Colorado Trail Segment 12 (and a quarter), 9/09

North America » United States » Colorado » Rocky Mountains
October 1st 2009

Published: September 30th 2009

Hiking the Colorado Trail, Segment 12 (and a quarter), Fall of 2009

This hike across one-and-a-quarter segments of the Colorado Trail (of the 28 segments between Denver & Durango) was done on Sept. 23-26, 2009. Distance covered was about 25 miles. Making up the expedition were John (or "JJ",) Terry & Nick, and Kevon, the author here. This was the first backpack by John in almost 7 years, and was the inaugural overnight bp for Terry & Nick, father and son.

This hike was "Plan B" for the group. And a back-up plan is always an essential piece in planning any backpack. Like when sailing, having that back-up has you ready with an alternative, since in the latter case you have to go where the wind blows you. In late September in Colorado, though, for hikers without their snowshoes, it can be where the snow blows you. We, of course, woke up on Wed., Sept. 23rd without any back-up plan.

Lined up and ready to go at John's cabin above Fairplay (elev. 10,800' -- a great way to get acclimated to altitude). l.-to-r.: Kevon, Nick, Terry & John.

All the gear here was mine, enough to outfit the four of us (except clothes). It had been collected to be lent out as I have attempted to go lighter and lighter (as I get older and older.) These opening shots (by Debbie) represent the evolvement of the light-thinking hiker, with the most recent manifestation the UL freak on the left (me.)

Hiking in the shoulder season during an early, wet, cold spell had us bringing along many layers and our wet weather gear, including a couple of silnylon tarps for over the tents (that came in handy the second night.)

In/on the backpacks were two tents, four sleeping bags/pads, two tarps, two stoves, a titanium cup, aluminum coffee pot (minus percolator), utensils, snacks & meals, to name just a few of the items brought. I had my "base weight" (pack, sleeping bag, pad and tent) down to a little over 6 pounds, thanks to my new GoLite Pinnacle pack, z-light pad, Luxurylite down bag and TT Cloudburst 2 tent -- shown on the left here. (Mistakes discussed later.) Poor Nick (second from left,) half the age of the rest of us, has a big store-bought sandwich for lunch the first day hung on the top of his pack. (Hey, but he can handle it, that d--n mountain goat.)

Switching to "Plan B":

Originally, we were going to hike across the Lost Creek Wilderness, about 60 miles east of where we ended up.

Plan A, abandoned. Plan B, done. Map from The Colorado Mountain Club Guidebook: The Colorado Trail.

The weather in Denver had been 85F on Sunday, but by mid-week a cold front had blown through and left a persistent cut-off, upper-level low over central Colorado. When we met Tuesday night at John's cabin above Fairplay, they had a winter storm warning for where we'd start our hike. But we were still game since it was dry and starry in Fairplay. (A great site to check the weather at out-of-the-way locations is hamweather.net, which in this example gives the forecast for the Brookside-McCurdy trail in the Lost Creek Wilderness:

hamweather's trail forecast

Debbie drove us east on 285 the next morning after we carbo-loaded at the Brown Burro in Fairplay for John's birthday breakfast. As we approached Jefferson, ahead of us, from Kenosha Pass to the tail end of the Tarryall Mtns., was a curtain -- really more of a wall -- of snow coming down. The TV weathermen had said the snow would be coming in from the east and piling up in the Front Range and they appeared to be right. We pulled over, discussed it, and made a U-turn for the Nat'l Forest Service office back in Fairplay.

A little late, but time to come up with a "Plan B." Looking at their big map, we ruled out the close-by Buffalo Peaks Wilderness (not long enough for a 4-day bp), and opted to do the Colorado Trail in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. We bought the Colorado Mountain Club's Guidebook for the Colorado Trail from the ranger and drove west.

Coming into Buena Vista, with some of the Collegiate Peaks looming overhead. The weather looked much better than that wall of snow at our backs.

We drove up Hwy. 24 to the turnoff for Clear Creek Reservoir, and Debbie booted us out where the CT crossed the gravel road. Hiking here ten years earlier, Debbie and I had exited just down the road, back when the CT still went over Hope Pass, when we had done Segments 9 thru 11 back in 1999.

