Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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bbutzin wrote:Question... if the Shavano trail is in such bad shape, is that going to push people toward the old Jennings Creek TH to Tabby? I know we're not *supposed* to use that trail, but I am just curious if people are going to.
You can still use the Jennings Creek TH to access Tabeguache (and Shavano). The closed route is the southwest ridge, but if you hike along Jennings Creek further into the basin you can access the west ridge at the saddle between Tabeguache and Carbonate Mountain and follow the ridge to the summit(s). There isn't a lot of space for vehicles to park around the TH, though.
Agreed, great alternative.
Here's a depiction of the route. The red is the closed route, the blue is open. The yellow section is where the erosion problem is.
I also agree that Jennings Creek is a great alternative. We hiked Tab late summer via the West Ridge and found it peaceful, beautiful, and good class 2 hiking. Higly recommended!
"On the edge of the porch in the warm evening night
Throwing the bone for the dog I see two passing lights
Well, I wonder where that driver's bound
Is there someone, somewhere, someway out there that I've not found"
-Driving Song
MrFrumpylane wrote:
You're right to question the resources that the FS has to tackle this problem. I still know folks who work in wilderness/trail crew and they tell me that budgets have been slashed in recent times- meaning, small crews. Past experience tells me that they are most likely to reroute the carnage portions (assuming the trail is under their jurisdiction - much of the 14er trails in my FS district when I was employed were not).
I worked the last two seasons on a six person wilderness crew charged with clearing trails, and know that this year they were only able to hire two seasonals due to budget cuts. That will definitely mean delays getting trails cleared, given that now there can only be one saw team instead of three. Other districts in southern Colorado haven't been able to hire seasonals for a couple summers now.
And a big +1 to what Carnegie said about trail clearing. There's a lot more to it than just cutting out sections of logs. If you don't know what "bind" is and how to read it, you could get yourself seriously hurt - especially in jack-strawed piles like it sounds Shavano has.
semitrueskerm- I'm still trying to locate my camera cord to download the pictures I have. To give you an idea, numerous times on our descent I'd stop because forward progress was blocked I'd head 30 yards to the right and it was blocked, turn and head 40 yards back to the left and found an easier path and proceeded on...a little. Crawl over logs. Crawl under logs. Repeat... The hundreds of craters left, some large enough for a 2P tent, will most likely need to be assessed as erosion will become another issue to contend with once the monsoons start this summer. When I've hiked on a trail, especially in the dark I usually have a close to photographic memory of the trail. This is the first time I've been at a total loss of where I was. Yes, I had a good sense of where we were and where we were headed, but I didn't recognize anything. During our descent the GPS said where the trail was, but with so much downed timber crisscrossed and earth ripped up there just was no possible way you could tell by looking where the trail used to be.
I can't keep repeating this enough to folks though- DON'T TAKE THE HONEY BADGER APPROACH ON THIS ONE. What everyone needs to be mindful of is the trees yet to fall either leaning or twisted leaving spiral fractures, but still standing. CFI may need to partner with the FS on this one. Our plates are pretty full through Labor Day, but I've said for some time I'd like to volunteer.
Perhaps the mountains can speak to all of us and with an organized and cautious effort we can collectively "move a mountain".
"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."
I did the standard route about a month ago and I leaned on a few trees for balance...and that is all they needed to find the ground. Wasn't too bad on the way up...but it was terrifying in the dark on the way back. GPS required.
Hunter wrote:Carnegie- Again to truly grasp the destruction take a 55g barrel of Lincoln Logs and dump them down a flight of stairs. Place two Army Men at the base of the stairs as 'hikers'. A logging company could perhaps make significant progress on clearing the downed trees 'this year', but with all due respect to the FS, I question the ability of the FS to have the resources and manpower available to dedicate that level of progress required perhaps even if given the end of 2013. A far more realistic expectation would be a re-route of segments of the trail and addressing of the unfallen trees in the near-term. I agree with sgladbach- the worst I've ever encountered too. Had anyone witnessed this level of destruction down in Denver, everyone would probably come to the conclusion this was the result of a tornado. Although possible, it's not probable in that terrain.
Your description is apt. I was up there about a month ago to witness the devastation. Walked up from the angel of shavano th and once on shavano proper, I got as far as where the first incline mellows out (close to landmark rock). I walked around many Very Large Trees across and directly down the trail, but I could always see the trail. My goal was to get through the field but unfortunately, I was and am working a shoulder/neck injury and the constant upper body work was taking its toll, and the postholing wasn't so great. Ice pack and cold beer sounded better so I turned around.
And I think a tornadic wind would have given the forest a semblance of blowdown; not every tree is down.
This same wind blew our back yard fence down as well.
Southwest Conservation Corps is back in town so hopefully they will be able to help out.
It sounds like the West Ridge route on Tabeguache is a good way to climb it and avoid the tree issue. How rough is the 4x4 road to the Jennings Creek TH? I have a full size long bed truck.
Thanks
Your truck should be just fine. Kind of a rough road, but nothing too extreme. With a vehicle that big, your biggest problem may be parking it.
Just make sure you do not take the old, 'closed' route toward Tab.
"Every man dies, not every man really lives" - William Wallace
"Because it's there" - George Mallory
"In the end it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years" - Abraham Lincoln
"You only live once but if you do it right, once is enough" - Mae West
"Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world." - David McCullough Jr.
"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."
Tigerbear wrote:Shavano Standard Route is now clear.....The FS has cut all of the downed trees over the trail.
I imagine just the talk of people taking chain saws in to do it themselves was enough for the FS to service to see this as a dangerous situation. Kudos to the FS.
That's wonderful news! I was thinking of postponing the combo unti next season! Now hopefully they can get to work on the Harvard/Columbia standard route. The trail from N. Cottonwood Creek is awful. Climbed Harvard today probably about 30-40 trees obstructing the trail.
