Re: Arrow, Vestal and the Trinities?
Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:46 am
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I wouldn't particularly enjoy descending any way off of "Middle" Trinity in inclement weather. The downclimb off of Trinity back to West would be spicy, but I imagine that the descent gully over to East could turn into a slip-n-slide if the weather is bad. I'll make sure the weather's going to be stable before I go anywhere up there!Grover wrote:Only on the Trinity Traverse was I forced to hustle to get off the peaks to avoid some storms in the area. Keep this in mind: If you get to the summit of Trinity Peak (the middle one) and are ready to launch to East Trinity (as part of the trifecta traverse), your quickest and safest way back down to Vestal Basin is up and over East Trinity. You won't know that until you get to Trinity Peak.
Elk Park is less than 10 miles outside of Silverton. You're going to pay almost $100 for less than twenty miles of train riding. If you were going to Needleton I'd recommend it, but for this... just drop a car at Molas Pass and follow the Colorado Trail to Elk Park. Fair warning: if you are out of shape, not acclimated, or tired then it will suck mightily when you have to climb 1500 feet on the way back to return to your car, but it's just a couple hours of suck and the burger and beer in Silverton will taste even better.Day 1: Late afternoon train from Silverton to Elk Park whistle stop
The stretch between the beaver ponds and Vestal Basin is the most arduous part of the inbound approach, and it's an additional 1700' vertical to treeline (and thus, your day). It will be slow going in some spots if you have a large pack... but it will be proportionately slow going with a smaller pack too. As rough as it can be with all your gear, I would say grin and bear it and do it the one time. A higher camp puts you in much better striking position to get up and down quick and avoid storms.hiked to the Beaver Ponds at 9980 ft.; setup camp for the duration of my stay (Personally, I prefer to hike/climb a greater distance with a lighter pack, so that is why I stopped here with my big bag and setup camp. I left each morning at 5:30am with my day pack and supplies for that day, knowing I would come back down to camp at the Beaver Ponds.)
In two years, I've seen maybe 20 people in Vestal Basin over the course of about 6-8 days of camping/climbing over July 4th weekends. Many places are thronged with people over July 4th weekend...Regardless of what you decide to do, DO NOT try to cram these peaks into two days. This is one of the best backpacking trips in the state, so take time to enjoy the area and these special peaks.
Papillon wrote:I definitely agree with Floyd regarding skipping the train to Elk Park. There is simply no need. I took the train in September 2010, dealt with shaky weather after Vestal, and almost didn't get Arrow. If we wouldn't have gotten Arrow, there was talk of getting it on our last day, hiking out to Molas and thumbing a ride to our car in Silverton.
Flexibility is a very nice thing in The Weminuche.
Day 1: Molas to Vestal Basin
Day 2: Vestal/Arrow
Day 3: Trinities
Day 4: Pack out or climb and pack out to Molas
edit: I think the train from Silverton drops you at Elk Park around 2:45 or 3:00 PM. You could easily start hiking from Molas around 1 or 2 PM and be standing in the same spot at the same time as the train would drop you, but have freedom.
emiller wrote:Google Maps tells me a 6 hr drive time to the trailhead from the Denver area. Is this realistic or should I plan on longer?
For me, it Dependsglobreal wrote:emiller wrote:Google Maps tells me a 6 hr drive time to the trailhead from the Denver area. Is this realistic or should I plan on longer?
Think this is directly proportionate to how strong your bladder is.
I would need to plan longer.
Presto wrote: if you enjoy camping above treeline ... there's a huge flat, grassy area