Stardate 2017.225

Colorado Trail Segment 1 — Out and Back
Prepping for the Summer and Ride the Rockies
I had not ridden into the heart of Segment 1 of the Colorado Trail (CT) for quite some time. I had a Tuesday off and decided to give it whirl. I write about the ride up Waterton Canyon to upper Lenny's Bench all the time. Beyond Lenny's exists an entirely different animal. Yes, lots of hike-a-bike down into and up out of aptly named Bear Creek; followed by medieval sections of forest heavy in haunting spirit, a siren if you will.

Segment 1 of the CT is 16.8 miles in length (Kassler start) with an elevation gain of 2,830 feet to the 7,517-foot high point at mile 12.6. I didn't start in Kassler and rode 15.2 miles to the high point. I turned back at the high point. A handful of photos follow — enjoy!



The first 6.7 miles of dirt road parallel the South Platte River, and the road is a service access road for Denver Water. The road also is the roadbed used by the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad, built in 1877.



It's time for some trail.




I'm about to begin the big drop down to Bear Creek from upper Lenny's.




After the decent to Bear Creek, it's time to climb the other side on ball bearing rock.




There was old ice that should be covered by new snow upon reading this post.




Bring on the singletrack. The most difficult climbing was now behind me.



Cathedral Spires (8,520 ft) rise to the west. Yes, there are spires there. The area is closed to rock climbing in the spring for raptor, including Peregrine falcon, nesting.




'Tis the wind season and its aftermath.




This pic kind of shows how large some rock steps were. Upper center is a patch of ice.




This is the flowy descent down into the bowels of Bear Creek.




Stay tuned for more lizarding...

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 2014.789

Season of Wither Ex Duobus

At the end of my last post I was taking a breather high on Alpine Pass, directly above the Denver, South Park and Pacific narrow gauge railroad's Alpine Tunnel. I was in the Krummholz, admiring the expanse of tundra above me. If you're wondering, the Krummholz is the alpine tundra/subalpine forest interface. In short, treeline. Here, tree growth is stunted and more shrub-like. Often, trees and shrubs are wind-trained, resulting in feathered branches parallel to the prevailing wind. Above this zone, natural shelter is quite limited.


It was getting late and I needed to decide my fate. If I continued on with the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), and ended up hike–a-biking most of it, I probably would get back to the pickup after dark. Most of the CDT was on northerly and easterly aspects, and I knew much of the trail would be filled in with drift snow until I intercepted the Tin Cup Pass jeep road. If I did something stupid, and ended up spending the night up high, in a fairly remote basin, I was in for a long, cold night. I was about two hours late arriving at my current location. Drats... Very reluctantly, I chose to backtrack.


From my lofty perch I walked to the west side of the pass to look at the remnant buildings of Alpine Station and the west portal. What caught my eye first was the abandoned turntable that appeared to be weathering well.


Alpine Station and the west portal may be reached by 4x4. The northerly faces of 12,630-foot Paywell Mountain (left) and Point 12,314 (right) tower above upper Middle Quartz Creek.


From Alpine Pass, I was able to zoom in on 14,197-foot Mount Princeton. In my opinion, Mount Princeton may be one of the more stately 14ers in Colorado. Snowcatcher and I summited Mount Princeton as one of our early dates.


The day wasn't getting any younger, nor the wind any warmer; I bid farewell to the tundra and started down. It didn't take long to pack the bike down to the east portal. It did take a while to hike all the way back up to the pass to retrieve my sunglasses.


Actually, it was nice to backtrack and see the same topography basking under an afternoon sun angle. Another autumn has come and gone. It was a good year for color variety.


Approaching St. Elmo, I wondered what sort of historians the aspen have been. Over time, did they take notice of how many indigenous people, pack animal trains, steam-powered trains, jeeps and high-clearance vehicles have worked their way up the grade? If only the trees could tell their tale.


Some patches of aspen were making their final stand.


Most of the original dwellings of St. Elmo appear to be owned by private residents. There is no ghost to it. Just about every window had a "keep out" or "no trespassing" sign in it. That killed the photographic vibe for me. On the other hand, the locals are inundated with tourists during the warm months. From that standpoint, I can understand all of the signage. Nonetheless, it's a quaint little retreat for a handful of people.


The above building was rather rustic. I think it may have been the old livery.


Some stands of aspen were unique. Their long skinny boles, sporting smallish tufts of leaves on top, bending with the wind are a good example of wind training.


Small pockets of aspen hidden amongst the coniferous were still colorful.


The drive down Chalk Creek Canyon had a yellow glow to it.

Another adventure has come and gone. See ya on the next one.

Adios