THUNDERSNOW
We
got a late start Wednesday morning. The
sun was out, so we delayed our departure to allow our gear to dry. This turned out to be a good move, for a
number of reasons. It certainly was more
enjoyable packing up dry tents.
The
plan for Wednesday was to hike up Johnson Canyon to Columbine Pass. We’d descend the far side and find a campsite
in Chicago Basin. We would take a
layover day on Thursday. If time,
energy, and the weather allowed, we would consider climbing Windom Peak
(14,082’). On Friday we’d hike out to Needleton, where we would catch the afternoon train back to
Durango.
We
were a little concerned about getting over the pass. Columbine Pass is at 12,600’. We were pretty confident that all of the rain
we had gotten the previous day had fallen as snow up there. How much snow would there be? Would we even be able to get through?
Our
other options were rather limited.
Realistically, the only other way out would involve a long hike down the
Vallecito Creek Trail to the Vallecito
Campground. That would be tricky though,
as a bridge over Vallecito Creek was out. We would have to wade
the creek, which would be potentially hazardous. From the campground, an 18 mile road walk
would get us to Bayfield and highway 160.
At that point we could probably hitchhike back to Durango.
We
decided to attempt the pass. We hit the
trail at 9:30. Early on, we enjoyed an
easy stroll through grassy meadows with unbelievable views. The fall foliage was spectacular, picking up right
where it left off the previous afternoon.
Before long we reached Johnson Creek, which was an easy rock hop
crossing. From there we followed the
creek upstream, climbing steadily. At
times we’d leave the creek to ascend on switchbacks. Initially we were in deep forest, but
eventually we emerged on a bench above the creek. Along here we were treated to nice views of
Mount Valois and more fall color.
We
continued to climb as clouds were building in the west. We stopped near a cascading section of Johnson
Creek for lunch. I was gathering water
when the storm hit. It was quite the
squall, with blowing snow and driving sleet.
It passed fairly quickly though, so we resumed the hike. We made an easy rock hop crossing of Hazel
Creek before the second snow storm hit.
At this point we were at a lovely campsite in spruce trees about 600’
below tree line. In hindsight, this
would’ve been a great place to stop for the night.
It
was only early afternoon though, and we were determined to get over Columbine
Pass. Before long the second snow squall
stopped, leaving a dusting of snow on the ground. We ascended on switchbacks, climbing grassy
slopes interspersed with stands of spruce.
Somewhere along this stretch we passed a group of 3 backpackers on their
way down towards Vallecito Creek. They had actually just started their hike the
day before. They reported some snow at
Columbine Pass, but it wasn’t enough to cause them problems.
The
views back down the valley to Florida Mountain were dramatic, but they didn’t
last long. A third snowstorm hit just
before we reached tree line. This one
was a doozy, with thunder, lightning, and enough snow, sleet, and hail to
create an instant whiteout. We crouched
under some stunted spruce trees as the storm intensified. The thunder grew louder, and the lightning
flashes brighter. At one point we
attempted to count the seconds between the flashes and booms to assess how
close the storm was. Counting wasn’t
really necessary though, as we never even made it to “1”. The storm was directly on top of us.
We
huddled under our meager shelter, jumping with each peel of thunder. At one point I looked over at J Bob, who was
actually in the fetal position. I
suspect he was sucking his thumb, but I can’t confirm this. I also can’t really blame him.
The
storm eventually eased, but the thunder continued to echo all around us. Once it quieted enough to talk, we discussed
our options. I was leery about
continuing ahead given the unsettled weather.
Crossing Columbine Pass would take a couple of hours, and we’d be above
tree line and completely exposed the entire time. That can be quite dangerous in a
thunderstorm. I suggested retreating to
the nice campsite we had passed near Hazel Creek. That idea wasn’t popular with the Bobs. We had ascended 600’ since leaving that
campsite. Still, the only reasonable
option was to retreat.
We
backtracked, but I scouted for campsites as we went. After dropping about 200’ I found a marginal
spot that would work. It was on a rocky
bench above a steep slope, but it was almost flat and not too wet, and
reasonably close to Johnson Creek. It
was also tucked under some large spruce trees, which offered some protection
from the elements. Nobody was thrilled
with it, but it was our best option under the circumstances. Plus, we had enjoyed primo campsites each
night thus far. We could slum it for
one night.
We
were setting up camp when the next round of snow hit. We finished pitching our tents and spent the
rest of the afternoon dozing.
The
weather finally cleared somewhat that evening.
Although there were plenty of lingering clouds, the view back down
Johnson Canyon was sublime. We were even
treated to a bit of alpenglow. We headed
to bed shortly thereafter, worn out from an exciting day on the trail.
Here’s
an interesting side note: We’d gotten a
late start that morning because we were letting our gear dry out in the
sun. If we’d started at the usual time,
we would’ve been an hour or so farther up the trail when the monster storm
hit. That means we would’ve been well
above tree line – probably somewhere near Columbine Pass. That would’ve been extremely dangerous in
that storm.
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