Tour of the Gore

RyanP

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2015
Messages
578
From various vantage points around the Front Range of CO, one can identify the usual suspects in the distance: Longs Peak, Pikes Peak, Mount of the Holy Cross, Grays and Torreys, etc. Among these, there are two groups of mountains that always capture my attention and hold my gaze more than the rest: the Indian Peaks and the Gore Range. While I have done many backpacking trips in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, I had never yet backpacked in the Gore Range. The Eagles Nest Wilderness (which contains the most popular section of the Gores) is known to have rugged mountain scenery and spectacular peaks and basins, and is a natural playground for mountain climbers or for base-camp backpacking trips; people commonly hike up the steep trails to spectacular lakes and set up base camps for fishing or for scrambling the challenging peaks. However, that is not my kind of trip; I personally prefer traditional loops or traverses that allow one to see as many basins as possible. Unfortunately, the Gores are not as well-suited to this style of backpacking, since the passes between the basins are almost all very steep and have challenging terrain (talus or loose scree). For this reason, I have continually put off backpacking in the Gores, opting for other areas more naturally suited to my preferred style of routes. But after a smoky summer in Wyoming scared me away from heading to the Winds (my original plan for my big trip this summer), I decided it was finally time to do a big trip in the Gores (after all the times we've seen them from I-70 and I've proclaimed that I really need to properly explore that range already!).

I put together a route that attempted to connect a few of the basins that I wanted to visit the most. It was hard to put together a loop that looked good, so I left my old mountain bike at the endpoint trailhead and hiked from my car (at the start trailhead) to my bike and rode it back (on the roads) on the last day. I wanted to keep this trip to Class 2+/3- at the most; an occasional Class 3 move here or there would be fine, but I didn't want any sustained Class 3. One of the passes was an unknown mystery to me, despite my hours spent researching the area. I figured there was about a 50/50 chance that I would have to turn back at that pass and head back to my starting point. While I have done a fair amount of off-trail backpacking in the past, it has always been on established routes that others have done; this was my first time attempting an unknown/new route like this. It was so fulfilling to find that the pass was indeed doable, and it was also a very spectacular route overall! Between Monday afternoon (the first day) and Saturday afternoon (the last day), I saw a total of two people (one pair of hikers on Day 5) and many, many mountain goats. There are few places left in CO that are absolutely spectacular and also unknown/wild, so I won't post details about the route in this post (and please don't comment on them publicly if you figure it out).

Day 1:
The first day was all on-trail to a relatively popular lake. There were a lot of up and down sections through the dense forest (without consistent views), but every now and then I would get some nice views that would get me excited for the next few days:
PXL_20210823_212112276.jpg

PXL_20210823_214559012.jpg

PXL_20210823_220346562.MP.jpg

PXL_20210823_232910019.jpg

PXL_20210824_000742205.jpg

When I got to the lower lake, I really wanted to take a quick swim, but I was running short on time (why do I always start these trips several hours later than planned?!?), so instead I just took a quick break to enjoy some wild raspberries found by the lake.
PXL_20210824_001506946.jpg

PXL_20210824_002942171.jpg

I then dragged myself up the last bit of trail to the upper lake, passing the remains of a mountain goat (right on the trail!) on my way.
PXL_20210824_003915398.jpg

PXL_20210824_010145013.jpg

When I finally got to the upper lake, I was completely exhausted. I don't know if it was the altitude, or my insufficient sleep over the past few days, or the heavy pack, or me just being out of shape---but I was too beat to properly enjoy the spectacular lake that I had completely to myself. Here's a view from camp:
PXL_20210824_012814075.jpg
PXL_20210824_013625048.MP.jpg

