May 2014 Conditions McCullough Gulch

[dbgruber]

Planning a week in Breckenridge starting May 30. Looking to do a few warm-up treks before attempting Quandary Peak mid week. Considering McCullough Gulch as one, and looking for suggestions for another 4 - 8 mile trip. Also would be grateful for any information on current trail conditions and recommended equipment. Planning on bringing crampons and snowshoes - which I expect would be needed for Quandary.

Thanks!

[Doug Shaw]

Planning a week in Breckenridge starting May 30. Looking to do a few warm-up treks before attempting Quandary Peak mid week. Considering McCullough Gulch as one, and looking for suggestions for another 4 - 8 mile trip. Also would be grateful for any information on current trail conditions and recommended equipment. Planning on bringing crampons and snowshoes - which I expect would be needed for Quandary.

Thanks!

If you're just looking for hikes and not specifically to summit things with your warmup hikes, there are tons of options.

Spruce Gulch (one drainage north of McCullough) is pretty cool.
Head south over Hoosier Pass to Montgomery Reservoir and hike up the road to Wheeler Lake.
South of Alma you could head toward Mosquito Pass. You won't get a full sized vehicle anywhere close to the Pass for a while, but could be some good training hiking.
Head up to Loveland Pass and hike around up there - but that does get you higher fast (pass is at 12K), so if you're acclimitizing it might not be a good "Day 1" option - maybe move up to it.

Ditch the crampons, you don't need them on Quandary. If you've got snowshoes those will suffice for both floatation and traction, although odds are good you won't even really need those. They may come in a little handy on the way down in the afternoon, but even then you'd probably be fine with just gaiters. The east ridge sees a LOT of traffic, so there's usually a good trail packed out.

[dbgruber]

Doug - I appreciate your thoughtful suggestions. Looking forward to the trip.