Ice Lake Basin Photo Trip

This weekend I went to the San Juan mountains outside Silverton, CO with hopes of capturing some great wildflower images.  A few years ago I read about Ice Lake Basin’s gorgeous scenery and impressive wildflower display. Due to a below average snowfall last winter and unseasonably high temps this spring/summer most reports indicated it just isn’t that good of a year for wild flowers. If this was a “bad” year, I can’t wait to go back for a good year!

I was supposed to leave Colorado Springs at midnight and get to the trail head around 6:30AM Friday morning but my son Ben woke up Thursday afternoon with a 102.8F fever.  I decided to wait until Friday to see if his fever went down – I don’t think Katie would have appreciated me leaving her with a sick infant and a wild toddler so I could go backpacking. Ben was doing much better on Friday so I left at noon.  I put my pack on and hit the trail at 7PM. Fortunately the storm I drove through the previous hour had subsided.

This trail is approximately 3 miles and 2,000 vertical ft to get to Ice Lake in the upper basin (there’s a lower basin also). It took 40 minutes to get to the lower basin and another 45 minutes to get to the upper basin with a full two night pack with camera gear. I only stopped once in the lower basin to take a photo. I really wanted to set up camp in the upper basin before dark or another round of thunderstorms.

I actually took this pic with my phone on the way back down - this is the head wall of the lower basin. The outlet of Ice Lake is flowing through the rock crevasse in the middle of the shot.

Another snapshot of the lower basin (from the trail to Island Lake). Those are the last trees that offer any protection from storms.

Home sweet home for the weekend

I made it to Ice Lake with enough daylight left to set up the tent and feed Milo a late dinner before dark. Not long after getting in my sleeping bag a thunderstorm built up on the mountains around the basin. This was THE MOST VIOLENT storm I have ever had the pleasure of riding out in a tent! It is important to mention at this point that Ice Lake is well above tree line so there is ZERO protection.  I laid on my camp pad pressed as low to the ground as possible as the storm just hung over the basin for hours  battering the tent with wind and heavy run while shaking my guts with booms of thunder. It would have been a very impressive show if I wasn’t wondering what it was like to get hit by lightning while hours away from medical help. At one point I turned my headlamp on to do a quick leak check – no one wants a wet sleeping bag or camera gear. When I shined the light on Milo his eyes were popped out of his head – if he could talk I’m guessing he would have said “what the F are we doing here”. On a positive note, my REI Arete 3 tent stayed completely dry (I love this tent)!

After racking up a solid 1.5 hours of sleep it was time to eat some food and put on my boots. The storm had cleared and made way for a great sunrise (clear eastern horizon and clouds still lingering over the mountains to the west).


Ice Lake Basin and the Golden Horn

I wandered around the basin and up to Island Lake for hours. There were plenty of dense wildflower patches and aqua blue water making for some nice images. Even into late morning there were still interesting clouds and no wind to ruin reflections or move flowers around – a perfect morning!

Paintbrush and the turquoise water of Ice Lake

Ice Lake Pano

Island Lake

Milo posing in the flowers above Ice Lake where there are a bunch of alpine tarns

Clouds rolled back in Saturday afternoon while I was exploring an interesting waterfall in the lower basin. When the thunder and lightning started picking up we were still pretty far below the tent so it was time to break a sweat. We made it into the tent just as the rain and hail started pounding the basin…glad I brought a book. It never really cleared up so we stayed pretty close to the tent. I was pretty bummed I didn’t get an opportunity to shoot anything interesting at sunset - there are some very nice views looking back down the valley.

Milo did get to swim in Ice Lake before the storms - or is that the Caribbean?

Time to get in the tent!

With a forecast filled with afternoon/evening thunderstorms (as is typical for Colorado summer) I decided to shoot Sunday morning then pack up and hike out rather than wait around for another sunset disappointment. I woke up before sunrise but it was very cloudy so I decided to sleep in. When I woke up again it was still mostly cloudy and consistently breezy so I broke camp and headed out.

