One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: April 3, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1993_0619_MountNeva.htm)
(From mail I sent to Kevin Keirn...)
Friday afternoon, August 6: Heading for Copeland Mountain in Rocky Mountain NP I finally got outta here [HP Fort Collins] at 1 pm (shoulda left sooner). Departed Allenspark trailhead (Wild Basin) with backpack at 1545, made the Pear Creek campsite 1902. Not bad for 5.8 miles with a full pack on an up/down rocky trail. Didn't see hardly anyone till I came out this morning (Sunday).
Saturday, August 7: I dragged up at 0530, headed out bushwhacking at 0615, and made the Copeland Mountain summit (13176') at 0915... 2:50 for 2700', not bad! But my mind was going, on the way up I thought it was over 3:00 already and felt pretty wimpy...
Now I wish I'd sat on top longer, but I pushed on to try for Ogalalla Peak while the weather held out -- and didn't make it. I spent a challenging two hours running the looong ridge west (nasty stuff) to Cony Pass, 12400', which sits between the Cony and Ouzel drainages east of the continental divide... Weird place.
As I feared I couldn't get up to the divide from there. Was tired... Felt old... Tried a couple of airy ways up, too nasty. Kicked myself for not liking to read guidebooks...
I went down some (ooo-whee again, shoulda taken an easier way), laid on a garnet-encrusted snow-surrounded boulder a while, started down to camp in no rush, had a good time. Peaceful, pretty, running water. Cony Lake, Hutcheson Lakes... You know the scenery. Found a bighorn skull, and a nice trail from timberline to Pear Lake. Back in camp by 1805, ten minutes after it finally started to rain hard (grin).
Moleskin is in but molefoam is out. I got some blisters. Halfway hobbled out this morning. Sore feet, sore back... 3:17 in, 3:14 out. My only excuse -- it was a rocky, hilly trail. Came by HP to shower, catch up, and do some personal stuff...
(Next trip report: 1993_0903-05_HaydenGorge.htm)