
Subject:
[cohp] Digest Number 5092
From:
cohp@yahoogroups.com
Date:
7/9/2015 1:41 AM
To:
cohp@yahoogroups.com

County High Pointing in all 50 states
Yahoo! Groups
County High Pointing in all 50 states Group
12 Messages
Digest #5092
1
Ohio trip report by "fplobdell" deadbugman
2a
Re: Konvention is Koming by "fplobdell" deadbugman
2b
Re: Konvention is Koming by davidwmolson2
3
Illinois trip report by "fplobdell" deadbugman
4
Kentucky trip report by "fplobdell" deadbugman
5a
Iowa trip reports by "fplobdell" deadbugman
6a
Mauna Kea closure by "fplobdell" deadbugman
6b
Re: Mauna Kea closure by "Coby King" cobyking
7
Dave Johnston by "John Mitchler" mitchler69
8a
Re: Mark Ness - Obituary? by nj55er
9
Adams, Hood, Sturgeon, and Edward by "Dave Covill" dave_covill
10
TR: Blanca (Alamosa/Costilla/Huerfano) by orbitor15

Messages
1
Ohio trip report
Wed Jul 8, 2015 7:16 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"fplobdell" deadbugman

Hamilton County, Ohio (unnamed, 960+ ft.) (May 12, 2015)
 
The traditionally accepted HP of Hamilton County lies south of the intersection of Colerain Ave. and North Bend Rd.  It is marked by large water tanks enclosed in a castle-like structure.  Parking is available just southwest of this hill in a church parking lot.
 
I walked up the hill to the fence surrounding the structure.  There appeared to be higher ground within the fence, but I walked completely around the fence and thought that the base of two sizable trees on the east side was just about as high as anything in the area.
 
I refer the reader to the discussion on Andy Hatzos's Web site (see "The Great Zo") of LiDAR data for this county.  His reading of the data suggests that the area in front of a house on the northwest side of North Bend Rd. is just about as high as anything near the water tanks.  There was a vehicle in the driveway but the house itself appeared unoccupied, with the shades being drawn in all the windows.  I walked across the street and from the lawn in front the house look ed back at the water tanks.  I could not tell the difference in elevation between the two areas with my naked eye, so I suggest that both the water tanks and the lawn of the house across the street be visited.  Andy reports both areas to be in the 963.0 - 963.5 elevation range.
 
Andy also looked at another area about 2.5 miles southwest of the water tank area on North Bend Rd.  Andy reports this area to be at 960.0 or possibly 961.0 ft. elevation.  Parking in this area is at a premium and I parked on one of the side streets on the west side and walked back to North Bend Rd.  The highest ground appeared to be in the side yard of 4307 N. Bend, where a flagpole sits on high ground but the base of a tree perhaps 10 feet or so west of the flagpole seems to be the highest ground in the area.  I did a quick touch-and-go here.  This area and the one by the water tanks can not be seen from each other.
 
Fred Lobdell
Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
2a
Re: Konvention is Koming
Wed Jul 8, 2015 8:31 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"fplobdell" deadbugman

Mike Schwartz and I have reservations in Worthington (not at the convention motel) form Tuesday night through Saturday night.  We have not completed the planning process, but there seem to be a number of fairly easy cohps in s.w. MN, and as of now I'm leaning toward spending two days in s.w. MN and one day in s.e. SD, with the occasional incursion over the border into Iowa.  Stay tuned.

Fred Lobdell

----- Original Message -----

 

Starting Monday, July 20th, my plan is to leave the Minneapolis area and start in Swift County (MN), work my way to Richland (ND), then head south through South Dakota, bagging counties along the way.  The goal is to make it to Lincoln (SD) or land in Worthington at the Konvention hotel for check-in on Thursday, July 23rd, whichever comes first.   Then I hope to join whatever counties are planned for Friday, attend meetings and the banquet on Saturday, and bag a few more counties on Sunday on my way back to Minneapolis. 

Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (5) . Top ^
2b
Re: Konvention is Koming
Wed Jul 8, 2015 8:38 am (PDT) . Posted by:
davidwmolson2

xander Carlson wrote
"I would suggest to anyone looking to do counties in that area [nw IA] this time of year to bring a 10
gallon bucket to stand on."

Some of the counties there, such as Rock county MN, are pasture.

