Kodiak High Route History?

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Danger_D
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Kodiak High Route History?

Post by Danger_D »

I'm planning some peakbagging trips in the Weminuche Wilderness to knock out a few of my remaining Cents, and on a few maps I am seeing a route called the Kodiak High Route. It seems to go from about Vestal lake over some of the high passes and end up at Vallecito. I was intrigued, but the more I dug into it I couldn't find its origin or an accepted route. It seems to show up on some of the maps in CalTopo and Gaia, but not on any USGS or Forest Service maps. I know this forum is filled with a lot of mountaineering history buffs, so I was curious if anyone knew where this strangle little route came from. Thanks!

Link to CalTopo Map: https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=37.6632 ... z=14&b=mbt
seano
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by seano »

I noticed this a couple of years ago when crossing back between Vestal and the Trinities, but haven't found any history. Someone apparently drew an arbitrary route through the Weminuche on Open Street Map, connecting some well-known off-trail passes, and gave it the dumb name "Kodiak High Route." Since Caltopo and others use OSM data on some of their map tiles, it showed up on them, and then people started mentioning it in reports from trips planned using these services.
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9patrickmurphy
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by 9patrickmurphy »

seano wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 10:20 am I noticed this a couple of years ago when crossing back between Vestal and the Trinities, but haven't found any history. Someone apparently drew an arbitrary route through the Weminuche on Open Street Map, connecting some well-known off-trail passes, and gave it the dumb name "Kodiak High Route." Since Caltopo and others use OSM data on some of their map tiles, it showed up on them, and then people started mentioning it in reports from trips planned using these services.
This seems like a very reasonable explanation, though I'm hoping someone else on here has more definitive knowledge. It seems very silly that the "Kodiak High Route" would show up on these maps, but not the Ruby Basin or No Name trails. Where the heck is the name "Kodiak" even coming from? Is there any feature in the Weminuche bearing that name?
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by rdp32 »

All I know about this is, there is at least one spot where that route marked on caltrop is wrong/misleading. I wouldn't trust it too much.
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dwoodward13
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by dwoodward13 »

I'll also note in places "route" is a much better descriptor than "trail". Don't expect something like even use trail going up Ruby Basin. Its more of a suggestion of how to link things together than it is a use trail.
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by DaveLanders »

This seems like something that Outward Bound might have developed. I remember talking to an Outward Bound instructor while we were waiting for the train at Needleton, and he showed me his Weminuche map with all kinds of interesting routes marked on it. He said that some were so difficult that students weren't allowed to do them without an instructor present.
Every village has at least one idiot. Successful villages choose someone else to be their leader.
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by TomPierce »

Full disclosure, I haven't done the KHR but looked into it. I've also spoken to a couple of people who have done it and their feedback was mixed, at best. Portions apparently go through a long talus field, etc. I balanced that vs. the faster time you'd make on established trails and I think time-wise it's probably a wash. But that's just my speculation. For someone who wants more of an adventure vs. established trails it might be of appeal. Just my opinion.

-Tom

PS: As to the choice of "Kodiak," no idea. Kodiak is used a bit in Alaska (I lived there a few years as a kid, fwiw), there`s a Kodiak Island, home to Kodiak grizzlies. Not sure if that's a recognized subspecies or just a bunch of well fed bears who grow pretty big. Anyway, I too puzzled over the title.
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by justiner »

It pays to have routes curated by people I guess :lol:

I got a kick outta this,
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by Skimo95 »

It’d be neat to complete it. Some sections are better than others, watch out for the bee hives in willows. I learned the hard way :-D
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Jakomait
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by Jakomait »

I've been in the area of most of the KHR on several trips. I wouldn't waste energy trying to follow it, just head the way you need to go in most instances since there actually isn't a trail. Seano is probably right on the history of that dotted line on Caltopo.

Alternately, there is a really good trail going up the Leviathan drainage that I've never seen on a map before.

Justin - you'd better try a little harder and not drag out your trips so long! I wonder if that site says Nolans is a good half day outing?!
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hellmanm
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by hellmanm »

Jakomait wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 2:27 pm
Alternately, there is a really good trail going up the Leviathan drainage that I've never seen on a map before.
Do you have a rough sketch of this? Is it on the north side of Leviathan Creek or the south? Also, unrelated -- I've been reading of a similar lifesaver of a trail in the Tenmile Creek drainage. Can anyone verify this/give more detail?
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Re: Kodiak High Route History?

Post by d_baker »

hellmanm wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:35 pm
Jakomait wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 2:27 pm
Alternately, there is a really good trail going up the Leviathan drainage that I've never seen on a map before.
Do you have a rough sketch of this? Is it on the north side of Leviathan Creek or the south? Also, unrelated -- I've been reading of a similar lifesaver of a trail in the Tenmile Creek drainage. Can anyone verify this/give more detail?
I haven't read anything positive about a route in/out of Tenmile, if you're talking about from the Animas.
Route into Leviathan Basin stays on N side of creek, and pretty well above it for most of it. Below is a map of the "routes" and "camp" we used. " " indicates estimate.
Leviathan routes.jpg
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