[Cdt-l] Cumbres Pass/Chama to Wolf Creek Pass/Pagosa Springs

[Todd DeLuca]

Hey all,

Cruiser and I, lacking ice axes and crampons, ended up taking forest
roads (mostly) to Wolf Creek Pass.

We started at Cumbres Pass and walked NE on Hwy 17 (away from Chama)
for ~13 miles.  Then we hoped on FR 250 (at the community of Horca)
and walked ~30 miles to FR 380.  Along the way we passed Platoro,
where we had some delicious peach cobbler at the Skyline Lodge.  We
camped in the (free) Stunner campground in the Alamosa River valley.
(I've heard the water in the Alamosa River valley is polluted by
mining and other causes.  We avoided drinking the water there.)
Then we walked on 380 most of the day (not sure how far, ~20 miles),
to 390.   We might have saved some time by getting off at 385, then
going to 384 to 390, but our delorme maps are not good in this area.
Anyway, on 390, after passing 388, in about a mile we took a former
graded road, now closed to cars, until past the yurt, where we reached
a ridge and went down, eventually to the reservoir.  I recommend the
north side of the reservoir with the road 391 that leads to the pass.

Reason

-- 
Todd DeLuca
617-838-5776
http://todddeluca.com