More importantly, there are many private property county highpoints there. It is important to
get permission before visiting them. Particularly during the konvention.

Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (5) . Top ^
3
Illinois trip report
Wed Jul 8, 2015 8:32 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"fplobdell" deadbugman

Bond County, Illinois (2 unnamed areas, 670+ ft.)  (May 29, 2014 & May 13, 2015)
 
Area 1: (May 29, 2014)  Make your way to First St. in Greenville and go north to its end at Beaumont Rd.  Directly across Beaumont is a gravel driveway, which leads to a parking area.  There is a grassy rise directly south of the parking area.  This area is as shown on the topographic map.
 
Area 2:  (May 29, 2014 & May 13, 2015)  I followed Tim Worth's directions to get to this area, but I used the mileages in John Mitchler's report, which are spot-on.  From area 1 above, go northeast on Beaumont Rd. to an odd-looking 4-way intersection with IL 140 and Red Ball Rd.  Make a half left (north) onto Red Ball and go 8 miles.  Turn right (east) onto Snow Cemetery Rd. and go 2.7 miles to the overgrown grassy lane that leads north to the cemetery.  Park here and walk north to the cemetery.
 
I first tried this in May 2014, and got to the southwest corner of the cemetery.  We are all familiar with "it looks higher over there".  As I discovered after I got home, it really was "higher over there", in the plowed farm field.  I had misread both the topographic map and the trip reports.
 
Corrections to previous trip reports:  Jon Mann reported the high ground to be "east-southeast" of the cemetery.  He meant "west-southwest".  And Tim Worth reported that the southeast corner of the cemetery was the highest.  He meant the southwest corner.  The land all slopes down to the east.  So when I returned in May 2015, I walked out into the farm field from the cemetery to the high ground as shown on the topographic map.  When I was there in 2014 the farmer was still plowing the field.  Even though my 2015 visit was more than two weeks earlier in the spring than my 2014 visit, the corn had already been planted.  But it was just one to two inches high, and it was an easy matter to make my way across the field without stepping on any plants.
 
Fred Lobdell
Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
4
Kentucky trip report
Wed Jul 8, 2015 8:46 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"fplobdell" deadbugman

Hart County, Kentucky (Frenchman Knob, 1,160+ ft.)  (June 21, 2015)
 
I followed Bob Schwab's excellent and accurate trip report for this one.  However, because of highway destruction, the bridge over I-65 was closed at exit 71, and I had to continue south to exit 65, cross over the interstate, and return north to exit 71.  The paved road mentioned in Bob's report is just a couple of hundred feet east of the bridge, and is now signed as route 2754.  Bob's mileages are accurate but the "Knob Road" sign he reported is gone.  However, the gravel road is at the right distance from the interstate and is easily drivable.  I found the gate that Bob reported to be open and was able to drive all the way to the summit.  The highest ground is on two sides of the fenced tower, outside the fence, although some of it may have been piled up during the leveling of the tower site.  There were, however, a couple of decent-sized hardwoods growing on the high ground, and some of it may be a natural surface.

Fred Lobdell
Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
5a
Iowa trip reports
Wed Jul 8, 2015 9:03 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"fplobdell" deadbugman

Adair County, Iowa  (8 unnamed areas, 1,460+ ft.)  (May 12, 2015 & June 19, 2015)
 
This county was made much easier thanks to the LiDAR data analyzed and supplied by Doug Melton.  I also thank Bob Schwab for his trip report and Josh Carlson for a private e-mail.  I first stopped here on my way to Alaska on my recent trip (May 12) and did the highest area.  After giving the matter some thought, I returned here on my homeward leg of my Alaska trip (June 19) and did the second and third highest areas.  The remaining 5 areas have an elevation of 12 or more feet lower than the highest area, and I didn't visit them.  Elevations and lat/long coordinates are from data supplied by Doug.
 
Area 7 (1476.9 ft., N 41.5001, W 94.6913)  This area now sports several windmills and a good-quality gravel road giving access to them.  Bob Schwab felt that this was the true county HP, and his feelings have been confirmed by the LiDAR data.  Revised directions:  from the intersection of 5th and Adair Streets, drive west on Adair for 2.0 miles to an intersection with (I think) W. 10th St.  Turn left (south) on W. 10th and drive about a half mile to a gate (open when I was there) on the right.  Turn right and drive this gravel road up onto the high ground near the second (I think) windmill.  Park and explore the area for the highest ground. which the LiDAR data seem to suggest is near a fence line, shown on the topographic map.
 
