[Cdt-l] Cdt-l Digest, Vol 42, Issue 10
Ellie Thomas
sidselliott at aol.com
Wed Mar 9 10:03:59 CST 2011
I used my ice ax and micro-spikes and carried snow shoes but never needed them. This was at the beginning of June.
Ellie
sidselliott at aol.com
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Date: Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:56:48
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Subject: Cdt-l Digest, Vol 42, Issue 10
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Cdt-l Digest, Vol 42, Issue 9 (Ellie Thomas)
2. Reccomend snowshoes in San Juans? (nathanael lintner)
3. Re: CC, Sam Hughes, & Trail Angels (Trekker4 at aol.com)
4. Re: Recommend snowshoes in San Juans? (bcss at bresnan.net)
5. Reccomend snowshoes in San Juans? (Matthew Edwards)
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2011 05:12:35 +0000
From: "Ellie Thomas" <sidselliott at aol.com>
Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] Cdt-l Digest, Vol 42, Issue 9
To: cdt-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID:
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I will have to chime in on the Crazy Cook route. The route finding was not too difficult, and it was a beautiful and remote hike. I only needed the Ley maps for this section.
I also second the use of Sam Hughes. His rates are quite reasonable, and the washed out roads are tough on any vehicle!
Ellie
sidselliott at aol.com
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Date: Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:00:01
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Subject: Cdt-l Digest, Vol 42, Issue 9
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Today's Topics:
1. 1 Mar 11 Mountain Snowpack map ... (Trekker4 at aol.com)
2. Southern Terminus (Rick Ostheimer)
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2011 14:39:36 -0500 (EST)
From: Trekker4 at aol.com
Subject: [Cdt-l] 1 Mar 11 Mountain Snowpack map ...
To: pct-l at backcountry.net, cdt-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <2e6f6.66d893bd.3aa68e78 at aol.com>
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is out _http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/cgibin/westsnow.pl_
(http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/cgibin/westsnow.pl) ; it looks like, in general, the...
PCT is above normal in CA, just below to normal in OR, & below normal in
WA
CDT is below normal in NM, just below to just above normal in CO, normal to
just above normal in WY, & normal to just above normal in MT/ID
The GET & AZT are below normal; the Hayduke is above normal.
The 1 April report will be out about 7 April.
Bob "Trekker" Brewer
Big Bend Desert Denizen, and...
Naturalized Citizen - Republic of Texas
"Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, 'See, if it
wasn't for us, you couldn't walk.' " -- Harry Browne
"If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it
costs when its free." -- P J O'Rourke
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:54:03 -0500
From: Rick Ostheimer <rick.ostheimer at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: [Cdt-l] Southern Terminus
To: cdt-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <4D7553FB.2000902 at sbcglobal.net>
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I highly recommend the Crazy Cook route. With the desert in bloom, it
was very beautiful last spring, and, as reported, deserted. The BLM
has erected large CDT signs spaced about as far away as the eye can see
to mark the way, though some of them may have been blown or knocked
over, so map reading is still a prerequisite skill.
I also recommend availing oneself of Sam Hughes' shuttle services. Even
if you have a 4WD and good maps, those roads would be hard to follow and
hard on your vehicle. The amount Sam charges is very reasonable
considering the terrain over which you travel. Plus, he stocks water in
a couple of the BLM caches for you.
Handlebar
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End of Cdt-l Digest, Vol 42, Issue 9
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2011 06:14:38 -0700
From: nathanael lintner <nglintner at gmail.com>
Subject: [Cdt-l] Reccomend snowshoes in San Juans?
To: cdt-l at backcountry.net
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Hi Everyone,
Question for people who have hiked the CDT northbound: Do you think it would
be worth carrying snowshoes north of Charma, NM? Our tenative schedule for
this summer has us leaving Charma on June 16th and we are considering
whether to send ourselves snowshoes, crampons and/or iceaxes. We know that
there will be lots of snow but what we would like to know from previous NOBO
hikers, was the snow generally the soft type that you posthole in or was it
generally hard snow that you can stay on top of? Approximately what
percentage of the trail would you say was snowcovered? Did you carry
snowshoes? Did you wish you did? How about iceaxes; were there lots of steep
traverses where it would be good to have one? We would really like to do the
whole San Juan loop and not the Creede cutoff.
Nathanael Lintner
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2011 09:38:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Trekker4 at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] CC, Sam Hughes, & Trail Angels
To: sidselliott at aol.com, cdt-l at backcountry.net, pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <9c37f.4557a304.3aa8eaff at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I personally drove 2 hikers, San Gabriel & Tika, from ADZ to CC in 2009. I
paid Sam to shuttle me to CC in 2010; his $90 is quite reasonable - six
hours of his time and a lot of wear & tear on any vehicle, not to mention the
cost of gasoline right now. I drive roads like that here in Big Bend TX,
and know what they do to a vehicle. Plus he'll help you with his water
caches, and yours.
When trying to hitch from I-10 south 20 mi to Hachita in 2010, it was
a holiday, and no cars passed in an hour; I called Sam, who drove another
40 miles round trip to bring me to Hachita, & on to CC, asking no extra $. I
gave him $110.
