Camping along newly rerouted Collegiate West

[Coffee]

I just received the Latitude 40 Salida/Buena Vista map which has the new Collegiate West rerouted sections and I've been busy comparing the new trail with the old trail from my 2013 CT map book. Although I don't intend to be a slave to an itinerary, I like to have a game plan of where I will camp each night, where I will get water, and if I will likely have to dry camp, if for no other reason than to have a goal for the day.

After studying the maps, it looks like only one planned campsite will need to change. I had planned too camp along Sanford Creek at CW3 mile 4.1 (based on the 2013 data book). However, the new CW route bypasses this location and stays near the continental divide where I do not see any "obvious" water sources and I'm not sure about whether the terrain is conducive to camping. I do see a small lake (Lost Lake) to the east of the continental divide at around what would be my mileage goal for the day (I would be starting around Clear Creek in CW Section 2 Mile 7.6). However, Lost Lake is at least several hundred feet below the trail over what looks like pretty steep terrain. I don't see the trail passing any streams north of that location for many miles except for a tributary of South Texas Creek a few miles north and what looks like a small tarn a bit further north, and maybe these will be dry by August.

From the looks of it, the new route should be spectacular as it stays so close to the continental divide but could it perhaps require more planning when it comes to water and campsite selection?

I'm not sure if anyone here has been on this brand new trail yet (maybe last year when it was being constructed) but thought I'd ask anyway to see if there are suggestions on where to camp and get water along the route.

[handlebar]

Suggest you check with Colorado Trail Assoc for possible water sources.

[Coffee]

Good idea, I'll reach out to them and post here if I get a response.

[bearcreek]

The new route follows Texas Creek east then climbs up to Cottonwood Pass. You leave Texas Creek at waypoint 02_214XR. There is a nice, small lake close to the trail just before 02_235M. Fill up there. There are some seasonal and not so reliable water sources near the trail as you continue up to Cottonwood Pass at 02_259TH and also along the the way once you get on the ridge but you shouldn't assume they will be running. I would suggest camping at the lake at 02_235M and carrying enough water to get to Tincup Pass Road at 03_159. Chalk Creek flows through at that point, and there are good campsites. That would entail a total hike distance of 18.3 miles for the day and you would not have to sleep above treeline. If you get up there and think you aren't going to make it to Chalk Creek, the crews who built the trail also built a side trail down into Morgans Gulch which has plenty of water. (Near 03_114WT) The trail crews camped down there.

There is an endangered toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) that lives in the marshy areas below the trail

and the USFS is asking hikers to avoid any cross country hiking where there is not established trail.

The waypoint data for the new section has just been updated at http://www.bearcreeksurvey.com if you want to get the waypoint data for the new trail.

[Coffee]

Bearcreek, that is very helpful. Thanks!

[K6VOI]

Thank you Bearcreek for that info! We are currently planning our 2014 CT hike and planning on doing the new CW route. Water is the issue when planning our itinerary. We are using the CT datebook and Erik the Blacks book to plan accordingly. Seems like there are a few stretches without water, some as long as 20 miles. Hoping others give a trip report this summer on water locations and availability. We will do the same. Thanks again!

[On Track]

I know Collegiate West hikers that camped at Lost Lake, about 3 miles south of Cottonwood Pass. It worked well for them. They described the route and camping to me. The lake is visible about 600 feet below the trail ... really pretty. Lake visible, they diverged from the CT/CDT and walked off trail Southeast downhill on steepish but grassy slopes that they described as fairly easy to descend/climb. They found a couple different places for camping around the lake and had ample room for their 3 individual tents at one. In the morning they climbed back to the trail along the same route they'd descended, as it looked like the most straightforward route. The climb took them maybe 45 minutes.

[K6VOI]

I hope we can do the Collegiate West in August - we start July 26 - we are preparing to change plans and do the Collegiate East if storms have a pattern of being bad - I soooo want to do the CW - but I know lightning can be a real danger - I guess if the storms have a pattern of late afternoon we will have more data to base our decision on.

[Coffee]

Just reached Monarch Pass US50 this afternoon. The entire CW was great! But the rerouted segment from Cottonwood Pass to Tin Cup Pass road is amazing! Around 17 miles above treeline. I camped at Cottonwood Pass near the small pond and headed out at 6 am...avoided t storms in the rerouted segment but got caught in one later in the day before the pass above tunnel lake. First zero of the hike tomorrow and I need it.

[Dogwood]

How has the water situation been which you were sometimes concerned about?

[Coffee]

Water has been plentiful nearly everywhere except exposed ridge walks. All of the sources in the data book and the new CT app have been running plus many undocumented small streams. I guess this is a byproduct of how wet it has been.

[Dogwood]

Which is what one might expect in mid Aug.

[Coffee]

The pattern of totally clear mornings and afternoon t storms seems firmly in place. There were a couple of nearly all day rains when I started at the end of July. I've done a couple of pre dawn starts to beat the storms. I kind of like hiking under clear skies and moonlight.

[colorado_rob]

The pattern of totally clear mornings and afternoon t storms seems firmly in place. There were a couple of nearly all day rains when I started at the end of July. I've done a couple of pre dawn starts to beat the storms. I kind of like hiking under clear skies and moonlight.

Been a tad wet this year, much wetter in July than seems usual, glad you're dealing with it OK with early-morning hiking. That's how us in the CO mountaineering community do it; summit our peaks (14ers, 13ers) by 10-11am, off the mountain before the storms.

Looking drier right now! good luck and report in now and then. I think my wife and I will hit the CW here soon...

[Coffee]

I'm reviewing the rest of my plan to figure out how to avoid exposure. There are a few days where I have to go over passes toward the end of the hiking day, sometimes 20 or more miles in.... Lightning kind of freaks me out, even though the probability of a hit isn't all that high with precautions, there isn't often anywhere to go above treeline.

[Hole-In-The-Hat]

It's good to hit the high passes and ridges in the morning when you can... but realistically, on a thru-hike, some will come up later in the day. That doesn't necessarily mean that you have a bad plan, as long as you have some flexibility built in. If it's threatening, you might have to wait for a while before climbing out of the trees, or retreat. If it doesn't let up, worst case you might have to make camp early that day (at a lower elevation), then resume the next morning.

[Coffee]

As the hike progressed and came to a conclusion, I became much more comfortable judging the cloud cover and, in combination with the temperature, understanding the risk of hazardous conditions. I found that after mid August, the clouds would often still build in the afternoon but I almost never heard any thunder and saw no lightning, so my attention turned from avoiding lightning exposure to simply being off the ridges during storms to avoid the unpleasantness of hail, etc. I felt much more comfortable being around the clouds... and enjoying the weather for what it was... anyway, a good learning experience for me.