Southwest Adventure Guides » Backpacking

10 Days in the Weminuche Wilderness

Aaron Ball — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:09:34 +0000

Earlier this summer we did an amazing 10 Day climbing trip in the Weminuche Wilderness. During the course of the trip we climbed Centennial 13′ers Vestal Peak via the Wham Ridge, Jagged Mountain via the North Face, Pigeon Peak via the Southwest Slopes, Turret Peak via the Western Slopes, and Jupiter Mountain via the West Face. A Centennial 13′er in Colorado is defined as any peak over 13,807 feet, and in addition to the 54 14′ers quest, the 100 highest peaks quest has become increasingly popular during the past few years. Indeed, some of the best and most inspiring climbs in Colorado are on 13′ers.

The group on top of Jupiter Mountain

From the maps below, you can get a sense of how we accomplished this feat over the course of 10 days. Being out in the Weminuche for that length of time really gives you a sense of how remote and rugged this part of the San Juans really are. The Weminuche is a true wilderness area, with plenty of route finding and navigation required to travel between the major drainages.

Part 1 of our route

Part 2 of our route

We began the trip on the Colorado Trail and Elk Creek, and finished up on the Needle Creek trail. Along the way we traveled through Vestal Basin and down to Balsam Lake, along the “high traverse” to Jagged Mountain (one of the best mountain days you’ll ever experience!), up and over Jagged Col and down into the remote No Name basin, then back up and over Ruby/No Name pass into the super rugged Ruby Creek drainage, then back up and over Ruby/No Name and Twin Thumbs pass for a finish in the popular Chicago Basin.

View of Monitor Peak from upper No Name

In short it was an amazing trip with great clients (thanks Charley, Phanie, Greg, Doug, and Chris!!), and a great guide and support staff (thanks Matt, Mike, Drew, Ryan, and Alec!).

On the summit of Jagged Mountain

This is simply one of the most amazing trips that you can do in Colorado or the entire mountain west. We will be offering this trip again next year with some fixed date departures, so stay tuned to our website in the coming months for more information, dates, and costs!

Great pic of the group with Jagged Mountain in the background

Snow in the San Juans in July!

Morning moon over Pigeon Peak

Great shot near the top of Jagged Mountain

Snowdon Peak under winter conditions

mattp — Sun, 02 May 2010 04:32:19 +0000

Southwest Colorado’s combined cold spring and overall great snowpack during the 09/2010 winter have created long-lasting winter conditions in the high country. John flew in from Malaysia for a couple peak climbs during the end of April. On the 25th, Nate took him up Engineer and John admitted to being wide-eyed most of the day with constant winds and temps he has never experienced. The 26th allowed for a half rest day, half hike into camp at 11,500 feet on the western flank of Snowdon Peak. The trail was packed snow all the way from HW 550 to camp. Luckily the weather was much warmer, 40 degrees, than the previous day and the wind had died down. We arrived at camp around 3 PM and after a cat nap, we went over some basic avalanche pit analysis and tips and tricks on how to stay warm in the winter.. The low that night was 20 degrees and the warm water bottles kept John toasty all night.

The West buttress of Snowdon proved to be still holding a decent amount of snow and ice which made the climb mixed and exciting. We summited under warm blue skied at 10 AM and ate and rested on top for a leisurly 45 minutes. Once at the top of the NW coulouir we took to our bottoms and glissaded down 600 feet in a matter of minutes. Afterward, John told me he doesn’t get to do much sledding in Malayisa and he really enjoyed it.

Once back in camp we packed up our tent and sleeping bags and began hiking out. Looking forward to a warmer and softer night’s sleep, John set a quick pace for the car and we made it out in an hour and 15 minutes. From here we toured Silverton, CO so John could photograph the booming metropolis and then returned to Southwest Adventure Guides basecamp back in Durango, CO.

Snow in May, 20 degree nights with 40 degree days, 13,000 ft summits, 200 ft/ min glissading descents; sign up today for your story of a life time!. Excellent work John and way to keep a smile alive!