In one of my highly opinionated opinions, if you can't afford Sam, you
can't afford to be hiking. You'll be the one leaving few or no $ in Trail
Angels' tip jars. If you can't afford the Yogi-recommended $20 per night at
the Saufleys, the Schwarzers, Nita Larrondes, the Persons, the Heitmans,
the Dinsmores [to mention the "full service" places I can recall at the
moment], etc, etc, you can't afford to be hiking. I've seen many, many hikers
sponging off other hikers and angels; I've seen my $20 in the Dinsmores tip
box, but nothing else from 3 other hikers staying in their dorm, using their
shower & laundry, picking up resupply boxes there, and getting rides from
them. Come on folks! These people give and have given thousands of hours of
time and thousands of dollars to we hikers!
Bob "Trekker" Brewer
Big Bend Desert Denizen, and...
Naturalized Citizen - Republic of Texas
"Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, 'See, if it
wasn't for us, you couldn't walk.' " -- Harry Browne
"If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it
costs when its free." -- P J O'Rourke
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2011 08:05:47 -0700
From: <bcss at bresnan.net>
Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] Recommend snowshoes in San Juans?
To: <cdt-l at backcountry.net>
Message-ID: <003f01cbde6b$7d426000$77c72000$@net>
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+1 on doing the high route. 72 miles to Wolf Creek, 84 more to Stony Pass
near Silverton, then 33 more to Spring Creek Pass near Creede. It is a
fantastic hike in spectacular terrain. I consider it the best hike in
Colorado. You won't be disappointed.
You will likely encounter some sizable patches of snow in June. I would
consider an ice axe and hiker type lightweight crampons to be very helpful
but not so much snowshoes. They weigh a lot and most of the tricky spots
are on steep sidehills where they won't work. The Weminuche has more of
these than the South San Juans, but there are steep snow crossings in both.
You can send the gear home once you get to Silverton.
Take some tall gaiters for when you do have to posthole across something.
best wishes,
Jerry Brown (bearcreek)
Gps Mapping Specialist
The Continental Divide Trail Alliance
mailto:bcss at bresnan.net
www.bearcreeksurvey.com
From: cdt-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:cdt-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of nathanael lintner
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 6:15 AM
To: cdt-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [Cdt-l] Reccomend snowshoes in San Juans?
Hi Everyone,
Question for people who have hiked the CDT northbound: Do you think it would
be worth carrying snowshoes north of Charma, NM? Our tenative schedule for
this summer has us leaving Charma on June 16th and we are considering
whether to send ourselves snowshoes, crampons and/or iceaxes. We know that
there will be lots of snow but what we would like to know from previous NOBO
hikers, was the snow generally the soft type that you posthole in or was it
generally hard snow that you can stay on top of? Approximately what
percentage of the trail would you say was snowcovered? Did you carry
snowshoes? Did you wish you did? How about iceaxes; were there lots of steep
traverses where it would be good to have one? We would really like to do the
whole San Juan loop and not the Creede cutoff.
Nathanael Lintner
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2011 07:56:41 -0800
From: "Matthew Edwards" <Hetchhetchyman at aol.com>
Subject: [Cdt-l] Reccomend snowshoes in San Juans?
To: <cdt-l at backcountry.net>
Message-ID: <B6FBA2B4A8984CF7B3B79AADA367138E at OwnerPC>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I left Chama May 31st last year. The trail was 90% snow covered till Stony Pass. Then almost magically the snow became about 40% coverage to Spring Creek Pass.
The type of snow i found was mostly consolidated hard pack from morning till about 2PM. Then it became increasingly soft until i was postholing for many hours until late afternoon.
I used an Ice axe and sometimes screwed some 3/8" sheetmetal screws into the bottom of my trail runners for ice traction in the mornings.
The Ice axe was definitely helpful and I would consider it mandatory for the snowslopes I had to cross. Kicking steps left my feet a bit raw but the trail runners worked okay. I did not use gaiters so my calves became pretty raw and trashed after plungin into the snow for hours every day. My mileage went down to 14 MPD for 14 hours of hiking through the section from Cumbres Pass to Stony Pass.
It was hard going but snowshoes would have only been helpful for perhaps a few hours late in each day.. not worth the weight/effort compromise in my opinion.
What i would do different would be to carry better traction aids. The sheetmetal screws were workable but pretty minimal. I would go with a pair micro spikes or maybe crampons next time. I would also definitely use gaiters for the snow to avoid the "bloody calf" syndrome.
The best piece of gear i brought were my neoprene glacier gloves. They insulated my hands from the aluminum handle of my Camp Corsa Iceaxe but provided superb grip for chopping steps. Be ready for major UV light from snow reflection.. I burnt the inside of my nose!
Your situation will no doubt be different to to yearly variations of snowpack, weather, and timing. The San Juans are beautiful covered in snow! My best piece of advice when the snow gets soft is forget about your pace. Focus on your surroundings and make short goals. It may take an hour to go 100 yards sometimes on an icy snowcovered sideslope or postholing accross rotted snow. The reward is a stunning landscape in the process of emerging into spring.
I am so freakin' Jealous of you right now!
-Iceaxe
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