Trip Advice

FAQ and threads for those just starting to hike the Colorado 14ers.
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aCiDjEsUs
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Trip Advice

Post by aCiDjEsUs »

Good morning good people, hope everyone is doing fine on this Saturday morning.

A flatlander here looking for some advice, wifi (that's what I call my wife :) and I are going to be in Colorado last week of June to bag some more peaks. Were planning on doing Mt. Yale and Belford/Oxford and maybe Mt. Princeton via standard routes because of the ease of access to the TH (low clearance car). We've done some 14ers in the past.

So my question is, with all that snow this year you guys/gals think we would need snowshoes or any other winter gear? I know it's still few weeks out and it's probably hard to predict the weather so far out but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We would love to get the advice of people who are more knowledgeable than we are about this matter.

Thank you and have a wonderful rest of this beautiful day.

aCiD and Wifi
A city is a large community where people are lonesome together. - Herbert Prochnow
peter303
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Re: Trip Advice

Post by peter303 »

For best advice read the peak report tab in 14er.com for the week you arrive.

According to Snotel curves, the peak snow was 30% above average April 1. However early melting brought them to exactly average June 1. So I would guess the prognosis is low snow by the end of June.

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/WCIS ... aters.html
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madmattd
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Re: Trip Advice

Post by madmattd »

aCiDjEsUs wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 5:12 am So my question is, with all that snow this year you guys/gals think we would need snowshoes or any other winter gear? I know it's still few weeks out and it's probably hard to predict the weather so far out but any advice would be greatly appreciated.
For those collegiate peaks? Probably fine with microspikes at most by then, and even those might not be needed (as Peter303 said, watch the condition reports in the days leading up to your trip for more current info). I'd be surprised if snowshoes are still needed by the end of June in the Sawatch.
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nyker
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Re: Trip Advice

Post by nyker »

Agree maybe it would make sense bringing microspikes, though even then you may not need them. There could be patches of snow you need to traverse but very unlikely anything that would warrant snowshoes but watch trip reports and condition updates in the few days before you climb since those are all popular peaks and I'm sure they'll be several updates.

That should be the beginning of the monsoon season; as you say you're flatlanders I'm assuming you won't have full acclimatization yet so make sure you start early well before sunrise to be back below treeline before afternoon thunderstorms set in.
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aCiDjEsUs
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Re: Trip Advice

Post by aCiDjEsUs »

Awesome. Thank you guys for quick replays, actually that's what I'm doing everyday. This site is the first one that I visit each morning and read all the trip reports etc.

We'll be keeping eye on those reports. We usually start around 3:30-4 am and we're bellow treeline by noon.

I just wasn't sure about the snowshoes so I thought I'm going to ask about that.

As for acclimatization we'll be driving from IL, one night in Alamosa, and the rest of the trip will be spending around Twin Lakes. In the past we didn't have issues with that but that was the past and now is now.

Thank you and have a great rest of the day.

aCiD and WiFi :)
A city is a large community where people are lonesome together. - Herbert Prochnow
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Hiker Mike
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Re: Trip Advice

Post by Hiker Mike »

aCiDjEsUs wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 5:12 am Good morning good people, hope everyone is doing fine on this Saturday morning.

A flatlander here looking for some advice, wifi (that's what I call my wife :) and I are going to be in Colorado last week of June to bag some more peaks. Were planning on doing Mt. Yale and Belford/Oxford and maybe Mt. Princeton via standard routes because of the ease of access to the TH (low clearance car). We've done some 14ers in the past.
I think using a car to get to the "trailhead" at the radio towers might be tough to do. I have certainly seen far worse roads but taking a low clearance vehicle on that road would give me pause.

A Fellow Flatlander,
Mike
"Just because you love the mountains doesn't mean the mountains love you."
-Lou Whittaker
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aCiDjEsUs
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Re: Trip Advice

Post by aCiDjEsUs »

Hiker Mike wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 6:47 am
aCiDjEsUs wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 5:12 am Good morning good people, hope everyone is doing fine on this Saturday morning.

A flatlander here looking for some advice, wifi (that's what I call my wife :) and I are going to be in Colorado last week of June to bag some more peaks. Were planning on doing Mt. Yale and Belford/Oxford and maybe Mt. Princeton via standard routes because of the ease of access to the TH (low clearance car). We've done some 14ers in the past.
I think using a car to get to the "trailhead" at the radio towers might be tough to do. I have certainly seen far worse roads but taking a low clearance vehicle on that road would give me pause.

A Fellow Flatlander,
Mike
Hey Mike,

If we end up doing Princeton I would defiantly not drive all the way up to the radio towers, I drive a Q50 so that's out the question. My wifi drives a 4runner but that car is being used by our son for a road trip on the east coast.

That's why we picked Yale and Belford/Oxford because of the easy access to TH and if we end up doing Princeton we don't mind walking the extra few miles up to the radio towers from the main parking area.

Thank you for the heads up greatly appreciated.

aCiD and WiFi
A city is a large community where people are lonesome together. - Herbert Prochnow
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