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Sep 17 2022

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Poison Park to CDT Lasso, CO

Backpack		Sep 17 2022
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Backpack	50.63 Miles	9,206 AEG

Backpack	50.63 Miles	4 Days
	9,206 ft AEG

Linked

8 linked trail guides

Weminuche Trail #592

Pine River Trail #523

Rincon La Vaca Trail #714

Rincon La Osa Trail #525

Granite Lake Trail #540

Divide Lakes Trail #539

Divide Lakes

East Fork Weminuche Trail

Partners

partners

John9L

With too much vacation time in the bank and not enough adventures in the plan book, I put together a map of options in the San Juans. Quite by accident I got an unexpected report from skatchkins regarding trails here that were desperately in need of maintenance and it prompted me to do extensive research in the 3 preceding days to assure which routes had been cleared, and which were still deadfall mazes. This heads-up, and subsequent research was a real joy-saver as it hadn't really occurred to me that some of these prominent named trails were in states of impassibility. The extent of the beetle-kill is really quite mind boggling, so if you head this way in the next few years, ask some questions to people who know!

We took a lazy Friday and drove to the mountains. My biggest mistake of the weekend was forgetting that they change their clocks there. I don't change mine either way, but it did mean that the time I was anticipating the sun to set was an hour later than when it actually did set. Nonetheless, we managed to find a spot to camp near the trailhead and I was able to cut a few trees down before dark to light outdoor heater.

Saturday
12.49mi, 2,844aeg, 6:05
We started from Poison Park and headed north on Weminuche #592. The trailhead had a dozen vehicles — about a dozen more than expected — along with a couple of big horse trailers. As we began, we were passed by a horse train and upon chatting with the riders learned that they outfit a handful of bougie hunter camps deep in the wilderness. It's bow season for elk, so there would obviously be no elk sightings, and also no echoes of gunfire.

We didn't see many others, but everybody we did see was out there hunting. They all looked at us like we were crazy to be out here just for the fun of it. There was one guy on his own on foot who didn't think the multi-thousand-dollar outfitter fee was worth the benefit of horseback travel, dry tent camps, and catered dinner. Another guy carrying a rifle informed us it was also sheep season, but he was one of only two tags and he hadn't seen the other guy all week.

We only saw one guy after passing Elk Park. At the high point of the day, we followed the wrong path off the saddle and the trail petered out completely. A few minutes of bush-whacking had us back on route, descending across Snowslide Canyon and heading toward our planned camp along Los Pinos.

Sunday
15.49mi, 2,844aeg, 6:52
From our 10,200ft camp, we headed out for a loop up to the divide. We weren't sure if there would be a dry crossing of Los Pinos ... and there wasn't. It was wide enough that we had to be in the water for enough seconds that the needles of pain made an appearance before reaching the other side. That is some shockingly cold water for September! Crossing La Osa was aided by a couple of dead trees that had been placed across the stream, 99.6% sure it's the work of the hunting outfitters, and not the forest service!

There were a couple of hunters out on horseback in the morning, even at this elevation. It's about 2 miles to reach Weminuche Pass, at a very modest 10,500. This is the least passy pass I've ever seen. It's just several miles of meadow/valley that apparently has a high point. There must be obstacles lower down in the drainages that approach it because I was surprised there wasn't a historic pre-wilderness 2-track constructed here.

From Weminuche Pass we headed up on La Vaca #714, which is the route of the CDT here. This was a 5 mile, 2,000 foot climb to reach the divide at 12,600. After passing the Window and Rio Grande Pyramid, we began our descent along La Osa #525. This valley had perhaps the most extensive beetle kill we saw all weekend, but I found it to be a far more scenic route than the La Vaca ascent.

Near the bottom we ran into three more hunters on horseback and noticed they had a big camp set up about half a mile from where we were camped.

Monday
9.57mi, 1,091aeg, 4:22
From here we threw a bomb the initial conceptual plan and decided to listen to our tired bodies and take a less-strenuous route over the next two days. So we headed downstream on Pine River #523 (comical that the river is named "Los Pinos" but the adjacent trail is named "Pine River"). Anyway, it's a beautiful trail in a beautiful valley and it's pretty flat and pleasant.

