The Best Time to Visit Leadville, CO, US for Weather

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Colorado breweries we've visited in the rest of the state: 2020 update

One more roundup before we leave, alas. Regions are still super approximate. I updated some previous rankings as well.
Tallies: 137 in the Denver metro; 66 in the rest of the Front Range; 33 in the rest of the state. We've visited a total of 236 breweries, cideries, and meaderies in Colorado.

The Rest of the Front Range

The Rest of Colorado (South, West, Central)

Current category tally: 33
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A burned out Ultra Runner's long and winding road to a Sub 4hr Marathon finish at Houston

Race: 2020 Chevron Houston Marathon on January 19th
Me: Male in 35-39 yr bracket
Finish: Under 4hrs, as the title suggest
Synopsis: Grab a beer, this is more of an 8 page report of my past two years transitioning from a long period spent running Trails and Ultras, to road training, and my current finish at the Houston Marathon.
​
I had spent Five long years chasing the glory of running Trail and Mountain Ultras, before the Mountains consumed me whole, leaving behind a barren, burnt out husk a runner that had barely ran a step for half a year before deciding to give Road Running and Marathons a try. When you’ve experienced the life altering journey of traversing a Hundred Miles through extremely tough, wild, and jaw droppingly beautiful Mountain wilderness and landscapes, hallucinated deliriously under a night sky filled with bright and brilliant stars, and managing to come through the other side of the finish line some 34+ hours later; there’s not an experience in this world you would rather chase from then on. It’s been five and a half years since I completed, more like limped across the finish line after 34 hours dragging a dead leg with a pulled groin muscle, the majestic Bryce Canyon Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Utah; the grueling experience, with some 19,000ft of climbing over 102 Miles, was revelatory for me, and I desperately wanted to continue chasing other legendary Hundred Mile footraces in the mountains like Leadville, Wasatch, Western States, and Hardrock to name a few, until they left me utterly broken.
I had no idea what I was doing, pure stubbornness and a willingness, a pathological need to suffer even, was powering me forward through one Trail Ultra after another, in 40+ races over 5 years I threw my body against the trails and somehow made it through the other side, until I ran smack dab into the immovable object known as the Wasatch Front Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Utah; I was stopped cold after trudging 61 Miles, 23 hours, and some 17,000ft of huffing it over the Wasatch Mountain ranges. I realized then, my undisciplined training had finally caught up to me, and I couldn’t progress any further beyond that point unless I did more serious training, but I was stubborn and kept wanting to chase this destructive high, until, somewhat dramatically, a year later I nearly froze to death mile 60 something into the Run Rabbit Run Hundred Mile in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I was wandering in the middle of a bone chilling night at nearly 10,000ft altitude in the Colorado Mountains, under dressed for the occasion and not being able to run much for the past dozen miles or so to generate enough body heat. After a couple of hours of drunk walking the race, barely able to keep my eyes open, I finally sat down on the side of the trail and promptly fell asleep, the one thing you’re not supposed to do when you’re on the verge of freezing to death. Eventually a race official riding an ATV patrolling the trails came and woke me up after a few minutes; still not wanting to drop out of the race by accepting a ride back on the ATV, I walked another couple of miles to an Aid Station at Mile 70, sat by the bonfire they had going with a handful of other shivering runners for awhile, and decided I was done with racing Ultras entirely.
That experience left me majorly burned out for nearly a year, hardly running at all, though occasionally going on long thru-hikes in the National Parks, like Big Bend, the Grand Tetons, and Glacier National Park, in order to get my trail and nature fix. Once a runner, always a runner though, and the desire and need to chase after difficult running goals returned; this time I was fixated on that venerable running goal, the Sub 4 Hour Marathon. Sub 4 has always been one of those long time goals of mine, since running my first Marathon all the way back in 2010 at the Dallas White Rock Marathon, before I got sidetracked by chasing Ultras, now it seemed like a good time as any to break in these trail legs by training for Road Marathons again. More than just some arbitrary time goal though, achieving Sub 4 would prove to myself that I had the drive and commitment to train for, what I would call, an obtainable difficult goal that’s outside of my comfort zone of the trails, and maybe afterwards boost my endurance and confidence enough to race Ultras again. Recognizing that my usual undisciplined, improvised, and mostly solo training that had me falling short on difficult Ultras, I needed structure and support in my road training, and that led me to the Dallas Running Club.
I’ve ran in plenty of group runs over the years, they’re usually casual runs put up on Facebook, where you show up and would be lucky to know anyone, much less have someone there running at the exact same pace and mileage you’re needing; most of the time I’m either following some dude running way too friggin fast, or by myself in these groups, I guess I’m too much of a social introvert to really gel with a group of total strangers. What attracted me to the Dallas Running Club is that they’re a professional running organization completely run by volunteers, where you can pay an annual fee to be apart of, this gives you access to some basic perks and free entry into various races they hold in the city of Dallas, but to really be a part of the DRC and get to know runners from basically all over the Metroplex, you’d have to sign up for their training programs, from couch to 5K, to Half and Full Marathon programs, that are overseen by certified volunteer coaches and pacers. From there, based on what you’re training for, and using past racing results or time estimates, you’re sorted into a group of folks all seeking to train at similar mileage and paces in organized group runs, twice a week; I liken the process as being sorted into your respective Houses at Hogwarts.
Using a decade old Sub 2hr Half Marathon finishing time as my past result on the online signup form, I was sorted into the 4:00hr Marathon Pace group for their Fall program, while it was what I was looking to achieve at the Dallas Marathon in 2017 that I had already signed up for, in hindsight though, was a huge mistake on my part. Considering I haven’t trained much on road in years, have been on a six month long running funk of extremely low to non-existent weekly mileage, and just came back from a grueling thru-hiking trip at the Grand Tetons and Glacier National Park (covering some 60+ miles in several days) a week earlier, I was probably in for a rude awakening. By then, I was anxious and ready to go though, how hard could it be for someone who was ran 40 something Ultras by now, anyway?
As it turned out, quite hard actually, I was completely out of my depth, and every group run felt like a race, as I was working to get my dormant road legs back and my lungs, accustomed to easy thru-hiking paces for the past 6 months, use to the constant and relentless paces required of the 4:00hr Marathon Pace. The DRC Tuesday speedwork sessions set my lungs on fire, desperately grasping for air every step of the way, while their Saturday Long run hammered my legs and feet, which were used to softer dirt trails, into utter oblivion. During off days, where you’re supposed to train on your own, my legs were too destroyed to run much; I was nothing, if not incredibly stubborn though, and kept hanging onto the group runs by a thread, until I slowly started to acclimate my legs to the road. The Full Marathon program, which usually last 15 weeks, flew by quickly while I was having fun (as much fun as dying, anyway, ha) with my 4:00hr group, which by the end had become a cohesive unit of dedicated runners all encouraging each other towards their running goals; an experience that you’ll be hard pressed to find in a casual Facebook group run.
The end of every DRC Fall program coincides with the Dallas Marathon, and while I fell short that year in 2017, clocking a 4:10hr finish, considering I barely survived my first road training program, I was more than okay with those results, and was eager to return for their Spring Marathon program to further strengthen my training base. After a month long break between training seasons, I returned to the 4:00hr Marathon group feeling hopeful about training for another Sub 4hr attempt at the 2018 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in late April, things didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped for, though. Brutally cold weather at the start of the year left me, and many other runners in the DRC groups unmotivated to show up and train in the group runs, and then in February I got side-swiped driving on the freeway; while suffering only minor injuries from the car accident, it still hampered my training for several weeks as I fully recovered from the accident. I managed to finish the Spring program feeling somewhat hopeful of my chances at the OKC Marathon, but it was a terribly hot day, reaching into low 80s with not a cloud in the sky by the end of the race; I barely managed to squeak through under 5 hours with a 4:58hr finish, and with all things considered, was quite okay of those results, chalk it up to a base building season, I told myself.
During the Summer, the DRC holds my favorite training program of theirs, the Summer Fast Track program, where twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you alternate between blistering track workouts and punishing hill repeats, all under the oppressive 90+ degree summer evening heat in Dallas, Texas. It’s as brutal as it sounds, but there’s no better way to get acclimated quickly to the Texas Summer heat, and while you’re encouraged to go at whatever pace you’re comfortable with, if you’re the competing type, there’s always someone faster in front of you to measure up against. I had a blast that summer on the Fast Track during the weekdays, and spending the weekends running with an Early Fall group on Saturdays, and hitting the trails again on Sundays in order to train for all the long Mountain hiking trips that I would eventually burn myself out on all over again.
A week before the 2018 DRC Fall program was to start in early August, my wanderlust on the trails took over again, and after a summer spent hiking a handful of Colorado 14ers, I had my sights set on the Circumnavigation of Mt Hood in Oregon. The Epic 42 Mile and 10,000+ft of elevation gain Timberline hiking trail around Mt Hood, that would normally take Thru-Hikers 3 days to complete, I decided to do it in One Day; through 16 brutal and exhaustive hours, I managed to complete the circumnavigation, and guess what I did the very next day, I got up and hiked another 13 Miles at Mount Rainier National Park, haha. I came home from that trip completely spent and broken, a week later, the DRC Fall program began, I essentially repeated my mistake the previous year going on those long thru-hikes in the National Parks a week before the training program was to start. The Ultra runner and nature lover in me don’t regret taking on those challenging thru-hikes (it’s my moment of Zen, and a way to recharge my batteries from my monotonous and stressful job), but I probably shouldn't have done them so close to the start of the training season.
As expected that Fall season didn’t go as well as I hoped it would, it took me like a month just to feel fully recovered from my Mt Hood and Mt Rainier thru-hikes, all while desperately trying to keep up with the 4:00hr group runs. As the group got progressively a little bit faster through the training season, I never quite fully caught up, often having to frustratingly run slower and apart from the group. Wearily, I made it to the end of another Full Marathon training season and to the starting line of the 2018 Dallas Marathon; despite my best efforts, I finished in a disappointing 4:12hrs, falling short of the coveted Sub 4, yet again.
Feeling frustrated, I decided to take a step back chasing a Sub 4 when a Pacing position opened up to co-pace the DRC 4:10hr Spring Marathon group; after several seasons running with the DRC, I decided it would be a good opportunity to give back to the organization and volunteer as a Pace Leader to other runners seeking their own goals, and it would also be a great way to continue building up my own endurance base by running a bit slower than the 4:00hr paces I was struggling all last season at. There’s definitely a bit of pressure to Pace Leading a Marathon group, in having to be committed to showing up twice a week, and consistently hitting specified paces for other runners, instead of just blindly following the Pacer ahead of me, and also motivating your runners and try to keep group runs interesting so that they keep showing up run after training run; it was a process I enjoyed though, and a great way to make some close friends, but not something I would want to do all the time, considering I have goals of my own to chase after.
At the end of the Spring program, instead of a Marathon, I wanted to race a Half Marathon all out instead, so at the 2019 Irving Half Marathon in late April, and with temps approaching the low 80s by the end of the race, I ran at around 8:10 min/mile Tempo paces, desperately trying to hang with a much faster friend for most of the race, till my legs gave out in painful cramps slowing me down a mile before the finish of 1:48:15hrs, beating my previous Half Marathon PR by a whopping 8 minutes! At the end of the Irving Half, I ran so hard that my body went into full convulsive cramps for half an hour, that got so bad that I thought I was gonna have a heart attack, haha, it was all worth it though! While I said I wasn’t gonna do another Marathon at the end of the Spring program, I caught the bug again, and two weeks before the Irving Half, I had signed up for the 2019 Colfax Denver Marathon just three weeks later. I didn’t have much expectations coming into Denver, I was still a bit worn out from the Irving Half, and I didn’t know how the Mile High Altitude would affect me during the race; ended up walking away from the Denver Marathon pleasantly surprised though, in a well executed race that had me battling all the way to a 4:20hr finish, not another Sub 4, but I was happy to take it.
