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Baldy Alto / San Luis Ridge?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 6:01 pm
by Dancesatmoonrise
Anyone been over Baldy Alto, taking the ridge to San Luis Peak? Does it go? Class 2 or Class 3? How is that section just south of Baldy Alto?

Thanks!

Re: Baldy Alto / San Luis Ridge?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 7:40 pm
by aaronmojica
Ha! Was just discussing giving this a try with a buddy of mine.

Re: Baldy Alto / San Luis Ridge?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:23 pm
by sgladbach
Summer or winter? It goes very easily in the summer and is a common way to get from Stewart to San Luis.

Last winter, I camped at the base of San Luis, climbed it, and then went over Baldy Alto to get Stewart. Reversed for return. Original TH (B4 camp-out) was
Equity mine.

Re: Baldy Alto / San Luis Ridge?

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 6:39 pm
by Dancesatmoonrise
Aaron and Steve, thanks!

Aaron, I'll send a pm. -Jim

Re: Baldy Alto / San Luis Ridge?

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:03 pm
by TravelingMatt
I've done it the other way, traversing over to Baldy Alto after summiting San Luis, then dropping into the gully between them and eventually returning to Stewart Creek.

Nothing particularly difficult about it, as I recall. It goes 2, with the hardest part going down the gully.

Re: Baldy Alto / San Luis Ridge?

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:59 pm
by Chicago Transplant
We did that in summer as well, no issues. San Luis to Baldy Alto to Stewart. We descended Stewart into Nutras Creek and hiked back up the road to the Stewart Creek TH. You do that same thing with a car shuttle if you didn't want to trudge back up the road. Made a nice loop and got to explore 2 drainages :-D

Re: Baldy Alto / San Luis Ridge?

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 3:33 pm
by Kiefer
Jim.
The whole thing is nothing more than class 2+. Very easy rolling, grassy slopes. I hiked it from the north from the Cebolla Trailhead.
It was a LONG drive to get there but the trailhead starts out fairly high to begin with, just under treeline actually.
It's almost a straight shot south to Stewart across class-1 and class 2 terrain.

We had planned on taking the ridge all the way south to San Luis but I developed a nasty migraine on Baldy Alto.
Instead, we descended into Stewart Creek via that gully Matt referred to. It was REALLY wide. Easy descent.
Made a clearing in the grass & slept under some trees for pseudo-shelter that night and changed our plans the next morning as you'll see from the attachment.
No probs with that ridge. The ridge was of course the plan, but considering how beautiful things transpired the next day, I'm rather glad
things DID change. Cochetopa Creek and Bondholder Creek still rank as some of the most prisitine, beautiful places I've seen in Colorado. :-D
La Garita
La Garita
San-Luis-Peak.jpg (303.71 KiB) Viewed 613 times

Re: Baldy Alto / San Luis Ridge?

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 3:34 pm
by I Man
Jim - When are you going for this? I would be interested in a 2 day trip to get San Luis & Stewart.

Re: Baldy Alto / San Luis Ridge?

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:13 pm
by Dancesatmoonrise
Thanks for all the great responses!

Here's how it looks in winter. At least, the mild conditions as of yesterday.




Image