Area 2 (1474.4 ft., N 41.5038, W 94.6464)  This area takes in much of Adair, but the highest ground is on the Guthrie county line on the north side of town.  This is, in effect, a liner, and the high area seems to be in a back yard.  I followed my GPS unit to the coordinates given and entered the back yard from a dirt lane to the north, which is actually just over the line in Guthrie County.
 
Area 1 (1467.0 ft., N 41.4965, W 94.6393)  This is the area near the yellow water tower.  According to my GPS unit, it was near a wall of one of the metal buildings.  A man came out to find out what I was up to, and I showed him my map and explained my quest.  He was quite pleasant and had no problems with my presence.  He went back inside, after telling me to enjoy myself.

Adair County, Iowa is 5th in my quest to do all U. S. cohps in alphabetical order.  Next:  Adair, KY.
 
 
 
Cass County, Iowa  (3 unnamed areas, 1,460+ ft.)  (June 19, 2015)
 
I thank Bob Schwab for his excellent trip report, which I followed for these areas.  I also thank Josh Carlson for suggesting that this county was relatively easy, as long as I was in the area.  Cass County lies immediately west of Adair County, and as I had some free time and lots of daylight after dinner, I decided to take a crack at it.  I did the areas in the order that Bob did them, although on the COHP Web site they are numbered in reverse order.
 
Area 3:  There is a sort of berm that is the highest ground around, and seems to be highest near the power pole mentioned in Bob's report.  However, I rather suspect that this berm was created from dirt excavated from the roadside ditch and piled up here.  So I walked the very northern edge of the farm field, parallel to the road, as I thought it was the highest natural ground in the area.
 
Area 2:  I rang the bell at the white and gray house and, like Bob, found no one home.  I wandered the lawn and thought the high ground was to the right side of the front porch, as I was facing the house.
 
Area 1:  Next I went diagonally across the road and found a man on the back porch of the house.  The man proved to be Larry, who is mentioned in Bob's report.  Mrs. Barber is unfortunately no longer with us, and Larry now lives in his mother's house.  He told me that his sister (Mrs. Barber's daughter) is also deceased and that the house in area 2 is occupied by her husband, who has since remarried.  With Larry's permission, I walked around under the trees in the side yard and also investigated an area behind the house.  Larry mentioned the large cottonwood tree growing in the middle of a 4-way intersection and gave me directions, so I drove down to see it.  It is indeed a pretty impressive sight. I treated it as the center of a traffic circle and circled around it before returning the way I had come.
 
Fred Lobdell
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (3) . Top ^
6a
Mauna Kea closure
Wed Jul 8, 2015 9:31 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"fplobdell" deadbugman

I read a news article this morning that said that the visitor's center on Mauna Kea and the road above that point have been closed to the public since June 24,  This is related to the ongoing protests about the construction of a new telescope on the summit.  The only people permitted to go above the area of the visitor's center are the astronomers and the construction workers building the housing for the new scope.  If you were planning on visiting Mauna Kea this summer you should check out this situation first.  It would be a shame to spend the time and money to go there and then be prohibited from going to the top.

Maybe someone who is more computer-savvy than me (that would be just about all of you) could provide a link to this story.

Fred Lobdell
Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (2) . Top ^
6b
Re: Mauna Kea closure
Wed Jul 8, 2015 3:41 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Coby King" cobyking
Heres an article about the situation:

http://www.travelweekly.com/Hawaii-Travel/Insights/Amid-protests-Mauna-Kea-access-obstructed

Coby



From: cohp@yahoogroups.com [mailto:cohp@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 2015 4:31 AM
To: cohp
Subject: [cohp] Mauna Kea closure



I read a news article this morning that said that the visitor's center on Mauna Kea and the road above that point have been closed to the public since June 24, This is related to the ongoing protests about the construction of a new telescope on the summit. The only people permitted to go above the area of the visitor's center are the astronomers and the construction workers building the housing for the new scope. If you were planning on visiting Mauna Kea this summer you should check out this situation first. It would be a shame to spend the time and money to go there and then be prohibited from going to the top.



Maybe someone who is more computer-savvy than me (that would be just about all of you) could provide a link to this story.



