A 24 Hour Trip

I haven't posted recently because I've been spending my free time preparing for the launch of a startup rather than getting outside, but I did find 24 hours to sneak away for a much needed trip to the mountains.

Rangerdog and I left the North Cottonwood Creek Trailhead at 4:00 PM and walked west and north for a few miles before setting up camp just below treeline in Horn Fork Basin. As I was staking out my tarp it began to snow. I climbed into my sleeping bag to stay warm and read The Marriage Plot (in hardcover, as weight is not a concern on a 24 hour trip) to pass the time before falling asleep early, dreaming that the weather would cooperate for my summit attempt in the morning.

Upper Horn Fork Basin

Dawn broke cold and clear. I eventually convinced myself to leave the warmth of my down bag and start off down the trail for Mount Harvard. The sun finally rose over Mount Columbia at 8:00 and warmed me with its rays. The warmth was short-lived, however, as cold and wind above 13,000 feet forced me to wear every layer I carried to stay warm. I topped out at 9:30 and had the 14,420 foot summit to myself. My plan was to traverse the 2.75 mile ridge that connects Harvard and Columbia but  my hooded wool base layer, wind shirt, insulated jacket, hooded rain jacket, fleece hat, fleece gloves, and rain mitts were no match for the cold so after a brief stay on the summit I started my descent back to camp.


After eating lunch and breaking camp Ranger and I headed back to the truck. There are lots of downed trees across this stretch of trail; sometimes a tree was easy for me to get past but impossible for Ranger (I could climb over) and other times it was impossible for me but easy for him (he could crawl under). I stopped at the Green Parrot in Buena Vista for a $1.50 PBR and was on my way home 24 hours after I started my hike the day before.

Mount Harvard summit from 12,900

Dirty Devil River Packrafting

Details

Days: Five (March 24-28, 2012)

Hitchiking Miles: 50

River Miles: 75 (Class I)

Put-in: 650 East Road ("Landfill Road") south of Hanksville, UT

Take-out: UT-95 bridge north of Hite, UT

Gauge: Dirty Devil River Above Poison Springs Wash Near Hanksville

Flow: 125-250 cfs

Companion: Edward Abbey

Objective Hazards: Quicksand and Attack Beavers

Estimated Post-Trip Meal Calories: 3,000

Movie

Photos

The Henry Mountains

The Sawtooth

Happy Canyon sandstone

Happy Canyon Narrows

Fowler-Hilliard Hut Trip

Earlier this week I spent two nights at the Fowler-Hilliard Hut, a 10th Mountain Division Hut Association cabin located about six miles west of Vail Pass (Locator Map). Fowler-Hilliard was built in 1988 and was named after Ann Fowler and Ed Hilliard, avid mountaineers tragically killed in a climbing accident on North Maroon Peak near Aspen. The original cabin burned down (likely due to a lightning strike) in the fall of 2009 and was rebuilt in the summer of 2010.

The new Fowler-Hilliard Hut

10th Mountain manages 30 backcountry huts in the Colorado Rockies, mostly in the triangle between Vail, Leadville, and Aspen. The huts are popular in the summer and even more so in the winter (winter weekends are typically booked a year in advance).

I joined a group of 11 Colorado Mountain Club members from the Aspen Group which had secured the reservation last year. We departed the Pando Trailhead (9,200 ft) on Tuesday morning, crossed the Eagle River via a rapidly dissapearing snowbridge, and climbed up McAllister Gulch until we reached treeline. We then traversed NE then N to Resolution Saddle (11,700 ft) then E through Resolution Narrows before reaching the hut in time for a happy hour beer on the deck.

The hut sits at treeline at 11,500 feet and features views of high peaks in all directions. The hut is gorgeous, with a stone and metal exterior, beds for 16, photovoltaic lights, a spacious kitchen with propane cooktops and a wood oven, a comfortable lounge area with a wood stove for heat, and a spectacular deck on the sunny south side of the hut overlooking Resolution Bowl. It's one of the best "base skiing" huts in the entire system, with several options right out the front door.