Upon reaching the Divide Lakes junction, we dropped our packs and headed up the short side trip to Granite Lake. There's a nice little climb to get up there, but it was worth the effort. A handful of nice campsites suggest that backpackers do visit these spots too. It's not just hunters.

After Granite, we continued on Divide to complete the loop and begin heading back on the lasso we began with. We set up camp on the banks of Weminuche East Fork. It was an early arrival, so after setting up, I headed out on a day hike. 9L stayed at camp and won the lazy lottery with a visit from a moose that decided to walk between our tents as he sat at camp.

Dayhike
5.6mi, 1,275aeg, 2:44
From camp I decided to head up East Fork #659. This one wasn't in the pre-trip plan, but I was able to draw a route on my phone and based on topo maps decided there might be some nice creek things about two miles up.

This canyon had some of the least beetle-kill affected areas that we saw all weekend. There were stretches of pine forest that appeared to be pristine. And one of the nicest camp sites I've ever seen. I did find some waterfalls and cascades along the way, along with a couple hunters on horseback that had set up a base camp near where I turned around.

Tuesday
7.56, 1,146aeg, 2:59
There is no cell service anywhere in here. Not even on the highest peaks. On Thursday, the forecast suggested that Tuesday could be a washout. Four days later, who knows? It sprinkled on us once, but we made it back to the trailhead without enduring the storms we had expected. One fun thing about hiking from Poison Park is the 500 foot climb at the end. No easy exit here!

As we were about ready to begin the drive back to AZ, couscous, a CDT sobo hiker emerged from the trail. I offered him a ride to town as he was looking to avoid the next couple days of forecasted miserable weather with a haitus in Pagosa Springs. We had some good conversation and he was happy with the cold beer I had to offer for the half-hour ride from the trail to town.

There's much more Weminuche to explore. The beetle-kill is a bit depressing, but there's still a lot of amazing stuff to see out here. With an easy drive from PHX, I'll have to get up here more often in the future.

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

2 archives

Jul 08 2021

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Weminuche backpack, CO

Backpack		Jul 08 2021
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Backpack	52.26 Miles	9,323 AEG

Backpack	52.26 Miles	2 Days 21 Hrs 49 Mns
	9,323 ft AEG

Linked

8 linked trail guides

Pine River Trail #523

Pine River / Flint Creek Loop

Flint Creek Trail #527

Emerald Lake Trail #523

Divide Lakes Trail #539

Granite Lake Trail #540

Rock Creek Trail #655

Divide Lakes

Partners

none

no partners

Heading out into the Weminuche for a few days was goal #2 for my week+ trip to CO. Didn't do a whole lot of research, but I was familiar with the Vallecito area, and it looked like there were a lot of route options plus easy access at Pine River TH.

Thursday
Showed up to Pine River TH before lunch and was on the trail by 11:30am. The first few miles through Granite Peak Ranch were serene but fairly uninteresting. Once past the wilderness boundary, the valley opened up and there were tons of amazing meadow campsites. One doesn't have to go far into the wilderness here to have a great experience. The first six miles to the Lake Fork Junction were fast and pleasant.

The scene got even better after climbing up to the next long stretch of meadows, where there is still great camping and a little more solitude. At around 2:30pm, storms started threatening, so I bagged the electronics. It barely managed a sprinkle however, and when the sun came back out, removed them...only for it to start raining a little more. I guess the best way to stop rain is to put your electronics in a bag.

Didn't even see the Flint Creek junction when I crossed the creek, but knew it was there. At around 4:30pm the clouds got just a bit more threatening, and I decided to start looking for a campsite. Got to Sierra Vandera junction around 5pm, and decided to take the next available spot. There was a good campsite 100 yards or so west of the junction, but I didn't like it as much from a lightning standpoint as much as the clearing at the junction. Looked around for the continuation of Pine Creek Trail, but couldn't find it, and set up camp. Started making dinner but was thwarted by the rain's arrival. Had a bit of a gap around 6:15 during which I was able to cook dinner, but it started raining before I could eat. So I ate in the tent, which I know you're not supposed to do, but I didn't want to get wet... Rain stopped for good by 7pm, after which I checked out the start of Sierra Vandera Trail again, and unsuccessfully hunted for the continuation of Pine Creek Trail.

