Eldo West Ridge Access?
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I'm fine with adding boulders to areas #2 and #3. Thanks, Mike, for your great work! |
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This sounds like a nice idea to do, but I'm also worried West Ridge would become way more crowded during the summer months when the creek is high. I think when the creek is high, West Ridge naturally becomes less crowded because less people want to cross the polished boulder and also don't want to take the long hike in from Rincon. |
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WR in summer? YOu just wade it. The crossing will be a late Feb- May thing, I figure. |
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Brendan Magee wrote:This sounds like a nice idea to do, but I'm also worried West Ridge would become way more crowded during the summer months when the creek is high. I think when the creek is high, West Ridge naturally becomes less crowded because less people want to cross the polished boulder and also don't want to take the long hike in from Rincon.Roger that. How does this sound: Any rocks we place around the base of the Streamside boulder probably won't be useful above 100-150cfs. Just big enough to stay in place during runoff - mini-fridge, not VW Bus size. |
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Mike and all the good folks that work in Eldo, including ACE do such a great job of maintaining the "Eldo" experience that I'm a little reluctant to say this, but I'm not in favor of changing the approach to the W. Ridge in a significant way. |
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I support adding some rocks there to make the traverse a little better. Id rather not have soaked feet that then leads to stinky shoes :) |
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Tony B wrote:WR in summer? YOu just wade it. The crossing will be a late Feb- May thing, I figure.Yes, I know WR is hot during summer. But either early morning or late afternoon/early evening are nice on WR as temps are cooler. Anyway, I guess my point was not to make things so accessible with perfect trails. Part of the fun of climbing is always the approach, sometimes on some obscure trails (not always the case in Eldo). But all the trail work in Eldo is amazing and I appreciate everyone that helps. |
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I agree with Brendan and Brad. Keep Eldo as natural as.is practicable, don't add to the crowds on WR by making it too easy to get to, and keep in mind that the approach is part of the game. |
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Brian, Mike, Callie & I Got to work today - mostly drilling and trying out some rigging options. We were able to cache a few big rocks on the North side of the creek for future use. |
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Today we were able to get three big honkin' rocks in next to the wall. These should last through the big spring runoff. |
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Nice |
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I'm a little late to this thread, but I just wanted to say that I for one would greatly appreciate any work you do to make that section of trail/boulder safer. I'm too short for the step up/down from the higher rampy part to really work for me safely, (sorry if that doesn't make sense) and the lower part is slippery and sometimes terrifying. I usually end up heading way up the ramp and doing a short rap in from whatever rap situation we can rig up... which defeats one of the purposes of trails in keeping all the traffic in one spot. Anyway, getting things at least back to pre-flood navigability would be great, and in my opinion making sections 2 and 3 more workable and safe would be fantastic. But of course I understand there are other considerations. |
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Only putting this out there for discussion, and keep in mind that my only concern here is safety. w/r to the high traverse - is it worth considering rap anchors? |
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Certainly worth at least considering. |
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Thanks for the update Mike. Those are indeed some honkin' rocks. You must be doing some serious engineering to move those beasts around. |
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We might be talking about a different traverse. I'm thinking about this one: |
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For some reason I'm having a difficult time seeing Morning Thunder in that pic. Mike, but doesn't your high traverse (gaining access to the W. Ridge) put one in the vicinity of that route? If so, people have been downclimbing from that area to the W. Ridge trail for as long as I've been climbing in Eldo. |
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I wouldn't place an anchor. I think the base walk-around is great. |
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I crossed last night at the boulder and I certainly wouldn't recommend it. Upstream a downed log provides access, but it is slippery and a fall would NOT BE GOOD. |
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Mike McHugh wrote:We might be talking about a different traverse. I'm thinking about this one: Last time I was up there, there was some tat on the base of a dead/dying juniper(?) that people were rappelling off of.Mike, That's what I was picturing when you mentioned a rap anchor. I admit, I have been one of those geniuses rapping off a dead and half-rotted log because as sketchy as that is, still felt like the better option for me than the slippery traverse below... where I feel like there's a low way (super slippery and sometimes underwater) and a high way (which I think but am not sure may be what most people commenting are using?) and I can tell you that when your height is in the vicinity of 5.easy, felt to me very insecure. For me, personally, I think a rap station up there would be fantastic. Wouldn't really be any additional impact if there really is old tat already left up there. (Personally I've never left anything behind up there to do the rap) It sounds as though it's already something being done, and rap anchors up there wouldn't be visually obvious from the stream or the lower trail. But I recognize that many or most climbers may be taller and longer armed than me, more graceful, and less afraid of fast-moving water. So for me, I would love a rap station where you mentioned - but as the (probably) minority voice, if it is not right for Eldo, I will quite happily continue to perform whatever scrambling and rapping shenanigans I need to get to West Ridge. |