We planned group meals for breakfast and dinner (we were on our own for lunch, snacks, and booze). The first night we ate chips and salsa and guacamole as an appetizer, then pasta with a spicy curry-style sauce for dinner, then brownies with snow ice cream for dessert. This was the first time I've had snow ice cream, and it was awesome. It's also the perfect winter hut trip dessert. Just mix fresh Colorado snow, milk or heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract, then eat!

On Wednesday morning we ate a communal french toast breakfast then split into smaller groups to recreate for the day. A few stayed at the hut to relax and take in the views, most toured E towards Ptarmigan Hill, and Helen and I tried to find good turns. The weather had been warm and sunny with no new snow for over a week, so my expectations were very low. I figured we could take a run down Resolution Bowl (south facing, right in front of the hut) and if it sucked we could poke around in Wearyman Glades (north facing, right in back of the hut). We wound up doing both, and they were both quite good.

Resolution Bowl had gotten so much sun over the past week that it skied just like spring - a March corn harvest! Helen and I skied two laps of about 750 feet each before the lower part of the bowl got too soft. At the bottom of our second run we decided to climb to the summit of Resolution Mountain (11,905 ft) to take in the views and hopefully find some more skiable snow. We found both. It was another bluebird day, so we could see the Gore Range to the north, the Mosquito Range to the east, and the Sawatch Range to the west, with Notch Mountain and Mount of the Holy Cross (14,005 ft) directly across the valley in that direction. The ski from the summit was fantastic, and then it was time for another beer.

Mount of the Holy Cross (center right) and Notch Mountain

After a break for lunch, we decided to check out Wearyman Glades. I hoped the north aspect (the shady side of a mountain in winter at mid-latitudes in the northern hemisphere) and the trees protected the snow from the sun, but again I had low expectations. We clicked in, poled a few yards to the first pitch, and were surprised again by good, soft snow. The trees (Englemann Spruce and Subalpine Fir?) were spaced perfectly for skiing. Helen and I skied another three laps of about 500 feet each before heading home for the day. We saw numerous snowshoe hare tracks and possibly Canadian lynx tracks as well (which makes sense because lynx eat almost nothing but snowshoe hares). The last Canadian lynx in Colorado was killed around 1973, but the Colorado Division of Wildlife began an ambitious restoration program and now more than 200 lynx roam portions of the state, including the area we were skiing. I'm glad to hear they are beginning to thrive once again.

Chicken fajitas for dinner, the remainder of the beer and wine (it'd be foolish to not finish it and have to carry it back down...), good conversation, a roaring fire, and bed rounded out the night.

Thursday morning we awoke to another beautiful sunrise, cooked and ate breakfast, packed, cleaned up, and headed for the trucks. Helen and I gave the rest of the group a head start and skied another lap in the trees, then skied the steep, slick trail five miles back to the trailhead.

It was a great way to spend a few "work" days.

Skiing Arapaho Lakes (Again)

Forty miles northwest of my house lies the East Portal of the Moffat Tunnel, a 6.2 mile long railroad and water tunnel through the Continental Divide. The railroad tunnel was "holed through" on July 7, 1927 and cost $15.6 million and 28 human lives to complete. The Union Pacific Railroad still uses the tunnel today, which is great for Front Range backcountry enthusiasts because the East Portal Road is plowed all the way to the tunnel all winter long, providing great winter access to the James Peak Wilderness.

I met Scott E., Nate, Scott J., and Otina at the trailhead at 9:00. Conditions were surprisingly pleasant - usually the temperature is in the single digits and the wind is howling but today it was relatively warm and perfectly calm. Conditions seemed perfect for our planned post-ski trailhead cookout.

Because of the mild conditions we were able to explore the above treeline terrain near "Radiobeacon Peak," but because of the avalanche danger (consistently "CONSIDERABLE" on north through east through south aspects near and above treeline for the last five days) we had to be careful not to travel on or under slopes measuring much above 30 degrees.

<BEGIN RANT>

Two days ago, an apparently significantly less risk averse group of backcountry skiers and snowboarders near Red Mountain Pass (in western Colorado) was skiing a slope that obviously should not have been skied on a CONSIDERABLE day. The below video was posted to the CAIC's Facebook page, which resulted in a heated debate about risk tolerance in the backcountry. To be clear, I find this type of behavior extremely irresponsible. This skier was lucky he landed - if he hadn't, he would have been buried and possibly killed (and also put his partners and any other skiers in the area at risk during the rescue). I'd like to think these skiers learned a valuable lesson, but based on their comments on Facebook I don't believe that to be the case, and that's unfortunate. As Tremper writes in Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, "take a giant step back from the 'stupid line' - the line between reasonable and unreasonable risk."

