Water on Pikes?

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AndrewLyonsGeibel
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by AndrewLyonsGeibel »

justiner wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:50 pm I've always contributed those donuts to all my Pikes Peak success! I never leave the summit house without polishing off a half dozen, myself!
You mist have an iron gut.
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douglas
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by douglas »

This is kind of last-minute but wondering what the parking options are if the lot at the barr Trailhead is full. Staying overnight at Barr camp.
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by jibler »

what about the last water available - this time of year - going up the Crags trail ?

should i assume that after leaving the four mile creek - that's it until the top??
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JQDivide
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by JQDivide »

jibler wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 12:05 pm what about the last water available - this time of year - going up the Crags trail ?

should i assume that after leaving the four mile creek - that's it until the top??
The last spot is like 30 minutes from the TH. Maybe 10-15 minutes above Four Mile Creek.
(Not the footbridge, but above that.)
It's a small drainage. Most people will remember walking on the rocks to cross.
No real point that close to the TH.

Joel
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by jibler »

word


also - what about this weird alternate route i just conjured up?

park at elk park trailhead - try to hit this cool looking shoulder on NE side of pikes??

Image

i often think of going to pikes - yet always find something else to do. i need something to draw me in.
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two lunches
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by two lunches »

jibler wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 12:21 pm i often think of going to pikes - yet always find something else to do. i need something to draw me in.
abysmal views, worse crowds.
crags is a nice(ish) route, but it all goes to s**t as soon as you hit the trashpiles, broken bottles and cigarette butts at the Devil's Playground. though as much as i'd love to say i'll never go back, i would actually really like to see the Hill Climb one of these years..
“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by aholle88 »

jibler wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 12:21 pm word


also - what about this weird alternate route i just conjured up?

park at elk park trailhead - try to hit this cool looking shoulder on NE side of pikes??

Image

i often think of going to pikes - yet always find something else to do. i need something to draw me in.
That’s a known route on Pikes, Rumdoodle Ridge.
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by justiner »

I enjoyed the route that starts at Horsethief TH, but it'll merge with Crags at Devils Playground.
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by jrs1965 »

It's possible to connect Elk Park Trail to Rumdoodle, but ascending the north face via Rumdoodle is best done as a spring snow route. (Ascending the north face routes this time of year would be a SS). It's long, but you could just take Elk Park Trail to Barr Trail/Barr Camp and then up to the summit. EPT is actually really nice and somewhat remote. There's a short side trail on EPT that goes over to the Oil Creek Tunnel mine site. Interesting, parts of an old steam engine remain, and there's a barred-up horizontal mine shaft. Another 'local" variation would be Heizer trail. You access Heizer from Cascade right where you turn off 24 to go up the PP Highway. Remote, few people on Heizer, and easy parking. LMK if you need any of the gpx files here...
Pike.jpg
Pike.jpg (191.63 KiB) Viewed 399 times
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aholle88
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by aholle88 »

jrs1965 wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 2:15 pm It's possible to connect Elk Park Trail to Rumdoodle, but ascending the north face via Rumdoodle is best done as a spring snow route. (Ascending the north face routes this time of year would be a SS). It's long, but you could just take Elk Park Trail to Barr Trail/Barr Camp and then up to the summit. EPT is actually really nice and somewhat remote. There's a short side trail on EPT that goes over to the Oil Creek Tunnel mine site. Interesting, parts of an old steam engine remain, and there's a barred-up horizontal mine shaft. Another 'local" variation would be Heizer trail. You access Heizer from Cascade right where you turn off 24 to go up the PP Highway. Remote, few people on Heizer, and easy parking. LMK if you need any of the gpx files here...

Pike.jpg
It looks like he's just talking about taking Rumdoodle->upper portion of crags route to the summit. Rumdoodle itself is a fine way to ascend Pikes. I've done it connecting Heizer->severy->elk park to rumdoodle (descending Barr->cabin creek->heizer) which was a really quality outing. Doing it from Manitou to bottomless pit and up rumdoodle is also a good time. Also did it in snow after skinning up the Crags and closed highway to the summit and skiing the Y. That sucked. Hip deep trap door slogging through wet spring snow was not the most pleasant way to ascend Rumdoodle... but, skiing the Y in powder and getting bonus turns all the way down the Crags made up for it, one of my favorite days on Pikes. Biking up Barr to the bottomless pit, hiking rumdoodle, then running back down Barr from the summit to the bikes and biking down Barr was spectacular. Many ways to do the doodle!
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by jibler »

dang it - the nice weather this weekend plus my need to get after the 'new spot per month challenge' is burning a hole in my brain right now.


I don't feel like anything more than one night of camping - don't want to mess with reservations around brainard lake - nor really paying to go up pike peak road.

can't seem to land on the right relatively-straightforward attack here.


I would usually haul a big jug of water along with some bottle in my backpack for something like the crags angle on pikes - but that would have to be a pretty full jug it would seem.


big question - is there a water fountain at the top of pikes??
Keep looking up - Jack Horkheimer
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Re: Water on Pikes?

Post by Mtnman200 »

jibler wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 3:40 pmbig question - is there a water fountain at the top of pikes??
The old summit house had one. I haven’t been through the new summit house but can’t imagine it wouldn’t have one as well.
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