This was by far the most popular campsite area on my trip, as there was an existing campsite there with signs of previous people; I found a few pieces of trash lying around. This surprised me somewhat, since it was a long hike in with poor effort-to-reward ratio. But at least nobody else was there on this Monday evening. I was so tired that I decided to skip setting up the tent and just sleep under the stars (it was a very calm night). However, during the night, the mountain goats started swarming my camp, and were continually stomping around my campsite and keeping me awake. If I got up, one particularly aggressive goat would instantly approach me and follow my every move. They like to lick up hikers' urine, so I made sure to go a distance away from my camp and pee on a rock slab so they wouldn't destroy the soil. It was spooky having them so close to me at night, though, so I set up my tent in the middle of the night just to give me some kind of barrier.
PXL_20210824_083744131.jpg

------------
Day 2:
Despite my poor sleep that night, I slept in and felt surprisingly rejuvenated the next morning. The rest of the trip (until the last day) would be completely off-trail, so it was nice to feel better heading into the core of the trip.
PXL_20210824_150631417.jpg

PXL_20210824_152926618.jpg

The basin got more spectacular the further up I went.
PXL_20210824_172348992.MP.jpg

PXL_20210824_180803042.MP.jpg

PXL_20210824_211729503.jpg

PXL_20210824_222533389.jpg

PXL_20210824_225426517.jpg

PXL_20210824_225731949.PANO.jpg

PXL_20210824_230101556.jpg

PXL_20210824_232113964.jpg

PXL_20210825_002038879.jpg

Polenta and peppers for dinner (polenta, red bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, cashews, sausage, parmesan)... now that I have a 2nd go-to backpacking meal (the other being taco soup), I hope to never eat another Mountain House meal again.
PXL_20210825_024640086.jpg

--------------
Day 3:

PXL_20210825_135305195.jpg

PXL_20210825_153634332.jpg

PXL_20210825_164815820.MP.jpg

The lake I camped by flowed into the small pool shown above, which tumbled over a cliff into the valley below. I tried to look for an easy way down to the valley below, but everywhere near the waterfall was far too steep. I had to bushwhack up the hill a little to get to a point where a nice grass ramp led down to the valley below. Some friendly goats showed me the way through the brush to the grass ramp.
PXL_20210825_172641145.MP.jpg

"Yup, keep coming this way"
PXL_20210825_172719096.jpg

"That's the way you want to go"
PXL_20210825_172902503.jpg

I felt like I was the first person to ever step into this basin. Definitely one of the more magical places I have been in CO.
PXL_20210825_185115232.jpg

PXL_20210825_185519466.jpg

I then climbed up to a shelf above the basin containing a chain of spectacular lakes.
PXL_20210825_200729761.jpg

The photos fail to capture the grandeur of this area. This afternoon was my favorite part of the entire trip. I took a much-needed swim in this lake...
PXL_20210825_215731513.jpg

...and then headed up the next pass, which was a relatively easy grass slope on the way up...
PXL_20210825_215742244.jpg

... but became a horrendous talus field on the way down the other side.
PXL_20210825_232011250.jpg

Maybe I just chose a bad route down that pass, but that descent was easily the hardest, sketchiest, and slowest part of the whole trip for me. I even opted to traverse a small lingering snowfield (that was almost ice) at one point because I had my axe and that seemed safer and easier than the boulders in that area. I took it all very slowly and carefully, and it became clear that I wasn't going to make it all the way to the planned lake that night. To make matters worse, the next day I needed to go over two passes, I wasn't feeling great, and to top it off, my wife sent me a weather update (I'm already loving having the Inreach Mini!) and the weather was looking pretty bad the next day as well. Given all these factors, I made the call to extend the trip a day (making it a 6-day trip instead of a 5-day trip) and spend a rest day just going the short distance to the lake and exploring around the lake. After the talus slope finally came to an end, the terrain turned into heavenly flat terrain with meandering streams, small ponds, and spectacular mountain views.