***EDIT: One of my fellow SMS instructors was skiing across the basin from these clowns, immediately dropped into the basin to help in the possible rescue, and was rudely told "we don't need your help." Classy gentlemen, these ones.

<END RANT>

We found good snow (almost) all the way back to the trailhead. We skied untracked powder up high and soft snow in the trees but had to make survival turns through a breakable suncrust on the final pitch back to the trucks. That last part sucked.

These powder turns below Frosty Bowl didn't suck

Luckily when we got back to the trailhead we ate and drank well. Scott E. fired up his grill and cooked hot sausages, bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers, and just plain bacon. I poured two flavors of homebrew - Hoppy Red and Centennial Blonde. It was a good day.

GPS track (7.4 miles, 2,500 vertical feet)

Questions/Comments? Leave them below!

Red Light, Green Light

Before I head into the backcountry, I check the Colorado Avalanche Information Center's avalanche forecast for the zone I will be skiing. Here's what today's CAIC Danger Rose for the Front Range Zone looked like:

The Danger Rose is a quick, visual representation of the backcountry avalanche danger. The rose represents slope aspect and elevation, and the colors represent the danger ratings for those slopes and elevations. Today's forecast was CONSIDERABLE (Level 3) near and above treeline on N-NE-E-SE aspects. Elsewhere the danger was MODERATE (Level 2)

We skied an E-NE aspect at treeline - in other words, a CONSIDERABLE slope. This means that dangerous avalanche conditions exist and that human triggered avalanches are likely. I'd like to explain my decision making process on today's tour and how I came to be comfortable skiing such a slope.

I tend to think of information and observations about terrain, snowpack, and weather as either green lights, yellow lights, or red lights. Taken together, I form an overall green light, yellow light, or red light opinion about avalanche danger.

Before I left the parking lot I knew a few things. Snowfall totals this season have been below average, which results in weak, rotten snow (known as depth hoar) buried at the bottom of the snowpack. This has been a persistent problem all winter and and will continue to be problematic until spring (yellow light). I knew the avalanche danger in the area I was skiing was CONSIDERABLE (yellow light). There was approximately four inches of new snow on the ground (yellow light) and the wind was blowing (yellow light). I was beginning to form an opinion before I even put on my skis.

While my ski partner and I (plus Rangerdog) skinned up the valley, we hunted for additional observations to help us paint a fuller picture of the avalanche danger around us. We saw a west-facing slope with recent natural avalanche debris (another yellow light).

An excellent potential ski mountaineering line

Further up the drainage we eyed our E-NE slope. Scott and I noticed avalanche debris in a gully on looker's left of the slope (yellow light). Scott measured the average slope angle in the high-20s, but the top of the slope was likely in the mid-30s. Mid-30s slopes are great ski slopes, but those slope angles are also prime avalanche terrain. This was unquestionably red light terrain.

The slope in question

We dug a snow pit to evaluate the snowpack and perform stability tests. Our initial compression test and extended column test results both showed the snowpack was not reactive. Scott and I read this as a  "not-red light." In other words, while our tests did not show instability, they also did not prove stability. The snowpack can vary tremendously over very short distances, and it only takes one pocket of instability to create an avalanche and kill you. We cautiously continued up the slope and constanted re-evaluated stability by probing the snow with our poles, attempting to get the snow to slide on test slopes, and digging hasty pits with our hands along the skin track. None of our observations indicated instability. In our minds, this meant we could continue up the slope and test the snowpack further.

Halfway up the slope we reached a rollover with a measured slope angle of 37 degrees. Thirty seven degrees just so happens to be the single slope angle responsible for the most avalanches. This was a major RED LIGHT. We both dug snow pits and performed stability tests. I performed an extended column test with a result of ECTP 21 Q2 @ 120cm. Scott's compression test showed no signs of instability. Green lights. We decided to continue on.

