 11:00. It was easily the most challenging mountain I’d climbed.

There were four other guys up there exchanging pleasantries and taking pictures of each other. They headed down and I enjoyed what was maybe the best view I’ve seen in Colorado. I got a good look at the ridge over to South Maroon – it looked doable but had enough loose rock on the route I didn’t think it would be wise to attempt alone. A bunch of mountain goats made their way to the summit and I got some good pictures. It was such an effort for me to get there it was kind of strange to see these guys up there hanging out.

On the way down I ran into two of the other climbers who were confused about the route from the first gully to the next and were being harassed by a large goat. The heavily used climbers trail doesn’t appear to follow the route in the most popular guide book. On the ridge I took a seat and told the other guys I was going to enjoy the view for a while because I had to drive back to Texas when I got down. There were no other climbers on the mountain that day, but there was a big crowd at Crater Lake. I thought, “I didn’t see any of these people from the top.” As I got back to the car my legs were feeling like I was a 44 year old guy who’d been hiking in the mountains for two weeks."

He's got a few pics here:

http://www.thebackpacker.com/pictures/pic/6t26o85mkc.php
last edited: 9/27/05 12:26:57 AM”

“Yep. We got all the way to the talus slope and turned downhill before we crossed into the grassy gully.

My book also says to take careful note on your way up where you came out of the gully coz it tends to be confusing on the way down.”

“omg. I just got back from the game and am too tired to elaborate on the TR. All I can say is.....I am glad none of us got seriously injured out there. It is fun to think back on what an adventure it was, but it tore me up mentally to think of the shiat we put ourselves through, when there was a much much easier solution. lol. Ok, so more tomorrow, but here are my pics.

http://www.thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/pgesgspv.php”

“BTW Roam, that pic of Layla and Chante is soooooo cute. I love my doggie. :) She is still pooped and has been sleeping for 2 days now. I was really worried about her at some points during the hike.”

“Nice pictures, Roam and Em. Hopefully I can get mine online tonight.”

“Yeah em, your dog is super - I was worried about her a couple of times, but she pulled through!”

“didn't read the TRs yet, but wow the pics are awesome. heehee...I checked for airfaires last night to CO... nothin'. way too much for me right now.

Read the TR later”

“Now I'm REALLY sorry I missed this cluster-f*ck.”

“Okay...just now read the TR. You guys sure had a hell of a trip huh? Too bad I missed the adventure. [heeheehee...really!]

Crap...too #&%!$in' bad that I live on the east side of the US.”

“Gem, get yer butt out here! You definately need to come out next summer for a long backpack.”

“You missed out on THE most interesting part of our showshoe experience. You seem to miss all the important moments.”

“stikky makes a good point.

Where the hell is EddieS????????”

“Hey stikmon, what did I miss? I thought my solo hike to camp in the dark in a snowstorm was da Boss.

BTW, if you want that pic from atop the 'cone' I need your email. Or I'll send it to Roam & he can forward it. You can copy it offen Web#&%!$s, but I'll send the larger virgin that you can blow up and do things with.”

“The Foothils look awesome this morning with the clouds lifting off them!”

“and with all that SNOW sitting on them!!!”

“It's cool because the rest of the sky is dark grey, except right over the mountains.
last edited: 10/11/05 9:34:03 AM”

“Good thing I climbed Mummy on Saturday.. I'm sure it's coated in snow now!”

“hey congrats on that by the way! big hike!”

“Is it still snowing up there near yall?

Its actually kinda sunny where I am now.”

“it never snowed a single flake up here. All we got was cold rain for two days.

there was a section of northern co from Fort Collins down Longmont and over to Greeley that somehow got no snow.

I've heard it called the "Bananna Belt"
last edited: 10/11/05 9:53:48 AM”

“No snow here. In fact, it was 80 yesterday - woo hoo!!”

“We're supposed to get snow again on Monday.
The mountains were absolutely beautiful this morning.”

“woo hoo!!!!

snow on monday
snow on monday
snow on monday
smow on nonday
smon os oonday


oh, you know what i meant...”

“I was sitting on I-25 for hours while it was coming down, what a mess, barely moved for a good long while.”

“that stinks bison!

that part of snow storms is the pitts! the snow part though is super cool!”

“yep, only the traffic sucks, there be snow on the mountains down here too!”

“Bison, how long did it take you to get there? Where are you at?”

“Chante -

I'm in Los Alamos, it should have taken about 6 hours to get here, but it took almost 10 because of the snow!”

“I have never been to Los Alamos. You missed gorgeous mountains this morning here. We are thinking of going to the Sandia's next year.”

“I want to go snowboarding now dammit!

The mountains here are beautiful too, I'm right between Taos and Santa Fe, The Pecos Wilderness is just to the East, and Bandoleir National Monument is right down the road, so I'm sure I'll get some hiking in while i'm here.”

“I went through there about 2 years ago and I loved it, it is really beautiful there. Take lots of pictures in Bandolier. That is where my cousin hikes all the time.”

“I promise beautiful NM pics this weekend.”

“looks a bit different from when I did my Ouzal trip in shorts and a t-shirt.

What's all that white fluffy stuff?”

“that be da snow!”

“Cool. What words would you use to describe Ouzel Lake?”

“Elusive”

“LOL... good choice.”

“Nice pictures. At least it looks like you didn't have to fight sagging mountain laurel. That stuff really sucks and gets all kinds of snow down your back...”