PXL_20210826_005049454.jpg

I camped in a flat patch of grass between boulders below this pond:
PXL_20210826_010138312.jpg

-----------
Day 4:

I spent the morning slowly meandering to the larger lake down below in the basin. There were a lot of ptarmigans around camp. There are at least four in the photo below---can you find them all? (their camouflage is amazing!)
PXL_20210826_163939850.MP.jpg

PXL_20210826_174024787.jpg

PXL_20210826_174243299.jpg

PXL_20210826_181652603.jpg

I set up camp just as it started to rain, but the rain didn't last long.
PXL_20210826_205925731.jpg

I then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring around the lake. At this point I was really glad that I decided to take an extra day here; if you could transport me to any lake in CO for a day or two, just for hanging around and exploring, this lake might be my top choice (it's at least in my top two).
PXL_20210826_224555597.jpgPXL_20210827_132750954.PANO.jpgPXL_20210826_193545641.jpgPXL_20210826_214650950.PANO.jpg

I took this photo of my campsite and only afterwards realized there's a mountain goat in the photo.
PXL_20210826_224119222.jpg


PXL_20210826_232830784.jpg

PXL_20210826_233411853.jpg

PXL_20210826_230637422.MP.jpg

PXL_20210827_011117490.jpg

My goat friend enjoyed watching the sunset with me while I ate dinner near camp.
PXL_20210827_011257977.jpg

Day 5:
Some new goat friends came to visit the next morning. Luckily, none of these goats were in-your-face aggressive like the goats the first night/morning.
PXL_20210827_152959684.MP.jpgPXL_20210827_161401994.jpg

I couldn't help but take a few panorama photos as I left this spectacular basin
PXL_20210827_161936396.PANO.jpg

PXL_20210827_163714042.PANO.jpg

Next up was a slog down and up some annoying talus, followed by a steep ascent up a well-known pass. This pass has a section of steep scree, which I hate, at the top. I knew about this pass before the trip, so I brought my microspikes with me just for this short section of the hike. Most people probably think I'm crazy for carrying them the whole way just for that short section, but for me personally, it was well worth it. I charged up the steep scree slope without stopping or looking down, and was relieved to get to the top. The views throughout this morning were very nice but not comparable to the absolute paradise of the previous few days.
PXL_20210827_221128309.jpg

On the other side, there is even an unofficial trail that I followed for about half a mile before leaving it to go up another pass.
PXL_20210827_224456930.jpg

The next pass was finally my kind of off-trail terrain, with relatively easy/gradual grass slopes the entire way up. Again, the views were very nice, though not quite comparable with those on Days 2-4.

PXL_20210828_001024252.jpg

Not far below the pass, there is a wonderful flat granite slab overlooking the valley below and the cirque of mountains. There is stream just below the granite slab. I HAD to stop and camp there on a fair-weather day like this. I originally planned on sleeping under the stars...
PXL_20210828_005859276.jpg

...but worried that the breeze would keep me awake, so I set up my tent. I'm very conflicted on the tent vs. cowboy camping; I really prefer cowboy camping, as I feel more connected to my surroundings and it feels like the true way to camp, but I've found that I just sleep better in the tent (since it blocks the breeze and moonlight, muffles sound, and helps with condensation). It saddens me to set it up though.
PXL_20210828_013813288.jpg
(minimal-impact above-treeline camping at it's finest)

Down at the stream below camp I enjoyed a marvelous dinner.
PXL_20210828_015253584.jpg

Day 6:
The last day I bushwhacked a short distance to the valley below, then strolled through the easy meadow all the way to the trail.
PXL_20210828_145243890.jpg

PXL_20210828_161852990.jpg

There were a number of small cascades and waterfalls on my way out to the trail. I definitely want to bring some of my family back here when they are ready; the off-trail travel to get to this location is short and easy. I was pleased to see no other people on this beautiful Saturday morning.
PXL_20210828_163320360.jpg

PXL_20210828_163632169.jpg

PXL_20210828_170456214.jpg

When I reached the trail, the views suddenly disappeared and the hiking instantly got boring. I decided to make a small detour to visit a chain of small lakes just off the trail.
PXL_20210828_175924226.jpg

PXL_20210828_182132385.MP.jpg

PXL_20210828_182632369.MP.jpg

Then I hiked back down to the trail and followed it the rest of the way back to my bike which was waiting for me at the endpoint trailhead.
PXL_20210828_200601711.MP.jpg