Above the roll the slope measured in the high-20s (green light). However, we were approaching treeline and the snowpack was noticeably wind affected (yellow light). We avoided another small rollover (36 degree slope angle - RED LIGHT), pulled skins, performed a beacon check, and discussed our strategy (Scott would ski first and stop before the 37 degree rollover, I would ski down to him, then he would ski the bottom pitch and I would follow).

Professional avalanche education, years of experience, a skilled partner, and the collection and synthesis of dozens of observations led Scott and me to believe that the slope we were about to ski was avalanche safe.

Part art, part science, and the best powder turns of the year!

Homebrewed IPA makes everything better

Questions? Ask in the Comments below.

snOMG!!! An Urban Skiing Adventure

The largest February snowstorm in 100 years dumped 17 inches of snow at my house in Northwest Denver. This obviously called for an urban skiing adventure.

I searched Craigslist for a cheap pair of cross-country skis and lucked upon some waxless Karhus for $20 less than two miles from my house. I took them home, geared up, and was out the door. Destination: Denver Beer Co.

Conditions were good but variable. I skied through over a foot of unconsolidated powder at times. Plowed streets and shoveled sidewalks with a few inches of fresh skied surprisingly well. Attempting to ski across the exposed asphalt on Federal Boulevard was not nearly as fun.

I turned south onto Tejon Street and passed the neighborhood speakeasy, the old Olinger Mortuary turned trendy restaurant named Linger, and the 90 year old fountain store turned tap room. The lengthy descent tested my skiing skills - floppy boots and skis lacking metal edges aren't the greatest tools for negotiating icy, snowpacked roads and vehicle traffic!

Safely down the hill, I crossed the Highland Bridge into downtown Denver. A few blocks of sidewalk skiing led me to the tap room at Denver Beer Co.

Highland Bridge and "National Velvet" by Denver artist John McEnroe

I ordered an IPA and verified with the bartender that I was, in fact, the first person ever to ski to Denver Beer Co. I ran into some friends, enjoyed a few more beers (including Graham Cracker Porter, a Great American Beer Festival Bronze Medal winner), geared up, and skied the three miles back home. Success!

-6 F is Too Cold for Grilling Bratwurst

With rumors of a slower and deeper than expected storm swirling, Scott E. and I made a plan to ski on Tuesday. We decided to wait until after the storm hit to pick a location so we could target the deepest snow.

Yesterday morning we met at the Park-n-Ride and reviewed snow totals and avalanche forecasts. The western half of Summit County (the Vail area) received the most snow but we ultimately decided on Berthoud Pass as a destination. It's closer, you don't have to pay to park, and we are both much more familiar with the terrain and where to find the goods.

We decided to shuttle my truck down to the Second Creek trailhead then drive back up to the Pass for a one way tour of Current and Second Creeks. We geared up and left the Pass around 9:00. The temperature was a balmy -6 F.

"AVALANCHE BLASTING AT ANY TIME USING LONG RANGE WEAPONRY"

After a quick 600 foot ascent up the West Side, we decided on a mellow run known as The Meadows. While transitioning from climbing to skiing...

Fail #1 - I broke a heel throw on one of my bindings

Luckily it was still mostly functional, although I could no longer disengage my binding without removing my mittens and subjecting my hands to deeply negative temperatures. We skied The Meadows and...

Fail #2 - Rangerdog came up limping during his descent

Luckily he just had ice built up in between his toes so we stopped on the Aqueduct and gave him time to chew it out, although this was a recurring problem all day. After a few minutes we skied The Flume down to the Current Creek drainage.

Scott pointing the way near the top of The Meadows

Me in The Flume

We found a spot to eat soup and drink tea in the sun, then continued up the Current Creek drainage heading toward the Upper 110s. We passed the Peter Rabbit Hut, intersected the Aqueduct further west, and...

Fail #3 - One of my climbing skins failed

I've skied over 100 days on these skins and they have never failed me, but the extreme cold rendered the glue useless so I improvised a fix by wrapping an orange ski strap around the ski/skin under my foot and continued on. We followed the Aqueduct north and east to the 110s, found an uptrack, and climbed a few hundred feet to the saddle above.

