Colorado Trail – Collegiate West day 3

trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles

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Texas Creek to Mineral Basin

Wet morning.

I finished my book – Dances with Marmots – a Kiwi’s memoir of hiking the PCT – and left it on the trail for anyone craving an amusing read.

This was the toughest creek crossing. Not bad. Volunteers are working on this section of the Colorado Trail. I expect there will be a wood bridge here soon.

Despite the wet conditions, I was impressed with my Merrill shoes. No blisters.

This guy goes barefoot in the rain. Water was running high for July. It’s been a wet year.

I was worried, again, about lightning. Happily I’d see no more for the week.The weather improved as I climbed to Cottonwood Pass, a popular tourist stop that I’d visited my only other time in Colorado. I took the high trail approach. And the California couple passed me once again. I saw them climb into a car and drive away. They’d told me they didn’t have enough food to reach their next resupply. So needed to side trip to town for grub.

An Austrian couple (I learned later) left the trail here too – their tent and sleeping bags too soaked to continue. It’s a good escape route as many tourists are happy to rescue someone from the continental divide.

On the other side the trail was blocked by snow. Hikers were still detouring to bypass. Here begins my favourite section of the Collegiate West. Miles of continental divide ridge walk. The weather continued to improve. One happy hiker. It had been a long, tough day, however. And I was happy to finally drop down to find a protected campsite.

I set up in a spot as out-of-the-wind as possible. No water. But good protection.

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August 3, 2015August 7, 2015

Colorado Trail – Collegiate West day 2

trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles

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Clear Creek to Texas Creek

I carried my food in an Ursack. Very convenient. The trees here are not ideal for hanging a bear bag.

After a pot of coffee , it was time to do my doodie. A job well done this day. You’d never guess what’s under that flat rock. 🙂

There are no formal campgrounds on Collegiate West. No pit toilets. It’s dispersed camping only.

As so often in the Rockies, you start in the trees and climb to another high pass.

Seems the Collegiate Wilderness has a welcome dog. 🙂 If you want to hike with your dog, Colorado is a great place. I saw many hiking dogs over the week.

These were the only pack lamas I saw. The guys told me they were very helpful. Very good natured.
Mud is a concern in the Colorado Rockies. The Sierras in California are a far dryer alternative.
But I was loving the high altitude scenery.
It’s heaven up here when the sun shines.
Crossing the pass. Again a little snow.

Wow.

It’s difficult to capture the splendor in a photo.

I dropped down to Texas Creek.

Nice weather. If you are a beaver.

I probably should have stopped in a de facto campground when you first reach the creek. It’s an open field with road access.

Instead I pushed on ending up … here.

It was wet.

Yet … a glorious hiking day, all in all. 🙂

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August 2, 2015August 7, 2015

Colorado Trail – Collegiate West day 1

trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles

day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | info page

Twin Lakes to Clear Creek

Absurdly unprepared. But a superb day anyway. 🙂

I had trouble deciding where to hike in Colorado. There are simply too many great options.

The new Collegiate Loop sounded like an excellent and challenging possibility:

… In 2012 the Colorado Trail added an 80 mile stretch of trail that serves as an alternate route around the Collegiate Peaks. The new route, called the Collegiate West, follows the continental divide at much higher elevations. The Collegiate West is above tree line much of the time, which makes for rugged hiking and incredible views. …

The Collegiate East is part of the traditional Colorado Trail that stretches 500 miles from Denver to Durango. The 160-mile Collegiate Peaks backpacking loop is formed by hiking both the Eastern and Western routes of this section.

Clever Hiker

We dropped my friend Betsy at a mountain running race near Aspen. Husband Brion drove me on to Twin Lakes, recommended as one of the best places to start the Collegiate Loop. I was hoping to get information at the General Store.

They sold me a new map covering the entire Collegiate Loop, but the shop-keep had not heard of the new dedicated guidebook.

