Stardate 2016.775

North and adjacent to Boreas Pass stands picturesque 13,684-foot Bald Mountain, rank 156.


Autumn Greetings From Boreas Pass!
On October second, Snowcatcher and I managed another snow-free ride up 11,841-foot Boreas Pass. This relatively high pass is located at treeline in the southwest section of the Front Range, several miles southeast of Breckenridge, Colorado. The pass straddles the Continental Divide, with the route following the historic Denver South Park and Pacific Rail grade of years gone by. Days of riding at higher elevations are waning, and it'll soon be time to dust off the planks for the snow months. Enjoy the pics.

To the west, across the upper Blue River Valley, rise the striking mountains of the Tenmile Range. Three of the peaks in this photo make Colorado's highest 100 list – known as the Centennials. They are Atlantic Peak (13,841 ft; rank 86), Pacific Peak (13,950 ft; rank 61) and Crystal Peak (13,852 ft; rank 82).






Bakers Tank was an important water stop for the old Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad.



The following pic is of Section House. It was built in 1882 as a family residence for the rail-line caretaker. A section of the house was set aside for other occasional rail workers and guests. The dwelling was refurbished in 1996 for use as an overnight backcountry ski hut that can be rented. The north shoulder of 13,082-foot Boreas Mountain, rank 583, provides the backdrop.




Success! Snowcatcher made the climb look easy!



Not to be a nitpicker, but according to my US Geological Survey 7.5 minute maps, the elevation on the sign should be changed to 11,841 feet. Or maybe the area has been resurveyed and my maps are wrong. I guess you'll have to cast your vote on who's right and who's wrong.




Snowcatcher gives some scale to an antique rail car that now calls the pass home.



To the southwest, Colorado's 96th highest peak, Mount Silverheels, touches the clouds at 13,822 feet. Mount Silverheels has a sad story behind its naming. The peak is named after a dance hall girl who danced in silver shoes at a mining town. A smallpox epidemic hit the mining camp in 1861. Well compensated, she used her own money to bring in doctors.

Instead of evacuating the town with those who could, she stayed and helped those inflicted, contracting the disease herself in the process. When the epidemic died down, surviving miners pooled $5,000 for her efforts, only to find her cabin empty. As the story goes, she remained hidden and in isolation because of her badly scarred face. Several years after the gold rush came to a close, someone claimed to have seen a black-veiled woman placing flowers on the graves of those who died from small pox.




A cloud-covered Tenmile Range trying to collect photons of light.




Most leaves had succumbed to the time of year. However, a few colorful stalwarts remained.



After a fast descent back down to Bakers Tank, I jumped onto some singletrack that supposedly would deposit me at our vehicle. I had never ridden the trail before.




The upper portion of trail was baby-bottom smooth.




The final mile was rocky and rough and demanded a bit more attention than the upper segment.




That's it for Boreas Pass 2016. I have more Pacific Northwest on the docket!

Adios

Stardate 2016.121

Winterland
I journeyed up to Copper Mountain Ski Area, Colorado, to make some turns this past Thursday. Almost two out of three of the free parking lots were full; not bad for a Thursday. Lots of folks are possibly playing hooky and enjoying March/April temps. There were more people than I expected. The snow, old and abused, actually wasn't too bad either. (Old and abused indicating some fresh snow would be nice.) Above treeline, things are quite wind-scoured. Some fresh snow would be a boon.



Copper Mountain has natural terrain for all abilities. The east side (below) and backside bowl skiing is expert. The middle area boasts some fine intermediate glissading and the west side makes the aspiring novice grin.




A bird's eye view north above Tenmile Creek and the I-70 corridor.




Here's a typical groomed run amongst the trees. Copper has some nice fall lines.



Copper Mountain has several natural snow bowls on the backside of the ski area. The bowls offer sought-after powder skiing. However, they morph into bump (mogul) runs if the snow gods are playing hooky. This photo is of a mogul-ridden Spaulding Bowl. The ski area's high point touches the sky at 12,441 feet and is in the upper right corner of the photo.



