Post by Westy on Jul 11, 2016 10:09:25 GMT -8
Plan: Arrive at Wolf Creek Pass, CO via hired car from Durango. Hike 106 miles on the CDT/CT to Elk Park, with ascent of a couple of bicentennial peaks along the way and return to Durango via narrow gauge railway. Overall was to be eight nights and nine days hiking.
Actual: Hiked the CDT for 45 miles and exited due to altitude sickness via a 3,500’ descent over eight miles to a forest service road 20 miles from US 160 in Pagosa Springs.
Trailhead
Narrative: Our driver dropped us off at Wolf Creek Pass mid-day, Friday, July 1st. We were out for 7 days and six nights. The first half weather was rainy, misty, wet, windy and cloudy. The second half was a hiker’s dream, sunny, no rain, little wind and excellent visibility. My partner shares the same hometown and we have known each other since junior high. We have thru-hiked the Highline Trail, High Uinta’s, UT and a year or so ago did the Escalante Route, GCNP. By the second day, he was feeling nauseous and had lost his appetite. I told him that on these outings you have to force yourself to eat breakfast, dinner and lots of lunch snacks. His consumption of water was excellent and no issues there. Another concern was his profusion of sweating. This indicated to me a lack of pre-hike conditioning.
Misty
Our mileage was not achieving the goal and as the days passed, we lost any buffer in the plan. Our target was 15 miles per day, which is very reasonable considering the trail conditions and sunlight hours available in early July. The plan included a couple of zero days for sidebar ascents of several bicentennial peaks. We averaged under 10 miles per day.
Wind Slabs
The trail itself is easy to moderate, not well signposted but easy to follow. It is very much directly on the Continental Divide and fluctuates between 12,000 and 11,000 feet of daily ups and downs with numerous ins and outs. It contours remarkably close to a level altitude. The landscape was marked by seclusion from all things man-made. On clear nights the Milky Way and stars were exceptional. Most noticeable. The entire forest was composed of dead trees due to mountain beetles. Many associate the infestation with global warming, however in scientific actuality it is a 500-600 year natural cycle. Essentially all the dead trees are very similar in age indicating a previous catastrophic kill-off. Visual proof ten years later shows a reforestation of trees with the same born-on date. The featured highlight of the trek was the Knife Edge. Hiking along the north side were a few steep sections and snowfields providing entertainment. Also in many places left over wind slabs on the ridges made for nice hiking, especially since often the trail was underneath.
Along the Divide
We progressed forward at a snail pace and on the evening of day five, my partner was still not eating properly, flopped down and was sick. The spot itself was not optimal for an escape. Down climbing would be a mentally depressing search for the trail system by bushwhack, not to mention a 20 mile walk-out to the nearest forest service road. We stayed on top for the evening and I explained that we needed to hike another two miles or so to an actual descending trail, avoiding bushwhack, but still included the 20 mile walkout to forest service road. The next day he turned into a rocket, took off and I had trouble catching up to him. The sunny skies were awesome and we stopped to dry out our tents, sleeping bags and assorted damp gear. We continued and hiked for 11 hours and close to 13 miles. Certainly the best and most scenic day of our trek. We hiked a short distance past Squaw Pass and up a bit to a delightful campsite featuring a combination sunset and sunrise aspect.
Knife Edge
I pitched my tent and upon observing my partner pitching his, knew we were having issues. The spot was perfect with warm rocks in great positions for preparing dinner while sitting in the direct descending sun path. We were half way and with a slight buffer and 10 miles a day could still meet the train on time. The cause was lost. No food intake, nausea returned, I informed him that this was the optimal escape route. The Cimarrona Trail descends 3,500 feet over eight miles to a trailhead on a forest service road and a multi-recreational USFS campground not far from that.
Awesome Weather
The following morning we bailed and thankful that we did. It was very slow going for my partner. The number of switchbacks, vertical descent and endless ins and outs was mentally debilitating. Shortly before arriving at the trailhead we encountered a retired couple from Albuquerque. One look at my partner and they offered to drive us the 20 odd miles to Pagosa Springs and US Route 160. We secured accommodations, contacted our driver for the following morning to take us back to Durango. My partner ate a salad that evening and slowly started to feel better.
Escape Portal
He was somewhat despondent about screwing up the trip and I informed him of the 1st and 2nd goals of any backcountry outing.
