Thumbed my trip after two hours of hiking.

kimbur96

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In scuba diving a thumbs up is a sign to surface and end the dive. As the dives get deeper and more technical and especially in cave diving anyone can thumb a dive at anytime for any reason without question by the other team members. Everyone exits together. It is thought this helps prevent accidents by preventing divers from going on when things just aren't right without fear of repercussion.

Another widely accepted rule is the rule of threes. If three things break or go wrong during a dive you end the dive. Most fatalities are caused by cascading events not a single event.

Today I thumbed my backpacking trip based on the rule of threes. The plan was to back pack From the Hollowell Park TH to the Mill Creek Basin campsite. Then after setting up camp I planned to day hike around Beirstadt Lake. I got to RMNP got my permit and headed out.

1) Car alarm. I've never winter backpacked so I was laden with gear. It took me a good 10 minutes to gear up at the TH: Fleece shirt, Down Jacket, Hard shell,Gaiters, Microspikes, Backpack. It was 15F and windy so I had all my layers on. I grabbed my trekking poles and hit the trail. A good half mile or more down the trail I couldn't remember if I had locked the car. For the life of me I couldn't say either way. Not a horrible thing except I had left my wallet in the glove box so I wouldn't loose it on the trail. The permit on my dashboard would indicate i'd be gone overnight for any thieves that might be by later. I tried to convince myself it would be fine. What are the odds that someone would try the door? I pressed on but it nagged at me.

2) The weird guy. This could be all paranoia and the result of being raised by a cop who worked gang units for years or it could be this guy was a threat.

When I parked at the TH I was the only car there. It was approximately a 2 mile hike in to my assigned campsite. About 2/3's of the way in I encountered a man coming down the trail. He had no trekking poles, a very small pack on, no snowshoes or microspikes. I knew there were no cars at the TH so I couldn't figure out where he'd be going. We passed and I continued on. 2-3 tenths of a mile from the campsite the trail splits and eventually joins itself again in .3 of a mile. I stayed to the left and then when the trail joined itself again I figured out I needed to go down the other branch of the loop to reach the campsite.

As I got to the sign for the turn off for the campsite he comes the same guy only now he is carry a 5ft walking stick. For him to be there that means that after he passed me he turned around and looped back following my path. I was just standing there trying to figure out where the campsite was. He passed me and about 10 yards down the trail tuned around and passed by me again. By now I am quite unsettled by his behavior. He has now seen me 3 times so it's obvious I am alone.

3) Can't get to the campsite. After two hours of hiking I got to the sign that pointed of into the trees as being where the campsite was. There was no visible trail, no foot prints. There was supposed to be a privy so I looked for a rooftop or building. I couldn't see anything. I had worked hard to get where I was so I headed off in the direction the sign pointed. The snow was up to my knees and quickly I sank to my waist. Then I fell forward onto my ungloved hands. My hands had been sweaty earlier so I had taken my gloves off. Well crap...this isn't going to work. I also know from the map there is a creek here and I don't need to fall into icy water I can't see. After falling a couple of more times and realizing I would not be able to get to the campsite. That's 3 I said to myself. I post holed and crawled back to the trail and headed back to my car.

On the way out I considered trying to secure a site at the campground. I decided to get to my car, eat and get warm and then decide. At my car I took my pack off and began to peel off the layers. I was soaked. I hadn't felt hot or overheated but I had sweated through multiple layers of clothing. It was supposed to get down to 5F tonight and wet clothes was no go for staying. I chalked it all up to learning and headed home to hike another day.

The things that went right or worked well: microspikes, gaiters and delorme. These were all brand new to me and my first time using them and they were all awesome. The delorme connected to my phone via bluetooth allowed me to see myself on a topo map in real time that was great when i was trying to find the campsite. The microspikes were flawless, no slipping at all on the pack snow and ice. And the gaiters were a great choice until i got in the really deep stuff.

4 miles in the snow with a 28# pack was a workout. I will sleep well tonight. Here's a few pics from the hike.

IMG_5603.jpg
IMG_5604.jpg
IMG_5605.jpg
IMG_5609.jpg
somewhere in there is the campsite supposedly :(
IMG_5611.jpg
My only wildlife encounter today.
IMG_5615.jpg
 
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Sounds like a good call. Beautiful pics too! I need to remember the thumbs up rule, we already do the 3 strikes rule. And I agree, that one guy would have been enough for me to say, " annie get your gun."


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So glad you're safe. Cold and wet is never fun. Cold, wet and a creepy guy? Yuck!
I'm envious of the snow. I was in the mountains of North Carolina for Christmas and no snow until after we left.
Keep learning! Stay dry. Stay warm.
Wayne


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Way to stick with your intuition. I've turned around for much less. Hearing about that guy gives me the creeps.

I'm sorry your trip didn't work out, though. Looks like you'll have to head back sometime!
 