Historically they’ve considered Collegiate West the Continental Divide Trail, Collegiate East the Colorado Trail. It’s going to take some years before locals start considering the western side part of the Colorado Trail.

I was excited to get this adventure started. Ready or not.

Brion and Julius started up the trail with me around 11am. Thanks for the send off.

Just after posing for this shot, I knocked my pack into that creek. 😦
Happily almost everything inside is kept in waterproof bags.
It’s a steep climb to reach the treeline en route to Hope Pass, the highest point on the Collegiate Loop 12,500ft (3810m).

I didn’t suffer much from altitude despite having only one acclimatization hike since flying in from sea level. Smarter hikers than myself would have finished crossing Hope Pass rather than starting here.

On the downside, it was raining.

I took shelter under those far trees with an older couple from California who were section hiking, year by year, Canada to Mexico on the Continental Divide Trail. Like me, this was their first day. They’d also started at Twin Lakes. The twosome and their dog planned to hike to the New Mexico border this summer.

I was embarrassed to admit to them I didn’t know whether I was hiking north or south. That’s how unprepared I was. I hadn’t yet opened my new map.

They’d hiked Collegiate East the previous summer and told me it was much less spectacular. Right then and there I decided NOT to do the entire 160 miles, but rather just the most spectacular half.

When the rain let up a little, I tried to get up and over Hope Pass as quickly as possible. Lightning is a real danger in the Colorado Rockies. The couple told me to go ahead and that they’d plod along behind. (The tortoise and the hare, I thought.)
End of July 2015 the remaining snow was not a problem. Earlier some seasons it would be a good idea to bring an ice axe.

A couple of trail runners paused to chat. They were changing gears from uphill to downhill. This spot is where some of the Leadville Trail 100 mile racers come to grief. It’s 3,400ft of vertical on the front side, descending about 2,600ft.
The southern side of the Pass was equally scenic. Plenty of wild flowers. It had been a very wet Spring and Summer here.
I saw all kinds of wildlife: a ptarmigan family, chipmunks, pica, marmot, weasel. The oddest was a group of snakes sunning on trailside rocks. I was so surprised I didn’t manage to get a good photo.

At another stop I carefully set down the pack. Then watched it roll downhill finally coming to rest in the bushes.
Quite quickly, dropping down to the valley, vegetation changes. You pass a number of old mine shafts. The final few miles to Clear Creek near Winfield were exhausting though the trail was comparatively flat. I’d been running on enthusiastic adrenaline. It finally ran out.

About 6pm I grabbed the first campsite I saw.

Good night.

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July 3, 2015July 3, 2015

High Divide Loop (7 Lakes Basin)

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

I was en route to hike the Cape Alava to Rialto Beach “Shipwreck Coast” on the Olympic peninsula end of June.

But when I dropped by the the Wilderness Information Center in Port Angeles on the way to the trailhead, Rangers informed me that famed High Divide Loop (7 Lakes Basin) was open early this year. Winter had dropped very little snow on the high peaks.

I instantly changed my plan. You can hike the Shipwreck Coast almost any time. But the High Divide Loop window is time limited. Late July to mid-October most years.

The High Divide Loop is very weather dependent. I arrived during a heat wave. Blue skies. Quite rare in the high mountains of the rainy coast.

It turned out to be a good call.

AT A GLANCE

the jumping off point (and best finish) for the High Divide Loop is Sol Duc Hot Springs in Olympic National Park
20.3mi (32.6km) including sidetrips to Lunch Lake and Bogachiel Peak
must carry a tent and be completely self-sufficient
cumulative elevation 5200ft

On the advice of a Ranger, I booked 2 campsites:

Deer Lake
Sol Duc Park (near Heart Lake)

I started with the day hikers heading up to Sol Duc Falls.

High Divide - 3

It’s a steep up,up,up from there to Deer lake. Nice campsite. But it did have mosquitos. I was happy to have carried my mesh bug shirt.

