Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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Any folks who frequent the LCW have a feeling for how snow conditions this year compare to years past? I normally like to get in a couple long weekends of trail running down there in late-April to early-June, depending on how the snowpack has lingered. Some years have been great in late-April... other years, well, not so much.
Could anyone wager a guess when *most* stuff will be melted out? We're totally fine with a few miles of postholing nastiness on the north-facing slopes, but it would be nice if 75-80% of the trails are clear.
The North Ben Tyler trail area was still under 2-3 feet of snow near treeline last Sunday. I've been up that trail many times throughout the year since 2010 and have never seen it totally dry before June.
McCurdy last May was mostly dry with a few short nasty sections of postholing.
I might be up in the Lost Park area March 29-30 and will post what conditions I encounter if I go.
"I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them" - Bob Dylan
Yes, I've had better luck down south than up around the Kenosha Range. We've gotten ourselves into some really deep, unpleasant postholing up around Brookside-McCurdy and the CT at the pass between Lost Park and Wellington Lake Rd.
I was on the west side last weekend, attempting to climb unnamed "Tarryall Peak" or "Lost Park Peak" from the Spruce Grove campground. The trail had snow and needed spikes about 2 miles in. At 3 miles, Hankins Pass, the trail ended (non packed snow). Snow shoes were needed from there. Had to use the GPS from there on, the snow was hip deep (with them on) in places. Wow, much more snow than normal for that area. BTW-I did not summit. Got to within about 200 vertical feet from the summit of Lost Park but with no one knowing where I was at, late in the afternoon, snow falling, and having to start climbing on boulders with snow on them I thought it best to call it. 7.5 hour of effort and sore the next day!
Does anyone have any current beta on the Lost Creek area and snow conditions/levels? I was looking to do a possible backpack trip down there this weekend and would like to minimize the snow encounters if possible. I didn't see any updates more current than a couple of weeks ago. Thanks!
"You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. But you can decide how you're going to live now." - Joan Baez
