Baldy Cinco Hike

The weather was right--sunny sometimes; cloudy other times; rain none.  Eleven hikers made it to the top of the mesa, following the Colorado Trail (with Pat, one of it's builders).  About one half trudged up to the peak of Baldy Cinco mountain (13,300'), with one report that it may have been tougher than the 14er ascended a week ago.

We enjoyed the company and vigorous endurance of two visitors.  

Subalpine and alpine flowers and insects won our attention and curiosity.  Please check out my guesses and let me know the correct names. --Doug Knudson  douglasfir636@gmail.com

Arctic Gentian

Baldy Cinco from the Mesa

Two Trails; one path

Going down

Trail marker

Northern bedstraw?

Seeds of a rich red color in the subalpine forest.

Rich Red!  Nameless to me  Your information is welcome

Wow!  Aspen daisy  it seems

End of hike

Next week:  Monday and Wednesday hikes and maybe some others.  

Rick Tucker ATV for sale

Good morning !!!   I am selling my ATVs and trailer.

If you or anyone that you know are interested in buying, please let me know.

I can be reach at  214-517-0936 or Cabin 719-658-0303. I will be at
Wason until September the 10th.

Thanks,

Rick Tucker

1.  2013  Trailer -  Diamond C- 14' by 7'  Double ramp- $500.00 Sold

2. 2013 Polaris RZR- 800 CC- side by side - 1615 miles $5,800 Sold

3. 2012 Arctic Cat double up- 500 CC power steering- 1262 miles-  $5,000

If you buy both ATVs the trailer will be FREE. What a deal !!!!!

7 iPhotos

Up the rocky and sometimes damp trail that is partly used by cattle got about half of us to the "cabin" (remains).

About 24 hikers from many states had fun and wet shoes along this forested route.  It was 3.3 miles in and almost that much coming down in and out of the little creek.  (see below for Wed. plans).

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Lunch at the Cabin

Lunch in the Sun

Down the rough trail

Yellow

Vivid!

Sisters

On Wednesday, we will try to conquer a peak known as Baldy 5.  This hike has flexibility--you can go as far as you wish.  If we encounter potential rain, we will ask you to turn back (forecast is pretty good).  If you want a 2-3 mile hike in the trees and flowers, you can enjoy that.  If you feel that the top of the mountain isn't your goal, you can hike along the Colorado Trail--there should be lots of flowers and you'll meet some hikers who are on their way from or to Denver.  This is the same trail as the Continental Divide Trail that connedts southern New Mexico to Northern Montana.

Those who want altitude will get up to 13,300 feet and (usually) spectacular views in all directions.

This trail starts at a pass (Hwy 142), which has nice parking and restroom and another direction on the trail going SW (it is gentler).  

The flowers and trees show variety.

We will get back to South Fork later than usual.  (I think it's too late to change the starting time.)  SO--We'll leave the South Fork at 9 a.m. and aim to get home by supper time.

I'm assuming that our Creed folks will meet us at the pass.  If not, give me a call at 719-873-5239.  Doug Knudson

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More on our hike  and on our future events (read below).

Hikers and sitters and mushrooms

At one point we were 29

Yes, Indeed!

Some say red is dead

Same Species

Vegetation on a rock

Alberta Lake

Calm Waters

Burdell, pondering

Wild Garden

Future event:  Tuesday night the Silverthreaders will eat and meet at the home of Tim and Ellen Boyles at 6:30.  Bring a side dish.

It's a Yurt!

No lightning, No thunder, lots of apparently inedible fruits of the earth.  29 hikers (maybe more?) We enjoyed a gentle path to an almost "rocky shore"  where we wondered what are they doing over there?  Lots of red mushrooms and quite a few yellow ones.  

It's a Yurt!

Mushroom (Norma Nowfel)

On Wednesday, look for Wayne as the leader, while I attend a meeting of the Old Spanish Trail Association in Alamosa.  (I'd rather be with you).  See if you can get him to help the next week, as Judy and I go to Fort Collins 

for a rather sad, but inevitable ceremony for her sister's husband.  He was a leader of a water improvement team up at Creede some years ago.  That means that the fish in the Rio Grande were no longer dangerous food.

On Saturday, the 19th, the Old Spanish Trail Association will be featuring Costilla County and where one of the branches of the trail was.  It will be an auto tour over some of the back roads there, as well as some of our history in this valley and some big scenery.  We will embark from the town plaza (left at the only filling station in town (bathroom for a purchase--the only one in town). Gathering there before 10 a.m.

We will arrive in San Luis, the county seat in time for a late lunch and a climb up the beautiful Stations of the Cross--by a local artist who has a smaller verision in the Vatican in Italy.  Then, I'll urge some of you to follow me back to Alamosa for your shopping, etc., passing the oldest little church in the valley and an interesting (safe) crossing of the Rio Grande in a beautiful setting.

No charge!  Just be at the town of Costilla, New Mexico, right on the State Line, at 10a.m. 

where we will depart in several cars (including your own if you wish) through some of the back roads and rural communities.

Pogue Lake

To Pogue Lake we did go.  Beautiful as always.  Fun to find the way through the tangles of trees.  We watched a young Texan bring in a brown trout that was too big to keep.  Flowers were numerous and exquisite.  We enjoyed the presence of two new repeaters, one from last year.  Both were good path finders, even when the path seemed to disappear.

As most of you know, this is one of the least strenuous of our hikes, but the lovely landscape urges us to take our time and appreciate the variability.  

We had a request at the parking lot--to find a nice wandering mule.  We saw footprints but never confirmed that they belonged to the mule who had wandered off from Roy's campsite.  It could be that the mule got homesick and headed out—the truck license plate said "Texas."

Pogue Lake

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Lakeside adornment

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CDT Photos

A beautiful, brief hike took us along a segment of the Continental Divide Trail.  We're fortunate to have so nearby one of America's longest national trails (3,100 miles).  Our little town volunteered and was named as the state's first Gateway to the CDT, thanks mainly to the persistence of one of our former hikers (and a few other citizens).

We met a Forest Service trail crew from Creede—3 hardworking ladies moving fallen trees.

As usual, we saw many flowers, several of which I couldn't identify.  Your help would be appreciated.

I hope to get back up this trail in a few weeks, with more knowledge in my head.

— Doug Knudson

Mtn Bluebell

12 hikers

Wyoming Paintbrush

stumped me

Unknown

Whipple Penstemon

White False Hellebore

Paintbrush

Wednesday Hike

We went to Lobo and hiked down to the Continental Divide Trail.

Barbara