The stately Tenmile Range provides Copper's eastern backdrop. Left to right is Pacific Peak (13,950 ft, state elevation rank #61), Atlantic Peak (13,841 ft, rank #86) and Fletcher Mountain (13,951 ft, rank #59).



A note on peak ranks: if a peak does not have a drop greater than 300 feet between a neighboring peak, it usually is not ranked. Left to right is Peak 10 (13,633 ft, no rank), Father Dyer Peak (13,615 ft, small background hump, no rank) and Crystal Peak (13,852 ft, rank #82).



A mellow-looking Point 12,293 with a nice cornice developing. In the photo, look for the bright, thin line of snow following the right ridge of Point 12,293. For those of you curious as to what a cornice is, it's an overhang of snow deposited by the wind off a terrain break like a ridgeline. One also may be seen in the Pacific Peak photo along the ridge in the right center of the photo. Cornices can be quite unstable and dangerous, often collapsing under their own weight. They also can get quite large and exist well into the spring until they collapse under their wet snow weight.




Late afternoon shadows start to mature on Crystal (left) and Pacific Peaks as I load up the 4Runner and head home.




Thanks for reading.

Adios

Stardate 2015.822

Boreas Pass II

Hi folks, snow finally arrived in the high country this past Thursday. Thus, Snowcatcher and I made a Saturday foray back to Breckenridge and Boreas Pass to polish off some unfinished two-wheeled business. Most of the trail riding in this area probably is done for the season. The lower elevations of Boreas Pass road were wet and muddy but almost melted-off, whereas the pass proper was blanketed with 7 or 8 inches. Closer to the pass, there had been enough auto traffic to pack down the snow into ice; this made for a very slippery decent. I may have descended the upper mile slower than I ascended it.

Boreas Pass sits at 11,482 feet above sea level. It's seen life as a mining, wagon, railroad and auto track. During the warm season, it's an easy drive for most high-clearance vehicles. However, once the snow starts to fall, the road is gated shut, and cross-country skiers take over. Two drafty late 1800s cabins sit at the top of the pass. During the winter, the cabins are rented out to travelers donning skies and snowshoes. Here are some pics from our two-wheeled day.

Snow highlights the midsection of the Tenmile Range.






13,684 foot Bald Mountain (state rank #156) towers above Boreas Pass Road.




Point 12,331 is a weathered bump on Hoosier Ridge (12,331 is the elevation of the bump).



The Denver, South Park and Pacific narrow gauge railroad crossed Boreas Pass. Trains filled up with water at Bakers Tank, several miles below the pass on the north side.




Bakers Tank signage




Approaching treeline, the road surface went from wet, muddy muck, to icier slush and snow-packed conditions.



At the 11,482-foot pass, Section House was built in 1882 and refurbished in 1996. The cabin holds 12 guests. Its original function was to house a resident family who took care of a section of the rail line. Rail workers and other guests would seek shelter here as well.



Ken's Cabin sits at the 11,482-foot level of the pass as well. This quaint, one-room, minimalist cabin was built in the 1860s and refurbished in 1996. Ken's Cabin only holds 2-3 people and is not reserved for multiple groups. It costs $75 (for 2 to 3 people) per night. Sorry, Valentine's Day has already been booked. Section House and most other backcountry cabins rent out per head and are a bit too communal for my liking. On a side note, ghosts also are claimed to reside here.




The Black Pearl likes to ham it up a bit.




The packed snow/slush made for a very slippery descent for a mile or so.




Here's another angle of Bald Mountain basking in the sun.




Look, it's one of those Snowcatcher types.




As we descended, late afternoon shade began to dominate the valley.




Not too terrible for as mucky as it was.




That's it for now. I'm not sure what's on the docket yet...

Adios

Stardate 2015.301

Spring Skiing

I should be counting hours on a bike, getting ready for a passel of fast approaching events. Instead, I spend a day skiing at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Snowcatcher was wise. She brought a bike and got in some altitude riding.

