Top 5 tips for Chicago Basin

[Jim Davies]

Yup, you'll get the first two in, then it will rain. That area is amazingly rainy during the prime climbing season.

[hobo13]

A.) Skip the train. Real men do it from the road.

B.) Make it a loop. After you climb the 14ers in CB, continue on over Columbine Pass and around to Molas Pass TH. It's about 50 miles all-in, not including the 11 mile hitchhike back to your car.

At least that's how we did it...... best 14er trip of my life!

[forbins_mtn]

Is the train really $83? I just briefly checked the site and can't hardly believe that.....

[peter303]

Is the train really $83? I just briefly checked the site and can't hardly believe that.....

In line with Aspen "list" ski tickects (@$100) and Disneyland admissions ($92).

[benners]

Is the train really $83? I just briefly checked the site and can't hardly believe that.....

They also charge a "freight charge" for each individual backpack you have with you, which I believe does up the price to around $100 per person (more than a Disneyland admission ticket). What's even more interesting is that I remember paying somewhere in the vicinity of $45 per person in 2007, so the prices have literally doubled in the last 4 years.

[msmith7361]

Anyone heading up this weekend?

[cory1223oh]

I'm heading to Chicago Basin Aug 1-4 for my first trip to the San Juans. I've read through this thread a couple times but wanted to bring it back and see if anyone has any new tips or recommendations.

[wildlobo71]

1. Train costs are $100.10 from Durango.

2. Enjoy, don't rush this trip. Drive down the night before; imbibe in Ska, Steamworks, Carver, or any other local facility that serves good beer. Crash for $30 in the awesome Durango Hometown Hostel (2 or more, it's $27 per; 3 or more, $24 per person).

3. Bring a six-pack and stash it in the river at Needleton; this is for the trip back.

4. If you break camp by 8am the morning of your train, go and get the train that is northbound to Silverton at 11:15... go eat lunch in Silverton; catch the train back; or...

5. Take your time out of camp, or bag a morning peak; get down to the river and wait for the 3:35 southbound train with nice cold beer from the river.

6 (bonus) - you'll arrive after 6pm; if you can, go back to the hostel for another night and shower/sleep... take off in the morning.

[djkest]

My top 5 tips for Chi Basin would be...


4) Make sure you bring enough nourishing food to replenish all the energy you will burn on the approach, four 14ers and the return. All the hiking I did in CB made me hungry!

This is a big one in my opinion. For example, if you were to climb Sunlight and Windom, and then get back to your tent around noon or 1 PM, it would be good to have 1 meal right away (lunch time!) and another meal before bed. So yeah, I could have easily eaten 2 mountain houses after the climbing was done. I believe I was completely out of food by the time we came down, and started to eat my friend's food too. On a sedentary day I burn something like 2500 calories, so eating 4,000 calories on a long hiking day wouldn't be unreasonable.

[Aug_Dog]

Stash your sixer well. Some asshats stole ours last year. Incredibly disappointing.

[Aug_Dog]

Also, if you don't feel like doing the sunlight summit block, don't feel like you have to. My group did not and I'm perfectly fine with that.

[wildlobo71]

Stash your sixer well. Some asshats stole ours last year. Incredibly disappointing.

True - about 100+ yards upstream.