Running a bit slower for the spring season and working on building a larger endurance base turned out to be the right move for me, as my favorite part of the year was approaching, the DRC Summer Fast Track program was back, and it seemed like I had boundless energy to float along the track at eye-watering 6 min/paces, and fly up and down the hills with reckless abandon; all under the blissful 90+ degree Texas Summer heat. By the end of that Summer’s Fast Track program, I had managed to clock my first ever Sub 7 min/mile (in 95 degree heat!), and hungry for more speed, I forgo signing up for another 4:00Hr Marathon program, and instead, followed the friend I paced with at the Irving Half Marthon, perhaps foolishly, into the DRC 1:40Hr Half Marathon program. To get a sense of how much faster the 1:40Hr Half is from the 4:00Hr Full, it’ll be like running the equivalent paces of a 3:20Hr Marathon, with Interval workouts reaching down into 6 min/mile ranges; while I managed to hit those paces on the Fast Track, the Half program was 15 weeks worth of progressively harder workouts, that I wasn’t quite sure my legs could survive. I convinced myself I was ready though, or was I just blindly following that friend, but whatever, I wanted nothing more than to see just how fast my legs could carry me now.
While I joined the 1:40hr Half program, I wasn’t abandoning my quest for Sub 4hr Marathon, instead of targeting the Dallas Marathon in early December, I would instead sign up for the Houston Marathon in late January, giving me an extra month and a half of training, in order to fit several huge goals I had in the Fall Season, while giving me enough time to recover and train for a Marathon. First, my wanderlust on the trails returned again, after a Summer spent hiking various Mountain trails in the San Juan Mountains area of Colorado, I had my sights set on a long-time dream of mine, the 42-48 Mile (depending on the route you take) double crossing of the Big Ditch, otherwise known as the Grand Canyon R2R2R in mid September. In order to not destroy my legs completely, and ruin another chance at Sub 4, I had been spending the prior three months methodically and furiously Power-Hiking training on the trails on Sundays, utilizing Trekking poles in order to divert as much stress and impact out of the grueling thru-hike to my arms and upper body as possible to relieve my legs of the full force of the 48 Mile thru-hike, and hopefully have them recover faster after the trip. After 16+ GLORIOUS Hours running and hiking through the belly of the beast, I had finally completed the Grand Canyon R2R2R, traveling from the Bright Angel Trailhead to the North Kaibab Rim and then back to Bright Angel, with my legs hopefully feeling not too much worse for wear.
All those months of Power-hiking training with Trekking poles paid off during the Grand Canyon R2R2R, as rather miraculously, I was back up and running with my 1:40Hr Half group by the next Saturday; and now onto the next Fall goal of 2019, shoot for the moon at the DRC Half Marathon in early November, and try to go for a Sub 1:40hr finish with my other group members. Even with nearly 2 months of dedicated training for the DRC Half Marathon, I felt the residual effects of the Grand Canyon R2R2R for another couple of weeks, and couldn’t train as well as I would’ve liked leading up to the race, but no matter, I managed a still impressive 1:43:41hr finish, taking off nearly 5 minutes from my Irving Half Marathon results in the spring, while not having to go through full body convulsive cramps at the end as well!
After the DRC Half Marathon, we still had another month left of training on the program, as others continued their training for the Dallas Marathon or Half in December, and instead of racing Dallas this year, I got the opportunity to co-pace the first 15 and a half Miles of the 4:30hr finish group of the race, which was a lot of fun, the Dallas Marathon, being my hometown race, is not something I want to miss. With a satisfactory end of a successful training season, capped with a turn of holding that pacing stick at the Dallas Marathon, and buoyed by a strong showing at the DRC Half Marathon earlier, now it was business time, the hunt for Sub 4 at the Houston Marathon got my undivided attention from then on.
I’ve been wanting to do the Houston Marathon for years now, but always hesitated signing up; with many area runners still hungover from the Dallas Marathon, the usually bitter cold and stormy weather in December, depressingly short daylight hours, and the upcoming holidays meant that I would be hard pressed to find anyone to train with that month. I was a Man on a Mission though, and fortunately my boss let me take off 2 hours a day for most of December in order to still be able to train in the daylight hours. As for my training plan, I was loosely following the Hanson Marathon Method, doing back to back weekend medium-long runs of no more than 16 Miles, while focusing a lot on speedwork on the weekdays. After ending the peak of my training on a 51 Mile week, I felt as ready as I ever would be, now just have to get through the two week calm before the storm taper period before Houston.
I don’t always do taper well, that highly motivated runner for the past 15+ weeks is nowhere to be found, as I’m struggling to make it out the door for a run, and repeatedly questioning and doubting myself that if I overdid it or not with training, as my body is trying to repair itself from a long training cycle, and all the body aches and creaks become magnified. I hardly ran during the week of Houston, leading to fears of loss fitness, but my Achilles tendons were barking at me through the taper period, so it was better safe than sorry to rest them before the race. Speaking of resting, some free advice, NEVER stay at a Hostile before a big goal race, I hardly slept the night before Houston while stuck in a room with 5 other guys with creaky bunk beds and hurricane force snoring, I bolted out of the place by 3am in the morning, to desperately try and get a couple hours of decent rest in my car at a parking garage near the race; so, don’t be a cheapskate and find a decent hotel to sleep for the night.
Never try anything new before a race as the well worn saying goes, especially when it comes to shoes and nutrition (or staying in Hostiles!) , well, just before Houston I had shelled out for some pricey Spring Canaberry Energy Gels (20 gels for $50) that’s made with real food, with no added sugar or maltodextrin, and promises no GI distress for smooth and consistent energy for Marathons; since they were so pricey, I had only tested them once on a training run, the consistency is sorta like baby food, but the advertised energy gains seemed real enough to give it a go, and stuffed 9 of these huge gel packets into my two running belts. For shoes, I’m a huge Altra Running fan, and exclusively wear nothing but them, I had brought along the Altra Torin 4.0 Plush and a pair of Altra Escalante 1.5s, and was still undecided which to wear on race day; do I go with the added cushioning of the Torins that I may have to fight against later into the race as my form suffers, or do I go with the less cushioned but more responsive Altra Escalante, risking that my quads might get too hammered late in the race? I ended up choosing neither of them, and instead bought a pair of Altra Escalante 2.0s at the Race Expo the day before Houston; I’ve read that the new cushioning in that model, while stiffer and less responsive than the 1.5s, provides more protection for longer runs, making it an ideal compromise between my other two shoes, so with a thrown-in free Altra T-shirt (a kick-ass old-school running shirt, I might add), I was sold, and laced them up for Houston. Do as I say, not as I do, is another one of those well worn sayings when giving advice, ha.
It’s funny how all the worrying that goes on before a big race goes out the window the moment you cross the starting line of a Marathon, and that’s what I love most about racing, it forces you to live in the moment, highly attuned to your body, while the mind, being pumped full of highly oxygenated blood, experiences the ecstasy of “flow”; the past is forgotten, and the future is only 4 hours away, you are more present than you’ll ever be while racing. The first 8 crowded Miles of Houston, before the Half Marathon runners split off in a different course, went by in a blur, as I felt like I was being carried along with the stampede. The most vivid memory I have of that stretch is of a beautiful tree-lined neighborhood street that had branches on either side overlapping that entire street, and with the sun rising amongst a cloudless brisk morning sky, the burst of sun rays through those overhanging tree branches were so gorgeous that I wanted to whip out my phone in the middle of the race to capture what would surely have been the perfect Instagram Marathon pic.
Initially worried about the stiffness of the Altra Escalante 2.0s when I took it on an easy 1.5 Mile run the day before the race, it was no longer a concern once the race got going, these shoes were made for going fast, and with strong and rested legs, it was ridiculous how little effort I needed to cruise along at an 8:45 min/mile pace during the chaotic first 8 miles of the race. Once the Half Marathoners split off in a different course, I started to relax, and with fatigue starting to be more noticeable, I let my foot off the gas a little and tried to keep it slightly under a 9:00 min/mile pace to conserve my legs for later into the race, fearing hitting the wall hard above all else. I arrived at the Half Marathon mark with a solid 7 and a Half minute buffer for Sub 4, feeling remarkably strong, maybe those Spring Energy Canaberry gels I was taking every 25 minutes, along with Saltstick Fastchews, were working as my energy levels had been feeling smooth all race.
First real moment of panic in the race came at Mile 14, while the cold and brisk weather that day were ideal for racing, with temps in the 40s, I wasn’t sweating much at all, and desperately needed a pit stop; fortunately, there was no wait at the bank of porta-potties at Mile 14, and I only lost a minute of time. As an Ultra runner used to generous cutoffs and a unique racing culture as a whole that mainly values distance, and doesn’t place much of an emphasis on running times; being obsessed with mere minutes, down to the very seconds of your pace, when chasing time goals, is still a foreign concept to me. Banked minutes are more precious than gold in Marathons, only spend it when you absolutely have to, and the rent was fast coming due.
I was cruising along, enjoying the raucous crowd support and seeing Houston for really the first time, while maintaining close to a 9 min/mile pace as possible, until the first warnings of the dreaded Wall was approaching on Mile 18. I gradually slowed to a 9:10 pace, then 9:15, then 9:21, until BAM, I was stuck in the 9:30 ranges from Miles 21-24, and just couldn’t press my legs to run any faster. My quads and calves were tightening, fearing cramps if I tried pushing too hard, I had no choice but to start drawing on my dwindling hoard of banked minutes, in order to buy myself a chance to gut it out at the end of the race; to stave off all out panic, I started singing out loud the Rocky theme song the race had blaring from speakers during this stretch. With my reserve of Spring Energy Gels and Saltstick Fastchews gone by Mile 23, all the Gatorade and Beer along last 5 Mile stretch were a welcome electrolytic boost to ward off cramps, did I mention the fun and raucous crowd support?!
The moment of reckoning had arrived, my banked minutes were all but gone after Mile 24, it was now or never, I had spent 2 long years chasing Sub 4, and if I didn’t nab it now, I would’ve had to wait another agonizing 10 months full of doubt to get another shot at the Chicago Marathon; cramps be damned, it was time to PUSH! I brought Mile 25 down into the 9:15 range, and that had seemed to have loosened the dam on my waterlogged legs, as I hit the Mile 26 mark on my GPS watch (which was 0.3 miles over the official race distance), finally managing a pace under 9 min/mile again. When I hit the official Half Mile till the finish mark, with absolutely no seconds to spare, I gunned it, and broke out into a sprint of 8 min/miles and under. With the crowds and towering downtown buildings seemingly coalescing my vision into a funnel, hyper focused on the finish, I crossed the finish line of the 2020 Chevron Houston Marathon with an official time of 3:59:29 Hours! My God, I’ve never felt so bewilderingly elated after crossing the finish line of a race in my life, as I had been in that moment, realizing I had pulled off a Sub 4 with such razor thin margins; so, I guess this is what a Runner’s High feels like.
When I decided to finally call it quits on chasing the Mountains and Ultras all those years ago, giving up what I considered to be one of my great passions in life, I did so because I hardly considered myself to be a runner anymore, more like a glorified endurance Hiker; when did I get to point where I could hardly run several miles at a time without getting winded? Either I had to start all over to try and find my lost running legs, or be content with being mediocre at races, I chose the former and went back to road training; in my mind, I could only consider myself to be a true runner again, by breaking that 4:00hr Marathon mark. It’s funny when I think about it, the most successful Ultra Runners usually come from a long background of building speed and endurance on the road, while I did the exact opposite, spending long stretches running trails and Ultras before jumping to the road; never having to really worry much about speed and endurance, because I was mostly just focused on slogging through Ultras to finish them, until I was no longer able to do so… The Mountains have a way of exposing your weaknesses and vulnerabilities, like that.
On this long and winding road to Sub 4, I have rediscovered my confidence in running, and I like to think in myself as well, while meeting a lot of new friends along the way with the Dallas Running Club; that, more than anything, was well worth spending these last two long years chasing Sub 4. At the moment, I’m not entirely sure where I’ll take my running from here, do I keep chasing lower and lower Marathon time finishes, with some wild eyed goal towards making it into the Boston Marathon someday? Or do I eventually take my hard fought speed and endurance gains to chase after my first love with trails and Ultrarunning? One things for sure, I’ll keep building on the gains I’ve made, and make road training and the running community around it a fixture in my plans; too many great races I want to see and experience, and I’m gonna need a strong pair of legs to take me there.
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Collegiate Peaks Loop Trip Report - August 2019

