Ikenberry - Hiking Colorados Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness Areas

Hiking Colorados Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness Areas

Second Edition

Donna Ikenberry

To my husband, my best friend, my soul mate, Mike Vining

Copyright 2005 by The Globe Pequot Press

A previous edition of this book was published by Falcon Publishing, Inc. in 1999.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or by the publisher. Requests for permission should be made in writing to The Globe Pequot Press, P. O. Box 480, Guilford, Connecticut 06437.

Falcon and FalconGuide are registered trademarks of The Globe Pequot Press.

Spine photo 2004 Michael DeYoung

All other photos are by the author.

Cartography by Mapping Specialists Limited The Globe Pequot Press.

ISBN 978-0-7627-9745-5

Manufactured in the United States of America

Second Edition

The author and The Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Contents

Acknowledgments

I thank God every day for allowing me to see and feel the wilderness, to experience its explosive grandeur above timberline, to delight in a tiny wildflower growing out of hardened granite, to smile at the sound of bugling elk.

Though I often hiked alone in the Weminuche Wilderness, some friendsCarol Kaufman, Michelle DeLaria, Johnna Heberling, and Nancy Haynesjoined me on a few hikes. During my first season in the Weminuche, I had no idea that I would come back the next engaged to my best friend, Mike Vining. He made a couple of my Weminuche hikes extra special, and he completed all of the South San Juan Wilderness hikes with me. Friends Gail Harrington, Susan McNeil, and Gudrun and Beuford Durmon also joined me on selected South San Juan hikes. Thanks to those who provided shuttles: Aunt Audrey and Uncle Ray Vining, friends Thad and Tana Moore, and friends Nancy and Jim Haynes.

My family is forever in my heart. My parents, Donald and Beverly Ikenberry, bless me with their love and support. So does my brother, Don, and his wife, Yolie. Im also blessed with my husbands family. Roger Vining is a special dad, and the late Arlene Vining was a wonderful mom. Elder daughter Teri Vining Woodman, her husband Blaine, and their children Mitch, Victor, McKinley, and Rainieras well as younger daughter Lori Sturdavant, her husband Gary, and their children Dillon and Kyleare also dear to my heart. Equally so are brother Randy Vining and his wife, Terri.

I have many other friends to thank. Although you are too numerous to mention, you know who you are, and you are always in my thoughts and prayers.

I must acknowledge several outdoor companies. Thank you Columbia, Cytosport, DeLorme, Grabber, Karhu, Mont-Bell, and Mountainsmith. Thanks also to Patti Zink of the Durango Area Chamber Resort Association, who arranged for my Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad ticket. South Forks Roy Snyder let me use his computer so I could keep up with my e-mail. He and wife Sandra asked that I give thanks in memory of their daughter, Sonni. Special thanks also go to Linda and Jerry Tullos, who manage the South Fork Campground.

I would like to acknowledge Bill Schneider, my contact at Globe Pequot, for the information and help that he provided. In addition, I must express my gratitude to Sarah Mazer, my Globe Pequot editor. Thank you, Sarah, for answering my questions promptly, for your professionalism, and for the nice personal touch as well. Last, Im grateful to both the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests. Special thanks to Jan Peterson, Stanley Sparks, Ronnie Day, Peggy Jacobson, Phyllis Wong Decker, Ron Decker, Randy Houtz, Jody Fairchild, Antonio Lucero, and Jim Hong.

Introduction

When I think of the Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness Areas, a smile always crosses my face. Why? Because for me they are special places filled with wonderful memories. When I entered the Weminuche for the first time in 1997, I was a full-time photojournalist and traveler. I had been on the road for fourteen years, and my home was a fifth-wheel trailer. While working on an earlier version of this book, Hiking Colorados Weminuche Wilderness, I parked my RV in the wonderful communities of Durango, Pagosa Springs, and South Fork.

It was after my first summer of hiking in the Weminuche that I met my soul mate and best friend, Mike Vining. The following summer we hiked the Continental Divide Trail portion of the Weminuche togetherin love, engaged, and ready to find a place where we could settle down. Mike is a collector of books and outdoor gear, and I knew my full-time traveling lifestyle would be coming to an end. After the hike Mike went back to his home in North Carolina, and I moved to South Fork for a couple of months and found the place where I want to live for the rest of my life. Mike flew out to visit and agreed with me. Happily, Mike had always planned on moving to Colorado after retiring from the U.S. Army.

We married in January 1999. A few weeks later Mike retired as a sergeant major with thirty years in service, and we bought our home in South Fork in August 1999. I sold my tiny home on wheels and have never regretted that decision. It was an easy choice because Mike and I live in one of the greatest places on earth. We also live near two of the grandest wilderness areas in the country: The Weminuche Wilderness is a few miles to the west, and the South San Juan Wilderness is not far to our south.

Both wilderness areas are filled with see-forever views. They are places where waves of mountains rush to the horizon, where peaks stretch into the heavens. Coyotes yelp in wildflower-blessed meadows, snowshoe rabbits scamper down willow-lined trails, and beavers slap at sunset on silent lakes. In addition, black bears roam through lush forests, and elk herds tiptoe quietly through woods or congregate in meadows, feeding while hikers watch from a ridge above.

Nebo Lake, one of many beautiful sights on the Continental Divide Trail in the Weminuche Wilderness.

Tucked away in Colorados southwest corner, the Weminuche (pronounced WHEM- a-nooch ) Wilderness is the larger of the two wilderness areas with 499,771 acres. Named for a band of Ute Indians who lived, hunted, and fished in and honored the spirit of this stunning land, the area was first designated a wilderness in 1975. Its easy to find: Just get a map and look for the quaint towns of Durango, Silverton, Creede, South Fork, and Pagosa Springs. Then connect the dots of these towns. The Weminuche is smack-dab in the center, in the heart of the stunning San Juan Mountains.