Weminuche Wilderness

[Rileybri]

Originally Posted by chinacat46

Hey now,

Got back from my trip late last night after 6 days in the backcountry. It was supposed to be 8 days but I scared the hell out of my friend and after the 3rd day he called the dive. I'll post a little trip report and tell you what freaked him out after I off gas.

Here is a quick itinerary of what we were supposed to do:
Day 1(Sunday): Hike up Vallecito Trail to at least Johnson Creek(~9 miles) hopefully past there.
Day 2: Continue up Vallecito Trail till turn off for Stormy Gulch. Hike up Stormy Gulch and came near tree line
Day 3: Up pass tween Storm King Peak & Peak Eight. Then around Peak Eight tween it and Peak Seven then down to Levithan Creek
Day 4: Up past Leviathan Lake over pass into Sunlight valley around Jagged Mt. and down to Sunlight Lake(12,033)
Day 5: Day off at Sunlight Lake(Bitchin')
Day 6: Up over knoll tween Greylock Mt. and Windom Peak to get into Grizzly Gulch. Spend night in Gulch or make way down to Johnson Creek
Day 7: Depending where we stay continue down Gulch to Johnson Creek and then take Johnson Creek Trail to Vallecito Trail and camp someplace along there.
Day 8(Sunday): Hike out.

Funny I ave done a very similar variation of that as a back county skiing tip! I love the San Juans!!!! cant wait to hear what freaked ya out enough to head out two days early??????

[Travelnsj]

I know what his friend was freaked out about....They saw a Big Foot

[chinacat46]

Originally Posted by coral cowgirl

Rumor has it - When God takes a vacation, he goes to the Weminuche. ( We used to live in Pagosa Springs.)

We stopped in Pagosa on the way home and used the springs. Boy did that feel good. I felt like a limp wet noodle when we got out but at least I was clean.

[Travelnsj]

So are you ever going to tell us what your friend freaked out about? I would think you have had plenty of time to "off gas"?

[chinacat46]

Yeah but as you know I had something else to keep my mind off it.

[chinacat46]

Any way the weather we had was excellent. We did have a few afternoon showers but they moved thru pretty quick. I've been going to this area for almost 30 years and hadn't been in almost 7 years. I'm very very happy to say that in almost 30 years the place has remained a true wilderness area and is as nice today as it was when I went for the first time back in 79. The way we seem to polute and destroy things this fact makes me happy. As for my friend he had done all his hiking on trails. When I took him off trail and up over a 12,800' pass it totally freaked him out. The climb up was some very steep grass until we got into the rock garden which went on for another mile or so. The next day(4th day) we were supposed to go up another pass but he had enough. To bad since Sunlight Lake area where we were heading is my favorite place that is not underwater.

[Travelnsj]

I forgot what level is the tree line?

Too bad your friend could not stick it out thru the weekend!

[chinacat46]

Tree line starts at about 11,500 but it varies.