My wife and I just got back from a successful thru hike of the Collegiate Peaks Loop in Colorado. This 160 mile loop is a perfect loop for those of us with full time jobs and PTO who also want to get a taste of the longer distance “thru hike” experience. The logistics are relatively easy, resupplies are straightforward and navigation on trail is super easy. The distance makes it easily doable in two weeks for most reasonably fit hikers. My wife and I backpack year round, but are not ones to put in massive days. We averaged roughly 12.5 miles a day over 13 days and felt it was a super chill and enjoyable pace. Our shortest day was 8.5 miles and the longest was 18.6 miles. Average daily elevation gain was 3,540 ft per day.
You may be thinking that those mileages sound pretty small. I would agree; however, this trail has a lot of elevation gain (roughly 46,000 ft of gain total) and is at elevation (low of 8,900 ft and high of 12,900 ft). Add in the afternoon storms that roll in almost every day from 1pm to 4pm and it can be really challenging to put in big mile days in all but the most perfect conditions. You may be hunkered down under a rock face for an hour or under a tree four two hours in pouring rain with nowhere to go. You my have to pitch your tent at 2pm in a torrential downpour that doesn't stop until dinner time and well...I guess you are camping there tonight (this happened to us). This is not something we have had to deal with much in Oregon as our summers are dry and consistent, but quickly learned the ropes on this trip!
Instead of going day-by-day for this trip report which would be entirely too tedious, I think it would be best to just split it up between Collegiate East and Collegiate West. Generally musing about each of these sides would make a lot of sense as they are very different from each other. Then, I will have some gear reflections at the bottom.
Links:
Caltopo of the trip broken down by days and campsites: https://caltopo.com/m/8R6A
Lighterpack (Me): https://lighterpack.com/gcszph
Lighterpack (Mrs. MJP): https://lighterpack.com/bstcwl
Collegiate East
We hiked the loop in the clockwise direction. This means that out of Twin Lakes, we hiked South through the Collegiate East first. This was recommended by most because the East Side is at lower elevation, isn't as exposed and has softer climbs. I think that this was a good approach and would recommend it to others.
My wife an I live at sea level and one of the major concerns was how we would do at the high altitude. We bought Diamox just in case but elected to not take it unless we started to show signs of AMS. Instead, for weeks before the trip, we drank tons of water. So much so that I had to pee multiple times a night haha. When we got to Denver, we popped some advil and continued that twice a day until roughly day 3 on trail.
Ultimately, we did not have any major issues with the altitude. In Leadville, I had the worse symptoms of the entire trip. It was just simply a bit lightheadedness, a minor headache and restless sleep the night we were in Leadville. Walking to Melanzana from the hostel turned out to be the crux of the trip! The next morning and the rest of the trip I did not have any issues. I started to get a slight headache at 12,900 ft when we were eating lunch on the pass but as soon as we dropped down a bit it went away. Never had to touch the Diamox which was a success.
The hiking on the East Side was really good. The trail was in incredible condition and signed very well. The first 3.5 days south of Twin Lakes were gorgeous! Beautiful forests with Aspens, Doug Firs, Lodgepoles and Ponderosas. The water was flowing really well in all the creeks and we never needed to carry more than 1.7L each (with the exception of two dry camps during the trip). The high alpine tundra was especially beautiful. Up around Mt. Harvard and Mt. Columbia were incredibly enjoyable. We are so used to the PNW’s volcanic rock and mountains. The geology and flora of the non-volcanic Collegiate Wilderness was very cool.
There were a few notably steep climbs on this side. Climbs where we couldn't help but laugh at the grade. A few of them were the climb up to the saddle below Mt. Yale and the climb up out of Foose’s Creek to the CDT. The views were always worth the climb though!
We did not expect the bugs to be that bad (based upon trip reports of others) but they turned out to be very bad. We had many nights where we would just set up the tent and eat dinner inside to escape them. The locals were saying that this was because of the huge snow year and late snow they received. This made the bug hatch super big and later in the season than usual. They honked but they were not the worst we have experienced (like Oregon PCT in mid July…..).
We had our first resupply in Mt. Princeton. We had mailed a box to them and picked it up at the main office. They were nice, but kind of came off as...inconvenienced by our presence. It was weird. Definitely not a “hiker trash” trail stop in the normal sense. But again, they were nice enough and we didn't have any issues. The market that is there has basic gas station food plus some extras that you might find at a resort convenience store. They did have gas canisters but they were a brand I had never heard of and a small 4oz can was $9.50!!! We were happy we just sucked it up and carried our canisters the whole way.
The later portions of the East Side were not as enjoyable. Basically from Maxwell Creek outside of Mt. Princeton down to Fooses Creek was super boring, low elevation and just kind of “meh”. It was still good hiking, don’t get me wrong. But, it was not as mountainous, lower elevation and therefore hotter temps, lacked views, had a ton of mountain bikers and involved some notable road walking.
Once we made out way up Fooses Creek and onto the CDT (making the switch over to the West Side, that sentiment disappeared entirely.
Collegiate West
Collegiate West. Ah, you beautiful bastard. As soon as we got up to the CDT and started heading North, the views and terrain were astonishing. THIS, is what we came here for. Incredibly wide vistas, deep and gorgeous valleys, craggy peaks and lush alpine tundra.
We resupplied at Monarch Pass for the 5.5 day stretch to finish the loop. If you stop here, get the ice cream. The “hiker single scoop” was the size of a softball and delicious. This resupply was way more hiker friendly and felt welcoming. There is a corner with a hiker box, log, chargers and an area to repack your resupply. It was super cool. You could probably buy a resupply here if you had to but I would not recommend it. It would be super expensive and mostly snacks. They did have canisters too but they were $8.50 for the 4oz cans! We met some cool thru hikers and a few not cool thru hikers lol. A few were just super grouchy and said the West Side trail was a “mother fucker” and “broke his knees” and “designed by a crew at 4pm on a Friday”. Notably, that guy had a 80L pack and knee braces but whatever. Everyone else was pretty chill and happy to be out there.
The hiking was world class from here on out. Pass after pass, valley after valley, I just could not stop dropping my jaw. The West Side is definitely more exposed and challenging. But, with some willingness to wake up early, watch the weather and be smart, it isn't too bad.
We did have one instance were we got hit by the weather. Coming out of Monarch Pass, you hike this exposed ridgeline on the CDT. The weather was being a bit volatile, but there were gaps in the weather and there wasn't any rain. We decided to keep hiking. Well...just under Bald Mountain, what looked like a gap in the weather closed almost instantly. It started pouring rain and hailing on us. Mind you, there are zero trees up there and the trail rides the highest points of the ridges. We were exposed. We dropped over the East side of the ridge just a bit to hide under some rocks. We could get our packs out of the rain but we were still getting soaked. So far, it sucked but was still safe and we figured it would blow over. Wrong. A few minutes later a massive thunder clap happened right on top of us. My wife started to feel hair stand up on her neck and we knew that we need to get down immediately.
We decided to drop down off the cliff of Bald Mountain. It was a solid class 3 / class 4 downclimbing for awhile. We made it down off the sheer face of the cliff and down into the high alpine tundra and boulder field of the valley below. Our planned campsite that night was Boss Lake Reservoir. Looking at the map, I could see that we were two valleys away but that there was an old 4x4 road that connected Highway 50 to Boss Lake. We decided that we would make our way down the valley, over the next ridge into the next valley near Green Lake, drop down another thousand feet to Highway 50, road walk to the 4x4 road and then hike back up the 4x4 road to camp. The plan and cross country travel worked perfectly. We ended up finding an unmarked trail from Green Lake down to the Highway too which helped a ton. We made it to our camp that night just before another thunderstorm rolled through. Safe, dry, sore but mostly happy!
After that day, the weather was in our favor the rest of the trip. Every day would be clear blue skies in the morning and then some non-threatening puffy white clouds in the afternoon. The hiking was smooth sailing for the most part. We started waking up earlier on the Collegiate West. This was so that we could get over 1,2 or even 5 passes in the day before the afternoon storms could roll in. They never really did besides some light rain, but it was the safest approach. After the Bald Mountain debacle, we were a bit nervous to get trapped on a pass again!
We were going the opposite direction of most every CT, CDT and other Loopers we saw out there. During the entire trip, not a single person passed us going the same direction besides some day hikers and runners. Because of this, we got to chat with a lot of awesome thru hikers! One thing we noticed was a lot of fear mongering and trail rumors related to Lake Ann Pass and Hope Pass. “Give yourself a ton of extra time” and “the snow is really sketchy” and “I got lost in the scree fields” and “the climb is brutal” and “Be careful up on Ann” was heard from hiker after hiker we passed. This made my wife pretty nervous. But when we got to Lake Ann Pass, we cruised up and down it without any issues whatsoever. It was weird. Same thing for Hope.
They were steep, don’t get me wrong (the lower 900 vertical feet of Hope headed North can die in a hole). But, they were not technical, not sketchy and not hard to navigate. We talked a lot about why people were saying what they were. We came to the conclusion that for a lot of people headed southbound through this section, Hope and Ann are the first two major passes they have to contend with. So while we had already been hiking in the Collegiates for 10 and 11 days already, they were just getting exposed to the range. Add in some embellishment to support the major effort it takes to climb them and bam, you get the messaging we received from these hikers. It really helped us to process this and ultimately reinforced to ourselves that we are strong hikers, could handle the range and were well equipped. Don’t buy into the trail rumors!
In a few areas on the West Side, camping can be limited. You really don’t want to be camping in a wide open exposed area at 12,400 ft if you can avoid it. The guide book states in one section between Hancock Lakes and Cottonwood Pass to do as much of it as you can in a single day. We got a tip from mittencamper that there was actually a few campsites in Mineral Basin. I had a waypoint on my map and ended up finding the site no problem. Just as you come around the big rock cliff into the Basin (about .1 miles south of the marked stream on guthooks), down the cliff on the right there are a few protected sites. Fantastic site and I would recommend it if you wanted to break up that section into a bit more lax sections.
We only had one wet creek crossing the entire trip and that was Texas Creek. Otherwise, everything else had logs or rocks to get across without getting wet.
The West Side was an immediate favorite for us. Personally, the view from the ridges before Cottonwood Pass looking East were absolutely incredible. My wife’s favorite view was from the top of Hope Pass looking South. One, because it was the final obstacle of the trip and two, because it was a major milestone for her personally. If you only had 5-7 days in this area, I would absolutely recommend the West Side. You will suck wind up Hope if you are trying to acclimate, but the views are a million times worth it. The East Side has its moments, but ultimately doesn't compete with the West Side with overall experience, views and granjour.
Gear That Worked
Overall, our gear was dialed. We did not have any gear failures. We were always dry, warm and comfortable. Nothing in our kit was new and we have hundreds of miles on everything. I think this played well for us as nothing was unexpected and everything went without a hitch. A few standout piece of gear for us:
Gear That Honked
Honestly, our gear was extremely dialed. We did not have any gear failures, major annoyances or anything that went wrong related to our kits. Our packs were sufficiently light and comfortable the entire trip (even with a 5 day food carry). We both are very happy with what we brought and only have a few very minor changes we would make if we did it again.
The first would be quick charge wall plugs and battery bank. We shared a Anker Powercore 10K (version 1) which was enough battery capacity for us. However, at Monarch Pass when we were trying to resupply and recharge the pack, its major flaw was very obvious. We sat there not hiking for an additional 2 hours longer than we wanted to stay, waiting for it to charge up for the next 5.5 day stretch. We both decided that a Quick Charge (or Power Delivery) wall plug and battery pack would be well worth the slight added weight. This would have allowed us to leave earlier in the morning and get over the exposed CDT section north of Monarch Pass earlier to avoid the storm which caused us to have to bail off Bald Mountain. The next longer hike with a resupply, we will be picking up a QC or PD plug and battery pack.
Another minor note. I don’t think the Ursacks were necessary. We saw zero signs of bears over the 13 days we were out there. The rodents were not a problem or particularly bold from what we could tell either. Sleeping with your food in an Opsak felt like a safe and legit method of hiking. Hell...all the CT and CDTers were doing it. You certainly couldn't do a proper bear hang out here though...the nature of the trees would make it almost impossible. So IMO, sleep with it in an Opsak or do the Ursack.
Gear Sightings
I am obviously a UL nerd and take a mental note of every pack and tent that I pass by. I noted the following gear sightings on trail. I have to say, I was shocked by how many people were UL out there. In Oregon, it seems that ULers make up roughly 20-30% of people I see on trail. On this trip, my wife and I were thinking it was around 60-70% of hikers we saw!
We saw a ton of ULA, Zpacks and HMG packs on trail followed closely by Gossamer Gear and Osprey Exos. I also noted a surprising amount of MyTrailCo (my they rest in peace) packs which makes sense as they are “based” in Boulder.
Some of the most street-cred UL hypebeast packs I noted were: a Nashville Packs running vest pack (supa hot fire), a LiteAF in galaxy print, a couple with a Pa’lante Joey and a Cuben Burn (fresh AF), a v1 Pa’lante Simple, a fully custom Zimmerbuilt which was x-pac and hybrid cuben, a 100% gridstop Superior Wilderness Designs pack, a Zimmerbuilt Quickstep, MYOG pack made of fabric with donuts printed on it and a really old Golite Jam. My KS pack was the only KS Ultralight I noticed on the trail.
Saw a lot of Zpack Duplex’s, one Tarptent Notch Li and a surprising number of tarp setups. There were a lot of non-UL shelters out there though. Well...not really UL like MSR Hubba Hubbas, Big Agness Fly Creeks, etc.
Summary
So in summary, this was the best trip we have ever been on. The longest, most beautiful, most challenging, most rewarding and most enjoyable backpacking trip we have been on. Thanks for bearing with the wall of text. I hope that it is enjoyable and maybe helpful for someone else planning on hiking this loop.
submitted by Morejazzplease to Ultralight [link] [comments]

