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Weminuche
Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado
Df2004-09-13 10:31:19
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July 1998, Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado. Jackie and Alan Ellis, Yukon, Oklahoma.
Trailhead: north end of Williams Creek Reservoir, 15 miles north of Pagosa Springs, Colorado at the end of Forest Service Road 640.
This would be our first major backpacking trip together. I was getting back into backpacking after a 15 year layoff and had previously done sections of the Appalachian Trail, Grand Canyon, and other areas of Colorado. We had done some smaller trips and day hikes for practice and training and decided on a multi-day trip in the Weminuche. After research I decided on the Williams Creek trail up to the Continental Divide, west to Squaw Pass, then back down the Cimmarona Trail, total of approx 25 miles. All the guide books rate this hike as moderate.
We drove all day and camped at the Williams Creek Forest Service campground. We started early the next morning at 8400 ft. and started climbing at a moderate grade, passing through dense forests and wet meadows, and crossing Williams Creek two times. Parts of the trail was somewhat wet and muddy with lots of flies due to horse manure. We went approximately seven miles the first day and camped at approximately 10,000 ft. It was a well-worn campsite next to where the trail crossed Williams Creek. After dinner, we had just cleaned up when it started to storm. It hailed for fifteen minutes and when it was over, there was two inches of hail on the ground. I was thinking of how smart I was not to go cheap on the tent purchase....not a leak or a budge. However, Jackie wasn't feeling well and we would not realize why until later the next day.
After crossing Williams Creek, we started climbing steeply on a muddy trail, then had to cross the creek again just 100 yards further. Williams Creek is more like Williams "River." It's cold, fast, thigh-deep, and about 25 ft. across. We crossed it four times. The trail is steeper and Jackie is getting
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