Leaving the trailhead and solid footing behind.

A frozen Andrew's Lake, the Naked Lady Couloir and the West Buttress on Snowdon Peak

John very much excited about the blue bird day and lack of wind

Summit Shot. 13,077 feet above Kuala Lumpur

Beautiful Ice Lakes

mattp — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:05:22 +0000

After getting rained out prior in the season, the Karch family returned for a trip into Ice Lakes Basin of the San Juan Mountains. We met under blue skies in Durango and drove to the trailhead at the end of S. Mineral creek road. The hike up entailed gaining 2,500 feet in 3.5 miles. Ted took many amazing pictures on the way while Andrea and Janet solved my brainteasers with ease. We reached our destination, the upper Ice Lakes basin and set up camp at 12,300 feet. This was the highest any of them had ever been and they were showing no signs of the lack of oxygen. Awesome work!

The Lake was the most vibrant blue any of us had ever seen; better than Canada’s Lake Louis by far. One lone hiker described it as “cheap Chinese turquoise colored.” I decided a quick dip was necessary, but, for some odd reason, could not convince anyone else to join me. Not sure why that was….

Books were read, naps were taken and scenery absorbed as the days previous hike wore on us. Dinner consisted of multicolored, funny looking cheese sauce and noodles. May have looked funny, but it sure tasted great. We all watched the sun go down, very slowly while the colors changed from blues to reds to grays. At one point during the night Ted got up to observe the stars. He said he was blown away by what he described as “more stars than night sky.”

The next morning we ate a leisurely breakfast and Ted put Starbucks to shame with his coffee and hot cocoa/ coffee combo drink. We then took a side hike to Fuller lake were we could look down at the 2 Ice Lakes. It was truly amazing the difference in colors from one lake to the next. After the hike, we returned to camp, packed up and began our hike back out. We made great time on the decent, while the weekend hikers were on their way up.

We parted ways back in Durango as Andrea was college-bound and Ted and Janet home-bound. Awesome outing together and see you next time!

MSP

Karch Family at entrance waterfall

Hiking in the lower basin (Photo: Ted Karch)

Andrea & Janet staying warm by any means possible (Photo: Ted Karch) Bedside view (Photo: Ted Karch)

Bedside View (Photo: Ted Karch)

Nightfall (Photo: Ted Karch)

Golden Horn and its reflection (Photo: Ted Karch)

Ted, Janet, Andrea and I in front of Ice Lake

Weminuche Backpacking

benk — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:45:55 +0000

Nate and his mother Terry came out from Boston to see some western sights. After they visited the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde, we went backpacking in the Weminuche Wilderness. I have to say that is a grand-slam tour if I have ever heard of one. We took the train up from Durango to Elk Park and hiked up to a beaver pond where we were pleasantly surprised to find a friendly mother moose and her two calves. Terry spent the afternoon watching to moose while Nate and I made the hike up to Vestal Basin. The next day we hiked over the Continental Divide to Kite Lake. The 12,800′ that we reached that afternoon was the highest elevation that Nate or Terry had ever been and they both performed impressively. With no moose to hold our attention we entertained ourselves with a deck of cards. Nate and I quickly discovered that Terry was a master of the game “Champion” and couldn’t be beaten. We hiked to the Highland Mary Lakes the next night and were surprised to see some lamas and a herd of sheep. The two sheep dogs came down to visit us and beg for food. Unfortunately for the dogs all they got were some pets. We decided that the scheduled hike for the last day was a little too short so we called our shuttle driver Bill on the satellite phone and adjusted the pick up place and time. This change of plans later caused us to get caught in the worst hail storm I have ever been in. Luckily the amazing views that we encountered while hiking our new route were well worth the painful hail. It was a pleasure to hike and camp for four days with Terry and Nate and I hope to see them again in the future.

BJK

Vestal Basin

Near the headwaters of Elk Creek.

On the Continental Divide

Hail!