2019 r/Ultralight Backpacking Challenge

What: This year two of the /Ultralight Backpacking Challenge. If you want to get fake internet points and maybe a package of ziploc baggies, you have found the right post. There is a large list of different "achievements" that we challenge the sub to attempt to achieve throughout the 2019 backpacking season!
Here is the link to the spreadsheet which you can copy and use to keep track
General Information Some of these goals are a bit lofty and may require individual consideration of the risks / abilities necessary. We absolutely do not want anyone doing anything reckless or outside of their skill set! When in doubt, maybe don't.
Keep track of this personally and feel free to post in the weekly about the goals you achieved during a trip throughout the year! Let's not clog the main page with updates!
Each goal has to be achieved within calendar 2019. I.e. if you have gone no cook in the past, it doesnt count. Have to do it in 2019.
Some of the challenges are cascading. For example if you go on a trip with a base weight of <6lbs then you can also claim the <8 and <10lb BPW challenges.
The challenges are subject to change. But we will try to keep them as consistent as possible.
Why? We want to help people to try new things, stretch themselves and ultimately have fun! We hope things get goofy, challenging and new experiences are had! Go hike with someone from the sub and see how many of these you can knock out in one trip!
Prizes / Incentives Last year the winners won a grab bag of glorious prizes which brought them to riches. One guy was cool and donated his winners (whatever...) If you want to be included in this, you need to provide evidence (photographic prefered). Just start taking photos and putting them in an imgur album or google photos. Near the end of 2018 we will see where we are at!
The Challenge:
  1. Go on at least an overnighter with a 30L pack
  2. Go on at least an overnighter with a 25L pack
  3. Go on at least an overnighter with a 20L pack
  4. Don't bail on any trips during the year. (be safe / responsible)
  5. Use a 1/8" CCF pad for at least one night on trail.
  6. Use take-out chopsticks as stakes for your shelter for at least one night on trail.
  7. Go no cook for an entire trip (at least 2 nights)
  8. Cold soak Skurka beans and rice.
  9. Go on an overnighter and cowboy camp (no bivy)
  10. Use a tarp shelter (no bivy)
  11. Go on a trip with you baseweight <10 lbs.
  12. Go on a trip with your baseweight <7 lbs
  13. Go on a trip where the low is <32F (0C).
  14. Go on a trip only carrying enough water to get to the next source. (Be safe)
  15. Go on a trip that is cold and rainy, on purpose.
  16. Go on a trip without a battery bank.
  17. Use bread bags to waterproof your trail runners.
  18. Don't bring any camp shoes.
  19. Don't bring a knife of any kind.
  20. Pick up every piece of trash you see on your trip.
  21. Inform someone about best LNT practices on trail (nicely).
  22. Volunteer on a trail maintenance crew for a day.
  23. Repackage all your non-food consumables into smaller dropper bottles.
  24. Go without trekking poles for a trip (if you normally use them)
  25. Go with trekking poles for a trip (if you do not normally use them)
  26. Use found sticks to setup your tarp / shelter (follow all LNT principles)
  27. Meet someone from this sub and go on at least an overnighter together.
  28. Wipe your butt with something other than an item you brought with you.
  29. Use a trail bidet to clean your arse for a trip.
  30. Wear shorts with <5" inseam.
  31. Wear shorts with <3" inseam.
  32. Replace a piece of gear with a MYOG version.
  33. Use every single thing in your kit during a trip (besides your FAK).
  34. Destroy a bushcraft shelter that you find on public land. Document and share on social med.
  35. Sell a piece of old gear from your "heavy days" on /Geartrade.
  36. Repurpose something that is not intended for backpacking and use it on a trip.
  37. Backpack in trail runners regarless of weather for the entire year.
  38. Don't take an insulation clothing layer and use your quilt instead to wrap around you.
  39. Don't purchase any non-consumable gear for the entire season.
  40. Lose 10 lbs (of body weight)
  41. Lose 15 lbs (of body weight)
  42. Use only seasonings taken from a fast food resturant for an entire trip.
  43. Participate in a detailed shakedown on /Ultralight
  44. Post a detailed trip report to /Ultralight
  45. Write a gear review for a peice of gear you used for >1 year for /Ultralight.
  46. Hike >300 miles in the year.
  47. Hike > 1000 miles in the year.
  48. Go on at least an overnighter in every month of the year.
  49. Introduce someone to backpacking for the first time. Take them on a trip!
  50. Go on at least an overnighter using a UL hammock setup.
UL Enlightenment Challenges (all guts, no glory):
  1. Go on an overnighter with only a fanny pack.
  2. Go on a trip with your baseweight <5lbs.
  3. Take a Justin Timberlake style, "Man of the Woods" photo crossing a stream.
  4. Get asked if you are day hiking while backpacking.
  5. Wear shorts <2" inseam and/or just wear spandex for a whole trip.
  6. Drive to Leadville, Colorado to specifically buy a Melanzana Microgrid Hoodie
  7. Lose 30 lbs (of body weight) or get to the recommended BMI (whichever comes first)
  8. Drink straight from a source without filtering or treating (please drink responsibly).
  9. Trade packs with a traditional backpacker for an hour to remind yourself why you do this shit
  10. Hike greater than 2,000 miles in the year.
submitted by Morejazzplease to Ultralight [link] [comments]

Looking For A Hiking Partner! (From Northern Colorado Area, but willing to hike anywhere/everywhere!)

