Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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stlouishiker
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Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by stlouishiker »

I'm an Eagle Scout and am planning a two week backpacking trip with my Boy Scout Troop into the Weminuche for July 2012. Since we are a bunch of flatlanders from Missouri, I was thinking of doing a two to three day acclimation backpack trip to prepare for our Elk Park to Chicago Basin backpack. I saw this hike in Backpacker a while back http://www.backpacker.com/june_09_hike_ ... ions/13170 and it looks pretty good. Also, my scoutmaster will need to see pictures of Half Peak's ridge to ensure that some scout wouldn't fall off and sue me. If you have a pic please post it or send it to me. Thanks. Should we do this route or take a two to three day trek nearer Silverton- Ouray- Durango area? or even should we just do dayhikes like Handies, Uncompahgre, and Sneffels to acclimate?


Also, Mapquest said the way to get to Silverton from Lake City was to go up and over Cinnamon Pass. That's a 4wd road not suitable for a Prius 5 inches off the ground, right?

Thanks
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by Chicago Transplant »

I climbed Half Peak in October, so I don't really have any pictures that would best express summer conditions on the ridge you are talking about. We had some snow to contend with and had to stay more to the crest of the ridge than ordinarily is required.

This is probably the best image I have of that ridge, taken from my trip report (link below)

Image

http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepor ... ki=Include

Someone else may be able to better respond to summer conditions, I think you stay below the crest and bypass the so-called "crumbly towers" that are referred to in the Backpacker article by about 50-60 feet or so but there still is some exposure. It is supposed to be able to be kept at Class 2 the whole way.

As for driving between Lake City and Silverton, you are correct - a Prius would not be a suitable vehicle for Cinnamon Pass. You would have to go around a long way, probably the shortest being to go to Gunnison, then Montrose, then south through Ouray and over Red Mtn Pass. Kind of a long drive, so maybe Silverton would make a better place for acclimating unless you really have your heart set on Half. The Ice Lakes Basin area outside of Silverton is really quite spectacular, and July is wildflower season. The peaks from that basin are a bit more challenging though, most of them involve a little scrambling and some loose rock. Golden Horn is probably the "easiest" in July as Vermilion usually still has some snow and reaching the ridge will require an ice axe.
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by Presto »

I remember that peak being fairly easy (we did it one summer along with about 6 other 13'ers in the area from a camp near Cataract Lake) ... there was one pitch before we hit the summit ridge ... photo link courtesy of SP (I concur with the comments below the photo ... 3 or 4 moves ... not as bad as it looks).

http://www.summitpost.org/image/302482/ ... ridge.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by highpilgrim »

There's a route description in Roach's 13er guide that describes it as class two and I don't remember it mentioning exposure as an issue. Although looking at Presto's image my memory could be wrong. :oops:
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by MtHurd »

So are you wanting to do this 3 day acclimitization trip 3 days before you start at Elk Park? I personally don't think you will need to since you will have 2 weeks to do the route from Elk Park to Needleton. The train will drop you off at Elk Park in the afternoon. You could then backpack up to the Beaver Ponds (very easy) and set up camp. The next day you could day hike up into Vestal Basin and back with just day packs, or just rest. The next day you could hike up towards the Continental Divide and should be in good shape the rest of the way. Just be prepared for nasty weather. July in the San Juans is wet with lots of lightning.\

Another option if you still choose to do an acclimitization trip, consider Ice Lakes Basin near Silverton. Backpack up into the basin and enjoy spectacular scenery. Fuller is an easy peak you could climb or you could choose Vermillion which is a little harder but not too bad.
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by highpilgrim »

stlouishiker wrote: I was thinking of doing a two to three day acclimation backpack trip to prepare for our Elk Park to Chicago Basin backpack.
What route are you planning to take from Elk Park to Chicago Basin? Here's the one we're planning for august.
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by stlouishiker »

Barry Raven wrote:So are you wanting to do this 3 day acclimitization trip 3 days before you start at Elk Park? I personally don't think you will need to since you will have 2 weeks to do the route from Elk Park to Needleton. The train will drop you off at Elk Park in the afternoon. You could then backpack up to the Beaver Ponds (very easy) and set up camp. The next day you could day hike up into Vestal Basin and back with just day packs, or just rest. The next day you could hike up towards the Continental Divide and should be in good shape the rest of the way. Just be prepared for nasty weather. July in the San Juans is wet with lots of lightning.\

Another option if you still choose to do an acclimitization trip, consider Ice Lakes Basin near Silverton. Backpack up into the basin and enjoy spectacular scenery. Fuller is an easy peak you could climb or you could choose Vermillion which is a little harder but not too bad.
Thanks for all the replies so far. Barry, the only problem with that first idea is that we will have to carry a couple extra days of food, which means more weight and less comfort; and we could see more different places in the trip. I've looked at Ice Lakes and it looks really pretty. I'm thinking we'll go there and take a 3 backpack trip into the basin and probably climb a peak or two before doing the Elk Park/ Needleton loop.