Backpacking and Peak Climbing in the Weminuche

Aaron Ball — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:49:52 +0000

This was an incredible journey! We spent eight days playing in the great outdoors in Southwest Colorado! This included climbing at a local crag, climbing one of our great 13ers in the area (Snowdon Peak), and then traveling into the backcountry of the great Weminuche Wilderness to visit Chicago Basin, the 14ers there, and end hiking out high on Endlich Mesa!

The first day we spent climbing at X-Rock, one of our local crags. We climbed around on rock all day including climbing some of the harder climbs there, learning about building climbing anchors, and doing some rappelling down steep faces.

The next day we ventured to Snowdon Peak where we climbed the West Buttress, giving us a great view of the surrounding mountains including the Needles where we were headed the next day. This also gave us the chance to acclimate to the elevation so that the travels into the 14ers wouldn’t be as difficult.

The next day we went into Chicago Basin via the train and spent the next few days climbing the local 14ers. This included Windom, Sunlight, and Eolus. The time spent up high was amazingly beautiful and we were psyched to get some great weather!

After our time in the Basin, we moved up over Columbine Pass and Trimble Pass to the Silver Mesa and City Reservoir. This was a great miles day with views of the Needles the whole way and lunar landscapes up high.

Lastly, we ended the trip again gaining great elevation and hiked the remaining portion of the trip above 12,000 ft along the Endlich Mesa. It literally felt like Ireland up there with flocks of Sheep and all.

Mike and I had a great time hanging out and exploring what Southwest Colorado has to offer. There is much more where that came from, that is for sure!

On top of Windom

Snowdon Peak

Backpacking in the Weminuche

Climbing at X-Rock

Climbing in Chicago Basin

Storm King Peak and East Trinity

Aaron Ball — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:43:56 +0000

Just completed a busy week, the headline of which was a backcountry trip into Stormy Gulch for a climb of the E. Ridge of Storm King Peak, along with the E. Ridge of E. Trinity with Andrew K. and Marty L. The trip began with a road trip into Beartown via Silverton and Stony Pass. This burly 4 wheel drive road offers excellent access to the peaks in the Grenadier Range via Hunchback Pass.

We rounded out the day with relatively short (approx. 5.5 miles) approach into Stormy Gulch which offers great views of The Guardian, Mt. Silex, and Storm King Peak. Stormy Gulch is decidedly more remote than Vestal Basin and is host to a combination of great camping and awesome climbing.

The following day we climbed the E. Ridge of Storm King Peak (1500′, 5.4). Engaging climbing on typical Grenadier quartzite, leads to the crest of one of the most sought after peaks in the Grenadiers.

Next it was on to E. Trinity, part of the Trinity Peaks which include Middle and West Trinity. Climbed less frequently than it’s neighbors (Vestal, Arrow, Storm King), this is a great climb and the summit affords great views of Balsam Lake and the 10 Mile Creek drainage, one of the more remote spots in the Weminuche.

Great backpacking, great climbing, great views, and even great weather. What more to ask for from a trip in the San Juans? Great job Andrew and Marty!

NTD

5 miles to the trailhead in 45 minutes on rough road

Climbing on Storm King Peak

That's us on the ridge nearing the summit

Andrew and Marty on the summit of E. Trinity

View of Middle Trinity from Trinity Pass

Vestal Peak in 2 Days

Aaron Ball — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:00:01 +0000

Climbed Vestal Peak via the Wham Ridge with Pat from El Paso, TX this week. We did the trip as a 2 day climb, riding the train to Elk Park and hiking into Vestal Basin on Day 1. An alpine start on Day 2 got us up and down the Wham Ridge and back to camp in the basin by noon. We packed up camp and trudged back out and up to Molas Pass via the 45 switchbacks trail.

