Animas Mountain Route?

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
    For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
User avatar
Jon Frohlich
Posts: 2606
Joined: 10/14/2005
14ers: 58 
13ers: 162 3
Trip Reports (29)
 

Re: Animas Mountain Route?

Post by Jon Frohlich »

Matt Lemke wrote: Yes but does anyone actually enforce that?
They actually do patrol up there with rangers. I wouldn't risk it but that's just me.
User avatar
climbing_rob
Posts: 1152
Joined: 5/24/2010
14ers: 58 
13ers: 121
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Animas Mountain Route?

Post by climbing_rob »

Jon Frohlich wrote:
Matt Lemke wrote: Yes but does anyone actually enforce that?
They actually do patrol up there with rangers. I wouldn't risk it but that's just me.
I was going to say pretty much the same thing Matt, but I figured the "police" on here would yell and scream about us bad folks... Anyway, FWIW we popped over twin thumbs pass a couple years ago and bivy'd at T-lakes (stealth, behind a rock), did a quick climb of Sunlight and Windom and out Chi-basin. worked great. got there at dusk, packed up before full light, didn't take any dumps, didn't hurt a fly and nobody bothered us. We were all ready with our excuses just in case; there are NO signs that say "no camping" approaching from Twin thumbs.

Flame on...
User avatar
Floyd
Posts: 1072
Joined: 7/16/2006
14ers: 58 
13ers: 100
Trip Reports (35)
 

Re: Animas Mountain Route?

Post by Floyd »

climbing_rob wrote:
Jon Frohlich wrote:
Matt Lemke wrote: Yes but does anyone actually enforce that?
They actually do patrol up there with rangers. I wouldn't risk it but that's just me.
I was going to say pretty much the same thing Matt, but I figured the "police" on here would yell and scream about us bad folks... Anyway, FWIW we popped over twin thumbs pass a couple years ago and bivy'd at T-lakes (stealth, behind a rock), did a quick climb of Sunlight and Windom and out Chi-basin. worked great. got there at dusk, packed up before full light, didn't take any dumps, didn't hurt a fly and nobody bothered us. We were all ready with our excuses just in case; there are NO signs that say "no camping" approaching from Twin thumbs.

Flame on...
Not to take this too off-route, I don't personally see anything wrong with Rob's approach, but I think his itinerary is quite different than coming in with a week and a half worth of stuff on your back and setting up a base for a couple of days. And as far as rangers, as much as we'd like to think Chicago Basin is "remote" it surely is not.
"Athletes express themselves physically, this is their art. As an athlete, exhausting oneself on the field or or on the track or on the trail or on the mountain brings calm and satisfaction. Thrashing about… our expression." - Steve Gleason
User avatar
gdthomas
Posts: 1983
Joined: 6/15/2005
14ers: 58 
Trip Reports (3)
 

Re: Animas Mountain Route?

Post by gdthomas »

Perhaps the more important question is, "Do you respect it? The two times I've been up there no one camped anywhere close to Twin Lakes. Unlike, say, the Bross situation, I believe everyone understands and respects the closure. It's an area that can't sustain a bunch of campsites on fragile alpine tundra and all that comes with it including piss, s**t and garbage.
User avatar
rijaca
Posts: 3387
Joined: 7/8/2006
14ers: 58  4 
13ers: 244 1 2
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Animas Mountain Route?

Post by rijaca »

The Forest Service has rangers and volunteers in Chi Basin regularly, plus the area gets lots of use.
Bottom line, don't be a dick and camp at Twin Lakes. (and that goes for you too, Bob)
"A couple more shots of whiskey,
the women 'round here start looking good"
User avatar
climbing_rob
Posts: 1152
Joined: 5/24/2010
14ers: 58 
13ers: 121
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Animas Mountain Route?

Post by climbing_rob »

rijaca wrote:The Forest Service has rangers and volunteers in Chi Basin regularly, plus the area gets lots of use.
Bottom line, don't be a dick and camp at Twin Lakes. (and that goes for you too, Bob)
Dick? No, "Rob". To each his own. I didn't think you were the type to try to impose your version of right/wrong on others.
OldBackpacker67
Posts: 2
Joined: 10/27/2021
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Vestal Lake to Trinity Lake

Post by OldBackpacker67 »

planet54 wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:29 pm Many years ago,1981 as I recall ,we started at Molas Pass ,went up Elk Creek and camped at the 12,018 lake near Peaks One and Three. The next day we hiked over to Vestal Basin via the 13,000 +/- ft pass on a sketchy trail then back over to Trinity Lake for another camp. By now I would think that the route is more defined. It was good fishing in that 12,018 lake by the way.
I was there at Trinity Lake in 1980, agree good fishing
Post Reply