Snowshoes!
Wayne


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I have brand new snowshoes but have never snowshoed, ever. Trip reports said microspikes would be sufficient and since the snowshoes weight 3# I chose to leave them at home. I am signed up for a basic snowshoeing class starting Wednesday! :)
 
Great! Hopefully you won't be swimming through the snow in the future.
Wayne
Ps: I own boots that are heavier than your snowshoes. [emoji106][emoji41]

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I think you made the right call.
So.....winter in the Rockies.. have you ever thought about touring skis and skins? I have made so many trips to 10th Mt Div Huts... and Zirkel and Flattops wilderness in winter, that I think of only one way to travel and that is on ski's. Perhaps ...not for everyone. 2.JPG
 
Great! Hopefully you won't be swimming through the snow in the future.
Wayne
Ps: I own boots that are heavier than your snowshoes. [emoji106][emoji41]

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So you made me curious. My Vasque winter hiking boots are 3# 12oz. They don't feel heavy and they keep my cold feet warmer than anything I have ever tried.

I think you made the right call.
So.....winter in the Rockies.. have you ever thought about touring skis and skins? I have made so many trips to 10th Mt Div Huts... and Zirkel and Flattops wilderness in winter, that I think of only one way to travel and that is on ski's. Perhaps ...not for everyone. View attachment 51537
I've never skied and I think the winter gear budget is tapped out for this year. It's my first winter here in CO. I moved here from FL so it's a big change. I'd love to do a 10th Mtn hut trip. Everything is booked so far in advance. Plus I really should have someone to go with. Hopefully next season.
 
Way to pay attention to the details and to analyze Kimbur. Well done. Decide on the side of safety and come out to play another day.

I think you are a little to worried about walking in your new snowshoes. Those conditions were fine in boots, spikes, snowshoes or on skis like all have disclosed. Having the snowshoes gives you a little safety margin if you get snowed on overnight is all. When you walk with your snowshoes it is a lot easier if you have a couple of poles with you. Wish you, and all people, didn't have to feel unsafe in the backcountry. My wife has had similar experiences and resultant, warranted nervousness. If you lived near here you would have us to walk with.

Thumbing a trip = I call it bailing and have done it many times.
 
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My Pivetta #5 all leather boots are a little over 4 pounds. I try to forget the actual weight because I like them a lot.
Wayne


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a bit of advice, we pack bear spray and smaller cans of pepper spray. Not for the bears, for the creeps. We're not big on packing guns but you run into a lot of weirdo's in the back country. Keep safe and keep on hiking, it is awesome!
 
Sounds like you made the right call. Good job on listening to your spidey senses and on making it back safely. Thanks for the trip report.
 
FYI, the backcountry privys in RMNP are not your standard "outhouse". They're just a toilet seat on a ~ 3 ' square, 12 inch tall box with no other shelter at all, and the BC sites/privies will be invisible under snow.

I've cancelled many a full scale 10-30 pitch , full day to multi-day rock climb mid way/ rearranged my itinerary on several 20-30 day backpacking trips , but I've never "thumbed a dive" out of 750+ and counting, and 75% of those were solo under "challenging" conditions.

It's all about your boundaries.
 
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FYI, the backcountry privys in RMNP are not your standard "outhouse". They're just a toilet seat on a ~ 3 ' square, 12 inch tall box with no other shelter at all, and the BC sites/privies will be invisible under snow.

I've cancelled many a full scale 10-30 pitch , full day to multi-day rock climb mid way/ rearranged my itinerary on several 20-30 day backpacking trips , but I've never "thumbed a dive" out of 750+ and counting, and 75% of those were solo under "challenging" conditions.

It's all about your boundaries.

Good to know about the privy's. So I was looking for something that didn't exist.

I'd much sooner push my limits in physical exertion or weather and environmental conditions than those of a creepy dude. Guess that's my boundary.
 
Good to know about the privy's. So I was looking for something that didn't exist.

I'd much sooner push my limits in physical exertion or weather and environmental conditions than those of a creepy dude. Guess that's my boundary.

Creepy dudes are, well, just plain creepy.
I've found some places in Colorado farther away from major population centers where I don't see creepy dudes. Give me a shout and I'll tell you where they are.
Wayne


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I think you made the right call.
So.....winter in the Rockies.. have you ever thought about touring skis and skins? I have made so many trips to 10th Mt Div Huts... and Zirkel and Flattops wilderness in winter, that I think of only one way to travel and that is on ski's. Perhaps ...not for everyone. View attachment 51537
Love 10th mountain division!

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a bit of advice, we pack bear spray and smaller cans of pepper spray. Not for the bears, for the creeps. We're not big on packing guns but you run into a lot of weirdo's in the back country. Keep safe and keep on hiking, it is awesome!
Dido! My son worked in Yellowstone last summer at Lake Lodge. Guests leave their cans of bear spray. I asked him to bring me one. I have 9! I carry mine for creeps. Thankfully I haven't seen creeps or bears. Hope to keep it that way.

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