Colorado Hiking

I was in Colorado, hiking in the Weminuche Wilderness Area, when the snow came. Soon the tundra was a blanket of white. Maybe I should have been more specific when I asked the sky to stop the rain. It was only my second day out of Silverton, where the locals told me, "It rains every day in August in the San Juans Mountains. Didn't you know that?" I made a note to myself to do a little research next time. Then I made a note to myself to find the trail. I was lost again.

I had come to the Weminuche Wilderness Area in Colorado to try out all my new lightweight gear for seven days hiking in the San Juans. I had about sixteen pounds on my back, total. I was using an ultralight tarp for a shelter, and a very light down sleeping bag, which I knew would leave me cold if I got it wet. I had survived the first night of rain and stayed dry, but heard voices in the night, and woke up with a pounding headache. Maybe running up to camp at 12,000 feet was a bit too much elevation gain for the first day. Now I was above the trees, lost in the rolling tundra, unable to pick out the trail under several inches of snow. But it was beautiful.

Hiking Becomes Climbing

I stumbled down into the trees, and then back up to the tundra, where I found myself on the map. The sun even came out, and everywhere there were white mountain tops rising up out of the green. Mountain goats played on the cliffs, jumping from narrow ledge to narrower ledge, without falling. It was a beautiful day for an hour or two. Then the rain returned, as it did every single night of the trip.

The morning of the fourth day, I was up and hiking before dawn. I was in the Chicago Basin, working my way up to Mount Eolus (14,083 feet). I climbed up past waterfalls, and finally past the trees, into the alpine tundra. Mountain Goats watched me curiously from just a few yards away. Tundra then became loose rocks, as I headed up to the saddle between the north and south peaks of Eolus. I ran up to the easier north peak, then returned along the ridge to head for the high point.

One of the things I love about backpacking in Colorado, is hiking up above 14,000 feet without the necessity of climbing gear. "Walk-ups" they are referred to, but they sometimes require a bit more than hiking. The "catwalk" on the way to the top of Eolus, for example, is easy hiking, if it is easy for you to walk a two-to-three feet wide edge, with a drop to your death on either side of you. I made it, in any case.

I also made it up Sunlight Peak (14,059 feet) later. That one requires a leap across a thousand foot drop to get to the summit rock, which is tilted at an uncomfortable angle. The peak registry is generously chained to a rock lower down, but since that is not really the peak, I made the leap. The key is to do it quickly, before you have too much time to think about it.The only person I saw all day, a woman who didn't make the leap, took a picture of me trying to stand up on the very top (I honestly couldn't do it).

We were both chased off by a thunderstorm, and didn't get to go up nearby Windom Peak. I hiked a few more miles that afternoon, and camped near a large waterfall. The next day, I found my way to the train tracks of the Silverton-Durango train (there were no roads out there), and took the train to Silverton to re-supply. I still had three more days in Colorado, hiking in the rain.

Hiking With Lightning

I was in one of the most beautiful parts of Colorado, hiking above tree-line along Silver Creek, which actually looks silvery (very strange). After buying some food in Silverton, I had immediately hitched a few rides to get up to The American Valley. A rainy night and a trip over the top of Handies Peak (14,048 feet), and I was looking at another thunderstorm. My Frogg Toggs rainwear had turned out to be one of my best investments. They never did allow any water in, and they "breathed" like they were supposed to.

A couple came down from the ridge, and warned me that their hair had been standing on end, and their aluminum trekking poles were buzzing. I took this as a bad sign. There might be a bit too much electricity in the air to go higher. I set up the tarp and waited out the rain with a book. After an hour, the sun almost came out, so I quickly stuffed the wet tarp in the mesh pocket of my pack, and headed up Red Cloud Peak (14,034 feet). With my load down to about twelve pounds, I hardly even noticed it on my back.

After hiking over the top of Redcloud, I went on to the summit of Sunshine Peak. A few minutes taking in the view (stunning), and yet another Colorado thunderstorm came, chasing me along the ridge, back over Redcloud. Hiking became jogging, and I was really appreciating my running shoes and light backpack. I made it to the trees about the time it started raining. The thunder echoed in the mountains all around me. It rained all night, of course.

Lessons Learned Hiking In Colorado

I'll be in Colorado hiking and backpacking again. It's one of the most beautiful places I know. I'll also go lightweight again. It was great to carry my pack easily up the mountains. I was free to descend by any route available, because I always had everything with me. My balance was better with the light load, and I was hiking up to 22 miles per day (110 miles total) without one blister. I won't bring $7 running shoes next time though. They worked, but they almost fell apart.

Staying dry, which I did well, was as much technique as it was good equipment. You have to pay attention to keep a down sleeping bag dry under a tarp during a week of rainy nights. I was very careful when I was backpacking in Colorado (at least with my equipment and clothing).

The backpack I used, which I take hiking everywhere now, was a GoLite Breeze. It weighs only 13 ounces, and has mesh outer pockets, which worked well for storing my often-wet tarp. It is frame less, but with my folded-up sleeping pad for a frame, it was very comfortable.

My Western Mountaineering sleeping bag weighs only 17 ounces, and has never left me cold yet. This Colorado hiking trip was it's first real test. It is a down bag, and seems very fragile, but I have used it for years, in several countries and all climates, and it still looks almost new.

Note: GoLite products, sleeping bags by Western Mountaineering, and ultralight tents and tarps can be obtained from several different online vendors.

You can get Frogg Toggs Rainwear at most golf course pro shops. You will think their rainwear is too papery when you first see it, but I have taken it on trips up glaciers and through woods, and it really is waterproof and breathable. It's also less expensive than almost any waterproof /breathable rainwear out there.

SierraTradingPost.com usually has some great closeouts on running shoes or hiking shoes.

Weminuche Wilderness Area

The Weminuche Wilderness Area has 488,000 acres, and ranges in elevation from 8,000 feet to over 14,000. You can hike the stretch of the Continental Divide Trail that runs through it for over 100 miles without crossing a road. You can get more information about this and other wilderness areas at the USDA Forest Service Home Page.

Colorado has great hiking and backpacking opportunities. Just be prepared for rain (and snow) if you go to the San Juans in August.

Like the idea of going light? Visit my website on Ultralight Backpacking.

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