The four of us loaded up while the clouds rolled in.

Hike's start, Clear Creek, 11:15a, 9/23. Note the "keyhole" camera holder (with red straps) on my pack (left.) This has proven to be the greatest invention since the hydration bladder (for thirsty hikers) or wag bag (for pooping climbers), except it's for obsessed hiking photographers. It's a "local" Colorado product, more here:

keyhole camera harness

CT's Segment 12, from the CMC Guidebook: The Colorado Trail.

Day One: Clear Creek to Pine Creek, 6.5 miles

Across the creek into National Forest Land.

Sagebrush with a few aspens turning in the background. The cool, wet summer didn't provide near the intensity of last autumn's aspen color.

Old sign marking the CT.

Heading up.

The CT in fall color.

Hiking in aspens leaving the Clear Creek valley.

Fallen aspen leaves as the snow makes its first appearance.

Aspens give way to pine and fir.

Nick trudges up in the snow.

Fantastic shapes from fallen stump and snow.

Taking a break heading up (and south) toward Pine Creek.

Snow on fir.

Terry with a handily placed CT blaze.

Fir-framed mountain in snow.

Looking south from the trail.

Resting, having made it to the upper Pine Creek valley, time to camp.

Camp on site near Pine Creek.

Nick was in charge of fires and never failed to produce.

The mountain goat climbs trees, too. We sent him up to get our snagged rock tied to our food-bag line down. I highly recommend bringing a twenty-something hiker along for tasks like these. "JJ" would have hung himself with that snagged line before attempting this.

Dinner, first night. Freezer-bag of cous cous, foil-pack chicken, freeze-dried veggies and spices, an adaption of one of Sarah S K's recipes. Note the absolute-best-ever black "cozy" made of neoprene (really a soft lunchpail called a "byo" @ Target for $10). It zips closed to keep the freezerbag warm while "cooking," and does double duty 'cause I could keep the two stoves in the Snowpeak titanium cup inside the empty aluminum coffee pot (for boiling water only) all tucked inside it for protection from dings.

Eating the evening gruel.

Looking west at dusk, clouds lowering. Fortunately, we only had a brief sleet just before dawn.

In the gray alpenglow, the mountain (Oxford?) has a marbled look to it.

Day Two: The long day. Pine Creek to North Cottonwood Creek, 12 miles:

Dawn to the east, Day Two.

Morning alpenglow on the Collegiate Peaks.

Lenticular cloud.

Alpine view from camp.

Heading out and eventually south.

Lone pine, Pine Creek.

Bridge over Pine Creek, with snow.

Creek crossing, heading south, and up.

"I heard footprints!" (or the crunch of the snow.)

Nick and Terry taking a breather as the trail heads up.

Aspen leaves "burned into" the snow.

One of many sets of tracks on the trail.

Face to our north (yesterday's hike.)

A pause nearing a ridge.

A September winter scene of Mt. Oxford(?)

Trail break (photo by Nick.)

Near the Rainbow Lake side trail.

Another wave of snow passes over.

Nick & Terry dig out their pack covers and ponchos (and I put my camera away in a gallon ziplock bag.)

Suited up, sun out.

Closeup, log and snow.

Boulders on a ridge.

Sun on the trail.

Crossing a creek (Frenchman's?)

Closeup, autumn's snow.

In front of an aspen stand on a south-facing slope.

Heading back down into the aspens.

Fallen stump.

Terry pausing, the Arkansas River Valley behind and below.

Another wave of snow rolls in from the east.

I had to put the camera away again and missed the best shot of the trip. We were approaching what I think was 3 Elk Creek and I looked ahead to see a beautiful cascade crossing the trail in the distance. In front of the waterfall were Terry and Nick walking beside several smaller aspens ablaze in yellow. It was snowing great big flakes, and this idyllic scene was all lit by bright sunlight. Snap! I took (and keep) a mental image of that.

Heading down for North Cottonwood Creek with what may be Birthday Peak in the background.