Fred Lobdell

Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (2) . Top ^
7
Dave Johnston
Wed Jul 8, 2015 9:46 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"John Mitchler" mitchler69

DaveJohnston completed the 50 state highpoints in winter, the only person to do so.

Dave'swife Cari informed me that he had a tumor removed from his kidney on July 2,and yesterday July 6 he had a debilitating stroke. He recovers in Providence Hospital, Anchorage.

His son Galen set up a Caring Bridge web site to provide updates and to hosta comment book.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/davejohnston

Cari & Galen are also 50 Completers.

- John Mitchler
Golden, CO
Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
8a
Re: Mark Ness - Obituary?
Wed Jul 8, 2015 1:46 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
nj55er
Have been in contact with Bob Schwab, and he is also of the opinion that "our" Mark Ness is still alive and well. Mark, if you see this message, please let us know you are OK!

Mike Schwartz

-----Original Message-----
From: jlhcpa@yahoo.com [cohp] <cohp@yahoogroups.com>
To: cohp <cohp@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Jul 7, 2015 8:51 am
Subject: [cohp] Mark Ness - Obituary?

Mark Ness, 49, Bagley (former of Cold Spring)

Mark Ness, 49, Bagley (former of Cold Spring)
Funeral services will be 12:00 noon Saturday, November 29, 2014 at the Wenner Funeral Home in Cold Spring, MN for Mark Ness, age 49, who died unexp...










View on wjon.com



Preview by Yahoo












I have been trying to locate the trip reports Mark Ness published for Minnesota and his surrounding midwest adventures. I have found some links that do not lead anywhere.


I also found the above obituary. Can anyone here confirm whether or not this is the same person? Thanks.


Joh n Hasch

Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (4) . Top ^
9
Adams, Hood, Sturgeon, and Edward
Wed Jul 8, 2015 7:46 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Dave Covill" dave_covill
Fellow CMCers {Colo Mtn Club} Jill Webster and Gina King, as well as my
West Coast buddies Joe Burke and Rob Venema, all climbed Mt Adams in WA (
12,200' - 3rd highest Cascade volcano after Rainier & Shasta ) and Mt Hood
( 11,200' - HP of OR ) with me. We marched up Adams from 5,600' to ~8,300'
and camped in a rock ring, of which there are 100+ on the S side route, and
then ascended from 5AM to about 9:15AM. Several hundred people on the mtn,
beautiful day. Adams is famous for having one of the longest glissade runs
in the USA, perhaps 3,000' in a few segments total. A forest fire on the W
flanks on Friday as we hiked up to high camped freaked us out, but it never
got closer, and died out overnight.

Hood had very little snow for this my 5th visit. We took the Magic Mile
lift for $15 from 6,000' to 7,000' Sunday afternoon, past thousands of
skiers. Really! We walked up to the left (W) side of the Palmer (upper)
lift to ~8,400', then continued up beyond the uusal campsites at ~8,800' to
9,500', and created small sites there with our shovels on dirt, not finding
snow that was at a low enough angle, or soft enough to dig into. This was
a lot of gain with our packs, but made for a ridiculously easy summit day.
We were up to the Hogback and on it at about 10,400', with our crampons
affixed at perhaps 10,100', in <45 minutes. We were advised by my friends
at Timberline Mtn Guides to go the Old Crater Route Chutes, which I had
done the 2nd & 3rd times I was there. I am astonished to see that some CMC
friends of mine, Britt & Kelly, made it up the Pearly Gates, about 18 days
prior to our visit. That route is now essentially shut; all vertical
rotten rock, with a thin veneer of ice. The Crater Chutes are steep, I
measured them at 44-48d all the way up, but not too steep. Firm grey icy
snow, but not ice by any means. It was a super experience for our gang to
get onto a climb that appeared pretty gnarly from below, only to find that
it wasn't as serious as it seemed, always a nice thing to discover. We
descended roped, as we ascended, but we were all able to face OUT, not
downclimb facing IN, all the way down to the Hogback.

Jill & I rented a car at PDX and drove to SEA WA for a memorial service for
Edward Earl, who as you all know had recently perished in Alaska. Saw 28
people I knew to varying levels. So sad. Got to see Jim Earl, Edward's
bro. Kudos to Greg, Bob, and others who did a lot of the organizing. Lots
of good food. Lots of hugs, lots of memories & anecdotes. Jim gave away
many of Edward's old books and maps to whoever wanted them.

