Solo in the La Garita Wilderness

“

The highlights of the trip are pretty much described in the album captions. But there are a few pieces that didn't get photographed.

I'll flesh out the rest over the day.

I was looking for three or four days of quiet solitude and my CO Wilderness Guide said that La Garita is seldom visited. It was right.

Thursday

After a 250 mile drive from Denver deep into the San Juan Mountains of south central CO, and 20 miles down a dirt road (in my Corolla no less! - i'm gonna call it the TrailRolla), then passing thru TWO barbed wire gates I arrived at the trail head in a light rain. One other car was parked there (dammit), but, it turned out they were fly fishermen - one from Austin Texas - and there were headed back for civilization and shelter. So, put on the rain gear, shoulder the pack and off I go.

The rain got heavier but it never did truly just pour. Heading up the trail across a private ranch easement, finally entering the wilderness area proper. The trail follows the creek and I figured I'd go for a couple of hours, find a nice place to camp and settle in for the night.

I did just this. Made my dinner in the rain, ate in the rain. Tarp tents rock - so simple to set up in a steady rain and keep the inside dry. Found out I need a new rain jacket though - mine wet through on the back where the pack rides. Heck it's about 7 years old, guess I got my money's worth.

So, now its still raining, my food bag is hung - i'm all set up - well away from the elk/deer skeleton across the creek from my site (don't want any bad spirits bothering me in the night). And I'm damp and a little cold. Dry clothes are required so into the tent i go. Not quite dark yet, but its dry and warm in the tent so i stay there and doze off listening to the rain fall and silently laughing at all the poor souls who allthough warm and dry in their houses have to get up and go to work in the morning.

more to come later... gotta get some work done now.”

“Why didn't you cook and eat in your tent?”

“I thought about it, but its so cramped, i have to sit all hunched over and I didn't want to get any food smell or spillage in the tent either.

I normally carry a siltarp for just this purpose, but of course on this trip didn't have it with me.”

“Yeah, it's tight in a tarptent but totally doable...”

“So, Friday I wake up just as the sky is starting to brighten. There's no rain falling and its nice and crisp - a little chill in the mountain air. Perfect!

I get up and add a couple of layers, go retrieve my food back and begin fixing my oatmeal and coffee. While i'm eating a deer comes along the trail and stops to ponder just what the heck i might be doing in her forest. She turns and goes back the way she came.

My camp is wet, the tent is wet, the rain gear is wet, i'm nice and dry but all my gear is wet. I'm camped on the east side of the little valley and in the trees - it'll be hours before the sun hits my camp. Thus, I decide to pack up wet and hike for a while until i come to a nice sunny spot where I'll spread out and dry - which is just what I do.

About 9:00 (or so - i really don't know - don't own a watch) I stopped for a break and spread everything out to dry - took about 30 minutes to dry out. I had a snack, got some water enjoyed the peace.... beautiful day.

Proceed on up the trail to the Divide, hook up with the CDT and CO trails had some lunch, took more pictures and climbed over the ridge to San Luis Pass.

Now was decision time. My plan had been to camp below San Luis Peak and climb the 14er on Saturday. To do that meant that now I had to ascend from San Luis Pass (12,000 ft) about 800 feet over a ridgeline then descend the other side to where I could camp. Problem was that it was now afternoon and the daily clouds had closed in up above the pass. I saw a couple of lightening strikes aways off to the south (where I was kinda headed) and could hear thunder in the distance - it was pretty dark up that way. Converesely - to the north, down the valley was pretty clear sky. I opted to forego San Luis Peak, avoid the dark stormy looking sky and go ahead and descend into the valley and find a place to camp for the night.

The trail was really faint - non existent at times - just follow the creek though and there were occasional cairns. Really nice hiking.”

“Keep going...”

“I knew that this trail entered and crossed some private property in the large (and really pretty) meadows below.

As I reached the meadow area, the creek snaked back and forth across the meadow and there were three or four cabins there. It didn't appear that anyone was home - I imagine these are really more like weekend hangouts for these poor people that vacation here. :)

I stayed on the jeep trail that the hiking trail became now and didn't go near any of the structures - didn't want to stir up any trouble ya know.

As I proceeded down the meadow, I see a deer standing the bright green grass (wildlife count now = two deer) and one cow lieing in the grass. Hmmm, a cow.

I come up over a rise and now I see a whole herd of cows. It seems I'm in a pasture.

Oh - theres a red tailed hawk perched in a tree off to my right as well. The deer bounded off into an aspen grove right after seeing me. The cow didn't even twitch.

The herd looks up at me as if to say - WTF? But quickly go back to eating grass.

