Backpack – ADV BKP: Ptarmigan Wilderness

This is an “advanced” backpack trip for people who enjoy long days, off-trail hiking, bushwhacking, and are 100% self-sufficient. For your safety and the safety of others, you must have the experience, skills, nutrition, and fitness to be successful as we will be hiking in a very remote and isolated area.

My goal is to have a safe and fun trip. This means we need to be prepared as individuals and aligned as a group. Please take a few minutes to read the information below before registering.

This type of backpacking isn’t for everyone, and that’s ok. But if you enjoy passing through extensive landscapes in relatively short periods of time, and enduring the physical and mental challenges that accompany these trips, then maybe it’s for you!

Prerequisites:

Skills: You must be self-sufficient in the backcountry and follow LNT principles. This includes, but is not limited to, having the ability to find an acceptable campsite, pitch your tent, cook, and pack in the morning. You also need to be proficient with navigation and have personal first aid skills to take care of common injuries like blisters, bug bites, cuts, and scrapes.

Nutrition: Meal planning is critical for success. Do you know your caloric needs while backpacking? Do you tend to pack just enough or do you pack for an extra day or two “just in case”? If you have questions then let’s discuss.

Gear: We will review gear before the trip, but from your experience you should already have a good idea what you will need based on the location and anticipated conditions. A light pack allows us all to move more quickly and to cover more ground, so your pack and gear (without food, water, and fuel) should weigh around 15 lbs or less, and you should carry few, if any, luxuries (e.g., no camp chair). Let me know if you do not have the ability to follow a GPS track in the field using a smart phone, Garmin, or other device. Also, you must expect and prepare for temperatures mid-20F to 75F, wind, and precipitation.

Fitness: You must be comfortable hiking 2.5 mph on a relatively level trail, climbing over 1,000 ft/hr (at a slightly slower pace), climbing over 4,000’ in a day (for two days in a row), traveling off-trail, and moving for 8 to 12 hrs/day (both days will be over 17 miles). You should know how your body reacts after hiking close to 40 miles and climbing over 8,500' in two days. All of this with your backpacking gear.

Daily Routine:

We generally will meet for breakfast at 7AM and begin hiking before 8AM. To make this happen, you will need to be mostly packed before breakfast. Over breakfast we will discuss the day’s plan. During the day we will hike as a group and take time to rest, eat, and manage gear. At night we will cook and eat as a group, and review the day. Prohibited: we will have no campfires for LNT, and no alcohol or recreational drugs for safety.

About this Trip:

The Williams Fork Mountains leap up and away into 12,760-acre Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness. A typical lodgepole-pine forest rises to Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir and then on to alpine tundra at the highest elevations. From Ptarmigan Peak (12,498’) the views are spectacular: west across the Blue River to the Gore range, north to the Never Summer range, east to Vasquez Peak. A high alpine ridge connecting Ute Peak to Ptarmigan Peak sees few hikers, and the trail completely vanishes in places.

This wilderness area is small by Colorado standards but the diverse topography is worthy of attention. We will have forest beauty and eye-opening views. We will have well-trodden trails and pristine tundra. What we will not have are the crowds found in more popular backpacking destinations.

We will be hiking a 36-mile loop over 2 days. Elevation ranges from 8,881’ to 12,498’. We will travel on-trail however the trail disappears at times due to lack of use. Day 2 requires a long traverse above timberline with no access to water for approximately 12 miles. This section may require an early start to avoid weather. This is a demanding hike given the distances and elevation.

The general itinerary is:

Day 1 – Drive from Denver and hike 18.5 miles to Camp 1. Elevation gain is approximately 4,150’
Day 2 – Hike 17.5 miles and return to Denver. Elevation gain for the day is approximately 4,450’

Registration:

If this sounds like it might be fun, please email me three of your recent hike/backpack trips including your objective/destination, distance hiked, elevation gain, and time to complete. Also let me know your anticipated base weight and confirm you have all the necessary gear. If you aren’t sure then let’s discuss. Please feel free to email me before registration opens as I will pre-populate the roster pending Leader approval.

TBD