I took a refreshing dip in this lake, which I had all to myself (at this point I had still only seen one pair of hikers since the afternoon of the first day). It was hard not to disturb the bottom and kick up all sorts of muck though.
PXL_20210828_203428042.MP.jpg

I passed several other nice-but-not-spectacular lakes on my way out, and finally started to run into other people.
PXL_20210828_211148732.jpg

PXL_20210828_222547946.jpg

Most of the hike out was fairly boring scenery, just walking though dense forests with a lot of rocks and roots in the trail. For a while the trail quality was particularly bad:
PXL_20210828_231155708.jpg

The trail finally got nice again in the last mile or two.
PXL_20210828_231811227.MP.jpg

I then packed a lot of my gear into my new cheap bikepacking bags and started the ride back to my car. At first I was having a blast...
PXL_20210829_002452978.jpg

...then by the time my ride was half-way through, I was completely exhausted and was starting to hate life. The views of the Gores from the road were nice though:
PXL_20210829_014049555.jpg
By the time I got back to the car, it was dark, I was walking my bike up any hill, I was exhausted, cold, hungry, thirsty, and thoroughly miserable. I could have stopped to put on layers and grab a snack and such, but I was so beat that I just wanted to keep my momentum and push hard until I got back to the car. I simply wasn't in good enough shape for a full day of hiking (even though the day was not particularly hard) followed by that ride. It was sure nice having such a short drive home though (barely over 1.5 hours).

All in all, it was a great trip marked by high highs and low lows. I hope the scenery, solitude and wildness in the middle of the trip (on Days 2-4 in particular) will be what I remember in the long term more than the painful bike ride, subpar trail stretches, or horrendous fields of talus. If you want a "normal" trip where you hike along a pleasant trail and see great scenery with a high reward-to-effort ratio, I would frankly recommend pretty much any of the other classic CO backpacking areas over the Eagles Nest Wilderness. But if you are willing to subject yourself to a little pain to get to some wild, remote-feeling, and rugged country, then the Gores are about as good as it gets, especially within such a short distance from Denver.

Thanks to Craig over at bpbasecamp for his helpful feedback in my last-minute trip planning; to my boss for helping me arrange a flexible summer work schedule that enabled this trip; and especially to my wife for understanding how much this means to me and for supporting this hobby/passion of mine.