Now, i grew up around a cattle farm and cows are timid, docile creatures that generally move away as you approach - which is what these guys started to do.

Except for one.

This one black cow (which in reality turned out to be a young bull) moved in front of the herd and in my general direction, but not directly toward me. I thought this was odd - and even moreso when several of the gals started to follow him. He never did approach me direct and never moved at faster than a slow trot. He did circle around me and followed behind, cows in tow, about 40 feet behind me.

Now, at this point I'm about 50 yards from the gate - rather in the middle of a pretty large pasture with 40 cows and one young bull 'chaseing' me. Not really nervous about it, but ready to leave the cow herd behind. I think to myself, well as long as there's not a big bull in here, this should be fine. About then I look over to my left and as the cows had moved around, they exposed the big bull. He's large.

Bulls are pretty intimidating just standing still. Now, I'm about 30 yards from the gate and I change my angle a bit to be facing less towards the bull and still on a direct path to the gate. I'm thinking that if he so much as twitches an eyelid, the packs off and I'm headed for the fence full tilt. He doesn't move. He doesn't really even act as if he notices me. I glace his way about every 5 or 6 steps and he isn't moving - i start to relax a bit. The little black bull is still behind me, but he isn't trying to gain any ground. I'm still walking - walking, but at a pretty good pace - on a beeline for the gate.

Reaching the gate, I'm through and have it chained back shut in record time. Now, i can relax. I was suprised to find the cow's in pasture but I'm 100% sure that I was in the right place - I knew the trail crossed private property and there was even a register box where I crossed the fence and entered the meadow on the upper end.

What a day!

freaking bull”

“*snickers*

Sorry, but that was too funny a vision. Too bad there wasn't a camera in the area filming. ;)”

“it was certainly 'interesting', never had anything like that happen before.

I must say that after that it didn't feel like I was in the wilderness as much - at least until the next morning.”

“After the experience with the cows I meandered on down the jeep trail thinking about finding a place to camp and wondering what the hell else I might encounter since I'm clearly NOT in the wilderness area any longer.

While I knew that the meadows were privately owned but the trail had an easement my maps indicated that I would re-enter the Wilderness area on down a ways.

I did find a nice place to camp - well off the jeep path and alongside the creek. Up under some trees - as the sky looked rather dark again - normal for this time of year in CO.

I unloaded, set up camp, had a snack, did all the normal camp chore type stuff and relaxed for a while poking around my general vicinity, there was a pond nearby and the creek had some nice wildflowers growing alongside it.

It only sprinkled on me a little this night. I had covered a lot of miles and slept really good.”

“Since I'd altered my plan due to the dark skies on Friday afternoon, this would be my last day.

So far I'd only run into two people waaaay up on the Divide and they were thru hiking the CO Tail - 14 days out from Denver (making really good time they were).

Anyhow, I had my breakfast, let my things dry off a bit - another sunny morning :)
and then packed up and struck out towards the jeep path - but woah! There's a MOOSE in the pond. Well he looked about as suprised to see me as I was to see him. Suddenly, it felt like I was in the wilderness again.

After taking his picture, for which he posed nicely - pleasant youngster that he was, I gave him a very wide berth and angled back to the jeep path.

Hiking on down, I soon came to the point where the jeep path became a road and now I really was out of the wilderness. About 4 miles of road walking to connect back to my trailhead and I was done. I say roadwalking, but it was dirt gravel road with two houses along the way - not a single car passed and I crossed in and out of BLM property.

Pretty pretty pretty place.

If you get a chance to visit the La Garita Wilderness, I'd take it.

Just watch out the for the marauding cow herds.”

“Pretty pics.

Those cow gangs are a menace. ;)”

“masses of marauding bovines!

Ban the Bovines!”

“Steak! It's what's for dinner!”

“I don't understand why you didn't stop and take a picture of the cows that were slowly surrounding you. Maybe they just wanted to make you one of the gang? ;)

And where is said picture of the Moose??? We don't have those in Ohio, ya know.... We gotta take what we can get in these parts.

Very nice weekend, Roam. I gotta get out for a solo myself here soon. I'm itching...”

“It was a grand weekend - especially since it started on Thursday :p”

“*Hands salt to Roam*

Here, why don't you rub a little more of that into the wound. :p”

“Nice, man. Cool place.
I can't wait to head out west. Just a couple more weeks, baby!


Hey, at least they weren't longhorns ;p”

“Hey, at least they weren't longhorns ;p”
GreenMonkee

That was my thought while it was happening too!”

“Searching for a joke about the bull and Roam... but its still Monday and I don't wanna think.

I grew up in farm country, there is something strange about being on the wrong side of the fence with cattle around.”