Peter Rabbit Hut

The original plan was to ski the south facing Upper 110s back to the Current Creek drainage, then skin back up the 110s and drop a north facing slope into the Second Creek drainage and ski out to my truck. However, on our way up the 110s we realized the snow conditions were not great (a few inches of storm snow on a concrete slab that had no doubt formed over the past few weeks of little snow and lots of wind and solar) so we changed plans and decided to lap the north facing stuff twice instead.

Scott looking north towards the Second Creek drainage and the Winter Park ski resort

Second Creek Headwall

The skiing was good. Really good for this season. The north facing aspect was shaded and wind loaded so the few inches of fresh actually skied like shin to knee deep powder. At the bottom of the run Scott mixed up a Pabst Blue Energy v2.0. The original version called for a Lemon-Lime 5 Hour Energy added to a 12 ounce can of PBR but we decided it was too sweet so we stepped up to a 16 ounce can instead. The current version was still too sweet so v3.0 will include a 24 ounce can...It was so cold out that the beer froze onto our mustaches, and I coined the term "Pabsicle."

Pabst Blue Energy v2.0

We transitioned again and began the climb back up to the top of Side Pocket/Narnia Woods. Unlike earlier in the day when we could follow a pre-existing skin track, this time we had to break trail since no one had skied this zone since the recent storm. The slope we were climbing was north facing (it gets very little sun in winter) so the snowpack was deep and faceted (faceted snow is angular with very poor bonding, aka "sugar snow"). This meant that even with our skis on we routinely sank knee deep into the snow, which made for a slow, tiring ascent back up the slope. We reached the top of the ridge and headed slightly east before transitioning for a NNE descent into the Second Creek drainage when...

Fail #4 - I broke the OTHER heel throw on my bindings

Scott led the way and I followed, but halfway down I made a left turn on a double fall line slope that fell off to my right and...

Fail #5 - I went down. Uninjured, but covered in snow.

We continued on and a few hundred feet later...

Fail #6 - I went down again. This time I fell face first and somehow landed on my back, with my head downhill and my skis buried and facing to the right. Luckily my head wasn't buried so I could breathe. I extricated my skis, struggled to flip them 180 degrees so they faced to the left, then manged to pull off a backward somersault to get my skis below me so I could try to stand up. I was ready to get back to my truck.

Fail #6 - Nice reflection in my goggles

Safely down to the flats adjacent to Second Creek, Scott skied ahead and I skied slowly so Rangerdog could keep up. A few minutes later we were back at the truck.

Pretty light in the Second Creek drainage

After reversing the truck about ten feet so we could sit in the sunlight, I pulled the portable kegerator out of the cab, connected the beer lines and poured us two pints of Vail Pale Ale. Half a pint later...

Fail #7 - We lost sun for good at the Second Creek TH

We decided to drive back up the the Pass where we hoped to find plenty of sun and fire up Scott's grill for some cheddar brats and another round of beers. There was plenty of sun, but we learned two things...

Fail #8 - Propane grills don't work at -6 F

Fail #9 - Kegerator taps freeze at -6 F

I put the kegerator in the truck, closed the doors, blasted the heat for a few minutes, and was able to pull two more pale ales through the tap.

The coldest beer I ever drank

After finishing our pints, we decided to pack up and drive down towards Empire, where we knew of a pullout that should have been warmer and less windy...

Fail #10 - The pullout was already in the shade

So we continued on and found a "scenic" pullout overlooking I-70. This time both the grill and the kegerator worked. 

Scott showing off his new grill

We were all set to enjoy cheddar brats and bacon wrapped serrano peppers with our pints of Centennial Blonde Ale but...

Fail #11 - Scott forgot the buns

Bunless cheddar brats are still delicious

Fed and rehydrated, it was time to go home. I turned my truck key and...

Fail #12 - I drained my battery listening to the Grateful Dead. Oops. I didn't even get to my favorite track on the album: Unbroken Chain (Studio Acoustic Demo).

We hooked up some jumper cables and got my truck to start on the first try.

On the way home, I reflected on how great a day I really had. We enjoyed a lengthy ski tour on a sunny (Tues)day(!) and we ate and drank well afterward. How many people can say they've grilled brats and drank keg beer at 11,307 feet?