Leadville 4WD Adventure... The Plan

[pangaea]

I've made a bunch of calls over the past few days to the various Forest Service Ranger Districts around Leadville to get an idea for what trails will be open this weekend. The exact trail plan is still up in the air, but I'll let everyone know when I know more. But in short, bring a shovel. We'll probably have to bust one or two snow drifts if we're going to attempt any passes.

Ideally, the plan will be: Glacier Ridge area of Breckenridge Sat AM, do Mosquito Pass in the afternoon and hit a couple of mines on the way down into Leadville. Camping will be around the Twin Lakes area of Leadville, near the trailhead for Mt. Elbert. But of course this all depends on what happens with the snow in the next week.


DIRECTIONS TO FRI NIGHT CAMPING SPOT:

Directions for the Fri night camp From I-70:

Take the Dillon exit south to Keystone ski area (Hwy 6).

Take the Gondola road exit right (should be signs for skiier parking) and take an immediate left. (follow the signs to Montezuma Road).

Take a right on Montezuma road and go about 5 miles into the town of Montezuma (go slow, the locals REALLY dislike people speeding through town). - 38º 34.951' N 105º 52.122' W

Go straight through the town and follow the signs to Deer Creek Pass. Go straight at about 1 mile where the turn off is for Webster Pass.

Stay on the main road following Deer Creek sign.

At the trail fork, take a right 39º 32.538' N 105º 52.349' W

After 50 meters, trail splits, take the right fork.

Campsite is at 39º 32.587' N 105º 52.539' W

 

[pangaea]

Food

Does anyone have any preferences for food and cooking in Leadville this weekend? Communal effort vs. on our own?

Unless there are any objections, I was planning to cook breakfast for the group on Sunday AM... biscuits and gravy. Any takers?

 

[BajaTaco]

Cool!

I would be happy to have just a little of the biscuits & gravy Sunday, but I will be avoiding a heavy meal just before the hike. Also, I think we will be departing camp super early, so not sure if we will even be around when you get around to makin' gravy

I'd be happy to do a group meal for Friday night. I just need to know exactly how many to feed. Will we be able to grill over coals? Or are there fire restrictions? If so, I am sure I can use Scott's cool new stove

I am trying to calculate my driving time on Friday, and figure out what I can and can't do on Friday in order to meet with the group. Can you establish a meeting time & place for Friday?

Thanks :victory:

 

[pangaea]

Not sure on the fire restrictions. I heard on the news last night that the state is expected to make some broad restrictions sometime this week. I'll keep you posted....

As to the trails, a friend and I are going up tom AM to do some prescouting. I'll let ya know what I find out. We're planning on testing out the main trail, and two backup routes... Hopefully one of the three will be open. :elkgrin:

 

[gjackson]

Chris,

My understanding now is that we are not camping on Fri, but are meeting on Sat. I'm getting lost with all the changes, but that was last I heard. Nathan, Scott?

I guess you out-of-towners will be camping regardless, but I dunno of any group plans yet. . .

cheers

 

[BajaTaco]

OK, well I will just keep an eye on the thread. Nathan, I left my phone number on your voicemail if it is easier to call. I will just plan on being in the Leadville or Breckenridge area sometime Friday afternoon or early evening.

 

[Scott Brady]

Camping Friday night and Saturday night as a big group. Sunday night will likely be a smaller group.

Details are developing, but I have been incommunicado for the last three days. Trying to catch up.

everyone just plan on camping Friday night and Sat. night near Leadville somewhere. :smilies27

 

[bh4rnnr]

While in Leadville, be sure to stop by and check out the Mining Museum. A lot of great info on the days of old in Colorado. Also stop by while in breck and grab a cold one at the Breckenridge Brewery. Lots of good:beer: . Can also stop by the art gallery (forget wich one) and see some of my dads work. It would be on the left side of town as your headed up to the pass. Next to the photography gallery(dont like his frames). have fun out there. Tread Lightly and take lots of pics!

 

[BajaTaco]

While in Leadville, be sure to stop by and check out the Mining Museum. A lot of great info on the days of old in Colorado. Also stop by while in breck and grab a cold one at the Breckenridge Brewery. Lots of good:beer: . Can also stop by the art gallery (forget wich one) and see some of my dads work. It would be on the left side of town as your headed up to the pass. Next to the photography gallery(dont like his frames). have fun out there. Tread Lightly and take lots of pics!

Thanks for the great suggestions. I will be sheddin' a tear as I pass by the brewery - no brews or drinks for me for quite awhile now. Too much peak baggin' and hikin' goin on.

 

[bh4rnnr]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I will be sheddin' a tear as I pass by the brewery - no brews or drinks for me for quite awhile now. Too much peak baggin' and hikin' goin on.

No worries. I'll drink a few for ya . In the middle of one right now:beer: , Wish I was going with you guys.. Hope to soon wheel with you guys :beer:

 

[goodtimes]

I'm in Colorado now (Lafayette to be specific), visiting family.