----------------
Gear winners:
  1. Bandana. I just started using one last year; how did I survive without one before? Since all of my clothing is non-cotton (for most backpacking trips anyway), it's really nice to have at least one piece of cotton material available for when you actually want the moisture retention properties (such as to put a wet bandana under your hat on a hot day, or to wipe off your damp tent or your glasses to dry them off)
  2. The Sunday Afternoon Ultra Adventure hat. This is the perfect hat: a wide, stiff brim, with a floppy back that doesn't interfere with your pack, with two special features that are very nice: a sunglass-holder, and a folding brim so that you can fold your hat flat and stash it in your pack (both of these features are soooo nice).
  3. Duomid dual pole connector/jacks. It makes the Duomid so much easier to get a nice pitch, and makes it so much roomier inside. Well worth the extra $25 and 2 oz. in my opinion.
  4. ULA Circuit pack. The pack (which I bought in very used condition) just keeps taking a beating. I dragged it over rocks, through branches, over a snow/ice patch, and it just refuses to tear or fail in any way. So durable for such a lightweight pack.
Gear Losers:
  1. Sawyer Squeeze bag. This one was fairly new and failed spectacularly towards the beginning of the trip. If anyone has any recommendations for alternative bags to use for the Sawyer Squeeze, please let me know.
  2. Borah Gear Ultralight Bivy. The zipper broke on this trip, even though I am always pretty gentle with it. I've had this for 4-5 years, so maybe I shouldn't be disappointed, but I expect an item like this to last a long time.
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20210824_190035014.jpg
    PXL_20210824_190035014.jpg
    684.5 KB · Views: 11
  • PXL_20210824_200028719.MP.jpg
    PXL_20210824_200028719.MP.jpg
    537.3 KB · Views: 10
  • PXL_20210824_211729503.jpg
    PXL_20210824_211729503.jpg
    484.1 KB · Views: 10
  • 1630376005699.jpeg
    1630376005699.jpeg
    584.7 KB · Views: 9
  • PXL_20210823_212112276.jpg
    PXL_20210823_212112276.jpg
    628.1 KB · Views: 9
  • PXL_20210824_000742205.jpg
    PXL_20210824_000742205.jpg
    689.8 KB · Views: 8
  • PXL_20210824_233733178.jpg
    PXL_20210824_233733178.jpg
    613.3 KB · Views: 8
  • PXL_20210824_233752473.jpg
    PXL_20210824_233752473.jpg
    551.7 KB · Views: 9
  • PXL_20210824_152926618.jpg
    PXL_20210824_152926618.jpg
    508.6 KB · Views: 8
  • PXL_20210825_164331522.PANO.jpg
    PXL_20210825_164331522.PANO.jpg
    121.9 KB · Views: 9
  • PXL_20210825_153707683.PANO.jpg
    PXL_20210825_153707683.PANO.jpg
    140.9 KB · Views: 8
  • PXL_20210823_214559012.jpg
    PXL_20210823_214559012.jpg
    751.8 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210826_170729605.jpg
    PXL_20210826_170729605.jpg
    647.5 KB · Views: 7
  • PXL_20210824_083744131.jpg
    PXL_20210824_083744131.jpg
    219.3 KB · Views: 5
  • PXL_20210824_002942171.jpg
    PXL_20210824_002942171.jpg
    263.5 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210824_200028719.MP.jpg
    PXL_20210824_200028719.MP.jpg
    537.3 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210824_003915398.jpg
    PXL_20210824_003915398.jpg
    713.8 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210824_190035014.jpg
    PXL_20210824_190035014.jpg
    684.5 KB · Views: 5
  • PXL_20210824_225731949.PANO.jpg
    PXL_20210824_225731949.PANO.jpg
    122.4 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210825_164248363.jpg
    PXL_20210825_164248363.jpg
    651.6 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210826_010239214.jpg
    PXL_20210826_010239214.jpg
    703.1 KB · Views: 7
  • PXL_20210824_230101556.jpg
    PXL_20210824_230101556.jpg
    435.9 KB · Views: 7
  • PXL_20210825_181442805.jpg
    PXL_20210825_181442805.jpg
    689.1 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210824_161137668.MP.jpg
    PXL_20210824_161137668.MP.jpg
    578.9 KB · Views: 5
  • PXL_20210824_225903850.jpg
    PXL_20210824_225903850.jpg
    584.7 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210824_012814075.jpg
    PXL_20210824_012814075.jpg
    541.8 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210825_222836433.jpg
    PXL_20210825_222836433.jpg
    708.3 KB · Views: 4
  • PXL_20210823_220346562.MP.jpg
    PXL_20210823_220346562.MP.jpg
    699.4 KB · Views: 4
  • PXL_20210825_192347507.jpg
    PXL_20210825_192347507.jpg
    782.7 KB · Views: 4
  • PXL_20210825_193817518.jpg
    PXL_20210825_193817518.jpg
    715 KB · Views: 4
  • PXL_20210824_001506946.jpg
    PXL_20210824_001506946.jpg
    592.9 KB · Views: 4
  • PXL_20210825_195325118.jpg
    PXL_20210825_195325118.jpg
    700.1 KB · Views: 5
  • PXL_20210824_010145013.jpg
    PXL_20210824_010145013.jpg
    644.4 KB · Views: 5
  • PXL_20210825_230523921.jpg
    PXL_20210825_230523921.jpg
    730 KB · Views: 5
  • PXL_20210824_225426517.jpg
    PXL_20210824_225426517.jpg
    581.1 KB · Views: 4
  • PXL_20210823_232910019.jpg
    PXL_20210823_232910019.jpg
    702.9 KB · Views: 6
  • PXL_20210824_222533389.jpg
    PXL_20210824_222533389.jpg
    552.1 KB · Views: 7
  • PXL_20210824_150631417.jpg
    PXL_20210824_150631417.jpg
    645.5 KB · Views: 7
  • PXL_20210827_153512876.jpg
    PXL_20210827_153512876.jpg
    523.3 KB · Views: 8
  • PXL_20210824_172348992.MP.jpg
    PXL_20210824_172348992.MP.jpg
    722.2 KB · Views: 8
  • PXL_20210824_180803042.MP.jpg
    PXL_20210824_180803042.MP.jpg
    767.9 KB · Views: 8
  • PXL_20210829_233837263.jpg
    PXL_20210829_233837263.jpg
    125.2 KB · Views: 7
  • PXL_20210825_165026009.jpg
    PXL_20210825_165026009.jpg
    628.2 KB · Views: 10
Sorry about the sideways/flipped photos... If anyone knows how to rotate the images so that they're not flipped on their side, please let me know
 