I decided to take the dirt road cutoff between Ridgway and Cimarron (~40mi) – this is a very scenic drive but I don’t think it saves any time over going through Montrose. About 10 seconds after turning onto the pavement in Cimarron, I blew a tire (instantly flat to the rim).

Sad

I didn’t have my car manual with me and there was no phone/data service so I put the donut spare on and drove east on 50 a couple miles to get cell service. Turns out on a manual Outback you can’t disengage the all wheel drive (at least not on the side of the road) so you can't drive more than 10 mph. I was 40+ mi west of Gunnison. One $265 tow later I was in Gunnison. The guy from H&H towing put a plug in the ¼” diameter hole and sent me on my way. I probably could have done without this part of the adventure.

Getting There: From Colorado Springs, I drove to Canyon City to get on highway 50 all the way Montrose and turned south on 550 through Ridgway and Ouray over Red Mountain Pass. Approximately 2 miles short of Silverton, turn right at the sign for South Mineral Creek Campground (dirt road). There are a lot of unofficial and official campsites along this road. I forget the mileage (no more than 4mi) - drive until you see a right fork in the road with a small sign for Clear Lake. If you have a vehicle with decent clearance, take this right fork and drive to the first large switchback (less than 1mi) there is parking for 4-6 cars on the turn. The trail starts right at the point of the turn.

Route: The trail is well worn and easy to follow all the way to Ice Lake - approximately 3 miles and 2,000 vertical feet. If you want a shorter trip with a full backpack camp in the lower basin where there are a number of treed sites with easy water access.

Precautions: Thunderstorms can be nasty business in the mountains. As nice as it was to camp in the upper basin it can be an uncomfortable feeling when your aluminum tent poles are the tallest thing around and there are lightning strikes.

Lake Ann & Huron Peak - Liam's first tent trip

Last summer I was supposed to take Liam for his first tent camping trip. For some reason, it never happened. Either I chickened out or we just ran out of weekends…I don’t remember. He turned 3 in early June and was definitely ready so this weekend we packed the car and headed to the Collegiate Peaks south of Leadville, CO. Father-in-law Jim and my dog Milo joined us on this trip also.

We had to drive the long way around on 50 through Canyon City because 24 was closed due to the Waldo Canyon fire. The fire was so bad earlier this week that we almost canceled the trip.  We made it to the end of CO390 past Winfield, CO around mid day. We set up our tents in the trees just down the road from the Huron Peak and Lake Ann trail heads.



Liam lounging around camp eating lunch

Taking care of a little business

 After lunch we packed our gear and headed up the Lake Ann trail. We actually turned off the trail to climb up to Harrison Flats overlooking the Three Apostles (13ers on the continental divide). This wasn’t intentional - it was my second time heading toward Lake Ann and the second time I ended up on Harrison Flats instead.

The little trekking pole thief running away from "Pop Pop" on Harrison Flats

This was also Liam's first fishing trip - he got a new pole and little tackle box for his birthday. We'll call this one the practice run. He did pretty well with casting and I only had to cut one hook out of his shirt. 

Those are not man capris - I rolled his pants up because jumping in water is Liam's favorite sport
Three Apostles visible in the background

A nice view of the Three Apostles from near the trail head

As  I mentioned, this was Liam's first time sleeping in a tent and he was "nut job" excited over it. He likes to run in all the tents at REI so he felt right at home.

This face doesn't really capture the joy but its the only shot I have. Milo really likes the tent too!

Since this was a weekend of firsts I decided to climb Huron Peak (14,003 ft) for Liam's first 14er on the second day of the trip.

3 yr old Liam = 40 lbs. My back hurts.

I've been training for the Pikes Peak Ascent so this will count as my training "run" for the day. Huron starts from the same trail head as the Lake Ann trail a few hundred yards from our camp. We got a little bit of a late start because Liam slept like a champ in the tent. I guess all the hiking he did the day before wore him out because not only did he sleep a lot but he also wanted to ride in the pack for most of the 14er hike.