The Park was extremely dry while I was there. Normally you get wet feet on this hike. Boardwalk helps.

I used the instagator technique to keep pebbles and dust out of my approach shoes.

This was my first glimpse of Mt Olympus next morning. I was very pleased the skies stayed clear. This summit is usually cloud shrouded.

Though the old growth forest trails are tranquil, it was fantastic to get above the tree line.

I love the bear grass, but wildflowers were less prolific than expected.

I stashed my pack on the ridge and dropped into into 7 Lakes Basin for some day hiking.

It is marvellous.

Climbing back up to the ridge I continued to one of the most famous viewpoints in the Olympics, Bogachiel peak.

The ridge walk above the basin is fantastic in clear weather. You look down on the many-more-than-7-lakes.

I was exhausted and dehydrated by the time I finally dropped down towards Heart Lake.

Rangers there told me where I could find good water. There was none on the ridge. 😦

I had been counting on melting snow. Unfortunately I found no snow.

With relief I set up my tent at Sol Duc Park campsite. Washed my feet. And took an hour siesta.

In the late afternoon I made a long day hike past Cat Basin campground to see what my guidebook claimed was the best view of Olympus. I wasn’t disappointed. 🙂

Next morning was an easy downhill exit through old growth. Very mellow.

If you’d like to see 7 Lakes Basin and Mt Olympus for yourself, check our new information page.

May 4, 2015May 4, 2015

6 day B.C. Coast Mountains traverse

Arc’teryx sponsored 5 women on a remote six day adventure. Part of their “Where We Belong” promotion.

The Coast Mountains of B.C. are crazy wild and inaccessible. I’m impressed.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Hiking in Finland)

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015

hiking Mineral Ridge, Idaho

Mineral Ridge National Recreation Trail is a backcountry hiking area near Lake Coeur d’Alene …

Construction began on the trail in 1963 and the area was designated as a National Recreation Trail in 1982. There is a self-guided interpretive tour along the 3.3-mile (5.3 km) trail.

Summit of Mineral Ridge, 2,400ft (730m). Elevation gain is 600ft (180m).

We hiked it January 3rd after a snowstorm. With a 5yr-old. Late in the afternoon, slipping and sliding back to the trailhead in the dark.

Mineral Ridge

A bit more adventurous than usual. 🙂

Here’s a more typical lake view from the ridge.

Each winter from November through February a migrating population of up to 150 bald eagles visit the area to feed on spawning Kokanee salmon. An interpretive viewing program is offered annually from Christmas through New Years during peak migration.

We saw two bald eagles. 🙂

official Bureau of Land Management page

December 19, 2014December 20, 2014

Simien Trek Ethiopia – day 3

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | info

Day 3: Gich-Chennek (3600 m), 7-8 hrs walking

A cold night.

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But the sky was blue. People keen to get an early start. This would be the best day of the trek.

I love these high altitude grassy plateaus.

Vegetation changes significantly with altitude. Giant lobelias dominate the landscape from here on in.

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Nadine likes what our guide called Everlast, too. This high altitude plant blooms year round.

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The heart of the mountains. The central viewpoint of the Simien traverse.

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It’s a bit of a scramble.

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It’s from here that some see similarities with the Grand Canyon. Our trip organizer, Nur, joked that Simien is more of a Green Canyon.

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In fact, only South Africa’s Drakensberg were formed in the same manner. That’s the best comparison.

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Spanish Moss. Old Man’s Beard.

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When it’s dry, the trails are easy walking.

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There’s always an EMERGENCY horse waiting. Many fall victim to symptoms of altitude sickness. There are always people selling knickknacks. Their starting price for bartering is usually $8. For anything.

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We stopped for lunch at yet another fantastic cliffside viewpoint.

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The cold encouraged us to get moving again. This is 4000m (13,000+ft).

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I love best the sections of trail walking the escarpment cliff edge.