As some may have seen in the other thread, I didn't bring my jeep due to mechanical problems. Instead I am driving my (stock) Dodge. Due to this, and the fact that I am getting ready to sell the dodge (hopefully with no major scratches or dents/dings from this trip), I am trying to get some things worked out.

I need to find room for me, my dog, and my gear in someones vehicle. I travel light, but will have the typical tent, sleeping bag/pad, clothes, etc. I can leave my truck at relatives in Golden (couple blocks off of 93). Obviously, I will need to get back to it as well.....can pay in beer.

Next, is anyone staying at camp Sunday, not doing the hike? I have not decided if I am taking the mutt on the hike, so I may need a dog-sitter. She is super-friendly, quiet, doesn't bark or get in much trouble. She has a 6 month old knee injury, so it may prevent her from hiking the distance required. Again, will pay in beer.

One other option (question for those who know the area), would it be possible to get my truck (keeping in mind I don't want to do much 'wheeling in it) to the campsites, via a easy 2-track or improved road? This would allow me to have it there, then catch a ride with someone else for the off road parts of this trip. This will also make it much easier for me on Monday, when I head out. I'll only have occasional internet access this week.....so it may take me awhile to reply.

Thanks all, I'm REALLY looking forward to this!

 

[DaveInDenver]

One other option (question for those who know the area), would it be possible to get my truck (keeping in mind I don't want to do much 'wheeling in it) to the campsites, via a easy 2-track or improved road? This would allow me to have it there, then catch a ride with someone else for the off road parts of this trip. This will also make it much easier for me on Monday, when I head out. I'll only have occasional internet access this week.....so it may take me awhile to reply.

The road up Hagerman is not difficult in the strictest sense, doable in a stock vehicle. But it's also not an improved road, so the chance of under carriage scrapes is still there. There are a few places that I recall as being fairly snug, particularly for a full sized truck, and pinstripes are also a possibility. I'd put the risk as mostly low, but still a consideration.

 

[BajaTaco]

GT, glad to hear you made it to CO!

I have no idea about the trails, other than I know that Glacier Ridge has "SOB Hill" which you won't want to take the dodge on. Mosquito pass will probably be fine, but you better verify with the local guys here. I will have an open seat, but no place for Cherokee. Also, getting you to Golden would be a problem for me. So in short - I have a seat for you, but it's pretty limited. Sorry pal.

 

[BajaTaco]

You can see info and pics of Glacier and Mosquito on Darren's most-excellent website HERE

 

[pangaea]

I just got back from a full day of pre-scouting with a friend, Josh, who is not on the forum, but will be joining us for the weekend. I'll post some more info tomorrow after I download some pics and GPS data from my nav computer. In the meantime, here's the scoop:

Overall the trails look pretty good for this time of year, but definitely bring a shovel if you've got it... Its still early season and that means pesky snowdrifts at high altitude.

Webster Pass and Radical Hill are definitely a no go. The Webster gate is still locked, but judging by the other drifts that we saw (see below), there should be at least one significant drift per trail.

Mosquito Pass is almost open (much earlier than normal) except for two snow drifts at North London Mine. The bad news is that both of those drifts are about 100-150' long and 7-10' deep. The snow should melt them off in the next few weeks, but there's WAY too much snow to have any hope of crossing it this weekend.

We picked out a good camping spot for Fri. night in the Glacier Ridge area. Nice and out of the way, with a great fire ring area already set up, but it's at 10,500 feet, so we'll all need to bring some wood for the fire (no burn restrictions in Summit County YET).

It looks like our best bet is to run either Deer Creek or Saints Johns trails up to the top of Glacier Ridge on Saturday. We ran most of deer creek and there is only one drift at the top of the trail. It's only 30' long or so and a couple of feet deep, so digging should be quick and easy... I nominate Scott and anyone else doing the mtn climb on Sunday, under the thinly veiled guise of "conditioning".

:shakin:

We'll head across Glacier Ridge and down into Breckenridge. I believe that we'll have one more snow drift to contend with at the top of Middle Fork of the Swan, but it will be on a downhill part, so we'll have gravity on our side. :victory:

From there, we'll head over Hoosier Pass into South Park and then over Weston Pass into Leadville. Hoosier is paved, so no biggie there, and Weston is not much more than a bumpy dirt road, but it should get us into Leadville in time for either a leisurely afternoon at camp, or a quick tour of some of the mining ruins around Leadville. We might even have a go at Bird's Eye Gulch, a fun one for any fans of mud. (translation for you AZ folks: Mud = dirt + water )

The planned camping spot for Sat night is north of Twin Lakes in an area called Half Moon valley. Its just a couple of miles from the trail head for Elbert, so the climbers will be able to get an early start...

Bring some insect repellent, the wet spring has made for a good hatch of Mosquitos... Also, we'll all have to keep an eye on the weather. Supposedly a front may move in this weekend, making it a bit wet and cold.

That's all for now, I'll post more tomorrow, including some GPS coordinates and directions to camp on Fri.