Hiking in the high country

[RGINN]

Everybody's stayed pretty safe so far this summer in Summit County, CO, but it still doesn't hurt to pass on a few tips for any of y'all plannin to come up here and strike off through the wilderness. You may be Dan'l Boone, Ewell Gibbons, and Pecos Bill rolled into one back home, but up here you might find out you're more Peewee Herman. We have miles of trails, of various difficulties. Be prepared when you start off. Be prepared. Dress in layers. Shorts are ok, but have some long pants, and proper foot gear. T-shirts, shorts, and flip flops are not a good hiking outfit for the woods. Temps can fluctuate 50 degrees in a 24 hour period and rain showers pop up about every afternoon. In spite of all the trees, this is basically a sub-alpine desert environment, and very dry. So you need to bring along water, and some type of trail food is a plus too. Altitude can do funny things also. The oxygen is thinner too. I've seen perfectly healthy flatlanders just hit the ground, and thank God they weren't posing for a pic on one of those sheer dropoffs. Got a heart condition? Better to find that out back home in the Dr.'s office than two miles from the car at 13,500ft. Let somebody know where you're going. You can call the local SO or the local forestry office if nothing else. There's more advice than I can list here, but there's some starters. If you're up here, we have lots of outdoor stores and outfitters. Talk to those guys, as they live here and are more than happy to give you some tips and help you plan. And for old f*rts like me who probably aren't safe in the woods, we have miles of paved relatively flat rec paths, and you get a lot of exercise dodgin Denverites on bicycles. Y'all come see us and stay safe.

 

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[spartacus53]

I thought this was going to be about a hippie commune My bad...

You are 100% right about your post. Know what you are getting into, before you get into it.

 

[RGINN]

Good reply, Cat Jockey. You're right about headin back around 1200 or 1300. Avoid the afternoon thunderstorms. We didn't have that many this year. I'm from Oklahoma where we have lots of storms, but the lightning up here scares the crap out of me. (I got a history with lightning strikes in Oklahoma) We're higher up, so it's quicker and it's right there before you know it. Not a whole lot of it, but I got caught high up in 10 Mile Canyon one time and it struck across the canyon and I hid out in an old mine on the south side. And where are the artifacts?

 

[colorado14ers]

i learned to be prepared when I tried to climb Mt. Yale!!! Cold and windy are not a good combination!!! Also, it was in a cloud

 

[RGINN]

Another little tip about wandering around the woods. We've had the pine beetle infestation up here which has killed millions of pines. They can fall. That hasn't been too much of a problem for me, but the real problem has been where they cut out the dead trees and leave the healthy ones. These trees aren't rooted very deeply, and in the last two weeks I saw two of them fall when the wind got up, because they were pretty much out in the open. Another thing I would like to stress; if you have trash, please pack it out. And I would add that from all the time I'm spending in the woods here, the majority of our visitors are doin an excellent job at this. Locals seem to be slackin in this area some though. Pay attention to signs and respect private property, and respect historical artifacts.

 

[colorado14ers]

Another little tip about wandering around the woods. We've had the pine beetle infestation up here which has killed millions of pines. They can fall. That hasn't been too much of a problem for me, but the real problem has been where they cut out the dead trees and leave the healthy ones. These trees aren't rooted very deeply, and in the last two weeks I saw two of them fall when the wind got up, because they were pretty much out in the open. Another thing I would like to stress; if you have trash, please pack it out. And I would add that from all the time I'm spending in the woods here, the majority of our visitors are doin an excellent job at this. Locals seem to be slackin in this area some though. Pay attention to signs and respect private property, and respect historical artifacts.

just outside of Idaho Spring is a dead forest of pine trees and I didnt know what killed them, now i do! And yes I agree, respect private property

 

[RGINN]

3,102 views. I hope this was folks who came up here headin for the high country in the middle of the Rockies. Y'all see me on the trail, I always say hey and sometimes like to stop and visit. (I have to stop and rest and catch my breath, cause I ain't even used to the altitude yet) Still good weather for a while. And I hope all y'all come up here had a good time, a safe hike, and got home safe. Adios.l