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I am a long haired minature dachshund named Conan with 29 fourteeners under my collar not including 3 repeat climbs.
This has to be in my top 5 favorite hikes. We were too late in the Summer for the wildflowers to be in full bloom, but the alpine meadows were probably crowded with them a month ago. Unlike the dead lodgepole pines elsewhere in much of the state the trees which were mostly spruce and the aspen were thick with growth. We spotted deer several times as well as a flock of 30 or more turkeys on the road out.
Ken, my dad and I hooked up with a fellow climber named Mark who had camped with us at the trail head the night before. It was a blue bird day so we left after sunrise.
The views of Blanca and Ellingwood are awesome and unlike Blanca, with it's tank trap 4WD road and round rocks on round rocks hiking trail, this was cake.
The trail is easy to follow until you start along the rockfall next to the ravine. The trick is not to climb the talus and follow the trail near the bottom which gets sketchy where trees have fallen. At the 12,000 foot level you reach the alpine meadow with fantastic views of the peaks.
The climb out of the basin to the ridge gives a pretty decent view of the Crestones, Kit Carson and Humbolt as well as your first real view of Lindsey's summit.
The summit climb was a blast. We climbed the chute along the edges where there were plenty of toe holds until the top here we went right to the ridge route, which was fine, but adds a bit of distance because it ascends the false summit first.
On the return trip the trail to the chute was easier to find and we made good time downclimbing although we spaced ourselves out when there was loose rock. The trick to staying on this trail upclimbing at the top of the chute is to continue in a straight line accross a rubble filled trough and up the opposite side.
Here is a picture of Ken, Mark and Me on the summit.
On our way down we had two F-16's fly over top of the Blanca/Ellingwood ridge and swoop over us in the meadow. They were going too quick to get a camera on them, but this was a highligt of our day. Thanks Buckley AFB!
There is a mine that is open on the way down. I'm not saying we went into it, but it's not very long and it is a bit creepy - like an emptly spam can and a pair of weathered shoes. No bear signs, but it could have had anything in it. Probably not a side trip to recommend.
Overall I would give this hike 4 paws up. The class 2+ climbing at the summit is for real, but the trail and views make this an awesome hike.
Conan, out.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Fun report! By the way, we were up there today, and DID the side trip into the cave. It was pretty neat- snakes around and around. We went in pretty deep... but I felt it was time to turn around!
It was pretty cool. Of course it looks bigger from my height, but you probably saw it all because it ends pretty abruptly after a few turns. Was the empty spam can and sneakers still laying on the ground by the entrance? That was creepy.
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