Great report, some beautiful country. Surprising how tame the goats are. That camo was amazing...could not find bird 4!
 
It took me a while to spot all 4 but I eventually did. The last one I spotted was the one in the foreground on the right. That trip looks awesome. I was really surprised by how close those goats got to you.
 
Very nice report. I have lived in the Lower Blue Valley for more than 40 years which puts the Eagles Nest Wilderness in my backyard so to speak. Most of this is familiar to me but I never made it over pass number 1 even though I knew it was doable, so nice to see that. Pass 2 I did back in the 80's and passes 3 and 4 I have done a number of times. It is odd to see the goats so " tame" now. 20 years ago you couldn't get within a quarter mile of them in the ENW but many other places in CO you could. I think I see 5 ptarmigans ,maybe. Glad you got to experience this area!
 
It took me a while to spot all 4 but I eventually did. The last one I spotted was the one in the foreground on the right. That trip looks awesome. I was really surprised by how close those goats got to you.
Yup, that 4th one is particularly hard to see. It makes me wonder if there are any more in that photo!
 
Very nice report. I have lived in the Lower Blue Valley for more than 40 years which puts the Eagles Nest Wilderness in my backyard so to speak. Most of this is familiar to me but I never made it over pass number 1 even though I knew it was doable, so nice to see that. Pass 2 I did back in the 80's and passes 3 and 4 I have done a number of times. It is odd to see the goats so " tame" now. 20 years ago you couldn't get within a quarter mile of them in the ENW but many other places in CO you could. I think I see 5 ptarmigans ,maybe. Glad you got to experience this area!
Yeah, it was Pass #1 that I was unsure of going in to the trip. I should have asked on here and you could have told me it was doable!

Where is the 5th ptarmigan? I only see the three more obvious ones and then the one in the lower right that swmalone referred to.
 
Yeah, it was Pass #1 that I was unsure of going in to the trip. I should have asked on here and you could have told me it was doable!

Where is the 5th ptarmigan? I only see the three more obvious ones and then the one in the lower right that swmalone referred to.
Many years ago I attended a slideshow put on by photographer John Fielder. The subject of that show was moving along the high unnamed passes of the ENW south to north with pack llamas. Pass 1 was one of them so I knew it could be done.
The 4 obvious birds make sort of a square. Go to the upper left one and look farther back and there is the head of one looking toward the camera with it's head turned a bit to the right. That is a definite maybe. I swear that I am sober. :lol:
 
Great TR- and wow, just gorgeous views, thanks for sharing! Funny you saw so many goats. Congratulations on completing this unknown route, well done.

About the sideways photos: there's a couple different ways to turn them. I don't have time tonight, but I will start a thread soon where members can share suggestions about how to turn the photos, so they don't upload sideways.
 