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The drop is typically 600 – 800m. There is one trail up from the lowlands, using ladders. Park Rangers use it.

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Red Hot Pokers. The prettiest flower on the trail.

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Finally we caught a glimpse of Camp.

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One of the great treats of a guided hike is having hot drinks ready on arrival.

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These are our mule drivers.

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We had hardly seen them as they and their beasts are not welcome at Camp. They were astonished and thrilled with a combined $15 tip. This is likely the only hiking trip they’ll get in a year. There are thousands of horses in the Simien, all waiting their turn to carry tents, stoves and sleeping bags.

At every campsite in the world there’s some camp thief looking to eat your lunch. In the Simien, it’s the thick-billed raven.

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Atypically, the clouds rolled in.

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I felt there was still zero chance of rain. It’s the dry season.

At 5:30pm we headed over to the cliff edge. Waiting.

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At 6:10pm the baboons headed for the cliff.

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Geladas sleep, when they can, on steep slopes for protection from predators, quite near the Ibex. Baboons have excellent hearing. Ibex excellent vision. Either/or may detect a lurking predator above.

I tried to stay up later around the campfire. But it was too smokey.

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Another early night.

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December 18, 2014December 20, 2014

Simien Trek Ethiopia – day 2

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | info

Day 2: Sankaber-Gich (3600 m), 5-6 hrs walking

I couldn’t sleep.

Tossing. Turning.

My stomach, not perfect on arrival for this adventure, was getting worse.

At midnight I rushed to the filthy toilet with diarrhea.

At about 2am I awoke suddenly, urgent to vomit outside the door of my tent.

Disgusting. But I was too sick and tired to worry about it until daylight.

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Early morning the thick-billed ravens squawked around my tent … eating the vomit. It was entirely cleaned up by the time I finally got up.

These birds are the biggest and noisiest ravens I’ve ever seen, unique to this region. They mostly travel in male/female pairs.

Breakfast is normally a highlight of these guided camping trips. But I couldn’t eat today. As a test I forced down coffee and a couple of bites of scrambled egg.

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Our gear would ride horseback today. A mob of mule drivers crowded around, hoping they would get work.

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There’s a maximum weight / horse. 45kg or thereabouts.

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Back to the impressive escarpment walk. Amazing views.

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Joshua is smiling here, but his stomach was getting worse by the minute. He and I had eaten fish the evening before. We speculated that it was the fish that made us both sick. Why were we eating fish at 3000m in a land that has little refrigeration?

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The vegetation seemed to get more interesting the higher we climbed.

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We tried resting at the waterfall lookout, but Josh was getting sicker. He spoke, for the first time, of possible quitting the hike. Not only was his stomach bad, but he was feeling symptoms of altitude sickness.

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waterfall Simien - Josh and Nadine

Climbing back up to the road, we discussed our options. With an interested local audience.

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Camp tonight was much higher (3600m) and much more remote. If we continued and Josh was to get sicker, there was no road escape route.

We could try descending and see if he improved, but if we waited too long, there may be no vehicles heading back down this afternoon.

There are a few tourists jeeps each day. And these local people movers.

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Finally one of those heading down arrived. Josh made the decision. Hopped up into the truck, paying an absurd $30 for the ride back down to Dabark. Happily one of the hiking guides was in the truck. He promised to get Josh to the mini-bus station and all the way back to Gondar.

It was the correct decision. But it wasn’t easy for Nadine to continue without her husband.

I felt Josh was decided, determined and rational when he scrambled up into the truck.

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Later we learned he couldn’t even remember departing. His mind was confused all the way back to Debarq where he was detained for riding illegally in the truck! 😦

Luckily he was finally allowed to take a cab the 2 hours back to Gondar, all the minibuses having departed.

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At lunch we were visited by hungry goats.

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Baboons live here in conflict with local farmers.

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Farmers grow barley. And it was being harvested. Geladas like to eat barley. Each field has a child who’s job it is to chase away baboons.