Looking For A Hiking Partner! (From Northern Colorado Area, but willing to hike anywhere/everywhere!)
Hey there! Hopefully I'm posting in the right place for this kind of stuff, but I was looking for perhaps a new hiking partner out here in Colorado and the surrounding areas. I have a few goals and destinations I'm trying to meet throughout this winter continuing into fall 2020. I wouldn't characterize myself as an expert at all, but I'm also far from a beginner. I am wilderness first responder certified and AIARE 1 certified on top of having a general knowledge of the Colorado hiking locations. I'm simply looking for someone else that's equally enthused about hiking, mountaineering, and snowshoeing, and has somewhat decent endurance. I'm not looking for someone world class or anything, more so just a really cool person that's wanting to get outdoors and make friends while doing so. Here's just a few of the places I would be going. I for the most part would expect to be camping or backpacking, but there's always room for discussion.
Locations I'm visiting:
- Uncompahgre Plateu/Wilderness
- Ouray and Surrounding Wilderness
- Anything near RMNP (Nearby and always enjoy it)
- Anything and Everything near Leadville/Buena Vista
​
Specific Peaks I intend to climb this next year:
- Blanca & Little Bear Peak Traverse
- Jagged Mountain
- Uncompahgre Peak
- Granite Peak (Montana)
- Kings Peak (Utah)
- Gannett Peak (Wyoming)
- Crestone Traverse
Obviously if anyone is interested in hiking together, you might have some places of your own that you might want to go to. I can go around asking anyone, but I really looking for someone who would be committed to this stuff. I don't mean like putting work or school aside or anything like that. More along the lines of, someone I can create plans with and we can both commit to going no matter what, pending there's no weather or personal issues that arise.
A little more about myself...
My name is Ryan, I'm student at Colorado State University in Fort Collins studying Hydro-geology and Watershed Sciences. I own a 1966 Corvair (Along with a more appropriate 2009 Ford Escape for my adventures) and I love driving, playing guitar, bearded dragons, and rocks. I hate Amazon and it's existence, I think that malt-o-meal is one of the greatest things ever invented, and I'm a strong believer in ghosts. I'm ideally looking for someone in the Fort Collins and/or Boulder area that might be interested in hiking (Most likely every other weekend or so).
https://preview.redd.it/skduci1jeev31.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aebf904a12d08dba8e0deefda37b6f86c53e1e0d
​
https://preview.redd.it/omh0ofusfev31.jpg?width=6000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=edf222e65da395af83d5840bf661c207c588de23
We can start small with our interactions and travels at first, keeping them to day trips, and then work our way up to full-blown wilderness pursuits once we feel comfortable. I'm honestly taking this as more of an opportunity to make a new friend (or few). Hope to hear back from someone and safe adventures out there to everyone!
submitted by 35prime to coloradohikers [link] [comments]

Why did this happen?

So I've been thinking lately about how I got caught in this trap. It was just a few short years ago. I was fine. I was happy. Then I heard about Forrest Fenn and this Bazaar hunt called The Chase! I remember when I was just an innocent! But now... I have become one of the guilty parties!!! My life has changed in so many ways! There are words people speak in everyday life, that would have never turned my head years ago, now put me into a realm of imaginative thought that I would never consider possible!
Words like: brown, look, up, down, Canyon, north, drawing, imagination, knowledge, ropes, agk, Sasha, dal, Jason, Cynthia, Mitzi, not Mitzi, totally, davio, Mysterious, Writings, scant, quickly, alone, far, home, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Yellowstone, mountains, Rocky, warm, water, cancer, Vietnam, pilot, fighter, cowlazars, weak, middle, Skippy, trout, fishing, snow, mud, loads, heavy, death, HEAVY, heavy load, DEATH, bones, suicide, MIRROR, man in the mirror! Secret, secret kept, Lander, popo agie, ojo caliente, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Gardner River, rescue, Leadville, Rio grande, red, green, brown, blaze, wood, cold, in, the, wood, gypsies, dancing, millennium, bells, peace, fire escape, Marvel, granite, hot Springs, geothermal, geography, maps, triangulation, north south east west, Robert Redford, JD Salinger, Ernest Hemingway, look, hear, listen, see, feel, touch, ropes, teachers, principles, janitor's, cigarettes with no names, Texas, tombstones, graveyards, Cody, Great Gatsby, Poem, YouTubers, Fenntubers, trolls, dams, drawers, plus, hills, trees, rocks, stones, Olga, old, biddies, weak, strong, strong arm, Armstrong, meadowlarks, pies, broken pies, frosty, Canyon Street, Ronald Reagan, Flipside, Bill Gorman, Kennedy, Kennedy's wife, Stout, Susie, waterfalls, Fennhaven, maps, Google earth, drawings, doodles, lines, HOME, OMEGAS! DOUBLE OMEGAS, begin, cease, water hi, cold water, warm water,THRILL, hot water, solve, my solve, man, man alone, man in the park, men, men are so smart, her solve, your solve, his solve, biased, confidence, bronze, wet. go there, lead searcher, creek, shit creek, up your creek, dry Creek, hi creek, ....take a breathe! Skippy....... June........... last breathe....Dad..............Mom,......... Just breathe! ended, just starting, last forever, someone found it, no one will ever find it, b*******, key, trauma, Molly Brown, Browns Park, Browns Canyon, joker, deal, sell, buy, lure, GOLD, trickster, coyote, MEEK, OF THE, mild, far, how far, too far, walk, climb, run, a word that is key, key to the poem, walk of shame, no shame your shame, the songs called STONE! paddle, no paddle, just paddle, broken paddle, the search ends tomorrow, curtail, safe, passages, road, road map, good map, rabbit hole, the search ends in three days, the search will never end, CONTENTMENT, the search ends now, I know where it is, I know where it was but someone stole it, just go get it, elephants and ants, muddy, muddy waters, deep Waters, shallow Waters,water falls, Frozen Waters, hidden Waters, Cal Worthington and his dog Spot, boots on the ground, Ray, Ray Charles, Ford, Miss Ford, missing Ford, those who are blind cannot see, CHASE, I'm over it, you're over it, it's done!
I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE! SOMEONE PLEASE PUT US OUT OF OUR MISERY!!! AND GO GET THIS THING!!! OR I WILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
just sayin'
submitted by Paleo77 to FindingFennsGold [link] [comments]