Just came back from a similar style off trail loop in the Gore Range. Near B lake we ran into two bearded fishermen from Silverthorne that spoke of meeting a solo hiker sounding a lot like you.

Because of uncertainty re pass 1 going the opposite direction than you, we exited via lonely D lake plateau after climbing up the steep wall below.
 
Last edited:
Many years ago I attended a slideshow put on by photographer John Fielder. The subject of that show was moving along the high unnamed passes of the ENW south to north with pack llamas. Pass 1 was one of them so I knew it could be done.
That's impressive that he took llamas over an entire route like that and even more impressive that you remember that specific pass from his slides from years ago!

The 4 obvious birds make sort of a square. Go to the upper left one and look farther back and there is the head of one looking toward the camera with it's head turned a bit to the right. That is a definite maybe. I swear that I am sober. :lol:
Wow, I hadn't noticed that! I can't decide if it's another bird or not... maybe I should set up a poll and see what the community says
 
Great TR- and wow, just gorgeous views, thanks for sharing! Funny you saw so many goats. Congratulations on completing this unknown route, well done.
Thanks!
About the sideways photos: there's a couple different ways to turn them. I don't have time tonight, but I will start a thread soon where members can share suggestions about how to turn the photos, so they don't upload sideways.
That would be very helpful; thanks
 
Just came back from a similar style off trail loop in the Gore Range. Near B lake we ran into two bearded fishermen from Silverthorne that spoke of meeting a solo hiker sounding a lot like you.
Yup, that sounds like the pair of guys from Silverthorne that I met (the only two people I saw over a 5-day span). And that's crazy that you did a similar loop there... after I submitted my only other previous trip report (https://backcountrypost.com/threads/the-glorious-weminuche.9417/), you mentioned that you were just in that area (in the Weminuche) right before me as well! I guess great minds think alike...
 
Yup, that sounds like the pair of guys from Silverthorne that I met (the only two people I saw over a 5-day span). And that's crazy that you did a similar loop there... after I submitted my only other previous trip report (https://backcountrypost.com/threads/the-glorious-weminuche.9417/), you mentioned that you were just in that area (in the Weminuche) right before me as well! I guess great minds think alike...
Oh, that was you too! Weird!
After tracing your route it sounds like we only intersected near B lake and the popular pass.
 
Thanks for not revealing names/routes. There is way too much of that happening, but from what I've seen lately folks are starting to understand that there is nothing wrong with a little discretion, in fact it makes the next person's experience that much more enjoyable as they'll have to figure it out for themselves.
 
The 4 obvious birds make sort of a square. Go to the upper left one and look farther back and there is the head of one looking toward the camera with it's head turned a bit to the right. That is a definite maybe. I swear that I am sober. :lol:

I think I see what you are talking about, but I'm not sure if it is a bird or not.
 
Great trip report! I'm so jealous. Thanks for sharing and as @3d3vart said- I appreciate the discretion you use! You have me itching to get back to The Nest! I did the approx 15 mile/2 night loop by D and G lakes in college 25 years ago and loved it...those areas felt a lot more remote back then...ha ha. I will definitely be copying your route next year as the solitude and views look amazing! I may pm you a few Q's I have with a few specifics.
 
Thanks for sharing and as @3d3vart said- I appreciate the discretion you use!
Thanks for not revealing names/routes. There is way too much of that happening, but from what I've seen lately folks are starting to understand that there is nothing wrong with a little discretion, in fact it makes the next person's experience that much more enjoyable as they'll have to figure it out for themselves.
Yeah, part of me worries that I put too much up there already. Maybe it's best just not to post any info at all... if anyone thinks I should just remove the post, I definitely would consider doing so.
 
You have me itching to get back to The Nest! I did the approx 15 mile/2 night loop by D and G lakes in college 25 years ago and loved it...those areas felt a lot more remote back then...ha ha. I will definitely be copying your route next year as the solitude and views look amazing! I may pm you a few Q's I have with a few specifics.
Feel free to PM me with questions about specifics (for example, "what was the South side of Pass X like,?" or "how is the campsite availability in such-and-such specific area along the route?"). I personally think forums like this are great for enabling PMs for specific questions, and not so great for publicly posting all the fine details in a way that will come up in general google searches.

