Team 15b CDT

Team 15b. CDT mapping from the Little Blanco Trailhead to Wolf Creek Pass in the South San Juan and Rio Grande Wilderness. Driving Directions to the Little Blanco Trail From Pagosa Springs, travel South on US 84 for 0.3 miles. Turn left on to Mill Creek Rd. (Archuleta County Rd. 302). Go 6.3 miles to a fork. Keep right on what is now Nipple Mountain Rd (Forest Rd. 665) Travel 9.7 miles on Nipple Mountain Rd. and the Little Blanco Trailhead will be on the left. Driving Directions to the Wolf Creek Pass trailhead Take US 160 out of Pagosa Spings. Travel Northeast 22.6 miles. The CDT crosses US 160 at Wolf Creek Pass. 7/22/07 Day 1 Introduction: On Sat. July, 21st. Ryan Kingsley (Nederland, Co) picked up Steve Smith (Dickinson, TX) and drove down to Pagosa Springs, Co where we met Steve Wade and Bill Nelson (both from Joplin Mo.) who flew in on Steve’s airplane at the Pagosa Springs airport. We discussed and finalized plans over dinner and stayed the night at a cabin in the Blanco River Basin. We shuttled vehicles with the help of Missy B’s hiker Shuttle and finally began the trek at the Little Blanco Trailhead. Navigation: Little Blanco Trailhead: UTM 13 339964 E 4129904 N Elev. 9973 The Little Blanco trail is a very distinctive trail that’s one of the more popular day hikes for the Pagosa Springs Locals. About 4 miles up there is a fork in the trail where Little Blanco continues to the CDT (veering right), this trial is marked by a cairn and is less distinctive than the trail continuing on to Quartz Lake (veering left). Quartz Lake is a mile past the junction and makes a great camp site. Occurrences: There’s about a 2000 ft elevation gain the first 4 miles up the Little Blanco Trail which makes for a burley first day. Summary of Day: We got a late start and planned to camp at Quartz Lake because it’s a reliable water source. Camping spots in the area are abundant, however so are fellow campers, as this is quite popular with day hikers and overnighters. We’ve been told it makes a good fishing spot. Description: Most of the hike is in the tree line but once you pop out the landscape is covered with wildflowers. Above the tree line the trail is composed of lots of loose rock, walk cautiously. The trees at Quartz Lake trees offer shelter from the sun and the late afternoon storms that can occur suddenly and violently. Be prepared for lightening, rain, and wind that can disappear as suddenly as they appear. Preview of Day Ahead: Tomorrow we plan to connect up with CDT where it intersects Little Blanco about 4 miles away from Quartz Lake. Additionally, we plan to hike 5 miles on the CDT and find a campsite NE of Montezuma Peak. Location: UTM 13 343458 E 4132310 N Elev. 11538 7/23/07 Day 2 Navigation: Continuing on Little Blanco away from Quartz Lake the trail gets less distinctive. There are plenty of cairns and wood posts that guide the way so if you think you’ve lost the trail, stop and look around. Once you reach the CDT the posts will be marked with the number 813, you see this then you’re on the right track. We meet CDT at: UTM 13 348989 E 413609 N Elev. 12,200 Occurrences: Walking surfaces vary from scree fields to uneven soft turf to crossing snow fields. Elevation changes were very minor, mainly traversing between 12,400 and 12,600 ft. of elevation. Hiking around Montezuma peek you reach the highest point of this section of the CDT of around 12,700 ft. Summary of Day: We hiked out of Quartz Lake about a mile and hooked back up with the Little Blanco trail. We continued about 4 miles until we encountered the CDT. From there we continued a little over 4 miles until we reached a snow pack field supplying us with water, it just so happened it was a fairly flat meadow overlooking Crater Lake. Definitely recommend camping here, exposed to the elements but beautiful. Description: The scenery is comprised of sheer rock peaks with steep talus bases overlooking vast green meadows with abundant wildflowers. This entire section is above tree line with excellent panoramic views of the San Juan’s. In addition, there are plenty of snow pack fields that provide steady trickles of water. Preview of Day Ahead: On Tuesday we plan to hike about 10 miles to the major drainage located ½ mile due east of Bonita Pass. Location: UTM 13 351088 E 4137974 N Elev. 12,325 7/24/07 Day 3 Navigation: Again, the trail is not very distinctive and there’s areas were you seem to loose the trail. Keep your eyes out for the posts which seemed to pop up everywhere you lose the trail. Occurrences: Experienced more scree fields and a couple areas where the trail crosses steep rock walls. Take caution as the rocks are loose and unsteady on the feet. Summary of Day: We left campsite 2 and hike across the rolling meadows down to Elwood Pass where we had lunch. We continued on to Bonita Pass with the intention of camping by the drainage. Not only did we find water when we arrived we found a nice flat grass field that overlooked the Southern San Juan’s making for a beautiful campsite. Hang your food because we saw plenty of bear scat and prints. Description: The rolling green meadows and wild flowers made for a beautiful morning hike. As you approach Elwood Pass you descend back into the forest and wetland area were the trail intersects a jeep road. There were numerous deadfall (some very recent) crossing the trail in this area. Reliable water sources become less abundant and there are a few sludgy ponds with standing water. However, be patient as the drainage ½ mile east of Bonita Pass is reliable and clear. Preview of Day Ahead: Tomorrow we plan to hike to what looks to be a reliable water source, a drainage about 4 miles SE of Wolf Creek Pass (about ¾ of a mile past Railroad Pass). Location: UTM 13 349578 E 4145694 N Elev. 11,535 7/25/07 Day 4 Navigation: Leaving campsite 3 we ascended steeply into Bonita Pass, at the top of the ascent climb the top of the mound to enjoy a 360 degree view of the San Juan’s. We missed a turn about a half mile east of Railroad Pass. The closer you get to the ski resort the more trails seem to pop up. Use your map, compass, and GPS to stay on track. Stay atop or just south of the ridges just before and on Railroad Pass. Occurrences: We stopped for lunch at Sliver Pass and ran into TEAM 14 (of Walkamentarty Fame) who were continuing their CDT hike north for a few days. As we continued hiking, we missed a turn and ran into an old logging road. We decided to hike around a small butte in attempts to pick up the trial just before Railroad Pass. In doing so, we ascended a drainage and encountered an unusual amount of dead fall. Large trees obstructed the trail throughout the day. Summary of Day: We hiked from campsite three 11-12 miles out to Wolf Creek Pass. The scenery was magnificent especially up on the ridge behind the ski resort. We decided to hike out because the drainage 4 miles SE of Wolf Creek Pass was dry. Description: The day was spent mostly below tree line with the occasional scree field and rock wall. The wild flowers seen traversing the valley around to the ski resort were very colorful with pleasant scents. The trail was distinctive in some places and hard to follow in others. The dead fall made it challenging to stay on the designated trail. Preview of Day Ahead: We wound up hiking out at Wolf Creek Pass because what we thought was a reliable water source was dry. Location: Wolf Creek Pass UTM 13 340662 E 4149982 N Elev. 10,893