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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Beautifully done, Roy.
The NCAR folks have predicted big snows still to come this spring. You can take that to the bank.
Rick
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Thanks Tar,
You are having fun in a beautiful place. Sweet.
Zander
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Ricardo Cabeza
climber
All Over.
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Lovin it Tar!
Here's hoping to see some shots of the Zirkels down the road.
Keep it up man!
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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The Zirkels, that's Terra Non-photographica! I heard that Mike Covington and others put up tech routes there years ago, but those have to be some of the least-photographed mountains in Colorado.
Either Tarbuster needs to do these TRs full time, or we need more Rocky Mountaineers on the Taco.
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Robb
Social climber
The Greeley Triangle
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Ahhh...the splendor of the Rockies.
Nice job Roy!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2010 - 11:07pm PT
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As requested, a brief tease from the Zirkel Wilderness,
From the east side, just north of Buffalo Pass, before hiking in for a day trip and reconnaissance, a handful of summers back:
Going to have to wait till summer time to see the real goods, because I’m just getting my bearings and making plans…
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2010 - 11:09pm PT
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Okay, on to the task at hand, “my assignment”, just in case you missed one of the many threads we’ve had this week about retaking our forum.
I mean, really: women have been called out, called us out, vindications launched, truces made, multiple avatars defrocked 'n general cabin fever outed and stomped.
I’m also really stoked to know I have a core of followers chiming in here to let me know this isn’t just a narcissistic and creative purge.
Even received an e-mail from a lurker who's been following the routine, picking off tours, yo.
A high note here is Ms. Rainbow’s reported endeavors to entertain the skinny skis: good for the lungs and all-around soul smoothin' groovin'!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2010 - 11:09pm PT
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Heart Lake and Rogers Pass Lake
 9 mile round-trip
2000 foot elevation gain
11,130’ High Point
four plus hours RT time
As mentioned earlier, you see lots of people on fat gear slugging up this narrow, fairly steep trail.
There’s much going on in this drainage, South Boulder Creek proper, east portal of the Moffat Tunnel, departure of the Rollins Pass Road.
Map
Three or four distinct tours can be carried out from this road head:
The Heart Lake Rogers Pass Lake tour
Arapaho Lakes, an alpine touring destination
The Little Haute Route, a point-to-point tour, through forest lakes and onto Yankee Doodle Lake and Eldora ski area
Crater Lake, which I detailed earlier
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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SWEEET!!
Top notch as always Tar.
You're a beacon of sanity around here!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2010 - 11:23pm PT
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The primary off-load of photos were nabbed during a perfectly windless bluebird day, March 2, 2009.
The view of the Continental Divide and Rogers Pass cirque,
As seen from the East Portal Road in the vicinity of the Rollins Pass turn:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2010 - 11:35pm PT
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Right then,
Let’s dispense with the lowly grogging amongst the trees and narrowed trail,
And pop us right out into the soothing upper environs:
Haystack Mountain:
The overlook, reaching northwestward toward Heart Lake,
It is a nice little drop and a gradual rise to get over to yonder basin:
Heart Lake, cloaked and napping:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2010 - 11:42pm PT
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Once across the way at Heart Lake,
We turn toward GoatBoy and take in the upper head wall beginning with Haystack Mountain:
Haystack and James Peak:
Unnamed crag gracing The Divide:
Then take a slow swing along the divide north to survey the formidable cornice:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2010 - 11:56pm PT
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Basking in the weeds on a particularly comfortable day:
And we are out of here...
'Cuple them RoyBoy shots & this last one much thanks to GoatBoy!
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Mar 10, 2010 - 09:08am PT
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Every shot's a beauty.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 10, 2010 - 10:35am PT
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got to look back into your mountains in November from Buffalo Bill's last resting place... very inspiring
great reports that seem effortless in execution
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 10, 2010 - 11:31am PT
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Stich said:
I know how this one turns out. He he he.
Well yes,
For starters, it’s not as though every winter day is set with a perfect blue sky out this a-way.
As I’ve been unemployed, this year I’ve taken the opportunity to choose the best days to get good photos of high destination view opportunities.
But there’s also a certain comfort, psychologically speaking, of quietly moving through soft snow while enshrouded in insular winter clouds and snowfall. The whole experience is underpinned by a feeling of being buffered from all externalities save the vagueness and variances in the snow pack, the gentle trees and the whispering wind.
Beyond that,
Last time Tim and I went out, February 20 of this year, we used mountaineering boots & AT bindings on moderately fat skis.
When I sought an alternate track cut to the right on the way up to Heart Lake, (as shown by the red line below), which is featured on old maps…
We followed the tracks set by a pair of skiers clearly wearing full skins and trucking straight up rises and inclines with very little deference to the terrain features ...(green line).
Rocks Jox, with his old school Nordic skinny ski bias, would’ve understood!
We were running our short skins, much like using wax, and it was very difficult to maintain the profile of those who set the track and eventually we abandoned it, cutting some fairly steep slopes (not real smart) but keeping our altitude and carefully contouring onward into the upper basin.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 15, 2010 - 09:21pm PT
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Little Haute Route
12.5 miles car to car
1,820 foot elevation
11,030 foot high point
four plus hours
This is one of the few tours which does not return to its starting point.
Commonly done by leaving a car at Eldora ski area, then proceeding in a second car to the East Portal out of Rollinsville.
Not far up Boulder Creek Trail, maybe a mile or so, turn right here:
Following the drainage past Arapaho Lakes,
The trail, or the proper line as the case may be, lifts one out of the drainages sometimes popping out above Forest Lakes altogether, affording these views of James Peak:
(if the trail doesn't slowly, gently rise up out of the drainage leading directly to Forest Lakes, you can enter a terrain trap)
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 15, 2010 - 09:28pm PT
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 15, 2010 - 09:30pm PT
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The cirques cliffs and cornices above Forest Lakes along the Continental Divide:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 15, 2010 - 09:32pm PT
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Eventually the long slog out of Forest Lakes drainage leads one to a short stretch along Rollinsville Pass Road:
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