Colorado 2008

[gpsjoe]

Hiking Colorado’s High Country

This was the fifth year that I have hiked Colorado high country in the July/August time frame. Basically it’s too hot for hiking in Arizona (with a few exceptions) at this time. There are 55 peaks in Colorado at 14,000 feet or greater. I like doing these and I did 8 of them in 2008. They are physically challenging and the views from the top are spectacular. They are also very popular and you will often have some or a lot of company hiking these.

Make no mistake about it; there are astounding hikes in Colorado that do not involve going to the highest elevations. If you hike 14ers you spend a lot of time above tree line (roughly 11,500 feet). The terrain becomes bald and often rocky with an Alpine lake or 2 along the way. They are a lot alike from one 14er to another in that respect.

Some of the greatest scenic hikes are at 12,000 feet and below. On a great hike you might encounter cabins, mine ruins, creeks, lakes, fantastic waterfalls and streams flush with water, wildflowers, wild life and, of course, pine forest. And you will also see snow in July/August. On many of these hikes there is so much water that, if you filtered, you could do them without carrying any water at all. Go through a saddle at 12,000 feet or so and you will also get most of the views you get on a 14er.

There are pros and cons to CO hiking in the July/August window.

Pros

Hiking temperatures at or above 10,000 feet elevation are near perfect for hiking. Cool or cold at times with enough snow near the peaks to make for great views and photos but not enough snow to obstruct hiking or make for dangerous conditions. There is almost an infinite amount of hiking possibilities there. CO has 55 peaks at greater than 14,000 feet elevation and hundreds of peaks between 13,000 and 14,000 feet. When I first tried these elevations I wondered if it would be a problem for me and, of course, the answer is it was not. With a day or two of living at 9,000 or 10,000 feet the body adjusts to the air pressure and going up is not a problem for almost anyone. There are rare individuals who do not adjust well but the key word here is “rare”.

Also there are thousands of hiking possibilities with beautiful forests, rivers, creeks, streams and waterfalls. And I soon became aware that CO creeks don’t babble, they roar. It is truly an amazing place. After I have spent about 12 weeks there I have only managed to scratch the surface a bit. There are large parts of CO I have not seen yet, but I will be back in the July/August time frame in future years.

Cons

There is a weather pattern there where, on a typical day, the morning is characterized by beautiful sunny skies and cool temperatures followed by dark clouds rolling in anytime after noon but most often between 2 and 5 PM which turn into some (or a lot) of rain with or without lightning and thunder. This year it was an everyday occurrence. You don’t want to be caught out in the open above tree line (about 11,500 feet) during an electrical storm.

The antidote for this weather is to start your hikes really early in the morning, make it to the high peaks before noon and get below tree line as soon as possible after that to avoid getting fried. Always carry good rain gear and adjust this schedule based on the actual weather you experience while hiking. If you are camping or backpacking take the best rain protection including dry bags you can find since you will encounter wet weather in any trip lasting more than a couple of days.

I day hike and stay at time share facilities or a local motel. This can be pricey but can be managed if you rent a house or condo up to a year in advance and split the cost between groups of 4 to 8.

The drive from Phoenix to Breckenridge is between 700 and 800 miles depending on the route selected (I now choose scenic routes which are longer and slower but stunningly beautiful). The drive is less for the Durango, Pagosa Springs, Telluride and Lake City areas and more for Rocky Mountain National park.

14ers have become extremely popular and you probably will not be alone out there. They can be crowded at times, especially weekends and holidays. Doing 14ers mid-week and less traveled paths on the weekends is a good idea.

But…………..

In spite of those cons, Colorado has been my choice for 5 years and I hope for a lot more years into the future. Needless to say, I love the place. For my money, this is the best hiking but only during July and August. I am not fond of too much snow.

Photos for the 2008 hikes

Salmon & Willow Lakes is a 13.2 mile round trip to both lakes done on July 27, 2008 by myself. A very nice moderate hike.

Copper Mountain to Frisco is a 13 mile one way hike on the Wheeler trail from Copper Mountain off of route 91 then turning onto the Miners Creek trail taking us up and over the 10 mile range at 12,550 feet with some great views of Copper Mountain and the Holy Cross. We passed near peak 6 on the 10 mile range. GB and I returned to Frisco on the Peaks trail in a fairly heavy rain for 2 of the last 3 miles. We did this one on July 28.