• Return to the trailhead safely
• Comeback friends
Root Cause: Two days of acclimatization from his home near sea level to Salt Lake at 4,800’ to Durango at 6,500’ to the drop off at 10,850’ was not adequate. Also as previously mentioned, minimal pre-hike conditioning combined with some weight loss would have been beneficial.
Actual: Hiked the CDT for 45 miles and exited due to altitude sickness via a 3,500’ descent over eight miles to a forest service road 20 miles from US 160 in Pagosa Springs.
Trailhead
Narrative: Our driver dropped us off at Wolf Creek Pass mid-day, Friday, July 1st. We were out for 7 days and six nights. The first half weather was rainy, misty, wet, windy and cloudy. The second half was a hiker’s dream, sunny, no rain, little wind and excellent visibility. My partner shares the same hometown and we have known each other since junior high. We have thru-hiked the Highline Trail, High Uinta’s, UT and a year or so ago did the Escalante Route, GCNP. By the second day, he was feeling nauseous and had lost his appetite. I told him that on these outings you have to force yourself to eat breakfast, dinner and lots of lunch snacks. His consumption of water was excellent and no issues there. Another concern was his profusion of sweating. This indicated to me a lack of pre-hike conditioning.
Misty
Our mileage was not achieving the goal and as the days passed, we lost any buffer in the plan. Our target was 15 miles per day, which is very reasonable considering the trail conditions and sunlight hours available in early July. The plan included a couple of zero days for sidebar ascents of several bicentennial peaks. We averaged under 10 miles per day.
Wind Slabs
The trail itself is easy to moderate, not well signposted but easy to follow. It is very much directly on the Continental Divide and fluctuates between 12,000 and 11,000 feet of daily ups and downs with numerous ins and outs. It contours remarkably close to a level altitude. The landscape was marked by seclusion from all things man-made. On clear nights the Milky Way and stars were exceptional. Most noticeable. The entire forest was composed of dead trees due to mountain beetles. Many associate the infestation with global warming, however in scientific actuality it is a 500-600 year natural cycle. Essentially all the dead trees are very similar in age indicating a previous catastrophic kill-off. Visual proof ten years later shows a reforestation of trees with the same born-on date. The featured highlight of the trek was the Knife Edge. Hiking along the north side were a few steep sections and snowfields providing entertainment. Also in many places left over wind slabs on the ridges made for nice hiking, especially since often the trail was underneath.
Along the Divide
We progressed forward at a snail pace and on the evening of day five, my partner was still not eating properly, flopped down and was sick. The spot itself was not optimal for an escape. Down climbing would be a mentally depressing search for the trail system by bushwhack, not to mention a 20 mile walk-out to the nearest forest service road. We stayed on top for the evening and I explained that we needed to hike another two miles or so to an actual descending trail, avoiding bushwhack, but still included the 20 mile walkout to forest service road. The next day he turned into a rocket, took off and I had trouble catching up to him. The sunny skies were awesome and we stopped to dry out our tents, sleeping bags and assorted damp gear. We continued and hiked for 11 hours and close to 13 miles. Certainly the best and most scenic day of our trek. We hiked a short distance past Squaw Pass and up a bit to a delightful campsite featuring a combination sunset and sunrise aspect.
Knife Edge
I pitched my tent and upon observing my partner pitching his, knew we were having issues. The spot was perfect with warm rocks in great positions for preparing dinner while sitting in the direct descending sun path. We were half way and with a slight buffer and 10 miles a day could still meet the train on time. The cause was lost. No food intake, nausea returned, I informed him that this was the optimal escape route. The Cimarrona Trail descends 3,500 feet over eight miles to a trailhead on a forest service road and a multi-recreational USFS campground not far from that.
Awesome Weather
The following morning we bailed and thankful that we did. It was very slow going for my partner. The number of switchbacks, vertical descent and endless ins and outs was mentally debilitating. Shortly before arriving at the trailhead we encountered a retired couple from Albuquerque. One look at my partner and they offered to drive us the 20 odd miles to Pagosa Springs and US Route 160. We secured accommodations, contacted our driver for the following morning to take us back to Durango. My partner ate a salad that evening and slowly started to feel better.
Escape Portal
He was somewhat despondent about screwing up the trip and I informed him of the 1st and 2nd goals of any backcountry outing.
• Return to the trailhead safely
• Comeback friends
Root Cause: Two days of acclimatization from his home near sea level to Salt Lake at 4,800’ to Durango at 6,500’ to the drop off at 10,850’ was not adequate. Also as previously mentioned, minimal pre-hike conditioning combined with some weight loss would have been beneficial.
