Bear Basin Packtrips - Five-Day Ultimate Adventure Pack Trip

Bear Basin Pack Trips LLC
www.bearbasinpacktrips.com
info@bearbasinpacktrips.com

FIVE-DAY ULTIMATE ADVENTURE PACK TRIP - SANGRE DE CRISTO WILDERNESS OR GRAPE CREEK CANYON
“A memorable wilderness journey through some of the most remote and spectacular mountains in North America...with comfortable camps, world class guides and Colorado’s best mountain trained horses!” Designed specifically for the horse enthusiast and high country lover who wants to disappear completely into a lost mountain world, this five day ultimate horseback vacation takes you far from the crowded trials and backpacking hoards and through the forgotten valleys of Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area.
For intermediate to experienced riders.

DESCRIPTION

This adventure is for fit, experienced or confident riders only. We cross 12,000 ft high passes, riding up to six or seven hours almost every day. Some traveling is along rough, unmaintained trails that may require moving rock slides or chopping a fallen trees blocking passage. We sometimes cross valleys over old herder’s tracks above timberline where it is necessary to dismount and lead our horses over rugged terrain. We work together to make it the most rewarding and beautiful trip you can imagine. We believe strongly this trip is the best of its kind in the country. Definitely the staff favorite.

Our standard route crosses over the top of the Sangre de Cristo Range into the wilds of the Rio Grande National Forest. Traversing the very spine of mountains, we steer clear of roads and habitations until we descend on the last day. The group works as a team. Everyone participates in saddling, care of horses and in setting-up & breaking-down camp. The staff cook, clean-up, and pack horses. This is an expedition, lightweight and mobile, utilizing all hands towards the ultimate goal of reaching the next pass, or catching sight of the moving forest of elk. We work together to make it the most rewarding and beautiful trip you can imagine.

ULTIMATE PACKTRIP ITINERARY - Sangre de Cristos (high-rugged mountain terrain, beautiful and stark)

DAY 1: We meet in Colorado Springs or at Bear Basin Ranch and travel to the trail head. This route takes you from the eastern plains below Pikes Peak, traveling back into western history up Hardscrabble Pass through the Wet Mountains, across the Wet Mountain Valley, to the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. These locations are aptly named. Hardscrabble is just that—a narrow, steep, twisting canyon. Over 12 feet of snow fall on much of the Wet Mountains in a typical winter, and riders in the Wet Mountains may encounter rain, hail, and snow in the mountains on any given afternoon - all summer long.

As our pack string is loaded with duffels and supplies, one of your two wrangler-guides will give you and your friends or family detailed instructions on riding, saddling and the care of your mount. Setting out around midday, we wind up through Aspen groves, Gambel Oak and Lodgepole Pine, up and into a long glaciated valley. We will ride about four hours to our first camp in a lush meadow amongst the aspen at the base of the valley that will lead us up and over the Range tomorrow. We set up tents, picket horses, and soon the scents of a mouthwatering feast mingled with wood smoke entice us to gather round the fire for drinks and dinner.

Day 2: After breakfast with a bracing cup of cowboy coffee, we saddle up, load the packhorses, and begin the ascent up South Brush Creek. The trail winds through low-lying bogs, across downfall timber, through dark groves of evergreens, past fields of wildflowers, and ultimately above timberline to the craggy and windswept pass. Here you may hear strange whistling sounds warning others we’re coming—we’re the invaders here. If you look closely you may see this whistler—a rotund, waddling funny-looking fellow known as a yellow-bellied or mountain marmot. He’s a friendly rodent who lives in the rocks, subsists entirely on the greens of summer, and then hibernates through the harsh winter. (That’s “marmot,” not “varmint.”) It’s an incredible day of riding over a 13,000 ft. pass to our first glimpse of the vastness of the San Luis Valley framed by each peak and ridge line descending sharply below us. Ask your guide to point out our route for the next four days from this incredible vantage point. We ride down and establish camp amongst the aspen in Horse Thief Basin for a well-earned restful evening, another gourmet feast around the campfire, and a peaceful night.

Day 3: Morning breaks and while easing a few stiff muscles we work as a team to break camp after enjoying a traditional pack trip breakfast and lots of cowboy coffee. Today we’re riding totally on the west side of the range. Depending on our Forest Service permit, we either cross another 13,000 ft. pass above Cotton Lake and make camp along Rito Alto Creek, or go over two passes to settle in San Isabel Creek. Keep your eyes open, and you may find more signs of other Rocky Mountain mammals. When we drop into Elk Valley, we hope to see the larger cousins of the mule deer we spotted earlier. Unlike mule deer, who are more territorial, the elk are nomadic - constantly searching for food and a warm thicket to bed down in during the day. A bull elk, who stands about one and a-half feet taller than a mule deer, can run up to 35 mph, and during the rutting season you may hear them “bugling” as they call to their potential mates and warn off other bulls.