He stole my trekking pole again. This is the mostly flat alpine meadow area just above treeline. You can filter water here if needed and there are great wildflowers mid summer.

Milo and Liam on the summit - first 14er for both of them

Liam and me on the summit

Crap...I still have to carry him back down! We had a quick lunch on the summit then hit the trail again as some clouds will building up to look a little threatening. By the time we made it back to camp we were all pretty wiped out...time to pack up and head home.

Getting there: The trail head is off county road 390 approximately half way between Buena Vista and Leadville, CO. 14ers.com is a great resource for directions: http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/trailheads2.php?thparm=sw19

Route: For Lake Ann you will hike straight past the large sign at the trail head and follow the well worn trail toward treeline. There is a ridge that divides Apostle basin (hiker's left) from Lake Ann / Harrison Flats (hiker's right) so make sure you take the right fork at the only signed fork in this trail. Getting to Harrison Flats requires a steep climb up the hill off the right side of the trail as it starts to become more obscure. Don't ask me how to get to Lake Ann because apparently I can't do it. I could see the lake and the trail from Harrison Flats - it looks very nice! 

For Huron Peak the trail starts just to the left of the large trail head sign. The hike is approximately 6.75 miles round trip and ~3,500 ft of elevation gain on a non-technical hike-up trail. Once again, 14ers.com is a great resource: http://www.14ers.com/routemain.php?route=huro1&peak=Huron+Peak

Precautions: Plan accordingly to be able to drink plenty of water. These are strenuous hikes and altitude can kick your butt if you are dehydrated. Both hikes have at least one location along the way if you want to filter rather than carry a full supply. Plan to start hikes above treeline early so you can get back in the trees before afternoon thunderstorms roll through. The storms can bring rain/snow/hail/wind/lightning/drastic drops in temp.

Climbing and Skiing Pikes Peak

I’m getting ready for a two week vacation on the east coast with Katie and the kids starting this Saturday – family visiting and a week on the beach. As much fun as this will be, it equates to no mountains, no snow, no skiing. I needed to sneak in a few more turns before the mountains melt out while I’m gone. Sean called me a few days ago to ask about a day trip on Pikes Peak before my trip. I originally told him no because I have meetings stacked on top of meetings this week. After a few minutes I called him back to change my answer.

I went to work at 6AM to get a couple hours in before meeting Sean at the Cascade light on highway 24.  We paid our Pikes Peaks Highway entrance fee ($12/person this year) and drove to the pull-off one switchback above the Glen Cove gift shop and brake check.

Our snow climb route in red

We climbed the Little Italy couloir. The snow was soft enough to kick steps with our AT boots so we left the crampons in our packs.  Coverage was thin in spots, exposing rocks and this couloir is fairly steep with a hard right turn at a rock pile at the bottom (like the bottom of the boot of Italy) so we decided to hike across to a wider slope that intersects the road a little higher up.

Sean at the bottom of the route

Our traverse from Little Italy to the bowl above Glen Cove

Throwing this pic in cuz Katie hates the Schlitz hat and I have a disturbing number of Sean pics
Self portrait climbing the couloir

The snow here made for some awesome spring conditions. It’s not that often we get to ski on Pikes Peak in consistent, smooth as silk snow (while wearing shorts). That lap was so much fun we couldn’t just leave but we didn’t have enough time to climb again - we both had to go back to work. I’m pretty sure Sean forgot his skins anyway.

Sean skiing the bowl

Backup plan: I drove Sean back to the top of the route and watched him ski down from the road. Then we switched and Sean dropped be off. So we both did a solo lap just as good as the first run.

The pull off at this switchback is where we dropped each other off for the solo runs

It was sad to throw the skis in the roof box and start driving down the mountain towards our desks knowing those were our last turns for the season. That being said…we wrapped the year up right and learned even in a bad snow year we can still find skiable terrain on the peak!