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This lovely Muslim village has 1200 people.

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Our scout, Adim, lives here. So he greeted most everyone we met.

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My stomach at this point was 90% OK. I’d eaten almost nothing all day. But I was very tired. It was a huge relief when we finally made camp.

I only wanted to lie down for a nap.

But as I dropped my pack, Paul ran over and said: “What are you doing? The Ethiopian wolf is here.”

We rushed to look.

The Ethiopian wolf is native to the Ethiopian Highlands. It is similar to the coyote in size and build …

Unlike most large canids, which are widespread, generalist feeders, the Ethiopian wolf is a highly specialised feeder of Afroalpine rodents with very specific habitat requirements. It is one of the world’s rarest canids, and Africa’s most endangered carnivore. …

Only about 400 survive in 7 different mountain ranges, perhaps 90 in Simien.

Instead of climbing up to the famed sunset viewpoint with Nadine, I crashed in my tent for an hour.

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Africa sunsets are the best anywhere, however. I forced myself to get up with my camera.

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Nadine got the BIG views up high.

Simien - Josh and Nadine

I ate almost nothing for dinner. Went to bed immediately. The indoor campfire was too smokey.

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December 17, 2014December 20, 2014

Simien Trek Ethiopia – day 1

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | info

Day 1: Gondar-Sankaber (3250 m), 3-4 hours walking

6:30am Ethiopian coffee

7am pick-up at the (recommended) L-Shape Hotel in the tourist town Gondar. Room about $13 in 2014.

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It was an easy 2hr drive to Debarq, the jumping off point for Simien Mountains National Park. Quick stop at the National Park office.

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We had breakfast at the Great Work Hotel. Excellent Mango juice.

Our car returned with gear, guide, cook and … personal armed Park Ranger. They call themselves Scouts. A guard is still required for each trekking group in 2014, though these days it’s more of a make work project for the Rangers.

We drove through the Park gates and continued about another hour.

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This road is rough. Though it was being improved while we were there.

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We’re HERE. Trekking the Simien mountains. What a thrill.

Simien Ethiopia Map

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I’d joined Josh and Nadine, a couple from Edmonton, Canada who have been volunteering in Burundi for the past 2 years.

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Here’s our excellent Guide, Adoo.

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And our Scout, Adim.

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Immediately we headed for the great escarpment.

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It’s a long, long way down. About 800m here.

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Simien - Josh and Nadine horse

Local people are everywhere. This is a shared use National Park.

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We heard that road and power lines being moved further away from the trekking route. I hope that’s true.

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Adoo detoured from the cliff when he spotted a group of 200-400 Gelada baboons. (more photos)

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Geladas are found only in the high grassland of the deep gorges of the central Ethiopian plateau. They live in elevations 1,800–4,400 m above sea level, using the cliffs for sleeping and montane grasslands for foraging. …

Geladas are the only primates that are primarily graminivores and grazers – grass blades make up to 90% of their diet. They eat both the blades and the seeds of grasses. …

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They mate in May, have babies in November. Females were very protective of their youngest. Some looked like newborns.

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We sat down and let the group graze past us. Some of the toddlers were curious enough to TRY to touch us.

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What a fantastic 2 hours. This might be the best wildlife encounter anywhere in the world. It was my best wildlife encounter ever. 🙂

Simien was one of the first sites to be made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (1978). Due to serious population declines of some of its characteristic native species, in 1996 it was also added to the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The word Semien means north in Amharic. But the name Simien and the word simian do make a good mnemonic for this hike. Geladas are the highilght. 🙂

Elated, we shuffled another hour or so to Camp 1. Talking about the baboons.

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It’s a very easy half day, yet everyone was huffing and puffing due to altitude.

Popcorn and hot drinks on arrival were much appreciated.

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I rested an hour. (I opted to use my own tent. Not the one supplied.)