All in all, a great trip with pretty good weather most of the time. Hard to avoid the afternoon thunderstorms this time of year, so early starts make all the difference. From the top of Vestal Peak (13,894) it is a 5,000 ft. descent back to the Animas, then another 2,000 ft. up to the top of Molas. About 10 miles and 10,000 ft. of elevation gain and loss in one day. A true mountain day to be sure. Great work Pat!

Next up is a Jagged Mtn./Storm King Peak program next week. Stay tuned for updates and pics from the trip!

Vestal Peak (left) and Arrow Peak from the beaver ponds

Pat in 4-wheel drive on Wham Ridge

Leading out high on Wham Ridge

On the summit of Vestal Peak

From New York With Speed

mattp — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:28:34 +0000

After a quick flight 2/3 of the way across of the US, Dave from New York and I, hopped the Durango – Silverton Railroad with our heart set on Vestal’s North facing Wham Ridge. The train offered a great introduction of the views to come of the San Juan Mountains and a time to eat donuts and coffee. Once off the train and immediately out of Elk Park, Dave set a strong pace which brought us to ing us the Beaver Ponds 1 hour and 20 minutes later. At this point Dave saw our objective and decided that concentrating on getting to camp was easier on his mind than thinking of the near vertical face which loomed over Vestal.

The climber’s trail leaving the primitive campsites around the Beaver Pond seemed in much better shape than years past and crossing Elk Creek proved to be an easier task than earlier in the season. We stopped for lunch around 10,500 feet where rain began to fall in normal Colorado fashion. Full bellies and warm rain coats put both of us to sleep under the comfort and shelter of large Pine tree limbs. At 5pm, after a 1 hour 45 minute lunch-nap, we made camp at the West end of the Basin.

The next morning came with excitement and a near full moon with enough light to not warrant headlamps. We left camp at 5:15AM and gained the base of Wham around 6:10. Here we dawned harnesses and a rope and the fun began. At this point Dave’s eyes lit up with excitement as he climbed through the opening 5.4 pitch and cruised up the 5.5 crux section of the climb. At this point Dave admitted his prior nervousness was now replaced with pure delight. We welcomed the summit at 9AM under clear skies and amazing views in all directions. After a snack, rest and congratulations, we began our descent off the back side at 9:30.

During prior conversations, Dave had mentioned he skied some back East, therefore I decided some backcountry boot skiing was in order. Dave opened ’em and I closed ‘em for a fun speedy descent down from Vestal and Arrows col. We returned to camp at 11:20 AM under now cloudy, threatening skies; perfect weather for an afternoon nap.

The next morning we woke, packed up and began our descent back to Elk Park at 7:30 AM. Dave excelled in hasty descending techniques and we passed the Beaver Ponds at 8:40 and subsequently reached the railroad tracks at 10AM. All with a 20 minute rest at one of many breath-taking panoramas on the trail. Here we rinsed off in the Animas’s fresh snow melt and ate 3 servings of salami each. YUMM!!!

With our record breaking descent time and recess-like numbers of vacationing children, we decided on taking the train North to Silverton where we knew there would be cold beer. No better way to end a trip-of-a-lifetime than with cold beer and great food follwoed by a senic train rdie home through the rugged San Juan mountains of Colorado.

MSP

Departing train in Elk Park. Go Time!

Dave in front of Vestal and Arrow from the Beaver Ponds

6 AM. Wham ridge and the moon in the background. The fun climbing is about to begin.

Dave cruising through the crux. A separate party can be seen in the lower left.

9 AM. Summit. View to the South

Looking towards Chicago Basin

Dave showing off his skiing skills.

LNT Trainer Course

Nate — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:56:03 +0000

We recently hosted a Leave No Trace (LNT) Trainer’s Course here in Durango. Kate and Tracy, the LNT traveling trainers stopped by for the 2 day course to help make sure that Southwest Adventure Guides is current on the most recent information regarding leave no trace backcountry protocols. It was a great course and is highly recommended for all backcountry users. For more information about LNT or taking a course, visit their website at www.lnt.org.

Guides on LNT Course

Hiking on the Colorado Trail

Cat Hole Olympics