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holy cross wilderness
Post 30 Aug 2021, 13:17 • #1 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
Actually had planned the trip for a couple Collegiate Peaks area lakes, but that trailhead needs a high clearance vehicle. The brake lights on my truck went on the fritz. Wednesday night replaced the bulbs with LEDs and checked/replaced fuses, not that. Thursday night fetched the part from across Denver and replaced the brake pedal switch/sensor, not that. OK we are down to the wiring and harnesses now, Fri night an hour of futzing and couldn't find the short. Oh well it's the mighty mighty Honda Fit then, plan B is a supposedly better road to a Holy Cross Wilderness trailhead.

Reader - it wasn't any better. Everyone looks at you funny, driving a Fit over a nasty road where all the other vehicles are lifted 4wd adventure-mobiles.. The parking lot was mostly full, I threaded my way between a pine tree and a couple of boulders at the edge of a pit, to find a little spot to park. I may have had a nightmare or two in camp that night about getting out again - just how steep was the turn ? It was alright though, late Sun the Fit climbed out easy and I parked at the real trailhead in order to use the pit toilet. Still surrounded by those giant rigs though.



Bet none of them got this kind of mpg for the trip.. a 290-mile round trip from Denver, including climbing to Eisenhower pass, down and over Vail pass, up 13 miles of poor dirt road to 3mi of terrible dirt road. Then back.



Busy trail going up. I had a new sub-3lb pack and a 1lb tarp to replace 4.5lb of tent so my entire overnight pack was just over 20lb. That's a new personal record. That little weight is basically a daypack sort of weight which is barely noticeable. Climbing 2200 feet over 4.5 miles is still noticeable though.

Did not fish my way up this little canyon, needed to make some miles before the afternoon storms piled in.



Over the pass a bit over 12 000ft, weather looking iffy. It started raining shortly after this.



The rain is no problem as long as the lightning doesn't show up. Camp well below the lake with a bit of tree for shelter and a perfect dining rock.



There were two parties camped at 11 600 ft by the lake out on the exposed tundra. The next morning after a night of wind rain and thunderstorms, one party had moved down into the trees and the other had vanished..

Started by hooking a 3" cutt, overreacting on the strike and sending it flying through the air to dash its little brain out on a rock at my feet. This was a bit horrible. I've flown trout before, never killed one that way. Took a moment to think before fishing on.

Usually lakes at this height have midges, maybe a scud or two, and whatever terrestrials get blown upslope by the afternoon anabatic winds. Today there were midges, a few caddis, a mayfly or so, and one lost and lonely little golden stonefly. A Royal Stimulator worked perfectly well.





The fish increased steadily in size from 11" up to this nice 14" cutt.





Then the weather moved back in with thunder booming and echoing peak to peak. Took the 4-piece Fenwick Voyageur apart into its 4 pieces and scuttled back down the hill into the trees, with small hail pelting down.



Fifteen minutes later the skies were perfect blue with the storm moving off downvalley, me sitting by the creek wondering what the hell.



The problem with fishing below these ridges is the oncoming weather is not usually visible, instead it comes boiling sudden over the ridgeline. Rather than go back up there and get blindsided by another thunderstorm I decided to go a couple miles down-creek to see what was happening. Certainly cutts, maybe brookies ?
Cutts.



On famous tailwaters the fish are jaded. They'll get hooked, flounder a bit as a token fight, then swim over to get unhooked and wait patiently for the picture. Up here wild fish aren't used to posing for a picture.



Coming back up the creek at 5:30pm was a bit of a grind. Dinner, no reservations needed for the best seat in the house, party of one (but that's no kind of a party, at all).



A restless night with not much for sleep. Turns out campsite levelness selection is much more important with a tarp than with a tent. If you slide around in a tent on slopy ground, it's an annoyance. Sliding under a tarp puts you outside in the rain.. It was nice to turn over and see a valley in moonlight, instead of the inside of a dirty tent flysheet.

Next morning clambered back up to the nearby lake for a couple more fish. Several more lakes on the way back down, first one held fish less eager but chunkier and stronger. These things are probably related. Not fishing well, zombified by the missing night's sleep.



The biggest lake has the smallest fish, hordes of skinny eager 6-8" brookies. One last lake, a milky green that looked odd after the aching clarity of all the others. Another redbellied cutt, then I lay in the grass for an hour and failed to nap. Down the hill and back out. It's weird how Sunday afternoon feels like a Sunday even in the high hills.


Last edited by doug in co on 30 Aug 2021, 17:55, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 30 Aug 2021, 13:18 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
Very very nice. Ahhh...


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 13:22 • #3 
Guide
Joined: 05/13/20
Posts: 250
Location: Lake Junaluska, NC
Beautiful! I like a tarp too for hiking. My back likes it better too...


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 13:23 • #4 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Doug, looks and sounds very similar. We were in the Holy Cross Wilderness (Lyle Lake trailhead out of Basalt) on the 21st. I was white knuckling it in a 4Runner, good job with the Fit! Someone from Utah, tried to make it in a Lexus sedan and it did not end well. I used a Fenwick FF75-4. We had 10 min of rain, followed by 10 min of bright sun, on repeat.

