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Re: [at-l] TRIP REPORT:lost in Colorado
A little while back there was a thread about GPSs and compasses. I'd like
to share a recent adventure I have had which had a happy ending because
of my compass. While on business in CO I decided to take the opportunity
to hike in the Rockies. I drove up to the RMNP and headed south from the
town of Estes Park looking for a trail that was not covered in snow. I
spotted a mountain (Twin Sister) that was not snow capped, or so I
thought. I found that there was snow but not so deep that I could not
hike to the 11,000 foot top.
Once on the top, I spent about an hour taking pictures and enjoying the
view. I had carried my compass (among other things) in my day pack. I
got it out to take bearings on different land marks mostly for the fun
of it. With the unobstructed view and my map and compass I was able to
get a good "lay of the land." Bye and bye the wind became very strong
and I could see cloud cover moving in from the west. I had checked the
weather before leaving and no storm was predicted. None the less, it
looked like a storm was moving in to me. Being about 5 or 6 miles from
and 3000 feet above my car, I decided not to dilly dally around in the
event the weather guesser were wrong.
Hiking down was slow going because the snow on the trail had been
compacted into ice in lots of places. Because I was alone, safety was a
major concern to me. I didn't want to hurry to an accident. The lower
part of the trail is used by horse riders, their recent visits to the
trail had added another slip hazard to the trail.
On the way down I goofed big time. I was watching my footing so closely
that I wasn't watching the trail. I took a wrong trail and hiked about a
mile out of my way on one of the horse trails. I think I was more
embarrassed and angry with myself than I was scared at being "lost." But
I was scared. I have great respect for mountains and the weather that
goes with them. After giving myself a good chewing out I started to act
intelligently. I didn't know when the storm would come or if it would
come, if it would rain or snow. I had clothes and food in my pack( I
always carry the "10 essentials.") but I really didn't want to be caught
in bad weather.
To bring this long story to an end, I got out my compass and selected a
heading that would get me back to the trailhead and my car. I was able
to bushwack for about a mile (30 minutes walking) and much to my very
great delight I came out of the woods right at the traihead.
The storm never came, just the clouds, but I can't predict weather any
better than I can the future. My ego took a beating but my confidence
got a real boost on that hike. I am very glad that I learned to use my
compass. I would have had a lot of back tracking up the mountain if I
had left my little friend at home. Hopeful
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