Momentous Adventures-Molas, Nebo and Purgatory Traverse(Part 2)

 

After a nice, slow morning of breakfast and packing up with a good conversation brewing. Get in gear and into this wonderful day started across a subalpine shelf on your way to Twin Lakes. Slowly start making your way past small clusters of trees mixed in with bug brush and such as you make your way down to the center of the shelf. All the while the Continental Divide looms like a giant wall above your right shoulder shielding you from the brunt of  the afternoon thunderstorms that keep queuing up. Cross Middle Ute Creek at the lowest point before a slow and steady climb to the more alpine country around Twin Lakes. From here, begin a series of long switchbacks that climb to a mellower section of the Divide. Before long are getting up this gradual incline between pockets of brush and boulders. A sweet breeze helps you catch your breath as you descend into a fabulous shelf on the corner of Flint Lakes Basin. For me, this was probably my favorite part of the trip. This dreamy spot nestled between the Divide and a shoulder of a 13,000 ft mountain. It has open grasslands with tarns of various sizes tucked between small rocky buttes where amazing camps surely lye. Contouring the edge of the massive peaks the trail drops to a side trail that leads to Rock Lake in a impressive cirque tucked above. Cross the outlet and make your way down a lumpy pine forest that rolls to the first open meadow. At the end of this very pretty spot are the has small moraines that stick up periodically. This is a good spot to settle in if your beat. The other meadows further down are more marshy and less flat than this gem. We continued down Rock Creek TR for 4 miles as the canyon got more rugged. Soon you reach the Vailecito Creek where a small camp is located across the stream. Set up and eat a nice dinner with some tea before jumping into the sack as the stars start to shine. Enjoy some music as the night takes hold and then, over and and out you are peacefully asleep.

Get in gear with breakfast and an icy dip in the Vailecito. Numbness leads to a clean feeling that needed to happen at some point. I was expecting to be stoked for a swim in a lake before this point but with getting colder, the elevation of the lakes and not much serious sweating happening on the climbs left me dusty. After we packed up we headed down the trail as another lovely day unfolded. There are lots of nice rapids to see as the meadows open up to views of the surrounding mountains. Peaks like The Guardian and Thunder Mountain entertain the imagination about the origins of their names. Avalanche swaths show exactly how much snow these mountains get by the havoc they have inflicted on the slopes here. Every now and again you see the train that goes from Durango to Silverton. The sound of the engine and the whistle are something that I find quaint and comforting. Soon you get to the only bridge that leads you over the Vailecito and the nice camps on either side. Head over the it and onto the Johnson Creek TR. The way is flat at first, but gets down to business more sooner than later. Climb higher as Johnson drops off to your left as the terrain gets more rugged and steep as the mountains come more into view. Echo Mountain becomes more intriguing as the massive jaggy ridge of Florida Mtn comes into full view. The way gives way to lower shelves closer to the creek that are flatter here. First, slightly slanted and then more campable as a side trail jets down to them on your left. Take it down to this questionable looking camp with outstanding views of Florida’s spires. Set up here because it’s the last good spot without a serious climb in your future. Enjoy the amazing light on the mountains as the day comes to a close and the stars shine.

Get up to another amazing morning on the trail. Keep on climbing along Johnson as the stream’s corridor gets more rugged higher up to the next shelf, this is Vallecito Basin. With lovely Hope Mountain coming into view on your right, enjoy the rolling landscape that has many a good camping senecio in store for the weary traveler. A couple of easy switchbacks deliver you to the alpine Columbine Lake on the top shelf before the pass. This country is rocky, but not bleak like similar high lakes basin that I have traveled to in the Sierra and elsewhere. Bug brush islands and grassy contours welcome the eye to find a flat spot and settle in for a spell. From here, a few quick switchbacks deliver you to the narrow Columbine Pass between some rock spires.The views here are beyond words as you stare out into a world of 14ers and an endless spread of amazing mountainous backcountry to explore. Scoot on down the talus slopes back into the green as Chicago Basin continues to blow your mind the closer you get. From here on in, the camp spots are very numerous compared to the rest of the trip so far. When you cross the stream coming off Jupiter Mtn the patches of trees begin to grow in size. From this vantage point Chicago Basin’s majesty suddenly becomes more evident. With mountains named Wisdom, Eloise and Sunlight and way trails jetting out in every direction this area has weeks of exploration if you play your cards right. When you reach the valley floor, take a break and enjoy your last good look into Chicago before heading down Needle Creek. The way slowly meanders in the open meadows that has numerous camps stashed in the the clusters of trees. My favorite was one that was hidden up on a cliff above the creek, it had some nice privacy. After such a remote trip so far and the sudden influx of wilderness travelers, we decided to keep trucking down to the Animus River to camp. This is seriously the best graded trail of all time. Make relatively quick work of the several thousand feet of elevation loss to find a nice camp by a footbridge of Needle before the River. Set up and chill as the rush of good memories come flooding back from the day’s travels in this spectacular range.