Why is no one coming to help us? [Final]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
*I apologize for the wait on an update, they’ve had us in quarantine for just shy of 2 weeks. I haven’t had access to my phone or computer this entire time. Honestly at this point I’m sure that the government has probably scrubbed this story entirely, but if it’s still there I’ll do my best to explain what’s happened since.*
I quickly turned to wake the kids but saw they had already come out into the living area fully dressed. The fear that had been set on their face over the last few days was replaced with determination. “Are we moving now?” Ian asked.
I looked back out to the east and saw the beginning of first light peaking up on the horizon. “In 20 minutes, let’s try to eat something and stock up on water. We have a long walk ahead of us.” Ian nodded and turned to the propane camp grill. I watched him with a small smile, as he prepped a hasty breakfast for his younger sister and BK. Once we had eaten our fill and filled up the 4 water bottles in the cabin, we grabbed our gear and a large blue tarp and headed out into the clearing. To the east, thick plumes of black smoke rose, accentuated by the rising sun. I double checked the map, aligned myself facing west and stepped off into the tree line.
Navigating without a compass proved difficult but not impossible. We climbed for hours, sometimes it felt like we were climbing straight up and I had to help BK over numerous rock scrambles. Finally at around 2 pm the ground leveled off and I knew that we must be close to the Ranger Station. I set down my bags near a rock outcropping and looked at the kids. “I’m going to scout up ahead. I need you two to stay here with BK, I’ll only be gone for a few minutes. I’ll whistle when it’s clear and then you guys come up and meet me.”
I shouldered the shotgun and stepped deeper into the trees. The vegetation was thick but manageable and after a few minutes of walking I emerged from the woods into a large clearing. I immediately dropped to a knee and began looking around for any threats. The area in front of me was deserted and the once tall ranger tower was now collapsed and decrepit, but everything seemed to be relatively safe. I let out a shrill whistle and after a few moments I heard the kids crashing through the brush. Once we were all safely in the clearing I clicked on the radio and switched it to channel 8. “Havoc 2, come in Havoc 2, do you read me?” I waited for a moment and was only met with static. “Havoc 2, we’re at the LZ, please come in.”
“Roger that, I read you loud and clear, we’re coming to get you. What’s your current grid?” I rambled off the grid to him. “Roger, we’re wheels up in 5, we’ll be there in 30 minutes, make sure you mark the LZ.”
“Oh my, God, thank you so much!” I yelled out excitedly. Next to me the kids started to cheer. “Ok guys, let’s get this tarp set up in the middle of this clearing and then we can relax for a little while until they come to get us.
We quickly laid out the tarp and placed large rocks on the corners to keep it held down. Once the tarp was set up I picked up the kids bags and moved them near the dilapidated ranger tower. “We’re gonna hang out right here and wait for this helicopter to come get us.” I told the kids as we sat down with our backs to the tower. “Everything is going to work out for us.”
It wasn’t long before I could hear the faint roar of a helicopter in the distance. It was hard to tell for sure but it sounded like it was coming in from the west, from Leadville. I scanned the sky but couldn’t see anything. We sat for another 10 minutes before the helicopter came into view. It was actually coming in from Alta and the sound was echoing off the mountains which is what threw me off. “Unknown Station, this is Havoc 2, I see a marker on the ground, can you verify what you’re using?”
“I see you, yea, we’re using a big blue tarp!” I yelled into the radio.
“Roger that, clear out about 100 meters so I can land, we’re gonna get you home.”
As the helicopter moved closer, it started to bank so that it was sitting horizontal with the cabin instead of perpendicular, as it turned I saw the word MARINES emblazoned on the side. I should have been excited, or at the very least relieved, but for some reason, seeing MARINES made my stomach turn. Whatever was happening in Alta was big, big enough to deploy U.S. troops, this couldn’t be good. I ushered the kids and BK back to the wood line and made them lie down in the brush. I was ready to be saved, but I wasn’t ready to get shot.
The helicopter started to lower onto our makeshift landing zone and as it got closer to the ground, sticks, dust, and small pebbles started to whip through the air. The helicopter finally landed and I watched as 10 fully armed Marines ran out of the back of the helicopter. All 10 where wearing gas masks and I watched as they quickly set up a perimeter.
“Unknown station, unknown station, come on out slowly with your hands raised.” Havoc 2 squawked through the radio.
I turned and looked at the kids, then back at the Marines. I wanted to stay hidden, I wanted them to go away, but after I looked Natalie in the eyes something came over me. I slowly rose to my knees with my hands straight up, then to my feet. I slowly moved out into the open. BK emerged from the trees at my side and I shrieked with horror as 3 of the Marines trained their rifles on him. I quickly stepped in front of the dog and screamed out over the rotor wash “Friendly! Friendly!” 2 Marines stood and ran to me. Before I was even able to react, the Marines had placed me in flexi-cuffs, I turned my head and saw the other Marine coaxing the kids out of the trees. BK was barking frantically and I was terrified that he’d attack one of the Marines and be killed for it. I quickly shouted “BK NO!” BK looked at me, clearly confused by the command but quickly sat down. “Good boy!” I yelled at him as one of the Marines started to usher me to the helicopter. The last thing I saw before they threw a bag on my head was another Marine throwing a pole noose around BK’s neck.
The next 30 minutes was filled with the roar of helicopter blades and muffled shouting. At one point I felt a blood pressure cuff go around my arm as someone took my vitals but not once was the bag on my head removed. I eventually felt the helicopter losing altitude and knew we’d be landing soon. As soon as the helicopter made contact with the ground I was forced to my feet and marched off the helicopter. I was forced to walk about 200 yards before I felt the air around me change and I knew I’d been moved into a building. I walked for another few minutes before I was stopped and I heard what sounded like a cell door opening. Someone led me inside and removed the bag on my head. I quickly squinted my eyes against the bright light and tried to look around.
I was in a jail cell, similar in size to a drunk tank. My niece and nephew sat huddled together on a cot in the corner. I smiled at them as I watched the fear fade off their faces. Behind me a Marine removed my flexi-cuffs before stepping out of the cell and quickly shutting the door. I ran over and hugged the kids. “Are you guys ok, did they hurt you?”
“My wrists hurt from the handcuffs but other than that I’m ok,” Ian said holding out his arm for me to look at. There were some nasty bruises on his wrists but they were nothing serious. I sat down between the kids and pulled them in close to my sides. I sat there for hours staring at the cell door while the kids slept. Finally a Marine approached the cell with 3 brown paper bags.
“Hey man, what’s going on here?” I demanded.
The Marine, a Lance Corporal, held up the bags and shook them slightly, “Got some bag nasties for y’all,” he said with a thick southern accent.
“No, I mean what the hell is going on here, why are we in this cage, who’s in charge!?!” I screamed at him.
The Marine kind of smiled and said “I’ll go grab the watch commander,” before turning sharply on his heel and disappearing down the hallway.
I sighed and opened one of the bags, it contained the grossest looking sandwich I’ve ever seen, a bag of expired chips, and a Caprisun. “Awesome… well at least it’s not cold ravioli,” I said to the kids as I handed them their bags. We ate quickly and then I stood and walked to the cell door. I could hear multiple footsteps approaching.
Four Marines stepped into view. One, a Captain with the last name Mendez, spoke first. “Sir, my name is Captain Mendez, if you could come with me I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, I have a few of my own as well.” He turned to another Marine and said “Open this door.” The other Marine, a Sergeant Sopko, quickly unlocked the door.
“Come on guys,” I said, motioning to the kids.
“I’m afraid they won’t be coming with us for our chat, but don’t worry we have a FET team coming down to talk to them. We definitely want to hear their version of the events as well.”
“What the hell is a FET team?” I yelled, “these kids are my responsibility, they’re coming with me!”
“No, no they aren’t coming with you. A FET team is a Female Engagement Team, 2 or 3 female Marines will come talk to them, they’ll be safe, you have my word.” Before I could protest, I was back in flexi-cuffs and being led out of the cell, as we traveled down the hallway I saw 2 female Marines, and a woman in civilian clothes pass us. “That’s the FET team, the woman in civvies is a psychologist, your kids will be fine,” Captain Mendez said behind me.
Soon I found myself in an interrogation room. I was seated at the table and my flexi-cuffs were removed. Captain Mendez sat down across from me and smiled. “Can I get you anything? A coke, some water maybe?”
“No. Tell me what the hell is going on here.”
“A straight shooter, I like that. I told you I’d answer your questions, but first I need you to answer mine,” Captain Mendez said. I nodded before he continued, “Please state your name.”
“Jason MacMillan.”
“And where are you from Mr. MacMillan?”
“Alta Colorado.”
“Who are the children you’re with?”
“My niece and nephew.”
“Fantastic, now Mr. MacMillan, clearly some strange occurrences have happened in this area over the last few weeks, what do you know about them?”
“Well, animals started attacking people, like coordinated attacks. I don’t know much else.”
“Why were you in the woods?”
“My sister’s cat let a bear in. It… it killed her, I tried to escape with the kids but we never made it out of town, the animals blocked the roads.
“Ok, last question from me. Has that dog shown any aggression towards humans at all?”
“BK? No never, he killed a bear for us, he even led us to water. Where is he?”
Captain Mendez chuckled “your dog is safe, he’s in a kennel on the other side of this facility, along with a lot of other dogs. Other survivors have said the same things about their dogs, loyal to the end.”
“Survivors? What the hell is going on here, was this a terrorist attack or something? Why are the Marines here?”
“We believe that something in the water supply may have turned the animals, we don’t know what it was. Marines were deployed here to destroy the animal threat.”
“Bullshit! You know exactly what caused this, otherwise you wouldn’t have bombed out Alta!” I yelled at him. “Let us go!”
Captain Mendez looked side to side before leaning in close “I’ll return you to the cell with those kids, all you need to know is that there was something in the water.” He stood and yelled out “Corporal!” Another Marine entered the room, “Take him back to holding.”
I was returned to the cell and found the kids sitting on the cot with a few books. “Those ladies where super nice Uncle Jay,” Natalie said excitedly while holding up a book.
“That’s good baby, what did you guys talk about?”
“We told them about mom, and the animals, and how BK saved us twice.” Ian said. “Did they tell you anything?”
“Not really, we’ll figure something out.” I said with a sigh. We sat there for a few more hours before I heard footsteps coming down the hall.
“Chow!” yelled a Marine as he stepped in front of the cell door. “Come up here and get it.” I stood and walked over to the door, sizing the Marine up as I walked. I saw PFC chevrons on his collar, and an incredibly high faded haircut, and knew that he was a new Marine, probably on his first mission.
I got up close to the door and as he leaned in to hand the food through the slot I reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into the cage door. With my other hand I quickly covered his mouth so he couldn’t yell for help. “Unless you want to die you’re going to tell me what I want to know do you understand?” The Marine nodded. “If you scream when I move my hand, you die,” the Marine nodded again and I removed my hand from his mouth. “Why are you here?”
“To bring you ch…”
I shook him violently, “try again, why are you here, in Colorado?”
“This is what I’ve heard, don’t know how true it is, but a plane with some new chemical on it went down by a lake or something, it made the animals go nuts and they sent us to kill them. That’s all I know, please don’t tell my Corporal I told you all this,” he said, eyes wide with fear.
“I won’t tell a soul,” I said as I released him.
That was 12 days ago. We sat in quarantine for 12 days eating “hot chow” that looked like pig slop and sleeping on a cot. Yesterday they brought BK in, he ran to the kids and rolled over for belly scratches. Walking in behind BK was Captain Mendez and a man in a black suit. Captain Mendez spoke first, “This is agent Johnson, he’s going to explain a few things to you and then you’ll be all set to go home, but I want to warn you, things are a little different now. Best of luck Mr. MacMillan,” with that he did an about face and walked out of the cell.
“Mr. MacMillan, I want to start by saying that what you and your children went through was terrible and I’m sorry you had to go through it.” I glared at him and said nothing. “… we’re returning you to your home, but like the Captain said, some things are a bit different. For instance, Alta is now called Alma and if you’re wise you will call it that as well. As far as you are concerned it’s always been called Alma.”
“What. Happened. Here?” I asked slowly.
“The official reports say that it was a massive outbreak of rabies that has since been dealt with, I suggest you take that at face value. Now if you’ll please follow me, we’ll get you in a van we have waiting and get you home.”
We followed behind agent Johnson and silently loaded into a big white van with government plates. I looked out the window as we drove and saw that we were at a reservoir north of Alta, or Alma as it was apparently now called. Men in white lab coats littered the shore of the reservoir and there were numerous military tents strewn about the area. We rode in silence for the whole 20 minute ride back to Alma. I couldn’t help but notice that the sign now read “Historic Alma, North America’s HIGHEST Incorporated Town,” other than that, everything looked exactly the same. The stores, the bars, the houses, everything was the way it was before the animals came. The real difference was the people. Only a handful of people I recognized remained, everyone else was a stranger to me.
The last day and a half have been strange yes, but still manageable and I'll say this, a government cover-up definitely explains why no one came to help us.
submitted by MakroYianni to nosleep [link] [comments]