Great fishing though and can't beat the scenery! Escaped the crowds on the Pan as well.


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 13:58 • #5 
New Member
Joined: 08/02/17
Posts: 8
Location: US-CA
Beautiful photos... thanks for sharing! BTW: never underestimate your choice of vehicle -- with the proper amount of motivation and vehicle handling skills, you can overcome just about any obstacle. (I remember encountering a Fiat Panda on an "off road" trail in my Jeep while living in Northern Italy years ago!)


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 14:38 • #6 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/23/18
Posts: 614
Location: Eastern Wa
Well done!! Thanks for sharing!

Ive got the same rig and same color too. Unfortunately mine has a starter problem right now.


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 14:55 • #7 
Sport
Joined: 03/11/14
Posts: 89
Location: US-East Texas
Ah.., the Pan and the Fork.., they do get crowded. Even mid week.


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 15:17 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/23/05
Posts: 4966
Location: US-MT
Very nice.

Glad you are enjoying the tarp. I got one years ago and couldn't believe how freeing it is, not only lighter but no condensation and wonderful views!


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 17:07 • #9 
Sport
Joined: 02/20/20
Posts: 53
Location: CA-ON
Very nice!


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 17:58 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
Driftless wrote:
Doug, looks and sounds very similar. We were in the Holy Cross Wilderness (Lyle Lake trailhead out of Basalt) on the 21st. I was white knuckling it in a 4Runner, good job with the Fit! Someone from Utah, tried to make it in a Lexus sedan and it did not end well. I used a Fenwick FF75-4. We had 10 min of rain, followed by 10 min of bright sun, on repeat.

Great fishing though and can't beat the scenery! Escaped the crowds on the Pan as well.


ha ! same rod, same weather.. same fleeing from the madding crowd on tailwaters..


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 18:52 • #11 
Sport
Joined: 08/26/19
Posts: 97
Location: US-MI
Not a fan of crowds myself. Very nicely done!


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 19:55 • #12 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 10/26/12
Posts: 1188
Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Great Journey ! Love the camp site !!

Pecos


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 20:25 • #13 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 10/18/12
Posts: 1712
Location: Bozeman, MT
Thumbs Up!


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 21:50 • #14 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/16/05
Posts: 2537
Location: Georgia
Lovely scenery, lovely fish, lovely time.


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Post 30 Aug 2021, 23:56 • #15 
Guide
Joined: 02/23/11
Posts: 237
Location: Tulsa, OK
Jealous of campsite and trip. I may have to look into a tarp before my next back packing trip to your wonderful state.


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Post 31 Aug 2021, 07:38 • #16 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/18/07
Posts: 735
Location: US-NH
Nice report, great scenery and I will take a 12" Cutts all day long, just pretty fish.
Too bad Honda don't make an AWD Fit :-)


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Post 31 Aug 2021, 07:59 • #17 
Sport
Joined: 02/10/17
Posts: 40
Location: US-TX
Really great report and pictures!


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Post 31 Aug 2021, 11:50 • #18 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
SouthernRivers wrote:
Jealous of campsite and trip. I may have to look into a tarp before my next back packing trip to your wonderful state.


there's lots to think about ;-)

Check Andrew Skurka's thorough review of the aspects of tarping..
https://andrewskurka.com/gear-list-backpacking-tarp-bivy-ultralight-minimalism/


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Post 31 Aug 2021, 13:40 • #19 
Guide
Joined: 01/10/16
Posts: 186
Location: Parkersburg, WV
Great report and beautiful scenery! Thanks for posting!

Chris


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Post 01 Sep 2021, 20:22 • #20 
Guide
Joined: 02/23/11
Posts: 237
Location: Tulsa, OK
doug in co wrote:
SouthernRivers wrote:
Jealous of campsite and trip. I may have to look into a tarp before my next back packing trip to your wonderful state.


there's lots to think about ;-)

Check Andrew Skurka's thorough review of the aspects of tarping..
https://andrewskurka.com/gear-list-backpacking-tarp-bivy-ultralight-minimalism/


Excellent info. Thanks for the link. I’ve always avoided tarp setups as I was afraid of mosquitoes keeping me up all night (and in Texas … scorpions).


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Post 08 Sep 2021, 05:33 • #21 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/09/16
Posts: 746
Location: Colorado
Very nice!


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Post 08 Sep 2021, 06:33 • #22 
Guide
Joined: 02/27/12
Posts: 233
Location: US-AR
Looks like fun. Thanks for the report.


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Post 08 Sep 2021, 08:03 • #23 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Just for fun, a photo of Lexus that failed to make the Lyle Lake trailhead or Hagerman Pass beyond. Should have had a Honda Fit!



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Post 10 Sep 2021, 18:33 • #24 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
wow that's a mess.. looks like he overcooked it on a turn and found the rocks do not forgive overconfidence..


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Post 11 Sep 2021, 07:02 • #25 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Hard to say what happened. It was pretty much boulder crawling a little ways further and looked to be car fluids spilled on the road. Maybe he made it to there and someone pushed him back to the "wide" part of the road.

Bottom line there is a sign at the bottom of the road stating "4x4 High Clearance Vehicles Only". He/she probably should have heeded that.


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