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We headed over to the ridge for the sunset, surprised how cold it was in Africa at night.

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Josh got some great pics.

Dinner was impressive: soup, bread, fish, salad, spinach, deep fried banana. I skipped the salad (worried about my health) but tried some of everything else.

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We checked the full moon, then retreated to our tents. There was no campfire. I climbed into 2 sleeping bags. The one provided. And my own. Everyone was surprised how cold it was at night in Simien.

Simien - Josh and Nadine

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October 21, 2014October 22, 2014

climbing Fanispan in a day

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

“the Roof of Indochina”

AT A GLANCE

3,143 meters (10,312ft), Fanispan is the highest mountain in Indochina
northwest region of Vietnam, near the Chinese border
9km southwest of Sapa (Sa Pa), a gorgeous hill station developed by the French
pine forests, bamboo thickets and jungle

Oct 20, 2014

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Breakfast at the fantastic Unique Hotel starts 7am. Since I was leaving at 5am, the cook awoke early and put together a takeaway breakfast for me. 🙂

I arrived at Sapa O’Chau travel agency at 5:10am for the 5:30 rendezvous. Guide and driver were there already, so we departed instantly.

By 5:30am we were marching briskly up the trail. In the dark.

“Silver”, my guide, spotted a wounded bird near the Ranger Station. Knowing that some dog would dispatch him in the morning, he carried the bird along with us until finding a safer place in the forest.

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We started early because I opted to climb Fanispan in one day US$95, rather than the normal US$180 2-day itinerary.

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Silver quickly decided I was strong enough to make it. I hoped he was right.

The trek is wet. And muddy. At the bottom you are often walking in creek beds and runoff streams.

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Happily for me, it had been very dry of late. My feet did not get wet over the entire day!

The best sections are ridge walks with misty valley vistas far below.

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Surprisingly, long sections of the ridge are protected with concrete railings. They are well built and seem to be enduring the climate very well.

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I asked my guide about poisonous snakes. He laughed, saying the snakes this high are very wary. People don’t see them. But in his village, Kat Kat, there are many, many.

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Just around the next corner we came across that one, bludgeoned to death. Silver was sorry to tell me that his people eat large snakes and kill small ones.

You’ll only see goats and buffalo on this trek. For anything more exotic check the restaurants of Sapa. Some Asians are happiest eating the most endangered species. 😦

porcupine Sapa

Almost everyone climbs Fanispan with a guide. But I did talk to one guy from Hanoi who did it alone. In a day. Much faster than me. Parts of the trail are marked with collapsed signposts and fading red markers.

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It would be easier to follow the trash, however. Only western tourists and guides pack out what they pack in. I’ve always found indigenous peoples to be the very worst litterbugs.

This day we were first to arrive at Camp 1 – 1,500m (4,920 ft). You can buy snacks and drinks here. The guard dog was chained.

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Up and up. Into the clouds. Fanispan’s summit is usually clouded over.

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Multiday hikers normally stay at Camp 2 – 2,800m (9,190 ft). Either in fairly dirty buildings or in much cleaner tents carried by porters.

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We had a meal here on the way up. And on the way down.

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Though I set out my alcohol gel, my guide didn’t use it. Other cooks I saw were equally unsanitary.

Camp 2 is atrociously trashed. The main reason I chose to do a one day climb was to avoid staying here. 😦

If you feel I’m exaggerating, click over to a photo of the toilet.

This is a tough trek. There are dozens of sections where you really need to scramble. Many inexperienced hikers must turn back.

Here’s one essential handhold.

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Though in a hurry, we got stopped high up for 30min because a work crew was blasting rock.

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Turns out a cable car is being built. It will open September 2015 or sooner. There must have been 200 workers living atop this high mountain.

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I took perverse pleasure in seeing this mess, but I’m not going to recommend Fanispan to others. The cable car will further degrade the hiking experience.

We did finally stand on the summit, the highest spot in Indochina.

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