I've kind of rekindled my love for lift-served skiing (downhill skiing). My parents put me in ski school around age 6. My lessons were with an outfit called the Winter Fun Ski School, back in the 60s. I think I still have a patch buried somewhere. Time creeps along, and by the time I started college, I was bored with lift-skiing. Moreover, it didn't really matter; I couldn't afford skiing and school. I chose University and entered a 20+ year hiatus from lift-served skiing. On the other hand, I still loved winter. I continued to enjoy Nordic skiing (cross-country) and the occasional backcountry trip on alpine touring (AT) gear. To make a short story shorter, I can use AT gear at a ski area. The ski equipment is similar. I had done this only on a couple occasions. So this past winter, I purchased several days of skiing, and I discovered a renewed interest in lift-skiing. It's been a hoot!

I officially declare my ski area hiatus kaput! Bring on the chairlift! Hopefully, this has nothing to do with getting close to having one foot in the coffin.



No matter what type of slats you're strapped to, the views can be exceptional.



Copper Mountain is about a 1.5-hour drive from the Denver metro area along Interstate 70. One of the perks is passing below stately 14,267-foot Torreys Peak, Colorado's 11th tallest peak, and a fine hike I might add. The peak on the left is Point 12,267. It's actually the termination of a long ridge. Unnamed mountain points are identified by their elevation.



Another I-70 peak is Mount Sniktau. This is a fun little peak to hike on days short of time because you can access it from an elevation of 12,000 feet. Sniktau rises to 13,234 feet and is the 448th highest peak in Colorado.



Snowcatcher and I parted ways. I caught a lift and headed up the mountain while she took off on her bike. I enjoy spring skiing, but it's a mixed bag. Diurnal heating results in super icy and rough morning snow, followed by ponds of slush in the afternoon. Ideally, you need two different types of ski in your quiver, one for icy hardpack, and one for soft, slushy crud. The steep back bowl areas are now closed due to wet slide potential as the day warms. I'll save avalanche discussion for another blog because it's a fascinating subject.



The views of the southern portion of the Tenmile Range never disappoint. The peaks are listed below, left to right, with state elevation rank in parenthesis.

Crystal Peak, 13,852 feet, (82)
Pacific Peak, 13,950 feet, (61)
Atlantic Peak, 13,841 feet, (86)
Fletcher Mountain, 13,951 feet, (59)
Drift Peak, 13,900 feet, (na)

According to "rules" outlined by old groups of Colorado Mountaineers, Drift Peak does not hold a formal ranking because its saddle with Fletcher Mountain does not exceed 300 feet in elevation difference. Drift Peak is considered a soft rank peak. The Tenmile Range is actually a northern sub-range of a linear string of mountains running south from Frisco, Colorado, to Trout Creek Pass, east of Buena Vista, Colorado. The southern sub-range is called the Mosquito Range. The two ranges have a natural, yet invisible divider — the Continental Divide. The Tenmile Range drains toward the Pacific Ocean whereas the Mosquito Range drains toward the Atlantic Ocean. The Continental Divide splits the range between 14,286-foot Mount Lincoln (8) and 14,265-foot Quandary Peak (13), just south of Breckenridge, Colorado. You can drive over it here at Hoosier Pass.



Normally, these hillslopes would be covered in snow this time of year, even though they are southern aspects catching a lot of sun. In fact, March is Colorado's snowiest month. Yet, we didn't have much of a March from a snow standpoint. Hopefully, next year will be better.



This year, Copper Mountain will shut down all their lifts on April 19th. The snow cats are positioning snow for an event to take place during closing weekend.



By mid-afternoon, the Center Village area was one big slush field.



I caught a shuttle back to the parking area and hooked back up with Snowcatcher. Changing into shorts and a sweatshirt, we enjoyed the high altitude sun, and cruised home.





Up next? Leaky fork seals on the Black Pearl.

Adios