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The Huerfano road was almost dry, but still blocked by a couple deep snow patches 4 miles past the Singing River Ranch. The afternoon clouds clung to the mountains and stayed for the night, a thick fog settled in the valley for the morning. There was a good freeze at 10,200 and a delayed sunhit, but doubted my chances of making my way up the valley and finding nipple creek in the dark, and getting back to the forest before the snow turned into a nightmare. So slept in a bit, and repacked with a camp to spend the day working out the mixed road, the creek crossing, and the inconspicuous gully to the hanging basin. The sun cam out, but the snow stayed supportive. The gps altimeter read just twenty feet shy of the 10,700 where I skinned into a small gully as the path of least resistance. It developed into a more pronounced ravine. It was not really necassary to drag a heavy tent up there, but worth it in the end.
lots of blue in there
Unsettled afternoon weather persisted into the next morning again, The moon set behind Blanca, and lit the fast moving clouds over the summit; mean looking. Thought I missed my window until this patch of blue sky.
Nice to have a leisurely start time again, but I had to get moving.
So camp was packed and stashed down by the ravine entrance.
The route was more straightforward than it looked from the pass.
Gash Ridge: the definition of classic!
summit snow conditions
Culebra
riding the north face of Lindsey
back up to the pass
ascent route in white.
riding into the basin again. I found my way through the right side, and retrived camp.
Slog!
California: Uber Alles
note the dry moraine
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Great report and photos!
You said you drove 4 miles past Singing River Ranch? This put you about 1.5 miles below the trailhead - I just wanted to check to make sure that was correct - in case some of us head down there.
That's correct, I was at 10,2 just below the NF boundary, so about two miles from the TH. You should be able to get within a mile of the summer TH by this weekend, in fact an old beat down bronco did so just as I was getting back.
Also, there was a band of pink flagging on a tree on the southeast side of Huerfano Creek marking the gully entrance.
Yeah, Eolus group, that will whip ya into shape. California looked good up to on the side from the road. Dry for quite a ways up to it. I did not specifically watch for it though. Is that it at the end?
What up man. Nice looking trip. Me and Joe went to the Eolus Group.
You didn‘t get a look at Huerfano and California by any chance did you
Thanks
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