We got a tour of The Mountaineers headquarters by Trapper Robbins, which is
a very cool building, on Lake Washington in East Seattle. Similar to the
American Mtnrg Center in Golden CO {home to CMC and Am Alp Club}, but
different. Much larger book store of course. Smaller library. Indoor rock
and ice climbing walls, similar to ours, wider but not as high. Smaller
classrooms. AMAZING outdoor climbing walls and pillars, really very cool.

We drove S on I-5 to near Vancouver WA, a northern suburb of Portland, and
climbed Sturgeon Rock [Clark WA] 4,080', a county highpoint basaltic fin,
on our extra free weather day on Tuesday with cohper Don Nelsen. 3:15 R/T,
with ascents of Sturgeon itself as well as parent Silver Star. Flew home on
United today ( United, you sukkkkkkkk asssssssssss !!!!!!!!!!!!!! ), barely
making it back to Denver after United experienced nationwide shutdowns due
to computer glitches.....

http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2376

I hope to do something similar next year, to include the southern Cascades
volcanoes, possibly Shasta, McLoughlin, Thielsen, Sisters, and
Jefferson. We can probably arrange an itinerary where some can come & go,
some can do it all. Stay tuned. I might make it a CMC Adventure Travel
trip at the HAMS level, i.e. I would require HAMS graduation or
equivalent. I can waive in COHPer friends who have climbed similar peaks,
as guests.

I would encourage anyone who has never climbed a snow covered alpine peak
to go after Adams as their first one. Relatively benign. Lots of fun.

Dave (my thanx to all who hugged me and offered up kind words) Covill
Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
10
TR: Blanca (Alamosa/Costilla/Huerfano)
Wed Jul 8, 2015 10:20 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
orbitor15
After the state highpoint Elbert, Blanca Peak was my most desired objective in Colorado for years on end. In addition to the distinction of being the only triple CoHP in the country, it classifies as an Ultra, a range highpoint and is considered to be the eastern boundary of the Dinetah, the traditional Navajo homeland (known as the Dawn or White Shell Mountain). The allure of sacred mountains is irresistible to me, and looking back on everything I've climbed so far, the top of all-time favorites list is dominated by summits of high spiritual significance. On 4 July 2015 I fulfilled the dream of adding Blanca to the list.


The evening of Thursday 2 July I got dropped off at Burbank airport after a full day at work. A change of planes in Phoenix meant that it was already 01:00 on 3 July by the time I landed in Denver. My friend drove down from Laramie, WY and picked me up, after which we headed straight down I-25 towards the southern part of the state. Following a bleary eyed meal at the IHOP in Pueblo and one hour of dozing off at a rest stop before Walsenburg, we crossed over La Veta Pass into San Luis Valley and stopped in the town of Alamosa for last minute provisions and a proper breakfast.


We then backtracked to Hwy 150, located the turnoff for the dirt road heading up toward Blanca and managed to drive in about 2 miles before parking the borrowed sedan to avoid any major damage to the undercarriage. According to my GPS, we started from an elevation of about 7930 ft. We shouldered our packs and began huffing it up the road. We passed a number of other backpacking parties as well as dayhikers walking back to their vehicles. There were a lot of cars, trucks and SUVs parked along the side of the road, eventually thinning out as the road got worse and worse.


Ominous dark clouds were enveloping the higher elevations when we started, leading to fears of having to hike in the rain, but these dissipated as we followed the road into the drainage of Holbrook Creek toward Como Lake. From about 10,000 on it got sunny and the temperature was pleasant. We passed abandoned cabins and were amazed to see modified jeep crawlers come and go past the 'jaws' sections of the road.



Even with a late start we reached Como Lake at 14:00. There were already many people camped there already, but we were lucky to find a good spot in a tree cluster close to the lake's outlet. With nothing else to do, we napped to catch up on the previous night's missed sleep. The remaining 3 members of our team showed up a few hours later, with just enough time to set up their tent and hammock before the afternoon thunderstorm. It dumped a good amount of rain for the short duration. In the fading light, the air was damp and cooling rapidly, so dinner was fast and everyone retreated to their sleeping bags early.


