Stardate 2018.710

29 August 2018
Do I Have Enough Derailleur For Life's New Gearing? Why Yes, I Do!

Mid-afternoon August 29th, my life changed course forever—I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Things could have been much, much worse!! As such, I'll continue living out a good life. Things will just be slower. My days of aggressive cycling and mountain climbing are most likely on the decline.

Take note, Parkinson's, I make a good enemy! I'll post more on my new "adventure" as I learn and experience more. Fall colors are appearing; how ironic. Stay tuned!



13,809 ft Dallas Peak

Wow, it's been almost a year since I last posted. I'll try to change that. I need to get back into writing anyway. Snowcatcher and I didn't get into the high country this year as much as we usually do. Nonetheless following are some July pics from the north San Juan Mountains.



L to R: 13,819 ft Teakettle Mountain, 13,686 ft Cirque Mountain, and 14,150 ft Mount Sneffels

The East Fork Dallas Creek is a jewel. However, the area has been discovered and can be quite busy. Pre-1990 only 2 or 3 impromptu parking spots were available. Room via forest clearing has been created for at least 50 vehicles.


Three climbers enjoying the summit of Mount Sneffels before weather moved in.

I've summited Mount Sneffels on several outings. I've climbed the standard southern route as well as the deeply inset Snake Couloir snow route on the north face.



An old zig-zag sheep fence along East Dallas Creek brings in some southwest nostalgia.

Later gator!

Adios

Stardate 2015.627

Yankee Boy Basin

Day Three of our wildflower fest found us in four-wheel drive wrou, wrou, wrouing up to phenomenal Yankee Boy Basin. The only downfall: it's a very busy basin full of 4x4s crawling toward thinner atmosphere. Words don't really describe the flowers here. This is one of the few alpine regions capable of giving the wildflowers of the Crested Butte area a run for their money. When Yankee Boy Basin flowers are at peak, it's amazing. We hit it very close to peak

The alpine tundra and sentinel peaks are not bad on the eyes either. I think the San Juan Mountains are Colorado's finest alpine peaks; Yankee Boy Basin touches only a tip of them. Enjoy the pics.

The scenery kicks into high gear in lower Yankee Boy Basin.



As we inched up the mountain side, views began to open up. In the far upper left, the summit block of Mount Sneffels (14,150 ft, rank #27) is just visible. The peak in the upper left is Kismet (13,694 ft, no rank). The upper right peak is Cirque Mountain (13,686 ft, rank #155). Cirque actually has two summits. Note: Kismet is not ranked because its connecting saddle with Mount Sneffels has less than 300-foot drop in elevation. Kismet has what is known as a soft rank.



Larkspur
Delphinium nelsonii
Crowfoot family



Rock Groundsel (I think)
Packera werneriifolia
Aster family



During the late 1800s, some regions of the San Juan Mountains underwent a fair amount of mining. Access into the many areas is the result of mining. However, the mountain range is vast, and much of the San Juans remain primitive, especially the South San Juan Mountains.



Clouds swirling about Kismet predicted afternoon monsoonal rain.



The high saddle between Teakettle Mountain (13,819 ft, rank #98) and Potosi Peak (13,786 ft, rank #113) is more difficult to reach than it looks. The rock up high is loose and often resting at the angle of repose. However, sometimes the rock is worth the care required to navigate. Teakettle is one of the finer alpine climbs I've done. Its coffee table-sized summit was a hoot.



The following pics are from previous trips and used to present Teakettle Mountain and Potosi Peak. The spout succumbed to gravity and snow during the 1998/1999 winter. The second picture is of the tiny summit.





Upper Yankee Boy Basin is home to 13,694-foot Gilpin Peak (rank #149). Crossing the saddle between Gilpin and Sneffels will deposit you into the spectacular Blue Lakes Basin.



Potosi Peak touches the clouds at 13,786 feet (rank #113).




More Yankee Boy to come. Check back.

Adios

Stardate 2015.616

Snaefell – More or Less

Day Two of our wildflower trip found us in the Mount Sneffels area, high up East Fork Dallas Creek at the Trailhead for Blue Lakes and Blaine Basin, both potential staging areas for a climb of Mount Sneffels from the north. The standard route is on the south side. Normally, we ascend to Blue Lakes. However, we chose Blaine Basin this time around because I had not visited it for a while. I hadn't been in Blaine Basin since May 1994, when I climbed Sneffels via the Snake Couloir route. Everything was still snowbound at that time.

In the background, 14,150-foot Mount Sneffels (state rank #27) plays hide-and-seek with the cameraman.



We're in the middle of the monsoon season in Colorado. The southwest mountains are especially affected by the monsoonal flow. In a nutshell, lots of water and thunderstorm activity. As a result, we stayed below treeline. Despite the wet, we did get some moody photographs. I hope you enjoy!

The red "berry" actually is a non-evasive gall. Inside the gall resides a mite or a wasp, I'm not sure which in this case.



Colorado's state tree is the Blue Spruce. They are very blue this year.




Golden Aster
Heterotheca fulcrata
Aster family



13,041-foot Walcott Mountain played with a silent, mystical mist throughout most of the day.




Alpine Groundsel
Ligularia amplectens
Aster family


Help! Do you know what this bad boy is? I think it's a saxifrage of some sort.




Geranium
Geranium richardsonii
Geranium family




Bedstraw
Galium septentrionale
Madder family




Dusky Beardtongue
Penstemon whippleanus
Figwort family




Mountain Bluebell
Mertensia franciscana
Borage family




Nodding Ragwort
Senecio bigelovii
Sunflower family



A bridge now exists. However, there was a time when crossing East Fork Dallas Creek could be a task during spring flows.




Monkshood
Aconitum columbianum
Hellebore family



A monastery of monkshood waves in the background. Monkshood is one of my favorite flowers. They can be quite thick (hence my monastery label) and reach heights of six feet of better.



Mount Sneffels is in there somewhere. Mount Sneffels, along with a handful of adjacent peaks over 13,500 feet in elevation, can create its own weather.



Thanks for visiting. Our next stop is Yankee Boy Basin; a high, flower-smothered gem on the other side of Mount Sneffels. Stay tuned.

Adios