Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

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gothiclove
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by gothiclove »

http://snowpack.water-data.com/uppercolorado/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Upper Colorado River Snowpack Database
snowpack.water-data.com
water-data.com Upper Colorado River Snowpack Database

Whoa!!
Although this is Upper Colorado River, it is representative of what we are seeing locally around Vail and Leadville.
TdotW
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by TdotW »

noyesgordon wrote:
oscarchicago wrote:Hi All!
I can't wait to arrive in CO to hike the route James took. I will be joining a group of 10 others from Chicago arriving the first week of July. We are backpacking to memorialize James' passion, his love of the hike/backpack.
Thanks to all that have shared their thoughts and experiences on this thread.
O
We ran into another hiker that was up looking at the trail conditions. She told of us James and mentioned that your group would be heading in to hike the same route the first week of July. I posted some videos so you could see how challenging the first mile to 2 miles in might be as of 6-25-2011.

We lost the trail once and had to re-trace back 400 feet before finding it again. There is still considerable snowpack that is melting making conditions difficult. Hopefully, you have a guide that is experienced with "fancy pass #2006"... we could get to Zen Bridge but conditions only got worse after that. God Bless

http://youtu.be/arOtBPfrJUM
http://youtu.be/Z757vMUWYUY
Thanks for all the info, people. We were not planning to hike the exact route James had mapped out, we only planned to hike in the area he chose.
We have now changed direction entirely, and are planning to hike in the Chicago Basin area July 2-8. We will put Holy Cross on the back burner ... probably until next year.
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Phill the Thrill
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by Phill the Thrill »

TdotW wrote:
noyesgordon wrote:
oscarchicago wrote:Hi All!
I can't wait to arrive in CO to hike the route James took. I will be joining a group of 10 others from Chicago arriving the first week of July. We are backpacking to memorialize James' passion, his love of the hike/backpack.
Thanks to all that have shared their thoughts and experiences on this thread.
O
We ran into another hiker that was up looking at the trail conditions. She told of us James and mentioned that your group would be heading in to hike the same route the first week of July. I posted some videos so you could see how challenging the first mile to 2 miles in might be as of 6-25-2011.

We lost the trail once and had to re-trace back 400 feet before finding it again. There is still considerable snowpack that is melting making conditions difficult. Hopefully, you have a guide that is experienced with "fancy pass #2006"... we could get to Zen Bridge but conditions only got worse after that. God Bless

http://youtu.be/arOtBPfrJUM
http://youtu.be/Z757vMUWYUY
Good choice! You'll have a great time.
Thanks for all the info, people. We were not planning to hike the exact route James had mapped out, we only planned to hike in the area he chose.
We have now changed direction entirely, and are planning to hike in the Chicago Basin area July 2-8. We will put Holy Cross on the back burner ... probably until next year.
"Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it." - Andy Rooney
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shaunster_co
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by shaunster_co »

Tigiwon road is not the only way in to Holy Cross (whether summiting, or joining the Holy Cross loop trail). You can take Homestake Road (a few more miles down on Hwy 24), to Missouri Creek Rd (which is a mile or so past the Gold Park campground). From there you can take the Fancy Pass Trailhead OR keep going higher on FS759 about another mile, you will turn right at the hairpin turn. This is a mild 4x4 road - the first quarter mile is the worst of it, but it really isn't that bad. Follow this to the end (across the washed out bridge - you can usually cross that stream in a vehicle). This puts you a mile or less from HC City - just follow FS703 (the extreme 4x4 road) on foot and it will take you to HC city.

From there you can follow the trail to the Seven Sister Lake chain up and over Fall Creek pass, down to Constantine or Tuhares Lakes - whichever. It makes Mt Whitney accessible and Holy Cross via the Notch Shelter / Halo Ridge Route. Or you can follow the route the other way toward Fancy Pass

It's not a bad route at all. HC City is along the route James intended to do.

If anyone need a map, GPS cords, or beta just let me know.
TdotW
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by TdotW »

Thanks, shaunster_co. We considered going to the Missouri Lakes area, but we were getting reports of leftover snow / mush in the Mount Holy Cross area and just didn't want to deal with it. I'm hoping we don't have too much of that in the Chicago Basin, but we'll see ...

Most of us are definitely planning to get out to at least Lake Constantine sometime ... but next time, I'll plan for August or Sept, not July.
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by Bill G »

Just an FYI. The Hunky Dory TH is not marked. I can find it in my sleep now but I've missed it a few times. Last year I gave a ride to a bper up Tigiwon Rd after he missed the cutoff and ended on going out Homestake RD instead.

When you on the 4WD road to HC city there is a big sign which basically says if you keep going your vehicle isn't coming back with you. At that point there is a large meadow on your right going up the trail. The Hunky Dory trail hugs the left side of the meadow. If you look down from the road it looks like a MB single track. There is not a clear intersection between the hiking trail and the 4WD rd.

If you're coming from Fancy lake don't take the trail into HC city. This gets you to Cleveland Lake which is a dead end. Instead continue down the 4WD road for just under a mile.
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shaunster_co
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by shaunster_co »

Bill G wrote:Just an FYI. The Hunky Dory TH is not marked. I can find it in my sleep now but I've missed it a few times.
Good call - I forgot about that when you are entering that intersection. I will see if I can pull some of my pics and draw an arrow. I didn't even think of it, because like you said - once you've followed the road up to HC city - you won't do it again, which is exactly what I did.
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shaunster_co
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by shaunster_co »

catlyoung wrote: Well, this isn't news I wanted to hear but the Forest Service has to do what it has to do to make thinkg safe for hikers.
Cathy, I wouldn't worry about this. Most everyone that has been in the HC area knows about the other routes, and actually a few of those routes put you much closer to where James was last seen, than from the Fall Creek Pass trailhead. I don't think USFS having to close Tigiwon road over the summer is going to reduce the hikers in that area by much at all, they will simply be entering from a different door so to speak.
robby40
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by robby40 »

June 30. Besides checking this site [too often] to get a vicarious mountain fix (thanks for that), I check some others. Starting about two or three days ago I began to see a cross on Holy Cross that I had never seen before from this web cam. From the photo links on this web site:

http://www.vail.com/mountain/current-co ... -cams.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

click on the "Two Elk Lodge" cam. The high point is Mountain of the Holy Cross. Anyone else see a prominent Roman Cross to the left of the peak? Pretty nice... Made me think of James.
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Aug_Dog
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by Aug_Dog »

robby40 wrote:June 30. Besides checking this site [too often] to get a vicarious mountain fix (thanks for that), I check some others. Starting about two or three days ago I began to see a cross on Holy Cross that I had never seen before from this web cam. From the photo links on this web site:

http://www.vail.com/mountain/current-co ... -cams.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

click on the "Two Elk Lodge" cam. The high point is Mountain of the Holy Cross. Anyone else see a prominent Roman Cross to the left of the peak? Pretty nice... Made me think of James.
wow ... that's pretty freaking cool! kind of gave me goosebumps ...
Go get it
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kansas
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by kansas »

Amazing! They should name the mountain after that feature...oh, wait.
"In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing. But I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams."
— Jon Krakauer
gothiclove
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Re: Lost Hiker on Mt Holy Cross

Post by gothiclove »

http://www.vail.com/mountain/current-co ... -cams.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yep, that's a pretty good overall view of what the snow conditions are at this time. I would like to also note that the snow, while very visible in this webcam shot above treeline, is also down in the trees to about 10-10,500, which you cannot see in the webcam shot.
I'm sure that someone will be very quick to let you know when the snow has receded enough to make extended hiking and backpacking trips reasonable in this area. Hang tight.
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