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OK so i am still a little caught up in the "New Spot per Month Challenge" even though it has formally ended in 2024.
And while in summit county the approach up to old Ptarmigan Peak sure looked invitingly gold! Having only banged up that way for rando day hikes for like 10-15 years now - seemed time to finally wrap it up.
But that gold calls far and wide it seems. Didn't calculate leafers into equation. No parking. Plan dunzo!!
Pop quiz hot shot?? What are you gonna do??
Answer - Shrine pass? started driving that way. had supplies for big mission and ready to go. but mid drive i recalculated to at least go instead to Buckeye peak near climax instead since i only went there once in like 2011 or something. fresher terrain right?
Wasn't really that much further either. solid backup plan forming. but here's the kicker - then i thought - 'can't you swing out way north instead of just heading up direct to buckeye like you did last time?'
and like my boy Frost says
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Chicago Ridge baby! Very humble terrain all around sure but the key for me was instead of looping around hard north to take the chicago ridge entirely I just took this mid ridge direct at the downtown of chicago.
Why is that?
Awesome level forest meadow region back that way. was best part of the hike really. and the travel was nearly level! reminded me of my Flattop days. what do i always say? it is nice some times to just travel out and across instead of banging up the side of a friggin mountain all the time.
and further inspection revealed the very north end of chicago ridge is not exactly deepdish terrain anyway. plus this manuever allowed just enough time to wrap up to buckeye too for the solid super loop finish.
And note that ridge that you drop back off of buckeye is in fact the continental divide itself right there beneath you. just a subtle wrinkle in the land
entering the chicago suburbs
that contrast is already legendary with me - the golds, the greens, the reds, the whites, the blues - u kidding me??
Caption Here
Chicago central with leadville to south. Golds were solid too - screw the Ptarmagin leafers - i got mine.
Continental divide to the left here - that's it
Continental Divide ridge in foreground extending to the left there. Buckeye cannot be seen from here. The aforementioned forest meadow region in to the far center right there. That was quite a prize to me. Wish I had lingered there longer.
For purposes of full disclosure - I was also hearing the 9.13.25 phish show on headphones up through the meadows too. For the first time! Fresh to my ears. That has become a thing for me - new jams in new places. And this one linked up big time. Hard to explain if not there.
But the moral of the story - is huge. Leafers got you down? Your mission blocked? Adjust and bounce back and you could end up with greater outcome there on the spot. This was huge win.
Can you see the chopper in the shot??
Red - the 2025 route - purple down - BUT - purple was the way up in 2011 to buckeye - and the turquoise line was the way down
UPDATE - yes see map above and in comments. the 2011 trip was itself notable - because i had scouted out rather precisely the special loop back to the car on the 'turquoise' route in the map with the then new Google Earth technology. I had it dialed in to a tree. I could have come back that way this time but wasn't sure which ridge was exactly that ridge so I just came back on the big ridge. and yes again - that ridge is the continental divide itself there too.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
yes i was looking down at Cooper on top of Chicago. I have never been to cooper either - closest i been yet.
updated above with map and info - route from off Hwy 91 there south of the climax mine. i walked up the dirt road but coulda driven higher with any car.
for full reference here's link to that map too:
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