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Post by Coolkat on Jul 7, 2020 8:36:32 GMT -8
Thanks guys... I don't change gear easily. Especially stuff that has been reliable for many years. When I first got into backpacking I purchased a Thermarest Ridgerest and it has been my goto sleeping pad for 12 years + and I've slept on down into the 20's with no issues. But I'm thinking about trying an air mattress this time. But it's R value was only 2.2 so I was little worried but it sounds like I should be fine.
Fortunately, I have plans on being there at elevation for 2 nights before the hike begins and I'll give it a test drive then.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Jul 8, 2020 18:44:37 GMT -8
If you're worried, you can wrap a light fleece blanket around your pad. It;s a little bulky but weights practically nothing, and adds a good 10-15 degrees.
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Post by Coolkat on Jul 9, 2020 5:54:45 GMT -8
I hate to keep bothering you guys but as my trip gets closer more questions come to mind. I'm gonna have a full day to kill and was wondering if any of you knew of a nice hike that would kill part of a day in the saguache/gunninson area.
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Post by cweston on Jul 9, 2020 6:04:41 GMT -8
I hate to keep bothering you guys but as my trip gets closer more questions come to mind. I'm gonna have a full day to kill and was wondering if any of you knew of a nice hike that would kill part of a day in the saguache/gunninson area. I don't have a suggestion for you, but don't worry about the questions at all--that's what this place is for.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Jul 9, 2020 17:54:36 GMT -8
Cebola Trail, near your destination is nice, and the drive there is beautiful as well.
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Post by Coolkat on Jul 10, 2020 4:50:49 GMT -8
Do I need a high clearance vehicle to get there?
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Post by cweston on Jul 10, 2020 5:27:19 GMT -8
I recommend that you avoid the ebola trail, but HYOH.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Jul 10, 2020 5:38:01 GMT -8
Do I need a high clearance vehicle to get there? No, as long as you stick to 788 and 789. These roads are in pretty good shape (as forest service roads go) though you may need to take it slow in spots.
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Post by Coolkat on Jul 29, 2020 8:59:21 GMT -8
I'll be back with a bigger report later but for now here are a couple of quick observations by a newbie to CO hiking.
1) there are no flat spaces to speak of. It's either up or down 2) I often chanted rain, rain go away, come back some other day...but it never listened. 3) I need to loose some weight and try it again 4) most trails are not maintained and often fade into nothing 5) helps to have a gps with maps preloaded so you can see how far off the trail you are. 6) trail signs... who needs them? you're in the wilderness anyways.
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Post by cweston on Jul 29, 2020 9:06:41 GMT -8
2) I often chanted rain, rain go away, come back some other day...but it never listened. It was very unusual weather this last week. 4) most trails are not maintained and often fade into nothing There are definitely different levels of trail maintenance in the designated wilderness areas. I know, for example, that the Eagles Nest Wilderness (Gore Range), heavily prioritizes clearing deadfall every summer, but there are "primitive" areas where they don;t do anything else (trail signs, etc), and "pristine" areas where they don't do *anything* (no official trails). In some areas the tradition seems to be to not worry about trails through meadows/open areas: you're more or less on your own to find the trail where it re-enters timber. (This is common in the Pecos Wilderness in NM, for example.) See any large wildlife?
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Post by burntfoot on Jul 29, 2020 14:38:04 GMT -8
What trails did you end up taking?
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Post by Coolkat on Jul 30, 2020 12:55:17 GMT -8
What trails did you end up taking? We ended up doing most of "Machin Basin Trail" - 784, although not all at once. In the beginning we were on it for a just a little bit until we followed a creek off trail down to "Halfmoon Pass Trail" - 912 and ity bity portion of 914. Then at Halfmoon pass we caught 784 again all the way back to the cars. Very low miles each day. Which was good for our group. Twice we stayed in the same spot for two nights. Once because we loved the area and next because weather blew in that made life a little difficult. I just put my trip pics up so you can find them here... flic.kr/s/aHsmPJoe5P
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Post by cweston on Jul 30, 2020 13:10:08 GMT -8
Nice pics. Looks like a lot of open sub-alpine forest (which makes for a very pleasant hiking environment, IMHO), lots of beetle kill, and lots of rain. I haven't hiked LaGarita, but from your pics and others, it kindof reminds me of the Pecos Wilderness in northern NM.
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Post by burntfoot on Jul 30, 2020 15:31:02 GMT -8
We ended up doing most of "Machin Basin Trail" - 784, although not all at once. In the beginning we were on it for a just a little bit until we followed a creek off trail down to "Halfmoon Pass Trail" - 912 and ity bity portion of 914. Then at Halfmoon pass we caught 784 again all the way back to the cars. Very low miles each day. Which was good for our group. Twice we stayed in the same spot for two nights. Once because we loved the area and next because weather blew in that made life a little difficult. That is one of the few trails I haven't yet done. Were there a lot of sheep grazing in the Machin Lake area? A friend had said that, which is why I haven't been in the hurry to go in there. I've been up Halfmoon Pass from the other side (Wheeler Geological Area).
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Post by Coolkat on Jul 30, 2020 16:51:17 GMT -8
Were there a lot of sheep grazing in the Machin Lake area? That was the only disappointing thing about this hike. Outside of birds there was very little wildlife. I think maybe our group was too big (6 of us) and scared everything off way before we got there. We saw two bull elk looking down at us from Half Moon Pass as we were ascending and one in our group saw 5 cow elk up at Benito Lake. The only thing I saw at Machin Lake was Pika. Following 784 down into the valley from Machin Lake was interesting.
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