I woke up at 04:00 the next morning hoping for an early start, but the group didn't get going until about 05:50. The road contours Como Lake to the north and keeps climbing, eventually terminating near the upper Blue Lake at about 12,500. Incredibly, there were tire marks even here, and indeed on the way back we did see a dune buggy type of jeep slowly crawling down the mountain. From the end of the road, what used to be a maintained trail climbs up the left side of a waterfall, then passes a tarn and eventually Crater Lake, which was still frozen over. Though a use trail now, it is in incredibly good shape and well-marked with cairns.


Above Crater Lake, the route zigzags up the ledges, some of which were wet from snowmelt, then ascends a talus field up to the saddle between Blanca and Ellingwood at 13,700. I can't remember ever following a route so well-marked on a major mountain. We rested at the saddle, then headed straight up the Northwest Ridge. With the summit in sight, I caught my second wind and maintained a steady pace up the class 2 scramble. Two of my companions opted to stay right on top of the ridge, which gets more difficult at class 3 near the top, while I stayed just below the ridge on the north side of the peak. From about 14,200 the difficulties increase to class 2+ and there were even a couple of class 3 moves, but nothing requiring more than good stepping and holding.



I was elated to step on the summit at about 09:00, where several people were already enjoying the view. My companions arrived shortly, followed by other parties. The weather was fantastic and the views mind-blowing. The lower elevations to the south were under a solid cloud blanket, making it seem like we were on a floating island, but otherwise we could clearly see San Luis Valley, the nearby 14ers Little Bear, Ellingwood and Lindsey, along with countless other smaller peaks and the Crestone group to the north.


Our last 2 party members took a while in arriving, making the 3 of us impatient in getting down. We had decided to continue to Ellingwood and wanted to get going. The reason for waiting was perhaps silly: we wanted a group photo with all of us. As we were waiting, I made sure to descend about 25 ft down the Northeast Ridge and officially tag the rock pile marking the Huerfano CoHP. Our companions eventually showed up, we took our pictures, and when they let us know they would pass on Ellingwood, we quickly descended the ridge back to the saddle.


The Blanca-Ellingwood traverse looks very intimidating from either peak, but even here there is a well-marked route contouring the rock towers in the middle, then following the south slopes up to Ellingwood. The difficulty does not exceed class 2 except for one downclimb into a gully, which is class 3 and for which I had to take off my heavy pack while facing into the rock. The route gains the top of the ridge about 150 feet below the summit, and a look over the edge to the east reveals vertical drops with breathtaking exposure. Definitely not a place to fool around. However, the route stays below the ridge and simply following the cairns leads one straight to the summit. From there, Blanca rises majestically to the south, completely dominating the view. Its Northwest Ridge looks really difficult, though of course it is not.


We topped out at 11:00 and were anxious to descend, seeing the storm clouds already starting to gather. The only register of the day was on Ellingwood, I wanted to leave a message in the memory of Edward Earl on Blanca but had no way of doing so, while the Ellingwood one had very limited space. We retraced our steps to the exposed ridge, from where we dropped straight down the south slopes. We did not aim for the saddle, instead we continued following the line of fall, skirting a large snowfield, until we intercepted the use trail above the ledges. From there the rest of the descent was straightforward to Como Lake. Coincidentally, our group was reunited as soon as we hit the use trail - our friends happened to arrive from Blanca at exactly the same time.


We spent the rest of the afternoon back at camp napping, endured through the usual storm, then called it a night. We hiked out the next morning. My buddy who gave me a ride agreed to detour by Great Sand Dunes National Park on the drive back to Denver, a move we did not regret. There we hiked up High Dune for panoramic views of the dunes and surrounding mountains. I highly recommend a visit to the park for anyone in the area.


It was a fabulous trip with great weather and satisfying accomplishments. We had no problems with the notorious habituated bear at Como Lake - while there were many people there over the holiday weekend, the constant activity and the noises, especially from the off-roading crowd, must have kept it away. This was definitely one of the highlights of the year for me, and a life-list item with sacred Blanca.


Peakbagger stats and GPS track: http://peakbagger.com/climber/ascent.aspx?aid=543578 http://peakbagger.com/climber/ascent.aspx?aid=543578
Photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/116693422023823875506/albums/6168879042619775457 https://plus.google.com/photos/116693422023823875506/albums/6168879042619775457


Mihai G.


Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
Visit Your Group

Yahoo! Groups
 Privacy  Unsubscribe  Terms of Use