Mounts Lincoln & Bross are two 14ers and a 7 mile hike. When we arrived at the summit of Mount Lincoln the skies were threatening. GB decided not to go on to Bross but I did anyway. Borrowing a line from comedian Ron White, she apparently has a lot to live for. Fortunately for me the hail storm I found myself in at Bross summit did not have any electrical activity. But she made the correct decision. At my tender age I have more of a FIGMO attitude. We did this on July 29.

Grays & Torreys Peaks are two more 14ers and an 8.4 mile hike. We did this on July 31 after a day of rest and laundry doing on the 30th.

Mount Bierstadt is a relatively easy 14er and a 7.3 mile round trip hike. We did this one on August 1.

Continental Divide is a moderate one way 8.8 mile hike on the Continental Divide from Boreas Pass to Hoosier Pass. This is a ridgeline hike not on any trail but there was trail and/or dirt road for about 3 of the 8.8 miles. The rest is off trail. The hike is very scenic between 11,500 and 13,400 feet. The ridgeline was 13,000 feet plus for about 5 miles so it should be done with no threat of an electrical storm. We had pre-parked a car at Hoosier Pass. We did this on August 2. This hike is not on most folks radar screens so we saw hikers for only about 2 miles when they turned back. Good to do on the weekend when other trails may be crowded. The Continental Divide is accurately shown on the USGS 24K map but is not shown at all on the 100K maps.

Mount Massive is a strenuous 13.6 mile round trip hike with more than 4,500 feet of climbing. It’s the 2nd highest peak in Colorado and 3rd highest in the U. S. (excluding Alsaka). We did this after a day of rest on August 4.

Mohawk Lakes is a moderate 6 mile round trip hike that has almost everything you could ask for. Cabins, mine ruins, the impressive Continental Falls, upper and lower Mohawk lakes, and if you hike past Mohawk lakes there are 3 more unnamed lakes. We hike to the base of Pacific Peak but did not summit on this day. Nearby there are the Atlantic, Pacific and Crystal Peaks (did Crystal in 2007 from lower Crystal lake not far away). These 3 peaks are all at greater than 13,800 feet and they get little or no traffic because they just missed the 14,000 foot mark. But if you want a peak all to yourself, here are some goodies. We did this one on August 6.

Quandary Peak is a 6.8 mile round trip. That is 3,400 feet of elevation gain in 3.4 miles for an average grade of 20 percent but some is 10 and some is 30 or more. A great workout we did on August 7.

Eccles Loop is a 13.3 mile very scenic loop hike that takes in Willow Falls, Eccles Pass at 11,900 feet through scenic valleys with lots and lots of water and on past Lilly Pad lake back to the starting trailhead. GB returned home so I did this alone on August 9.

Mount Harvard according to the official numbers is 1 foot (out of 14,420 feet] lower than Mount Massive. I wonder how they made such a measurement. It ranks 3rd in Colorado and 4th in the U. S. (excluding Alaska of course). The numbers for this hike are similar to those for Mount Massive. It’s 13.6 miles round trip and more than 4,500 feet of elevation to climb. I stayed in Buena Vista on Sunday the 10th hike this one on the 11th and returned home on August 12.

Another great time hiking in Colorado.

Note: After starting a slide show I like to view it full screen by pressing the full screen button on the bottom of the first screen.

[thesuperstitions]

Another great trip to Colorado!!

[Arizonaheat]

Well said, Joe.

Can't wait to look at your pictures.

You need to hit my old home town, Steamboat Springs on one of your trips, if you haven't already. It has some very impressive hiking along the CDT and many, many other areas.
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Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.

[Tom Treks]

Wow, awesome trip, Joe. Great pics too.

Did you just recently sign up with that Phanfare? Pretty cool (free) gallery site.

Say hi to Gabby for me.

[gpsjoe]

[Canyon Dweller]

wow, you really did alot!
great shots too!!!!

I have not done the Eccles loop, but have done both Buffalo Mtn and Red Peak. That area is really amazing. Also totaly jealous about you getting into Salmon and Willow Lakes. I'd love to see Red Peak from that angle along with the really jagged ridge line that leads to it.

Nice to see you did things other then the 14ers. Good to get away from the Crowds.
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