Good luck with your trip if you end up doing it, and you'll have to let me know how it goes!
 
Great trip report! Besides hearing about a place I had never been to I learned there are mountain goats in Colorado. I always thought of them as a Canadian Rockies thing.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
BeardoMcGrath Fiftymile Mountain rim and ruins tour: 13 May 2023 Hiking & Camping 12
BJett Part 3 - Tour de Canyon Country. Lower Escalante Loop Hiking & Camping 0
BJett Part 2 - Tour de Canyon Country. Swell Times Hiking & Camping 0
BJett Part 1 - Tour de Canyon Country. Cedar Mesa. Hiking & Camping 8
SteveR A Tale Of Two Passes- A Spring Ski Tour in Alberta Winter Sports 4
norwegianxplorer Backpacking Norway, Femundsmarka National Park Pt 3, Grand Scandinavian Hiking & Backpacking Tour Ep4 Backpacking 0
SteveR Birdwood Loop Ski Tour, April 14 Winter Sports 3
napatony13 Four Day, Four State Petroglyph Tour Hiking & Camping 10
Hiker Seth Southern Winds tour 8/23/19 - 8/28/19 Backpacking 11
WasatchWill 5 Guys on a Trail: A Tour of the Southwestern Uintas Backpacking 12
Ian Camping on the Tour of Mont Blanc Backpacking 2
b.stark August 2016 Tour of NW Wyoming Backpacking 10
Tim Valentine High Sierra Lakes Tour Backpacking 11
isleroyaleguy Teton Crest trail. ...Doug and Anita Tour 2015...final chapter! Backpacking 6
isleroyaleguy Teton Crest trail. ..Doug and Anita Tour 2015...part 2 Backpacking 4
isleroyaleguy Tetons Indeed! ... Doug and Anita tour 2015 Part 1 Backpacking 5
mattvogt7 Canyonlands Three District Tour Backpacking 16
HomerJ Backpacker Mag: Get Out More Tour in SLC (3-26-15) General Discussion 0
IntrepidXJ Nine Mile Canyon Tour Hiking & Camping 4
IntrepidXJ Coyote Buttes North Tour Hiking & Camping 5
Tye Dye Twins Birthday Ski Tour @ Peak 10,420 Winter Sports 5
Tye Dye Twins Silver Fork Ski Tour (12-5) Winter Sports 2
IntrepidXJ A Needles Tour Hiking & Camping 11
isleroyaleguy Wind River Range. D&A TOUR 2014 - Part 2 Backpacking 5
isleroyaleguy Wind River Range. D&A TOUR 2014 - Part 1 Backpacking 6
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- The Final Tour Backpacking 3
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 7 North End Backpacking 6
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 6 West Side again Backpacking 4
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 5 on the East Side Backpacking 3
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 4 North End Backpacking 6
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 3 West Side Backpacking 3
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 2- East Side Hiking & Camping 5
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 1 Hiking & Camping 5
IntrepidXJ Tour de Swell Hiking & Camping 8
Melissa Yellowstone Snowcoach Tour Winter Sports 14
IntrepidXJ Island in the Sky Tour Everything Else 3
powderglut St Patty's Day Ski Tour Winter Sports 3
IntrepidXJ Marty’s Moab Rock Art Tour Hiking & Camping 6
IntrepidXJ Basin Wildflower Tour Off Road 6
Archbishop Going on a short bike tour next weekend. Trip Planning 9
Alison Fritz Hut Trip- Estrogen Tour Hiking & Camping 12
DOSS Tour'D Paria -- January 08 Off Road 0
Kullaberg63 Gore high traverse Backpacking 11
TrektheWorld Booth Lake Basin - Gore Range, Colorado Backpacking 7
Duke Gore Tex glue General Discussion 5

Similar threads

Back
Top