Weminuche questions (smoke/haze, and route questions)

[rdp32]

I am planning a trip to the Weminuche starting this Saturday and have a few questions (this is kind of last-minute--I was originally planning on heading to Wyoming but am now getting scared of the smoke/haze up there):

1. Does anyone know what the current air quality is like down there? What is the best way to check that? I've mostly been viewing the smoke plumes on fire.airnow.gov, but I don't have a good feel for how useful that is in terms of predicting haze levels. I realize the conditions change daily depending on which direction the wind is blowing, but if it has been consistently smoky for the past week or two, then I'll just stick to my original WY plan.

2. We'll probably be hiking in from Purgatory, then heading through Chicago Basin and over Columbine Pass, then eventually making our way through several of the high basins, ending with Ruby Basin, and taking the Ruby Basin "trail" down to complete the loop. Does anyone have any tips (or descriptions/resources) for the Ruby Basin trail descent? Is it tough to find from the lake if you didn't come up that way?

3. Is there good campsite availability on the Needle/Johnson Creek Trail much further down from Chicago Basin? (say, between 9k and 10k ft elevation?) Since we're hiking in from Purgatory (and it's Day 1 of a week-long trip), we would prefer not to push it all the way to Chicago Basin the first day. Plus, hopefully it will be a little less crowded/overused/critter-infested down lower? (maybe? I'm not expecting solitude on a Saturday night there regardless!)

4. I recall hearing that one of the bridges on the Vallecito is down. Does anyone have any input on how tough that will be to ford? I'm guessing that this time of year it won't be too bad. We are fine walking through in our hiking shoes; I just don't want to attempt to if it is too swift/strong/raging.

5. If the weather if looking good and we have the stamina, we may try to head from Sunlight Lake to Leviathan Lake to Balsam Lake. I've down the stretch from Sunlight Lk to Jagged Pass, but the rest of that is new to me. Any input on how hard the stretch is from Leviathan to Balsam?

Thanks in advance for any input!

[Scott P]

As far as #1 goes, Western Colorado is getting a lot of smoke from the Pacific NW fires. Our vehicles were covered with ash this morning, presumably all the way from the NW fires. That may or may not change by the weekend.

I haven't been to the Vallecito lately but I wouldn't expect much water except after rains. Some of the rivers in SW have dried up almost completely.

[dwoodward13]

#2 There are a number of Ruby Basin Trip reports on this site if you search for TRs for Pigeon/Turret/Animas/Monitor/Peak 15. I'd look at several. I've used a gpx on HikerGuy's TR with success twice. As far as finding it out of the lake I wouldn't be too concerned with that, I'd be more concerned about finding it in the willows around 11.6. Gets sporty in there. Finding where to cross the outlet stream from the lake can be a bit tricky, just know the trail ends up on the S side so you'll need to be over there and you'll find it.

#3 There's camping at New York Creek. I do remember quite a few groups in the trees below Chi Basin but not sure where those started.

#4 Yes the 2nd bridge up has been washed out (3rd has been washed out for many many years now). I've seen reports of people crossing both above and below where the bridge was without much apparent difficulty.

#5 Really not any different than what you would have already done maybe more scree and less tundra, but decently straightforward using the Peak 7/8 "pass" (the one with two unnamed lakes on either side) and contouring following the drainage on the N side down into Balsam.

[rdp32]

Thanks Scott and dwoodward13--sounds like my main concern is with #1 (smoke/haze). If anyone happens to have been down in that region in the last week or so, please let me know how the air quality was! (I've been keeping an eye on the smoke map, but I don't have a great feel for how that maps to visibility up in the mountains).

[kyrawhitworth]

#4 Yes the 2nd bridge up has been washed out (3rd has been washed out for many many years now). I've seen reports of people crossing both above and below where the bridge was without much apparent difficulty.

Do you happen to know of anyone I could reach out to see exactly where they crossed? It's looking like my plans are going to coincide with the next monsoon surge so its possible one or both of these crossing points won't be feasible if there's a lot of precip.

[taboose395]

I'm in Durango, no real smoke or air quality issues in the SW Weminuche. I think you are in good to go.

[Kiefer]

Thanks Scott and dwoodward13--sounds like my main concern is with #1 (smoke/haze). If anyone happens to have been down in that region in the last week or so, please let me know how the air quality was! (I've been keeping an eye on the smoke map, but I don't have a great feel for how that maps to visibility up in the mountains).

Things have been fine until yesterday. But even in Montrose, the smoke is negligible. Haze/smoke is worse further north towards Junction.
Last couple days in the Juan's, visibility has been akin to a really humid morning. Hazy, but not bad. You can't even smell it. But it's smoke. So,
tomorrow or Friday can be vastly different if the Oregon fires kick up.

[dwoodward13]

#4 Yes the 2nd bridge up has been washed out (3rd has been washed out for many many years now). I've seen reports of people crossing both above and below where the bridge was without much apparent difficulty.

Do you happen to know of anyone I could reach out to see exactly where they crossed? It's looking like my plans are going to coincide with the next monsoon surge so its possible one or both of these crossing points won't be feasible if there's a lot of precip.

I believe both were on the 13ers FB page which you already asked about the crossing! One person I think said 50 yards downstream of the bridge and another 50 yards upstream of the missing bridge.

[rdp32]

Thanks Kiefer and taboose395--glad to hear it's been mostly clear and that there's not ash on the vehicles down there like wherever Scott lives (presumably further North)! If the air quality drastically changes in the next few days, would you mind posting an update?

[HikerGuy]

Do you happen to know of anyone I could reach out to see exactly where they crossed? It's looking like my plans are going to coincide with the next monsoon surge so its possible one or both of these crossing points won't be feasible if there's a lot of precip.

A friend just confirmed that there is a great, big, sturdy log crossing about 100 yds before bridge #2.

[ScottLovesRMNP]

Can't even begin to see Sneffels from Montrose today. The mountains are extremely hazy.

[kyrawhitworth]

Do you happen to know of anyone I could reach out to see exactly where they crossed? It's looking like my plans are going to coincide with the next monsoon surge so its possible one or both of these crossing points won't be feasible if there's a lot of precip.

A friend just confirmed that there is a great, big, sturdy log crossing about 100 yds before bridge #2.

Thank you!!