Friday
Woke up at 6am and decided to try to "punch through" further up Pine Creek before breakfast, to see if I stumbled on the trail. Followed the line on the FS topo map, and stumbled on the trail a hundred yards or so from the campsite, and it was easy going from there, with occasional deadfall. For the first time I was noticing the devastation spruce and fir beetles have done to this area. The lower part of the canyon, possibly due to higher species diversity, wasn't too bad, but up here some stands were almost completely dead. Passed the guard station (still used sometimes, according to Gabe, who we'll meet in a bit), then headed up to Granite Lake, which was OK. After heading back down, I took a side trip up to Divide Lake, where I met the first other humans of the day.

Beelined it back to camp, and found the trail ends up about 50 feet from where my tent was. Guess I'm blind. Ate breakfast and was packed up and ready to go by 10:30am, when Gabe rode in on a horse with two young daughters on mules. He introduced himself, we chatted for a bit, and he told me about a connector trail from Moon Lake to Rock Lake which offered a more interesting route than I had planned on. Originally was going to go up La Osa and down Flint Creek, but abandoned it when I couldn't find Pine Creek Trail - I had decided on heading back down to the Lake Fork junction, and then day hiking to Moon Lake the next day. Hiking up Flint Creek and going down Lake Fork sounded more fun for sure. Gabe told me I can stay at their camp if I'd like, and there would be steak. I told him I'd decide when I get there...

So I headed down to Flint Creek, then went up a mile and a half or so, where I found their camp right under the Pope's Nose. Was noncommittal, but a little tired, so I decided to take a short nap and decide after. By 12:30pm, storms were rolling in again, and Gabe and Co returned just as it started raining. As the rain continued, and got heavier, it was decided - dry shelter and good company just sounded much nicer than climbing over deadfall in the rain. That afternoon I learned that Gabe spends the majority of his time out there, moves camp every two weeks per regulation, and cuts downed trees so he could get his horses through (of course, we all benefit from this!). If you're ever in the Weminuche, look for Gabe.

Saturday
Woke up early, hoping to be off by 7am, because I wanted to be up and over the pass before any storms arrived (even though prior to the trip the forecast called for a dry Saturday). Ate, packed up, and thanked Gabe and kids for the hospitality, and was off by 7:30. The mile or two they hadn't cleared yet was a bit miserable, but after that the deadfall was pretty spread out. Took a little over 3 hours to get to Flint Lake, where I ran into a hiker who had just come up La Osa (he said he had also met Gabe). He was thinking about going down Flint Creek; I told him it would be faster to go over the pass. I took off, but then ran back to the junction (sans pack) because I realized he probably hadn't come from the same TH. He was gone, so he probably decided I was an idiot and proceeded down Flint Creek. It's too bad he doesn't know I made the attempt to correct my bad advice...

Once above the treeline the views were phenomenal. Rock Lake was picturesque. Found the trail up away from the lake, which was quite steep. Got to the saddle in no time, admired the views, and found the trail down to Half Moon Lake, which seemed even steeper than the Rock Lake side. All this rush, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky... Started running into people more frequently on the Lake Fork trail, which was in good condition. Minimal deadfall, though the forests were still completely devastated by beetles.

Emerald Lake is entirely too long, Little Emerald is more appropriately sized.

By the time I got down to Pine Creek trail, I think I had logged 18-20 miles and everything hurt, so I took one of the many campsites in the area, although admittedly if I had walked a couple hundred more feet I'd have found a better one... But I didn't care at the time, I just wanted to sit down, eat two dinners (thanks to Gabe I had an extra), and sleep.

Sunday
Packed up, skipped breakfast, and beelined it back to the trailhead by 10am. Jeep started up and everything was good.

First Weminuche trip was a success. There's definitely more to explore there. Despite the bark beetle devastation (which I assume is just a cycle anyways), it's still insanely beautiful. They just make it so you have to look for leaners when setting up camp... Also, I think it's time to abandon FS topo maps as a source of information. The correct alignment of Pine Trail past the Sierra Vandera junction, as well as the route from Rock Lake to Moon Lake, seem to be on many other topo maps.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Divide Lakes Emerald Lake Flint Lakes Granite Lake Half Moon Lake Little Emerald Lake Moon Lake Popes Nose Rock Lake

_____________________

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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