Terry under a fir tree.

Nick and aspens.

Camp, with tarp, south of N. Cottonwood Creek.

John & Terry check out the guidebook.

We set up both tarps when we made camp at the end of Day 2. Around 4 am we had a pretty good rain, and woke to clearing skies and sheets of ice on the tarps -- better there than on the tents.

For the evening meal, I did another freezer-bag entree consisting of cous cous, curry spices, dried carrots and green beans. Debbie and I had made it up back home and she had used a partial bag of "Rajah Curry Powder" friends Steven & Jennifer had brought us back from South Africa.
I served it to everyone in their bowls and on the first bite everyone was saying it was good, but they were howling about how hot it was. (It had said "hot" on the label, in red.) It literally burned your mouth. We had to filter another round of water from the creek to cool off. No one finished the meal, although we ate most of it.

Lesson learned: If you're trying something new, test it at home first to get the proportions right.

Nick gets a fire going despite the dampness.

Terry's camp shoes about to start smouldering.

Day Three. The short day. North Cottonwood Creek to upper Silver Creek, 2.5 miles:

Heading out of camp, Day 3.

John and aspens.

Detail, back of JJ's Kelty Shadow.

Terry catching his breath on the incline.

JJ breaks with a view into the Silver Creek drainage.

Aspens and conifers.

Beaver ponds on upper Silver Creek, destination for Day 3.

Self-timer shot of the group at the old cabin near our camp.

Grain detail, snag.

Nick, ram's skull and cabin.

Mining ruins atop Mt. Yale's eastern flank.

Relaxing in the sun on an easy day.

Studying the translucency of beef jerky.

Mt. Yale and meadow in the afternoon light.

Last of this year's pale greens.

Waning afternoon light.

Camp, Day 3.

View from camp.

Terry, the quasi-official water-wanker, with the Katadyn.

Jawbone found in camp.

Nick's best fire yet. (Dispersed and buried the next morning before departing.)

Dinner: Chicken, corn & tortilla soup (freezer-bag style) with home-baked corn tortilla chips.

Enjoying the fire.

Parts of Segs. 12/13, from CMC's Guidebook: The Colorado Trail.

Day 4: Final day, Silver Creek to Middle Cottonwood Creek, 4.5 miles:

Dawn, last day.

Morning light on Mt. Yale.

Final pack up.

What looks like an owl's skull, probably a vertebrae of an elk that Nick found near camp.

Another skull near camp.

Terry, Nick & Mt. Yale.

Terry at the footbridge over Silver Creek.

Back in the snow, heading for the ridge.

Blue-sky, sunny day on the way up.

Break on the ridge at the high point on the backpack (11,905'.)

View of Mt. Yale from its eastern flank.

Mt. Princeton to the south.

Kevon and ipod 'phones for the trip down (photo by JJ.)

All downhill from here.

JJ & Nick reflecting.

Looking back at Mt. Yale.

Terry finds a perch for a break.

Through a lodgepole forest.

Only human met on the trail that day (a Saturday in Sept.?), a 71-year-old hiker from Pueblo, CO.

Heading down the barren, south-facing slope into the Middle Cottonwood Creek valley.

Aspens ablaze in an avalanche chute across the valley.

Trudging back into the aspens.

Out of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness.

Creek near hike's end.

Aspens alight.

Sign of hike's end.

Debbie meets us at the terminus, the Avalanche trailhead, where the CT meets Hwy. 306. (12:30p, 9/26).

Celebrating hike's end.

Nick's thru.

A 20-minute drive had us at the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs.

View of the cooler (92F) pool.

Shot toward the Continental Divide from the springs.

The crew relaxing in the 100F pools beside Chalk Creek, where the temp of the rushing waters was in the 40Fs. (photo by Debbie.)

Chalk Creek running past the pools.

Nick pointed out this shot and why he was happy to be back in civilization.

Terry & Nick snoozin' in the hot pool.

Final stop was at Jan's, in Buena Vista.

Final shot, the hikers woofing it down at Jan's. (Photo by Debbie.)