Looking for a ~50 mile hike that hits some peaks. Southwest CO.

[peter303]

I saw Colorado has four VF with a new one in Colorado Springs.
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/lifest ... do-springs
I have not done any of them yet, so cannot compare them.

[pfiore1]

Not to change the subject of the OP, but to answer a couple questions in this thread...I helped build a couple via ferrata routes as well as an aerial park and worked as a guide in Wellsville, just east of Salida. They are open to the public but definitely not free, in fact the owner recently jacked the cost up, it used to be $75 but is now double that. The place was originally just a zipline course and then we built the VF and AP in 2013.

I'd rather not provide the business' name because I don't want to advertise for him or help put a dollar in his pocket, but I'm sure anyone can find it with a Google search. If you go, keep your daughters and/or wife close by.

Pat

[polar]

I thought the term "secret VF" is pretty self explanatory, but I guess I should have clarified. I meant something like the Telluride VF before it was plastered all over the web, something that's hidden or not well known. Definitely not something build by a commercial entity that charges you $100+ to do. Sorry for the hijack.

[mtn_nut]

I thought the term "secret VF" is pretty self explanatory, but I guess I should have clarified. I meant something like the Telluride VF before it was plastered all over the web, something that's hidden or not well known. Definitely not something build by a commercial entity that charges you $100+ to do. Sorry for the hijack.

I think it would be cool to build one. I loved the VF on the zugspitze in germany.

[sac02]

Thoughts on this route?

[dwoodward13]

I haven't done them, but from what I understand I wouldn't want to be hiking the ridge (is that what you have?) from US Grant to V8 with a large pack and also looks like you are trying to do it in day based on not coming down to water sources? I think there is some serious terrain in there (4th/5th?), which is probably also extremely lose as is typical in the San Juan's. If you get stuck your bail out options are likely pretty terrible if not downright impossible. I'm sure others that have done them can chime in to correct me if I'm off base.

Could drop down to the east and take the trail that goes thru Ice Lakes Basin as a work around.

[John619]

https://justinsimoni.com/2018/11/10/how ... -included/

[sac02]

I haven't done them, but from what I understand I wouldn't want to be hiking the ridge (is that what you have?) from US Grant to V8 with a large pack and also looks like you are trying to do it in day based on not coming down to water sources? I think there is some serious terrain in there (4th/5th?), which is probably also extremely lose as is typical in the San Juan's. If you get stuck your bail out options are likely pretty terrible if not downright impossible. I'm sure others that have done them can chime in to correct me if I'm off base.

Could drop down to the east and take the trail that goes thru Ice Lakes Basin as a work around.

I was basing that portion of the route on the large number of trip reports for that section of peaks, it looked popular to hit many at the same time.

[CarpeDM]

I haven't done them, but from what I understand I wouldn't want to be hiking the ridge (is that what you have?) from US Grant to V8 with a large pack and also looks like you are trying to do it in day based on not coming down to water sources? I think there is some serious terrain in there (4th/5th?), which is probably also extremely lose as is typical in the San Juan's. If you get stuck your bail out options are likely pretty terrible if not downright impossible. I'm sure others that have done them can chime in to correct me if I'm off base.

Could drop down to the east and take the trail that goes thru Ice Lakes Basin as a work around.

I was basing that portion of the route on the large number of trip reports for that section of peaks, it looked popular to hit many at the same time.

Restricting my comments to the US Grant<-->V8 section that dwoodward13 commented on, I’ll support him in cautioning you. The 3 biggest problem areas that likely make this ridge-run backpacker unfriendly are (drumroll, please):

1. From the saddle that is ESE of US Grant to the summit of US Grant. My memory of a couple of reports on this are that it involves class 3 scrambling if you find the path of least resistance. I haven’t actually done it, but it didn’t sound like something you’d want to do with a heavy pack on.

2. The one 10-ish foot section on the (standard) SW ridge route on US Grant that makes the route class 4. To give you a flavor for it, there are discussions about whether or not to bring a rope for this section (well, in at least one guidebook). It’s not that difficult without a loaded pack (I don’t know of anyone who actually used a rope there), but it would kinda suck if you got there on a downclimb with a heavy pack, and decided it was too much to attempt. Kevin Baker’s TR depicts this area well in image #7; it does not depict the exposure below.

3. Of the reports on 14ers.com that include these peaks, exactly 0 of them include anyone sticking to the ridge between V4 and Pilot Knob. I’m just guessing there’s a reason. Having said that, when I dayhiked Pilot Knob, V4, and US Grant, I did Pilot Knob first, retraced my steps to a little below 12,600, then gave serious consideration to going up to the saddle that is WSW of V4 to access V4. From my vantange point, it would have been easy to get to the saddle, and it looked like that portion of the ridge would go, possibly at junky class 2. But I valued successful peak-bagging over exploration that day, and decided not to roll the dice, hoping that the more frequented NE ridge of V4 would be less junky. (It turns out the NE ridge was pretty junky, too.)