Where there is so much wildlife there are bound to be predators, and deep in the mountains we might cross paths with both cougars and black bears. Like the marmots, the black bears have a very short season to store enough fat to feed them all winter while they snooze in some dark den, so they munch all summer on whatever they can find. It’s not unusual to see tracks or scat of these fat, lumbering old fellows where they have stepped in some mud near a creek for a drink. If we’re very, very lucky, we may see one from a distance casually crossing our trail on a path of his own. The cougar, or puma, are even more reclusive, and few guides in these mountains have yet to see more than sign that one of these big cats have passed our way—but, you never know. . . The smaller predators, such as bobcats or coyotes, are more often seen and heard, and the coyotes have been known to gives us a thrill when they howl as we tell tales around the campfire after delighting in a delicious classic pack trip dinner.

Day 4: We lay over for the day to allow us time for hiking, fishing, or just relaxing—enjoying the day basking in the beauty to be found around camp. A hiking trip allows you the time and opportunity to enjoy the wildflowers close up. There are an amazing variety of wildflowers, especially at the peak of their seasons if there’s been sufficient water. In addition to the ever-present small yellow composites, you may find larkspur, elk thistle, monk’s hood, mountain bluebells, scarlet gilia, Colorado blue columbine, Parry primrose, wild roses, wild geranium, and hare bells, or if you’re truly fortunate, a Calypso orchid, also sometimes called a fairy slipper, Venus slipper, or lady’s slipper. If you climb above timberline, look closely at the Indian Paintbrush. Something unequaled at lower elevations happens here; often the paintbrush bloom in startling shades of fuscia or even a delicate off-white.

If you choose to fish, in these high waters it is a true delight. There are indigenous trout, but the State also stocks many of these alpine lakes and streams with Pikes Peak Native fingerlings, a hybridization of Greenback and Yellowstone or Colorado River, and purebred Greenbacks. You may also find Brookies or a Rainbow in some of the creeks and beaver ponds. These waters are not specially restricted, so pack your favorite gear: flies, lures, or hooks for bait, and come prepared to enjoy and share your catch for dinner if there’s enough! That night, after a sumptuous dinner, as the fire dies down and you drift off to sleep, you may hear the calls, hoots, and flight sounds of some of our spectacular nocturnal birds of prey: great horned owls, screech owls, and night hawks.

Day 5: After breakfast we break camp and cross over our last two passes (or three! depending on where we had our layover) and descend back to the trail head, arriving by 4 - 6 p.m. This is truly the most spectacular day yet. These breathtaking, lofty views are perfect for watching airborne predators: large, swift, powerful hawks and eagles who swoop to dine from the skies. You may see Swainson’s hawks, red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and, most majestic of all, golden eagles. Imagine what it is like to look down from your perch on high to see a golden eagle soaring with a wing span of over seven feet below, or to see him perched standing 3 feet tall! Deeper in the trees you may see a sharp-shinned hawk, a Cooper’s hawk, or the northern goshawk. We are back at the road too soon, and talk and reminisce about our adventure as we our horses neigh softly, awaiting transport home. We drive you back to Colorado Springs in time for late evening flights or for a restful evening in a hotel.

Alternate Sangre de Cristos Route
There are times when the snow is so deep at the top of the Sangres that the horses’ bellies would drag through drifts... but we still can’t resist the call of the Sangre Wilderness. Our alternate route allows us to traverse the eastern slopes of the Sangres in the San Isabel National Forest. The description of this trip closely parallels that of the Standard Route, but this trip runs from south to north instead, and we ride and explore on the sun-facing slopes, leaving the deeper snow in the darker, hidden valleys for warmer days.

ULTIMATE PACKTRIP ITINERARY - Grape Greek Canyon (warmer and gentler high alpine terrain, fishing intensive)

This ultimate pack trip takes place in the lower elevations of the Wet Mountains and canyons of Grape Creek and allows for spectacular trip when the Sangre de Cristos' are still clogged with snow. Days 1 & 2 are spent up amongst the peaks of Tanner and Curley in the San Isabel National Forest. Laying over at one camp allows for a great day-ride with spectacular views of the canyons and the front range peaks covered with snow. Day 3 moves us from the peaks to Grape Creek along a scenic and little known valley trail. We momentarily pop out onto the remote Grape Creek access road, a point at which we may meet others coming in to fish. We spend the next two days crossing and re-crossing the creek and exploring the canyon (now a BLM designated wilderness area) with its stories of old west mining and homestead history. We allow time to fish and relax in the contrasting lush green of the creek bottoms and the wild craggy country towering above us.

** THIS IS A SAMPLE ITINERARY. Based upon guests' needs and experience, we have designed custom programs to offer more intensive instruction, additional days, more difficult routes, etc. We have designed programs for many groups and organizations and would be happy to work with yours. (PLEASE SEE CUSTOM TRIPS).

* Due to factors beyond our control, we occasionally find it necessary to change the order or the route of these activities.

RATES AND DATES - 2008
Rates:
Ultimate Adventure Pack Trip - Grape Creek Canyon Route - $995 ($200 per person surcharge if 3 or less people are signed up by launch date)
Ultimate Adventure Pack Trip - Sangre de Cristos Route - $995 ($200 per person surcharge if 3 or less people are signed up by launch date)
Includes horses, guides, meals, tents, & instruction.
A 3% Forest Service Use fee will be added to the cost.
Round trip transportation from Colorado Springs - $60
Start Dates:
Grape Creek Canyon - Each Monday May 26 - July 8. Other dates may be available upon request.
Sangre de Cristos - July 28, Aug 4, 11, 25, Sept 15. Other dates may be available upon request.