The name of the trip claims a lot, but it’s truly nothing less then spectacular!

We started off in Durango on the 150-year-old narrow gauge railroad. The train stops at Elk Park in the heart of the mountains where we began the 5-day hike. The first night was spent near “the beaver ponds” where we were greeted by a mother moose and her calf.

The next day we hiked up and over the Continental Divide to Kite Lake, hard to beat the views especially with the wild flowers going off as they were.

Day three took us up and over Hunchback Pass and down the Vallecito drainage, to the base of Johnson Creek.

Day four put us in Chicago Basin after hiking up and over Columbine Pass. We were not in the Basin for more then 20 minutes before the mountain goats were coming to check us out.

On the last day we decided to pass on climbing a peak and just head down toward Needleton where the train would pick us up and deliver us back to Durango.

Durango locals, Alice and her son Paul S. along with Sean E. linked up with myself and fellow guide Ryan to hike into Vestal Basin for some peak climbing and relaxation. Paul and I climbed Vestal Peak, 13,864, via its North Face dubbed ‘The Wham Ridge.” The route maxes out its difficulty at 5.4 and is mostly 4th class to 5.0 climbing with breath-taking exposure. All on great quality rock! We made excellent time from camp to summit in 4 hours. The weather was absolutely magnificent and we spent almost an hour on the summit. Following our descent we met up with Alice and Sean at Vestal Lake for a refreshing dip in the lake. We decided it was the long lost “fountain of youth” as Sean and I felt like young boys again. We spent an hour or two here eating lunch and enjoying the amazing views.

The next day Paul and I again left camp early and cruised up Arrow Peak’s, 13,803, Northeast ramp. Again, the weather cooperated well and we had a leisurely descent enjoying the fact that we were first on the summit that day. After snacking and taking a nap, we packed up camp and moved it to the Animas River at 8,800 feet. Here were made a great camp along the railroad tracks and again swam in the refreshing Animas River. The next day we loaded up our gear on the train and took it to Silverton. Ryan had been talking about the BBQ beef sandwich at The Handlebar restaurant for the previous 3 days, and it worked, all 5 of us ordered it; it was AWESOME!

With such amazing weather and sociable people, this trip couldn’t have gone better. Successful peak climbs, lots of laughs, too many brain melting riddles and cold, cold water swimming. Thanks for a great time and hope to climb Sunlight Spire with you soon Paul!

MP

Becky and Dan came out from Missouri last week to join us for our ‘Best of The Weminuche’ backpacking trip. This trip takes on almost 30 miles of trail with 7200 feet of elevation gain and 7600 feet of elevation loss over 5 days. Overall the weather treated us very well with the rain usually holding off until we were in the comfort and safety of our tents and sleeping bags each night. For wildlife along the trail, we saw deer on a regular occasion, caught a glimpse of an adult mother moose and her young calf, a plethora of mountain goats and lots of other hikers. The wildflowers were in the peak of their blooming and added lots of color to our photos. Becky and Dan hiked at a relatively brisk pace and forced me to hike until 5 PM at knife point each day! With making such great mileage each day we covered the entire in trip in just 4 days. Excellent work you two and see you next summer for some peaks.

(and yes, it was at least a dull knife…)

MP

Family and friends came together from all over the country to participate in one of SWAG’s winter mountaineering courses over the last weekend of January. We spent the first day at Cascade Canyon ice climbing, rappelling, and building ice anchors. Day 2 was spent hiking into our base camp on Engineer Mountain at 11,500 ft and setting up camp. We dug an excellent cook tent as well as eating area. We then taught some new knots and in the end everyone was able to tie every knot known to man. Allen even brought Quint from Jaws to the table while remembering the bowline. Temperatures throughout the day were an amazing 40 degrees F and a minimal 12 degree F low that night. Very comfortable for us all.

On day 3 we hiked 20 minutes from camp to above tree line on Engineer’s eastern plateau and went over many new skills. First Ben taught avalanche awareness and beacon searches. Doug and Lisa made exceptional time finding two buried beacons, while everyone else dug them out immediately. Good work everyone! Next I taught travel technique and ice axe use. This led to everyone taking turns throwing themselves down a steep icy slope perfecting their ice axe arrests. Snow anchors were next on the itinerayr and the conditions were so varied we were able to place everything from in-line redundant deadmen to vertically oriented pickets. Last ly, we dug a snow pit in order to analyze the snow-pack. Steve demonstrated perfect wrist, elbow and shoulder techniques while performing his snow stability test. Ben and I capped the long day with warm drinks and chili and burritos.

On day 4 the wether held out just long enough for us to climb Engineer. Route conditions were perfect and the teams made great time pushing to the almost 13,000 foot summit. I know it was a day to remember for everyone. To wrap it up, Everyone learned a lot and did an excellent job applying their new skills throughout the four days. We hope to see everyone in the future!