Weather, is weather in July worse than in early August? The latest we could do the trip is last week of July and first week of August. Would that be better than mid July? Also, what about June? I'm guessing that there would be too much snow left in the high country for the Elk Park Needleton Loop; would any of the Chicago Basin 14ers be climbable especially Windom and would we be able to use Yaktraks or some similar product or would crampons be needed? How many storms in June?


Thanks
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by stlouishiker »

highpilgrim wrote:
stlouishiker wrote: I was thinking of doing a two to three day acclimation backpack trip to prepare for our Elk Park to Chicago Basin backpack.
What route are you planning to take from Elk Park to Chicago Basin? Here's the one we're planning for august.


That looks like an interesting route, but we were planning on going up to the Contiental Divide from the Elk Park area, crossing the divide twice, heading down Vallecito Creek, up to Columbine Lake, across Columbine pass and into Chicago Basin.

It looks like your route stays on the Animas River side of the Needles and Contiental Divide. That's all bushwacking pretty much isn't it? That looks like a nice route, but I'm the only one in my troop who actually likes bushwhacking so we can't do that. Have fun!
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by gohigher861 »

Will you have any other (4 wheel drive) vehicles to do a point to point, or is the Prius the only one??
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by stlouishiker »

gohigher861 wrote:Will you have any other (4 wheel drive) vehicles to do a point to point, or is the Prius the only one??
The trip would be in the summer of 2012 so I don't know who is coming and what car they would bring. In my troop, two people who would likely go have a modified FJ Cruiser and a Jeep Grand Cherokee both with pretty high clearance and 4wd. I'm not sure sure if they'll go but we could do a 4wd shuttle as long as it it fairly short.
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by gohigher861 »

I can give you more info closer to your trip, but the area I was thinking about is Bolam Pass to Hotel Draw. I do this as a day mtn. bike ride but it would be fun as a multi-day hike. You could leave one vehicle at the junction of the Colorado Trail and Hotel Draw road and take the other (4wd) vehicle up toward Bolam Pass and start your hike where the Colorado Trail crosses the road at Celebration Lake. Hermosa Peak and some of the peaks/ridges on Blackhawk pass are worth doing.
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Re: Best Backpacking in the San Juan

Post by MtHurd »

stlouishiker wrote:
Barry Raven wrote:So are you wanting to do this 3 day acclimitization trip 3 days before you start at Elk Park? I personally don't think you will need to since you will have 2 weeks to do the route from Elk Park to Needleton. The train will drop you off at Elk Park in the afternoon. You could then backpack up to the Beaver Ponds (very easy) and set up camp. The next day you could day hike up into Vestal Basin and back with just day packs, or just rest. The next day you could hike up towards the Continental Divide and should be in good shape the rest of the way. Just be prepared for nasty weather. July in the San Juans is wet with lots of lightning.\

Another option if you still choose to do an acclimitization trip, consider Ice Lakes Basin near Silverton. Backpack up into the basin and enjoy spectacular scenery. Fuller is an easy peak you could climb or you could choose Vermillion which is a little harder but not too bad.
Thanks for all the replies so far. Barry, the only problem with that first idea is that we will have to carry a couple extra days of food, which means more weight and less comfort; and we could see more different places in the trip. I've looked at Ice Lakes and it looks really pretty. I'm thinking we'll go there and take a 3 backpack trip into the basin and probably climb a peak or two before doing the Elk Park/ Needleton loop.

Weather, is weather in July worse than in early August? The latest we could do the trip is last week of July and first week of August. Would that be better than mid July? Also, what about June? I'm guessing that there would be too much snow left in the high country for the Elk Park Needleton Loop; would any of the Chicago Basin 14ers be climbable especially Windom and would we be able to use Yaktraks or some similar product or would crampons be needed? How many storms in June?


Thanks
Yes, two weeks is a lot of food. An option if you have a 4x4. Drive up to Kite Lake and stash some food. It's a pretty rough 4x4 road, but not bad enough that a stock pickup or SUV couldn't do it (excluding CRV, RAV4, Escape etc...). You could arrive at Kite Lake on the 3rd day, pick up the food and continue on over Hunchback Pass and down into Vallecito Creek.

July and August are both bad storm months. June is much better, but you would want late June to make sure most of the major snow has melted off. No guarantees on June as storms can happen as well, but the odds are a little better. Early September would be the ideal time to go, although your boys probably would be starting school by then.

I've done this route and it is fantastic. Just make sure you move on days when the weather is good, because you may have several where you are stuck in storms and you may get behind. Stand in awe as you pass by the beaver ponds below Vestal and Arrow and of the eastern Grenadiers as you drop down from Hunchback Pass into the Vallecito. You will be hiking a mild downhill trail along the Vallecito so that would be a good time to hit some miles.

One other suggestion, if you can avoid it, don't camp in Chicago Basin. Nasty little critters like rabbits, marmots, and goats will try to gnaw into your things. You will be sharing the basin with plenty other humans too.
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