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Joined: Jun 2001
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Posts: 32,026 |
Good for you, KC. If I had the time and money this year, I'd go prowling with you - new country is always fun. and I'm an alpine addict, whether 3,000 feet in Alaska, or 10K Outside.
And I haven't been that far south...
Last edited by las; 06/14/18.
The only true cost of having a dog is its death.
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Campfire Tracker
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KC - I had heard of you as a mountain climber long before I heard of you as an elk hunter. I'm guessing that at some time you probably used the Durango-Silverton narrow gauge to access some of those 13K and 14K peaks in the San Juans that are difficult to reach any other way. From most of those peaks (I forget exactly which ones) you can look east toward the Rio Grande Pyramid and notice a notch missing from the solid rock ridge - almost a perfectly square void. On modern maps that notch is labeled as The Window but old timers still know it as the Spanish Window. It is a remarkable landmark and one that few people ever see, let alone pass through, because it is remote and committing. The ridge separates Ute Creek from Weminuche Creek is not easy to cross other than through the Spanish Window. One of the cool things about passing through it is that by default you will descend via a different drainage (Ute or Weiminuche) than you entered and both are epic. Many years ago I stood at the Window, found 2 fully in tact elk skeletons there, but I have yet to pass through it. Greg: Yep. I climbed the peaks in Chicago Basin thirty years ago and I've been back a couple of times since then. However, I was concentrating on climbing at the time and didn't really take the time to look at the distant peaks to the east. I've seen Rio Grande Pyramid and The Window on the map and thought of backpacking up the Weminuche and making these old lungs burn on the summit of the Pyramid. If I get up there, I'll have to pass thru the Spanish window and descend via Ute Creek. I want to see what things look like around Black Lake while I'm at it. I suppose that I'll hitch hike back to Thirty Mile Campground. l probably take five nights for these old legs to make that trip. Wanna come? KC
Wind in my hair, Sun on my face, I gazed at the wide open spaces, And I was at home.
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Last edited by Alamosa; 06/14/18.
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Man, put the pictures up! I’d like to see what I am getting in to.
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Last pic wouldn’t fit I guess so here it is.
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Yeah both ears. We called him a two time offender! He was a good looking bear.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 45,985 |
Cool. Is that RIo Grande Reservoir in the first pic?
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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Cool. Is that RIo Grande Reservoir in the first pic? Smokey: Yep. Rio Grande Reservoir. Didn't see many elk on that trip. We saw a young bull elk on the first trip and a few more on the second trip. On each trip we also saw a few deer, a bear, and a moose. My camera is a cheap POS point-and-shoot with a tiny digital display. I took a bunch of photos on the trip with BeanMan, but none of them are worth posting. I gotta get a new camera. BTW BeanMan and AlaskaCub are both quality guys. KC
Wind in my hair, Sun on my face, I gazed at the wide open spaces, And I was at home.
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It’s so crazy KC to think we drove through where the Spring Fire is not an hour before it kicked off and the conversations we had about those mountains and La Veta pass and now that chit is scorched earth!
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It’s so crazy KC to think we drove through where the Spring Fire is not an hour before it kicked off and the conversations we had about those mountains and La Veta pass and now that chit is scorched earth! I had to go over Poncha Pass to return for another trip with BeanMan.
Wind in my hair, Sun on my face, I gazed at the wide open spaces, And I was at home.
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It got down below freezing every night which was a pleasant surprise. The terrain was very different from what I am used to.
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Really enjoy seeing the pictures of this area, It is a great place for photographs. Here are a couple taken just a few months after he big fire.
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Congrats on the draw!
Best of luck getting to a nice one.
Love to hear them bugle during the rut.
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I received my license in the mail today. I leave tomorrow morning for another scouting trip.
KC
Wind in my hair, Sun on my face, I gazed at the wide open spaces, And I was at home.
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 45,985 |
Doing it right, putting in the pre-season work KC. Good luck!
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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KC,
Congrats on the tag. Best of luck to you!
WWP53D
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