MSP

Earlier this summer we did an amazing 10 Day climbing trip in the Weminuche Wilderness. During the course of the trip we climbed Centennial 13′ers Vestal Peak via the Wham Ridge, Jagged Mountain via the North Face, Pigeon Peak via the Southwest Slopes, Turret Peak via the Western Slopes, and Jupiter Mountain via the West Face. A Centennial 13′er in Colorado is defined as any peak over 13,807 feet, and in addition to the 54 14′ers quest, the 100 highest peaks quest has become increasingly popular during the past few years. Indeed, some of the best and most inspiring climbs in Colorado are on 13′ers.

From the maps below, you can get a sense of how we accomplished this feat over the course of 10 days. Being out in the Weminuche for that length of time really gives you a sense of how remote and rugged this part of the San Juans really are. The Weminuche is a true wilderness area, with plenty of route finding and navigation required to travel between the major drainages.

We began the trip on the Colorado Trail and Elk Creek, and finished up on the Needle Creek trail. Along the way we traveled through Vestal Basin and down to Balsam Lake, along the “high traverse” to Jagged Mountain (one of the best mountain days you’ll ever experience!), up and over Jagged Col and down into the remote No Name basin, then back up and over Ruby/No Name pass into the super rugged Ruby Creek drainage, then back up and over Ruby/No Name and Twin Thumbs pass for a finish in the popular Chicago Basin.

In short it was an amazing trip with great clients (thanks Charley, Phanie, Greg, Doug, and Chris!!), and a great guide and support staff (thanks Matt, Mike, Drew, Ryan, and Alec!).

This is simply one of the most amazing trips that you can do in Colorado or the entire mountain west. We will be offering this trip again next year with some fixed date departures, so stay tuned to our website in the coming months for more information, dates, and costs!

ND

Southwest Colorado’s combined cold spring and overall great snowpack during the 09/2010 winter have created long-lasting winter conditions in the high country. John flew in from Malaysia for a couple peak climbs during the end of April. On the 25th, Nate took him up Engineer and John admitted to being wide-eyed most of the day with constant winds and temps he has never experienced. The 26th allowed for a half rest day, half hike into camp at 11,500 feet on the western flank of Snowdon Peak. The trail was packed snow all the way from HW 550 to camp. Luckily the weather was much warmer, 40 degrees, than the previous day and the wind had died down. We arrived at camp around 3 PM and after a cat nap, we went over some basic avalanche pit analysis and tips and tricks on how to stay warm in the winter.. The low that night was 20 degrees and the warm water bottles kept John toasty all night.

The West buttress of Snowdon proved to be still holding a decent amount of snow and ice which made the climb mixed and exciting. We summited under warm blue skied at 10 AM and ate and rested on top for a leisurly 45 minutes. Once at the top of the NW coulouir we took to our bottoms and glissaded down 600 feet in a matter of minutes. Afterward, John told me he doesn’t get to do much sledding in Malayisa and he really enjoyed it.

Once back in camp we packed up our tent and sleeping bags and began hiking out. Looking forward to a warmer and softer night’s sleep, John set a quick pace for the car and we made it out in an hour and 15 minutes. From here we toured Silverton, CO so John could photograph the booming metropolis and then returned to Southwest Adventure Guides basecamp back in Durango, CO.

Snow in May, 20 degree nights with 40 degree days, 13,000 ft summits, 200 ft/ min glissading descents; sign up today for your story of a life time!. Excellent work John and way to keep a smile alive!

MP

After getting rained out prior in the season, the Karch family returned for a trip into Ice Lakes Basin of the San Juan Mountains. We met under blue skies in Durango and drove to the trailhead at the end of S. Mineral creek road. The hike up entailed gaining 2,500 feet in 3.5 miles. Ted took many amazing pictures on the way while Andrea and Janet solved my brainteasers with ease. We reached our destination, the upper Ice Lakes basin and set up camp at 12,300 feet. This was the highest any of them had ever been and they were showing no signs of the lack of oxygen. Awesome work!

The Lake was the most vibrant blue any of us had ever seen; better than Canada’s Lake Louis by far. One lone hiker described it as “cheap Chinese turquoise colored.” I decided a quick dip was necessary, but, for some odd reason, could not convince anyone else to join me. Not sure why that was….

Books were read, naps were taken and scenery absorbed as the days previous hike wore on us. Dinner consisted of multicolored, funny looking cheese sauce and noodles. May have looked funny, but it sure tasted great. We all watched the sun go down, very slowly while the colors changed from blues to reds to grays. At one point during the night Ted got up to observe the stars. He said he was blown away by what he described as “more stars than night sky.”

