14ers.com

A group of us are headed to Chicago Basin first week of September and will be taking the train from Durango with three nights in the Basin. Lots of great suggestions. I saw a comment that the cell phone coverage, at least in the basin itself, is non existent. Is there good satellite coverage for a SPOT Connect type of device?

Keep the great suggestions coming!

rockchalker wrote:A group of us are headed to Chicago Basin first week of September and will be taking the train from Durango with three nights in the Basin. Lots of great suggestions. I saw a comment that the cell phone coverage, at least in the basin itself, is non existent. Is there good satellite coverage for a SPOT Connect type of device?

Keep the great suggestions coming!

I was able to get 4G AT&T - albeit spotty - from the summits of Eolus and Sunlight. Enough to make a call home, and (unfortunately) for all my emails to pour in

shearmodulus wrote:I tried to ski in from Purgatory Flats trailhead in January of last year. Simply amazing. I didn't make it all the way, but the solitude was just surreal.

The snow was terrible so I only made it 10 miles (just beyond the Needleton stop and the cabins there in the vicinity). And the day after I came out? Dumped 18 inches. Timing is everything.

Hey, can you provide a map/route of your trip? If you went down the canyon, how was it?

Thanks!

what's the deal with goin' #2 up there?

is there cover and soft ground to dig a privy in nearby?

after hearing about overcrowding in the basin, i'd imagine poo fields are an immediate consequence..

and managed accordingly

leafmiles wrote:what's the deal with goin' #2 up there?

is there cover and soft ground to dig a privy in nearby?

after hearing about overcrowding in the basin, i'd imagine poo fields are an immediate consequence..

and managed accordingly

They have a version of blue-bags that are kept in the metal box when you register... carry out. But, most people are resistant to carrying those, so just find a nice area well away from the water, and dig a cat hole. Even the USFS volunteer up there to promote, among other things, the collection bag, said he hated it.

All the above and...

1. Take a trash bag to cover your pack/food bags when you hang it. (Poke a small hole in the bag for the paracord/biner)
2. Jump in the creek or river before you get on the train... it's like a refugee camp with the B.O. from everyone getting on the train. And you'll feel better so will the train folks.
3. Take some beer/wine/whiskey into the basin with you... (and leave some soaking in the lower creek for the way out)
4. If you're catching the train back to Durango (3:30)... go out early and catch a ride to Silverton (11:30) to eat lunch... REAL FOOD!
5. Flip flops