Last tracks of the season

Getting There: From Colorado Springs or Denver, head west on highway 24 past Manitou Springs to the traffic light in Cascade - turn left at the light and follow the signs for the Pikes Peak Highway (toll road). Road hours, rates, conditions found here: http://www.springsgov.com/sectionindex.aspx?sectionid=18

Route: We parked on a paved pull off on the left side of the road one switchback above Glen Cove, essentially at the base of the bowl pictured above. From the car we hiked across the road to the bottom of Little Italy. Once at the top of the couloir we traversed left again to the road and top of the bowl.

Precautions: As always safe backcountry travel habits and gear need to be used. Late spring usually offers safer snow but don't be a dumbass. The Pikes Peak rangers typically try to discourage people from skiing but they may have some helpful info on route conditions.

Ridgway Hut Trip

I usually try to post a trip report shortly after I get home but I'm delinquent on this one...no excuses, just been lazy. This was not a huge snow year for Colorado but Sean and I found plenty of coverage in the San Juan mountains near Ridgway. We had booked two nights in the Ridgway hut (http://sanjuanhuts.com/) far in advance and hoped for the best. We drove to Ridgway from Colorado Springs Friday and had dinner at Colorado Boy Brewery (great pizza, pretty good beer) and then tent camped at Ridgway state park before getting an early start up county road 5 while the snow was still frozen.

The snow was a little deeper than I thought. In all fairness, Sean warned me to stay left. Good thing we brought shovels. This little hiccup was worth the miles we didn't have to walk/skin on the mix of dirt and snow.

The debut of the gear sled, "Shirley", started with less coverage than hoped. I swear there is snow ahead. Once we hit the trees the snow was fairly continuous. Shirley and I quickly skipped over the honeymoon phase and moved straight to the "I hate you, you dirty little bitch" phase. Once I fixed the tie downs and better secured my 10 PBR cans in a bag of snow things were good again.

Sean taking a break to laugh at me going downhill with the sled.

I lost track of how long it took to get to the hut...around 3.5 hours I think. We had the 8 person hut to ourselves and we took our time unpacking and eating before putting skis back on to explore above the hut.

We climbed longer than expected to gain the ridge south of the hut. At least it was easier going without the damn sled dragging me down. Above tree line the snow was mostly wind slab even after a full day of spring sunshine.

The views of Mt Sneffels and Blaine Basin were awesome. This would have been a nice place to hang out with my camera gear at sunrise or sunset if I wasn't such a lazy slob.

By the time we funneled back down to the terrain trap we followed up through the trees we were tired, it was late afternoon and definitely time for some bourbon and PBR in the wood pile. Sean was more than mildly irritated by the fact the hut had NO chairs so we had to sit on pieces of firewood. It helped that it was sunny and very warm (shorts and t-shirt warm) with close to no wind...not bad for 10,200ft.

Looking back at our ski route above tree line. 

On Sunday morning we took our time getting started to give the snow a chance to soften up a little. We followed the gully again but took the left branch instead of the right we took the day before.

The trees opened up and we got great views of Reconnoiter Peak and the playground we would be skiing all day. Looks windy. We climbed up to the left shoulder of Reconnoiter below the summit block. We had to negotiate some steep wind slab to get there.

From here we traded skis and poles for crampons and ice axes.

Hanging out on Reconnoiter Peak

We climbed back down to our skis and skied into the tree line. We both shot some video of each other skiing the main face but it was too embarrassing to post. The wind slab with the occasional punch through was more than my limited skiing talent could handle. Once we got closer to tree line the snow was soft and consistent so we did some laps and hit a natural jump there about half a dozen times each.

Looking back at our route again

Time to head back to the hut for bourbon and beer again...and steak. That's right, steak, we don't mess around.