The next morning we ate a leisurely breakfast and Ted put Starbucks to shame with his coffee and hot cocoa/ coffee combo drink. We then took a side hike to Fuller lake were we could look down at the 2 Ice Lakes. It was truly amazing the difference in colors from one lake to the next. After the hike, we returned to camp, packed up and began our hike back out. We made great time on the decent, while the weekend hikers were on their way up.

We parted ways back in Durango as Andrea was college-bound and Ted and Janet home-bound. Awesome outing together and see you next time!

MSP

Nate and his mother Terry came out from Boston to see some western sights. After they visited the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde, we went backpacking in the Weminuche Wilderness. I have to say that is a grand-slam tour if I have ever heard of one. We took the train up from Durango to Elk Park and hiked up to a beaver pond where we were pleasantly surprised to find a friendly mother moose and her two calves. Terry spent the afternoon watching to moose while Nate and I made the hike up to Vestal Basin. The next day we hiked over the Continental Divide to Kite Lake. The 12,800′ that we reached that afternoon was the highest elevation that Nate or Terry had ever been and they both performed impressively. With no moose to hold our attention we entertained ourselves with a deck of cards. Nate and I quickly discovered that Terry was a master of the game “Champion” and couldn’t be beaten. We hiked to the Highland Mary Lakes the next night and were surprised to see some lamas and a herd of sheep. The two sheep dogs came down to visit us and beg for food. Unfortunately for the dogs all they got were some pets. We decided that the scheduled hike for the last day was a little too short so we called our shuttle driver Bill on the satellite phone and adjusted the pick up place and time. This change of plans later caused us to get caught in the worst hail storm I have ever been in. Luckily the amazing views that we encountered while hiking our new route were well worth the painful hail. It was a pleasure to hike and camp for four days with Terry and Nate and I hope to see them again in the future.

BJK

Vestal Basin

Near the headwaters of Elk Creek.

On the Continental Divide

Hail!

This was an incredible journey! We spent eight days playing in the great outdoors in Southwest Colorado! This included climbing at a local crag, climbing one of our great 13ers in the area (Snowdon Peak), and then traveling into the backcountry of the great Weminuche Wilderness to visit Chicago Basin, the 14ers there, and end hiking out high on Endlich Mesa!

The first day we spent climbing at X-Rock, one of our local crags. We climbed around on rock all day including climbing some of the harder climbs there, learning about building climbing anchors, and doing some rappelling down steep faces.

The next day we ventured to Snowdon Peak where we climbed the West Buttress, giving us a great view of the surrounding mountains including the Needles where we were headed the next day. This also gave us the chance to acclimate to the elevation so that the travels into the 14ers wouldn’t be as difficult.

The next day we went into Chicago Basin via the train and spent the next few days climbing the local 14ers. This included Windom, Sunlight, and Eolus. The time spent up high was amazingly beautiful and we were psyched to get some great weather!

After our time in the Basin, we moved up over Columbine Pass and Trimble Pass to the Silver Mesa and City Reservoir. This was a great miles day with views of the Needles the whole way and lunar landscapes up high.

Lastly, we ended the trip again gaining great elevation and hiked the remaining portion of the trip above 12,000 ft along the Endlich Mesa. It literally felt like Ireland up there with flocks of Sheep and all.

Mike and I had a great time hanging out and exploring what Southwest Colorado has to offer. There is much more where that came from, that is for sure!

AB

Just completed a busy week, the headline of which was a backcountry trip into Stormy Gulch for a climb of the E. Ridge of Storm King Peak, along with the E. Ridge of E. Trinity with Andrew K. and Marty L. The trip began with a road trip into Beartown via Silverton and Stony Pass. This burly 4 wheel drive road offers excellent access to the peaks in the Grenadier Range via Hunchback Pass.

We rounded out the day with relatively short (approx. 5.5 miles) approach into Stormy Gulch which offers great views of The Guardian, Mt. Silex, and Storm King Peak. Stormy Gulch is decidedly more remote than Vestal Basin and is host to a combination of great camping and awesome climbing.

The following day we climbed the E. Ridge of Storm King Peak (1500′, 5.4). Engaging climbing on typical Grenadier quartzite, leads to the crest of one of the most sought after peaks in the Grenadiers.

Next it was on to E. Trinity, part of the Trinity Peaks which include Middle and West Trinity. Climbed less frequently than it’s neighbors (Vestal, Arrow, Storm King), this is a great climb and the summit affords great views of Balsam Lake and the 10 Mile Creek drainage, one of the more remote spots in the Weminuche.

Great backpacking, great climbing, great views, and even great weather. What more to ask for from a trip in the San Juans? Great job Andrew and Marty!

NTD