Chama to Pagosa Springs-Snowy Hikes and Ice Axes…OMG!

We ate everything at Sanchy’s Taquería. I have never seen so much meat in a taco. We feasted on their taco sampler box for two days.

We were able to do a major replenishment and reconfiguration of equipment in Chama. Weasel made a hole in his backpack with a sharp branch and repaired it with some duct tape. Weasel was able to get a fleece and long sleeve merino base layer from Tumble On. Weasel tore up his hoodie. It was completely broken after climbing over obstacles for the past few days on the road.

I bought an alpha fleece and a pair of mesh pants for the next section as it will be at 12,000 feet elevation and there will be a lot of snow on the northern slopes.

We purchased new microspikes and ice axes, as trip reports from hikers a few days before us were concerning about a considerable amount of snow, poles, and icy traverses and descents. I think it’s better to be safe than to fall and get seriously injured. There is a group of our friends who will be going through the snow a day before us, so hopefully they will hit the trail a little more before we hit the trail.

My new Exoticpax pack is incredible and super comfortable. I’m sure it will be easier now to climb over and under trees and climb over rocks. Jonathan (Janis Joplin) did a wonderful job creating the backpack and adding many thoughtful details to organize it without adding excessive weight. We had a great visit and he also helped me with the broken mesh wrist straps on my trekking poles.

I am pleasantly surprised that Light Hiker, who is Aarn’s US distributor, fully guarantees my Aarn package. I’m glad you guys are studying my current package issues for future product design.

We have new shoes with a lot of grip for the next section. It sure feels good to have new cushions and insoles. We received our new tarp and the rest of our Durston tent from Twisted Sister. We returned Big Agnes to Twisted Sister in case we need it again. We’ve also shipped three days of food in advance to Pagosa Springs, so we’re only carrying four days’ worth of food. That weight difference is huge when slipping and sliding on snow and ice.

We bought some Fritos again as a gift. We are learning that we really enjoy salty snacks more in the afternoons.

I pet a friendly orange neighborhood cat for 30 minutes before the post office opened.

Denver gave me a 5 minute crash course on ice ax handles and how to use them safely. Oh! I don’t know how I feel about the possibility of having to use an ice ax.

Day 1

Miles driven: 18.5 Originally planned: 21

Elevation Gain: 3,672 feet Elevation Decline: 1,717 feet

Highest point: 12063 feet

Hours between camps: 9 hours 16 min

Weather: 82 feet Fresh and minimal wind except on high ridges

Terrain: Forest with pines and poplars. Lots of fall. Snow on northern slopes and shady valleys

We practiced with our ice axes on crossings with low-intensity but still steep snowbanks. The ax felt sturdy. It’s good to practice with your safety equipment before you need to use it.

Today we encountered some high snowy traverses. We crossed some of the crossings, others we traveled if we could. Most of the roads have been trampled and we can see where others had difficulty drilling. This matched the trip reports of previous hikers.

A lot of water all day, that’s why we only carried 1 liter each. What a nice change to go from carrying three to six liters of water over difficult terrain.

People Found: Denver, Here and There, X-Ray, Metric Ton

Janis Joplin and Sweet Tooth were kind enough to take us back to the trail in the morning.

All the tiny alpine flowers are blooming.

The tip of one of my trekking poles broke. Weasel tore the knee of his pants climbing a dead tree.

Overall, this was a perfect day of riding.

Day 2

Miles Traveled: 18 Originally Planned: 21

Elevation Gain: 2,699 feet Elevation Decline: 3,094 feet

Hours between camps: 11 hours 3 minutes

Highest point: 12,187 feet

People Found: Metric Ton Early Morning

Climate: 73 F Alternating sensation of heat and cold. We both wore our new fleeces all day. We were worried about afternoon storms but they didn’t materialize.

Terrain: Singletrack all day. 7 hours of post drilling up to your knees. Countless slips and it felt like I had about 100 falls. Weasel was slipping and falling as much as I was. Very difficult terrain to manage, very slow kilometers. Slowest miles of the trip so far. Weasel broke his trekking pole in half on one of the post hole falls.

The last mile of the day was an incredible runner that we glided (get on your boot and glide) about 1500 feet from the top of the mountain. My butt temporarily became numb due to the cold. I used my ice ax as a brake when it got a little fast for my comfort level. It is much safer and more fun to slide than to go down steep, snowy slopes.

Song of the day: A view to kill

Day 3

Miles driven: 15.63 Originally planned: 21

Elevation Gain: 3,063 feet Elevation Decline: 2,863 feet

Hours between camps: 11 hours 12 minutes

Highest point: 12652 feet

Climate: Sunny, pleasant. A brief 30 minute graupel storm as we crossed a ridge.

People Found: Johnny Condom at the end of the day.

Treacherous terrain most of the day. The first 5 miles took us 5 hours! Lots of steep traverses with post holes deep from knee to mid-thigh. It was an arduous step. We saw a couple of moose in the morning. We saw some kind of cat print in the snow, maybe from a lynx.

In the afternoon we had another steep crossing on the north slope, even more complicated than yesterday. We definitely used our ice axes and microspikes a good portion of the day. I guess I know how to use technical mountaineering equipment now.

Weasel’s microtips fell out of her bag this afternoon, maybe someone will find them.

This has been the hardest and riskiest day of the trip so far. I cried a few times today, to be honest.

Day 4

Miles driven: 17.98 Originally planned: 21

Elevation Gain: 2,552 feet Elevation Decline: 3,296 feet

Highest point: 11981 feet

Hours between camps: 8 hours 24 minutes

Weather: 79 F Perfectly hot in the sun and cold in the trees.

People found: Wilt in the morning and Just Awesome at the Polish restaurant.

Terrain: High exposure singletrack, luckily most of the day was on south facing slopes that had no snow. There are still some holes on the north sides, but only up to mid-calf and well trampled. Nowadays microspikes and ice axes are not needed.

Today we hiked through Wolf Creek Ski Area. Minimal snow except on the north sides, unfortunately lots of dead trees to climb and get under. We both have some scratches on our legs from the trees.

Trench foot is a problem for both. We’re going to have to get another pair of socks to rotate. I’ve lost so much weight that my base layers are falling off.

We have decided to continue along the red line to Silverton despite the snow at altitude. Every day we are late, the sun works its magic and other hikers tamp down the snow. The longer we wait, the safer it will be for us.

We only waited 5 minutes to hitchhike at Wolf Creek Pass. Reagan (The Gipper) picked us up and we had such a wonderful chat that we all had dinner together at the local Polish restaurant.

Day Zero in Pagosa Springs

We need to recover from all the broken and lost equipment. The weasel needs a haircut and beard trim. We have to get more food for the longer stretch through the Weminuche Desert.

People found: Joy, Blas, Mos

Next stop is Silverton in 5 very conservative days.