The Capitol Creek Circuit in Colorado

As a new backpacker, this was my most ambitious trip to date. I learned so much about my gear and about myself. I rediscovered some old knowledge left over from my Marine Corps days, and gained back some mental fortitude. I’m doing this trip report as an outlet for my experiences and thoughts on the trail, but also because there is a lack of resources on the Capitol Creek Circuit. What resources there are can be misleading and downright inaccurate. I’ll be the first to admit that I made some serious mistakes while out on the trial, but I hope this report will save others from repeating these mistakes. Overall, I would do this trail again. I wouldn’t even think twice about it. 10,000 ft in elevation gains will toughen you up for sure.
When: Aug 13th-16th 2018
Where: Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, CO
Distance: 38.6 Miles
LighterPack: https://lighterpack.com/33sj5
Photos: https://imgur.com/gallery/MM9yry5
Day 1: Austin, TX- Denver ~775 miles via Airplane (650ft in Austin to 5280ft in Denver)
Denver to Leadville ~100 miles (~10,152 ft)
Leadville to Capitol Creek Trailhead ~83 miles (~9505 ft)
Ditch Trail to Capitol Lake Mile 0-6 (~6.0 miles) (~9505 ft to ~11602ft)
I’ll cut right to Leadville and Melanzana. I was not terribly impressed with the micro hoodie, at least not enough to justify the megahype on this subreddit, but I went ahead and bought one (Size XL, all gray, 12 oz). I could see myself using it on some future trips, but I mainly bought it for day use here in Texas and because I wanted to support a local business. They were incredibly patient with me, answered all my questions about the company, and truly make well thought quality products. I even bought a beanie for my GF which weighed 0.55 oz for a medium. Inventory was low, options were sparse, but I did not see a single employee slack off as they feverishly worked on making new products.
The immediate road to the trailhead is rough. The Hyundai Elantra I rented made it all the way, but there were some serious bumps and dings to and from the trailhead (SPOILER ALERT: this is actually me and I made it out alive).
Once at the trailhead, I chose to start on the Ditch Trail. This parking lot is home to two trailheads. I chose to start with the one that is a little further up to the West. Here is where I’ll introduce a common theme to this story: mislabeling. The trailhead is labeled as “Upper Capitol Peak Trail”, not to be confused with just “Capitol Creek Trail” located 100 ft to the East. The physical trail can be confusing, and downright nonexistent in some portions, but my advice is to trust your gut and be somewhat savvy with navigation to combat this. Do not be discouraged. You do not need to be Andrew Skurka to complete this Loop, just have a good head on your shoulders.
Once on the Ditch Trail, I headed south. I encountered at least two separate streams on my way to Capitol Lake. I almost never had to carry more than 2 Liters on this trip, and I could have probably gotten away with carrying just one on most parts. For reference, Colorado had a mild winter and has been experiencing an equally mild monsoon season. Ditch Trail eventually intersects with the Capitol Creek Trail, and I followed the later all the way to Capitol Lake.
Capitol Lake reminded me of the Fellowship of the Ring, when the gang has to fight the Kraken before making their way into the Mines of Moria. It could have been the twilight, but the water looked as deep and dark as the Pacific Ocean. Capitol Peak loomed over the lake at ~14,131 feet, and the pass right next to it.
Camping by the lake is prohibited, but just short of the lake, there are 8 camp sites. I set up my bivy and tarp and went to sleep. I experienced the most amount of rain of this trip on this first night, with light sporadic drizzling.
Day 2: Capitol Lake to Geneva Lake; Mile 6.0-19.7 (~13.7 miles) (~11,602ft to ~10,988ft)
I couldn’t sleep, so I rolled out of my quilt and started breaking camp around 3:30AM. Temperatures were in the low 40s during the coldest point of the night. I made my way to the lake, ate some food, cameled up, and thought of my egress route in case the Kraken surfaced. I started my way up Capitol Pass which I could see up ahead even in full darkness and just a small headlamp. The pass was not very challenging. In fact, I was on top of it before I realized it (~12,027 ft).
I started a rapid descent from the pass and into the tree line. Crossed a gentle creek and continued down. Here is where you need to pay attention. From Capitol Pass to Avalanche Pass, the trail is extremely hard to keep track of. Out of the few people I found and spoke to, they had the most trouble in this section because of navigation problems. It is imperative to bring along a physical map to supplement a GPS. I had both, at this point of the story at least, and still managed to mess up.
I continued on Capitol Creek Trail and came to a junction. This is where you should turn and cross a large creek, but…this is not what I did. You should turn onto Avalanche-Silver Creek Trail and move forward from here. I remember getting to this junction, but the name was slightly different on the post then what was registered on my map and GPS. I don’t remember what it was exactly, but it was enough to make me question whether this was the right trail to tun on. It was indeed, but instead continued towards Avalanche Lake. There is good camping to be had here, and the lake is beautiful.
I realized I was off trail once I got to the lake, so I doubled back and checked my GPS. The GPS had me cross the creek across some logs instead of at the junction, but when I reached the other side, there was no physical trail. I saw on both the paper map and the GPS that the trail switched back behind a small but steep hill that sat right in front of me. So, I climbed the hill instead of going back a mile to find the right junction. I bushwhacked up, around, over, and down the other side of the hill to find the trail. I finally got back to the trail, but lost two hours and my physical map. I felt pretty vulnerable at this point.
I continued uphill for a few more hours through various switchbacks and along many rocky ridgelines. There were a few water sources, but many were tiny streams. A water scoop might be helpful. Be on the lookout for cairins as much of the trail is lost to grass as well as full of wrong turns created by hikers taking the wrong path. There is no signage from Avalanche Lake to Avalanche Pass.
I finally got to the top of Avalanche Pass (~12232 ft). Behind me lay mostly barren ridgelines with some small grass. Ahead of my lay a meadow of wildflowers, and in the distance pine trees. It was clear to me how weather can be affected in the mountains here. This side had benefited from rain, whereas the other side was somewhat barren. I enjoyed the gentle down hill and flatness of this plush valley.
The trail was well kept here, and I easily made it to another junction. I made a left turn North on the Lost Trail Road, which is a somewhat paved road meant for jeeps, ATVs, dirt bikes, and other off-road vehicles. You’ll pick up miles here and lose elevation. This road and the last stretch of the valley after Avalanche Pass is mainly dry, but the near the Geneva Lake Trailhead is a beautiful cascading stream with water.
Once I got to the trailhead I turned once more to the left and up North to Geneva Lake. There was plenty of signage on the Geneva Lake Trail as I steadily climbed over 1000 ft over the next two miles at the end of my day. I saw a huge waterfall, but was too wiped out be super impressed at the time. There was plenty of camping sites at Geneva Lake and apparently plenty of fishing too. Some ding dongs tried to start at fire to cook said fish even though it was prohibited, but thankfully, they did not possess the knowledge on how to start one. I saw the lake sits in a deep basin, and prepared for a cold night.
Day 3: Lake Geneva to just short of Haystack Pass; Mile 19.7-33.1 (~13.4 Miles) (~10,988ft-10,352ft)
I have never gotten as good sleep as I got at Geneva Lake despite the temperature drop into the low 40s. I packed up and continued uphill out of the basin, headed West towards Trail Rider Pass. Past a small lake I began my climb up the pass. The trail zig zags up a in a general West Northwest direction from here, to the pass, and beyond to Snowmass Lake. The pass was hard since it’s the tallest point of the trial (~12,423 ft), but there was not a constant grind uphill like with Avalanche Pass, so it was done fairly quickly. Hagerman Peak lay to the Northwest (~13,841 ft).
I had a delightful snack with a woman and her two dogs at the top and discussed her recent CT success, before heading down the trail. This portion of the trail runs in conjunction with the Four Pass Loop. I ran into A LOT of people. Anecdotally about three times more than I had during the first two days. However, I never felt as if the trail was stuffed like a can of Vienna sausages.
I’d like to now address a common statement I came across while planning my shelfed Four Pass Loop trip, since the two trails intersect here. I did see a lot of poop in the ground. However, the poop encountered wasn’t from backpackers, but rather from cattle and horses. Any portion of trial near a trailhead, or some of the more popular spots on these two trails will encounter this problem. The reason being is that some portions of the national forest are privately owned by ranchers. Some of the surrounding private property near the forest is also occupied by the ranchers. Some individuals bring their horses to the trail for recreational riding. For what it’s worth, I saw very little traces of human feces.
I bypassed Snowmass Lake and stayed at elevation since I had enough water and wanted to save my legs for Haystack Pass. The forest was beautiful. I ran into squirrels, marmots, chipmunks, and a series of small streams and creeks. A man on the Four Pass Loop asked if I was carrying enough stuff and food, as my pack was very small. I took this as a complement and continued. The trial is also very flat here with a very gradual slope downward so I covered a lot of ground in no time. After some switchbacks, I passed some small ponds and crossed a beaver dam to make it across a small creek.
Here you are in another valley going North, and you can see clearly here how the Maroon Bells are so different then the surrounding mountains. To your right on the East side of the trail, the light purplish pink hue of the Bells made from mudstone, and to the West lay solid gray behemoths. It was striking.
Eventually, I came to another junction and the trail became a little hazy. Again the junction was off on the GPS, and the trials were named slightly different. On the maps, I should be turning onto West Snowmass Creek Trail. However I was presented with West Snowmass Trail and Maroon Snowmass Trial.
West Snowmass Trail was the right option but I was confused since the trail led across a creek and onto private property. I decided to travel a little further on Maroon Snowmass Trial since It seemed like the junction I was going for was only about ten minutes further. I went those ten minutes, and even arrived to the junction on my GPS, but instead I was standing in a middle of a cow paddy.
Thankfully, the owner of the private property came by on his horse and informed me that I had indeed passed up the appropriate turn off earlier, and to follow that trial all the way to Haystack Mountain and Haystack Pass.
So I crossed the creek, which came up to about my knees and followed the trail West onto private property. The trail here is at times overgrown, and there are many tiny trails that cross the main trail which are not listed. There are also cattle trails that can seem like the main trail, but are not. The trail is also structured very differently from the way its presented on the map and GPS. Basically, be on your game. You are no longer on the well kept trails of the Four Pass Loop.
I moved from the junction on a continuous uphill for another three plus miles and 2000 ft before ending my day around 5:30PM. I usually keep going until about an hour before sunset, but I was already beat and if I continued for another hour or so, I would be on top of the pass racing daylight on what seemed on the map a very VERY steep pass.
I chose a very nice rare flat portion of the trail with plenty of foliage to provide warmth and trees to provide wind breaks. This is the only time I dry camped. There was a nice stream about a half mile back where I encountered the one mosquito on the whole trail, but the next source of water was at the bottom on the other side of Haystack Mountain.
Day 3.5: Just short of Haystack Pass to Right on top; Mile 33.1 to 34.7 (~1.6 Miles) (~10,352ft -11,976ft)
Things are about to get weird. I wake up around 10:30PM, fully awake. I toss and turn for about another hour before I decide enough is enough, and I’m going to try and hike out the remainder of the trail. The trail had become a little easier to navigate so I figured I could just plop right over the top of the pass, hike, and get to my car by daylight, and fill my body with all the McGriddles I could possibly buy. Not my smartest moment. Plus I was really thirsty, so I thought I might as well hike over to the next water source.
I break camp around 12:30AM and head West. I ran into a herd of cows on the way to Haystack Pass. I at first saw only one pair of eyes. Which was creepy enough since they didn’t answer my “Hello?” And I as I looked around, I saw a butt load surrounding me. My first thought was that I had run into a small camp of people, but the eyes kept multiplying. My brain of course came to the conclusion that this must be aliens. Finally, a cow walked close enough to for me to figure out the situation. I bypassed the scary cows and make my way Northwest to the top of the pass. It was easy work (~11,976 ft). And the view was worth all my future troubles.
The entire Milky Way floated above my head and into the sky. I’ve seen the Milky Way a handful of times before, but I guess you never quite got use to it. A small meteor entered the atmosphere and broke up. I’ll never forget that moment.
My situation on the ground had changed though. There was no trail. I mean that in the literal sense. There was no trail down on the other side of the pass. I walked around. I consulted the GPS. But every step was extremely risky. The edge of the mountain seemed to drop off into oblivion because of how steep the decline was. I was scared shitless. I consulted the GPS and it confirmed that the grade of steepness down from the pass varied form roughly 40-50 degrees. I was essentially boned. Either make my way down this steep mountain pass with no trail to follow or find a place to make camp. I chose the latter, and cowboy camped by a small outcrop of pines. I fall asleep dramatically watching the stars and wondering if I’d ever wake up.
Day 4: Haystack Pass to Capitol Creek Trailhead; Mile 34.7-38.6 (~3.9 Miles) (~11,976 ft-9,477 ft)
I already told you earlier I live. But I didn’t know that at the time. Surprisingly, despite sleeping on top of the pass, I only woke up once from the chills. I slept with most of my clothes on including my trail runners. I wrapped myself in my quilt and tarp to break whatever wind the pines didn’t catch. On top of it all, I slept really well. But clouds had come in and they threatened a downpour but only managed sporadic light drizzle. I quickly break camp, but my situation hadn’t changed.
I thought that maybe I could find the trail with daylight, but it was still nonexistent. I could see some unconnected cow trails, but nothing substantial. At first, I started following the GPS, but I eventually put it away. It wanted me to follow a gully all the way down the mountain. The gully was made of unstable rock, and mud from the on and off drizzle of the morning. I fell and slid and tumbled on three separate occasions. Each time, I somehow managed to stop myself. I was in a dangerous situation. I looked to my GPS one last time and decided that instead of going straight down as it suggested, I would L shape off the mountain, taking an easier slope to the west. The contour lines were a smidge more spaced out there.
My intuition was correct, and I safely passed down to flatter terrain and made my way to the creek promised on the other side of Haystack via Capitol Creek Trail. All in all, the descent took me two hours, and I became frustrated enough to write this long winded trail report in the hopes that no one repeats my mistakes and has an easier time with what is otherwise an amazing trail.
At the aforementioned creek, the trail intersects with the West Snowmass Creek Trail which should have safely taken me down from the pass. The change of perspective confirmed there was no trail down. Where there should have been a trail, there was nothing but mud and grass. Lessons to take way: don’t fully trust and rely on GPS maps, and learn basic navigation. What little I had left over from my Marine days saved me many more hours on Haystack Mountain.
The remainder of the trail was essentially a victory lap which remained flat until the last half mile up to the trailhead where my rental car was parked. I made my way down the bumpy dirt road until I headed west on 82 to a Whole Foods where I dropped $28 on food. It was glorious.
Gear:
I tested a lot of new gear on this trip. I’ll mention briefly the items that stood out to me, and feel free to ask me any questions about the gear or the trip itself:
  1. Torso Length Z-Lite: I moved away from a modified Thermorest Xlite Long because I just couldn’t get comfortable on the inflatable pad. The CCF gave me some of the best sleep I’ve ever gotten on trail. I was even able to sleep on my side for brief amounts of time (6.08 oz)
  2. Borah Bug Bivy: John was extremely helpful with some modifications I asked for such as the Argon foot panel for a breathable splash guard. I had plenty of room in the bivy, especially since I’m a back sleeper when on trail. Everyone should do business at Borah. (4.80 oz)
  3. Zpacks Cuben Tarp 7x9 ft: With the Skurka guyline system, this tarp was easy to set up. There was plenty of room in the A-Frame set up for extra gear to stay shielded. No other set ups were tested in the field, but I never felt the need since it was plenty big for one person. (5.60 oz)
  4. Big Sky Pillow: I tried the Flex Pillow. I wasn’t hardcore enough. You guys seemed to love this pillow, so I gave it a shot. I am now a convert despite the price. Since I was in a Bivy, I didn’t experience too much sliding. It supported my head like a mother’s hug. (1.44 oz)
  5. Monbell Ex-Light Down Jacket: I tried using it on the move once, but almost overheated after 3 minutes. No joke. I never yearned for a full zip or cinch cords for my hood. Even when I woke up with the chills on Haystack, I put this bad boy on and drifted back to the sandman. Awesome puffy. Purchased on Japanese site. (7.36 oz)
  6. Montbell Ex-Light Wind Jacket: EASILY THE MVP OF THE TRIP. I woke up to temperatures in the high 30s to high 40s. I broke camp quickly and wore this over my sun hoody up until maybe 8AM. I wore it to bed to protect my quilt from body oils. This thing went above and beyond the call of duty, and I have joined the wind jacket cult. As a hood guy, I was hesitant to try no hood on this thing, but I never missed it. (1.76 oz)
  7. Nitecore Tube: The runner up to the MVP. How is a $10 flashlight so damn lightweight and flexible in uses? I attached a binder clip to it so I could wear it on my baseball cap for trail use. It can go from 1 to 45 lumens which I found plenty for trail use and camp. I never had to recharge it while on the trail. I even tried but it was fully charged in around five minutes on the third night. No red light is the only reason it’s the runner up. (0.32oz)
  8. Casio Pro Trek PRW-2500R-1CR: a solar powered ABC watch that was quite effective out in the field. It doesn’t take readings based on GPS so it was a little inaccurate on altitude and temperature sometimes, but never too much. For example, there would sometimes be a difference of 100 ft between the readings on All Trails, and the readings on my Casio.
  9. Cascade Mountain Tech Aluminum Compact Folding Collapsible Trekking Poles with Cork Grip: HARD FAIL. Not one, but BOTH broke during the second day of use. Not during a freak accident, but during two separate occasions. I had to constantly repair them with duct tape and leuko tape. I heard great things about the company, but I was very disappointed. So now I have to replace my trekking poles AGAIN. Plus, I’d like to get flip lock poles since it would make adjusting my tarp easier. Any ideas?
  10. All Trail GPS: I’m gonna give the app another chance and chalk up my experiences with navigation on the trail to human error. Both on me and the individuals who plotted the trials on the app. It has cool features like being able to download various types of maps, and keeping track of elevations and grades of steepness.
submitted by horsecake22 to Ultralight [link] [comments]

