Trip Summary: June 16 - July 15 - 28 days of vacation. Drove through VT, MA, NY, PA, OH, IN, IL, IA, NE and WY and into CO. Back through WY, NE, SD, MN, WI, MN, OH, PA, NY, MA, VT and back to NH. We drove 6,500 miles with about 190 gallons of gas burned. No car problems on the 1994 Escort other than one flat tire.
Camped 16 nights (mostly dispersed car camping) including: near Red Feather Lakes CO, near Cameron Pass/ Cache La Poudre CO, eastern Mt. Zirkel Wilderness CO (Lake Katherine Trailhead), western Mt. Zirkel Wilderness CO (Slavonia), Kite Lake CO (12,000’), Weston Pass Road CO, Ripple Creek Pass CO (The Flat Tops), western Medicine Bow Mountains WY(Bottle Creek), eastern Medicine Bow Mountains WY (near Laramie Peak), Blue Earth MN, Escanaba MI, and St. Ignace MI.
Stayed in Motels in Sidney NE, Ft Collins CO, Walden CO, Steamboat CO, Kremmling CO, Fairplay CO, Kremmling CO (again), Craig CO, Kadoka SD, Crandon WI, & Syracuse NY.
Lots of roads still closed due to snow & mud, but still plenty of hiking available. Hiked three 14,000 foot peaks (Mt Democrat, Mt. Cameron and Mt. Lincoln); one 13,000’ peak (Weston Peak); two 11,000’ peaks (Middle Bald Peak and Pagoda Pk). Hiked to Gilpin Lake (lots of snow & tough river crossings) and Lake Katherine in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness area and Lake Agnus in the Never Summer Mountains (spectacular) and numerous lesser peaks, lakes and waterfall hikes. Mosquitoes were bad at times near the melting snow but tolerable. Frost on the car on two mornings including July 5th. Caught a few trout, saw lots of deer, several moose, marmots, a few elk, a coyote, a couple picas, one black bear, but very few other hikers except near the popular 14,000’ Colorado peaks.
Took the scenic route back through northern WI and the UP of Michigan and drove to Iowa’s high point (Hawkeye Point 1,670’) and hiked the 0.2 miles to Wisconsin’s High Point (Timm’s Hill – 1951’) and swam in Lake Michigan & Lake Huron.
Here's a couple Pictures from Weston Peak, 13,500' just southeast of Leadville:
Wow, that wore me out just reading it! Phew! I like seeing everyones "road trip" pics. When I first saw your pic I thought that was a fuzzy bear then I was trying to figure out how that bear had a stick in his hand AND was climbing!! hehehehe 😉
Thanks for sharing.
Glad to see you found us, Perry
Nice pictures.
Sounds like a real great trip. Did you manage to meet any former POBer's and get some music in?
Glad to see you found us, Perry
Nah; the wife think you guys are a bunch of weirdos. We pretty much stayed in the backcountry as much as possible.
Glad to see you found us, Perry
Jealous....nuff said
Glad to see you found us, Perry
> Nah; the wife think you guys are a bunch of weirdos. We pretty much stayed in the backcountry as much as possible.
Very astute woman...
Glad to see you found us, Perry
i see you found koopers rock stash, were there alot of dremmel tips on the ground or just sandwich wrappers and some ho-hos-tdd
you should of hollered and stopped in for a cold one and a burger tdd
Glad to see you found us, Perry
Looks like fun, if a bit nippy.
I've never been much above 13,000 feet except in an airplane, but that's scheduled to change in a about a month. My son talked my wife and I into taking him to the top of Mount Whitney, which means I'll be backpacking for the first time in about 30 years. It's just one night, but I know that ground hasn't gotten any softer in the intervening period.
I just hope I don't run out of air at 14,500 feet...
Nice pictures Perry.
Nah; the wife think you guys are a bunch of weirdos. We pretty much stayed in the backcountry as much as possible.
I agree-that is everyone, but me.
> Nice pictures Perry.
>
> Nah; the wife think you guys are a bunch of weirdos. We pretty much stayed in the backcountry as much as possible.
>
> I agree-that is everyone, but me.
And Me...I am not a weirdo. Don't bring my rats into this either, guys. 😉