Sean cooking the steak the manly way...on the wood stove with smelly boot liners hanging overhead

We woke up Monday morning to light snowfall. We didn't waste a lot of time packing our gear and hitting the trail toward the car. We made good time getting out and Shirley cooperated nicely. It has been 70-80 degrees on the Colorado front range so we might be done skiing for the year. I guess it's time to start thinking about backpacking. Skiing Marble and Raspberry peaks will have to wait until next year.

To get there:

From Colorado Springs area - head west on 24 to Buena Vista, turn south on 285 and west on 50. Follow 50 all the way to Montrose and turn south again on 550 to Ridgway. Ridgway state park is on the west side of 550 just north of Ridgway if you are interested in camping there.  Go into Ridgway and take a right onto 62 at the Shell station. Go to the end of town (this won’t take long at all) and take the last left at the edge of town – Amelia St.  After about a ¼ mi and a couple stop signs turn right on CR 5 (dirt).  CR 5 is well maintained year round for the first ~5 mi. At the winter road closure there is a row of mailboxes and suitable trailhead parking for a few cars. We were able to drive a few miles past this on a mix of snow and mud since it was late March.

Route:
Continue to follow CR 5 to the Dallas trail which is marked with the standard forest service wood sign.  Turn right and head up a steep pitch.  If you are staying at the Ridgway hut you will have an info packet with a route description and crude map…bringing a trails illustrated map wouldn’t be a bad idea. The road, trail and hut are all marked on it. The total mileage from the winter trailhead is ~6.5 mi.  

Precautions: As always safe backcountry travel habits and gear need to be used. There is a good mix of terrain and a lot of options if you want to get buried in an avalanche. Late spring usually offers safer snow but the area can still be avalanche prone. In the words of the guy who booked our hut reservation: “Yeah, late March is a good time to go man, you should have fun, the kill factor is way lower.”







Backcountry Skiing Mt Trelease - 2012

Today was our first backcountry trip this season. Snow was slow to show up in Colorado and by the time it did in January I was in the middle of a project at work that required 6 days/week of my time. Now that I'm done with that its go time. In normal fashion Sean and I decided to make a ski day that much better by skipping work to do it. Today was also our first backcountry ski trip since Brian went to Tampa and Rich moved back to England...sorry bros.

We headed up to Mt Trelease again...I think it's becoming our go-to spot. When we toured here in Dec 2010 we didn't see any evidence of avalanches but discussed the possibility of the top pitch sliding. Check out this pic of a slide from 29 Jan 12. (click to enlarge) Holy shit!

Photo by LSteele on backcountrycoalition.com

Sean skinning up skier's left of the parking lot

The trees on the lower portion skier's left of where we climb out of the parking lot seem more user friendly than where we have dropped back to the lot the past two times. We'll try to head left the next time but from what we've heard you cliff out if you go too far left.

Sean approaching the bottom of the avalanche run out

Sorry for the low quality video...this is my point-n-shoot camera

Here is a link to Sean's hero cam footage:

http://vimeo.com/37359571

After our second lap we dropped back to the car and hit the road for Idaho Springs to stop at Tommyknockers for lunch and a couple beers. We're hoping to hit this mountain again on consolidated spring snow and ski the top pitch from the ridge where it didn't slide in Jan.

Pour one out for our homies...

To get there:

From the Denver/Colorado Springs areas - head west on I-70 until you are almost to the Eisenhower Tunnel. Take exit 216 where there will be a dirt parking area on the north side. Park against the cliff band, this is the base of Mount Trelease.

Route:
Leaving the parking lot is fairly obvious because there aren't many options to skin or snow shoe past the exposed dirt face. Once through the initial steep entry there is typically at least one good skin track to follow unless there has just been a fresh dump of snow. In that case, break a sweat to get first tracks! There are a lot of well spaced trees on the upper portion of the mountain but it does get a little choked as you drop close to the parking lot.

Precautions:
This area might be close to the highway but safe backcountry travel habits and gear need to be used. There is a good mix of terrain and potential avalanche danger so be prepared. See the first photo in this post if you don't believe there is avalanche terrain.