Colorado Road Trip! Chicago to RMNP to Leadville to Beaver Creek to Vail and back to Chi

5 friends and I are planning a road trip for the last week of May. We are going to rent a place for a couple days near RMNP then we have places to stay with family and friends in Leadville, Beaver Creek, and about 40 miles north of Vail in the middle of nowhere. We would also like to camp for a night or two. We are all 19 years old and have little experience with road trips, Colorado, and elevation since we are from Chicago. We will most likely be driving an '06 Honda Odyssey mini van so crazy steep drives probably aren't the best idea right? I would love if you all could help us out with any tips and recommendations that you have!
Best places to hike in each of those locations?
Good camping spots near RMNP or any of those other areas?
Advice on renting a place near RMNP?
How much snow should we expect?
Anything other than hiking that is fun and relatively inexpensive?
Any general tips for staying safe and having fun would be greatly appreciated!
submitted by mfly5 to coloradohikers [link] [comments]

Colorado Breweries We've Visited vol. 2: Rest of the State

The prior posts are now archived, so I'm starting a pair of new threads. We're still finding new breweries, cideries, and meaderies to try in the Denver metro area and all over the state. Note: Regions are for convenience only. I reserve the right to be wrong about categorizing some out-of-the-way spots.

The Rest of the Front Range

Current category tally: 56

The Rest of Colorado (South, West, Central)

Current category tally: 29
submitted by xeinous to xpa [link] [comments]

The Great Colorado Beer Jamboree 2: Breweries we’ve visited outside the Denver area

In addition to our ongoing explorations in the Denver area, we also continue to explore craft breweries in the rest of the state. This, too, shall be an ongoing list. Note: Regions are for convenience only. I reserve the right to be wrong about categorizing some out-of-the-way spots.

The Rest of the Front Range

Current category tally: 42

The Rest of Colorado (South, West, Central)

Current category tally: 24
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is leadville colorado safe video

9 crazy ziplines through the mountains in Colorado [GoPro] Killer Black Bear at Camp Freedom - Colorado Mountains of Adonia Independence Pass, Top of the Rockies Byway: 82 to Aspen Top 10 reasons NOT to move to Colorado. You know The Rocky ... Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad Video #1 The 10 Worst Cities In Colorado Explained - YouTube Small Colorado Hospital Prepares For Big Renovations - YouTube Dropping A Blade on Harrison Avenue in Downtown Leadville Today Top 10 WORST towns in Colorado. It was hard to find towns ...

In 1988, a new railroad, the Leadville Colorado& Southern, building upon the ghosts of the past, began carrying Leadville passengers over a right-of-way that was built in 1884. “Silver Rails is the story of Leadville’s railroads, then and now, and the town they helped build.” Explore The Tennessee Pass Line Leadville is a town in Colorado with a population of 2,742. Leadville is in Lake County. Living in Leadville offers residents a sparse suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Leadville there are a lot of bars and restaurants. Many young professionals live in Leadville and residents tend to lean conservative. Is it Safe to Travel to Leadville? Our best data indicates this area is generally safe. As of Oct 07, 2019 there are no travel advisories or warnings for the United States; exercise normal security precautions. Check this page for any recent changes or regions to avoid: Travel Advice and Advisories. This advisory was last updated on Sep 23, 2019. Is Colorado ready to keep them safe? by Mr. Leadville | Feb 7, 2021 | Leadville News. There really is no feeling like the feeling of a classroom alive with the energy of learning. Usually, in the spring, my classroom is filled with this energy. Whether students are observing crawdads or serving friends in a fraction cafe, it is moments like Best Camping in Leadville on Tripadvisor: Find 90 traveler reviews, 46 candid photos, and prices for camping in Leadville, Colorado, United States. Leadville crime rates are 50% lower than the national average. Violent crimes in Leadville are 24% lower than the national average. In Leadville you have a 1 in 80 chance of becoming a victim of crime. Leadville is safer than 47% of the cities in the United States. Leadville City Council passed the 2020 budget on 12/3/19. City staff has created a budget brief for the public that is located below as a PDF. To learn more about this budget and prior budgets, as well as the last four years of audited financial statements check out the Finance Department webpage on this website. Safe search. On. Off. Shutterstock's safe search will exclude restricted content from your search results. leadville colorado images. 567 leadville colorado stock photos, vectors, and illustrations are available royalty-free. See leadville colorado stock video clips. of 6. The skyline of Leadville, Colorado looks much the same as it did almost 100 years ago, with church steeples, an opera house and Tabor Opera House. The historic Tabor Opera House in downtown Leadville, Colorado. Leadville, Colorado: Some great environmental happenings. by Wendy Dew. I’ve spent a lot of time in Leadville, Colorado. Also known as the Two-Mile-High City, Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States.

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9 crazy ziplines through the mountains in Colorado [GoPro]

Like Drivelapse? Friend it: http://www.facebook.com/takemytripdotcom This drive follows Colorado Route 82, starting at its eastern terminus at US 24, and pas... If you like to travel or looking to relocate this is the channel for you. Top 10 reasons NOT to move to Colorado. Denver Broncos, Rocky Mountains New channel... Top 10 WORST towns in Colorado. It was hard to find towns that suck in a great state. . Thanks for stopping by The world according to Briggs, I make lists. N... And for LT it was just a flip of the #DashCam and then following a safe distance behind. ... High Line to Leadville - Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad - Duration: 10:46. ravingrev 16,343 views. July 27, 2020. 109-Year-Old Veteran and His Secrets to Life Will Make You Smile Short Film Showcase - Duration: 12:39. National Geographic 28,081,492 views Where are the worst cities in Colorado? We crunched the numbers to find out. My wife and I went with a bunch for friends for a week in Colorado. One of the funnest parts was ziplining through the trees up in the mountains. The guides were great and we had fun spinning and ... A hospital in Leadville is growing and thriving thanks to community support. ... Small Colorado Hospital Prepares For Big Renovations CBS Denver. ... Tornado Safe Room PBS - Duration: 5:43. A Safe Passage: The Colorado Highway 9 Wildlife Crossing Project - Duration: ... Turquoise Lake - Leadville Colorado - Duration: 0:42. Campground Recon Recommended for you. 0:42. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

is leadville colorado safe

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