Chicago Basin help

[DaveLanders]

Making train reservations was a little nerve wracking... wanting to go on a good weather forecast, but making it far enough in advance to score a ticket,

Has anyone ever been denied a train ticket? I showed up about 2 hours before departure from Silverton on July 27 and bought a ticket for same day. I also waited until the last minute on my previous trip. On July 29 I returned a day before my official reservation and there was plenty of room on the train. Reservation agent said they always have room for backpackers who deviate from their original schedule. Someone told me that they keep adding cars as required (I can't vouch for this comment). On July 27 they added a fourth train from Durango. But if I've just been lucky and I need to plan further in advance, please let me know.

The conductors on the trains are good people; they'll get you on the train somehow. Once, when it was pouring, a train that wasn't even scheduled to stop at Elk Park, actually did stop and pick up all the wet, bedraggled people standing there.

[Grover]

I just got home from 6 nights in the Weminuche....or should I say Wetinuche. It is super soaked in there now. Rain all day Thu and today. Creek crossings were dangerous on the Vallecito side of the area. I camped at the Vallecito Creek/Rock Creek trail junction and up in Stormy Gulch during that time. The flies, my god, the flies. The flies were unbelievable at elevations under 10,500'. Swarmed by 100's of them upon exiting the tent at any hour. Camp up in Stormy Gulch brought relief from the flies.

[DArcyS]

I just got home from 6 nights in the Weminuche....or should I say Wetinuche. It is super soaked in there now. Rain all day Thu and today. Creek crossings were dangerous on the Vallecito side of the area.

You no lie about the Vallecito. Right now it's running like it does with the spring runoff.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv/?site_no=09352900" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bdloftin77]

So it looks like I might be able to watch the weather forecast closer up til when I'd like to hike, and won't necessarily need to buy a train ticket at least a week in advance? I generally like to plan when I hike based on the weather, so the thing that most worries me about this trip is that I might need to book way in advance, with no idea what the weather's gonna be like.

[Doctor No]

Not to throw salt on a wound, but we just had a beautiful 2 days up there this last Thursday/Friday and headed out Saturday just before some storms came in.

If you were on the afternoon train back to Durango, then I may have met you at the flagstop.

Flies and mosquitos. And flies. And more mosquitos.

[KentonB]

Not to throw salt on a wound, but we just had a beautiful 2 days up there this last Thursday/Friday and headed out Saturday just before some storms came in.

If you were on the afternoon train back to Durango, then I may have met you at the flagstop.

Flies and mosquitos. And flies. And more mosquitos.

Sorry, I was on the 11:15 train to Silverton. You would have known it was me. I took a bad fall on some scree and limped the last 1.5 miles back to the train. LOL Fortunately, we had bug spray that (mostly) kept the mosquitoes at bay... but those flies... it was unreal!

[Doctor No]

Sorry, I was on the 11:15 train to Silverton. You would have known it was me. I took a bad fall on some scree and limped the last 1.5 miles back to the train. LOL Fortunately, we had bug spray that (mostly) kept the mosquitoes at bay... but those flies... it was unreal!

Dang - that stinks! Sorry to hear that.

Our issue was (1) old legs, and (2) the impending storm - which means that I'll get to go back to Chicago Basin at least once more. Beautiful place!

[KentonB]

which means that I'll get to go back to Chicago Basin at least once more. Beautiful place!

Yep, this was our 2nd trip back to Chicago Basin. And with plenty of 13ers in the area, there may be more trips!

[Cruiser]

Catching the train tomorrow morning! Just treated a set of clothes (and my hammock just for good measure) with permethrin spray. Skeeters won't have a chance against me.

[ORION]

Catching the train tomorrow morning! Just treated a set of clothes (and my hammock just for good measure) with permethrin spray. Skeeters won't have a chance against me.

Permethrin? It's that good? I haven't heard of it, but I'm willing to try anything, so I''ll check it out. Thanks for the tip, Cruiser. Anyone else use it?

We're heading to Chicago Basin in two weeks (tickets for Aug 25th), so I'm hoping the fly/mosquito hordes will have died down a little by then. Last year the flies were terrible by the Animas in late August, but not too bad in the basin. Of course, if it would have ever stopped raining, maybe the bugs would have come back out.

[bigDmulc009]

Well, it looks as good as it has these past couple of weeks for Thursday-Saturday
(Basin: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... 6o11mgrKCg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
(Windom summit: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... 6o4HGgrKCg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

I have a train in from Silverton at 2:30 on Thursday and out on Saturday at 11:15. Looks like I'll be coming in after expected storms on Thursday and before them on Saturday.

I am still planning on a marathon, and extremely early Friday. With the Perseids popping out that night, I probably am going to hike to Twin Lakes around 2 to experiment and fail at some star photography. The plan following that would be to head up Windom while still darkish, to make it over to Sunlight for sunrise. From there, head back to Twin Lakes and then up to the Eolus peaks.

From those who know the Weminuche well, does this plan look feasible with the forecast as it currently is? I will be checking again tomorrow afternoon and in Silverton to make sure it still looks this favorable, but I wanted to see what other thought before I cancelled other plans. Also, if anyone is keen on joining I certainly would not mind a partner

[KentonB]

From those who know the Weminuche well, does this plan look feasible with the forecast as it currently is? I will be checking again tomorrow afternoon and in Silverton to make sure it still looks this favorable, but I wanted to see what other thought before I cancelled other plans. Also, if anyone is keen on joining I certainly would not mind a partner

Looks like you have a reasonable chance... I'd probably go for it... but as others have said repeatedly, it's impossible to predict the future in Chicago Basin. Keep in mind that the forecast shows ~50% cloud cover throughout the time you're there, so you may not get those starry skies you're after.