The Colorado trip this year will be a small affair compared to our previous trips. Steve Rowse and myself will be the full Australian continents and Julie Kresko in Edwards CO is organising the US end. A number of her regular back country friends are coming with us to various huts. Trip planning has been completed for the next three weeks.
The plan at the present is based around some 10 Mountain Division Hut trips.
The first trip will be to Vances Hut on the Tennessee Pass north of Leadville for 2 nights..
The Second with be Benedicts Hut high above Aspen also for 2 nights.
In between these trips Steve and I will ski at the local ski fields and join Jules' friends on as many back country trip in the Edwards/Vail area as we can arrange.
After the Benedict Hut trip we will leave Aspen we will head to Pagosa Spring with Jules and some other friends. We are planning to ski at Wolf Creek for a number of day and will work out some back country day trips in the area. We are also planning to meet up with some old friends as well.
Steve will leave after this trip and I will stay on a Edwards for a few more days. I have yet to decide what I will do in this time.
The snow fall to date in Colorado has not been very good in the central mountains around Vail. Is has been better in the south in the San Juan Mountains and at Wolf Creek. A good snowfall about 1 week ago improved the cover. There has been little snow since.
Final packing today - Steve tells me he has done his first major pass at packing.
I am a bit of a mess personally as I have had a nasty mole removed from my cheek yesterday and have an unsightly bandage on the wound. I have been negotiating with the Doctor who has been concerned about this trip and was suggesting I cancel or delay it. Jules has a medical friend in Edwards Colorado who will look after my wound and remove the stitches after I arrive. My Doctor is happier to let me go now.
Flight out is on a Qantas flight at 3pm on Friday Feb 3. - I will arrive at Eagle Airport at 20:05. Steve will be travelling on a different flight and will arrive at Eagle at 19:35 just before me.
I'll try and upload more photos this trip.
