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Eldo West Ridge Access?

Bill Wright · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2001 · Points: 440

I'm fine with adding boulders to areas #2 and #3. Thanks, Mike, for your great work!

Brendan Magee · · Parker, CO · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0

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.

Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,665

WR in summer? YOu just wade it. The crossing will be a late Feb- May thing, I figure.

Mike McHugh · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 420
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.
Brad White · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 25

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.

Adding boulders so that one can rock hop on the north side of the stream would only be helpful during high water. Personally, when the water is really ripping through there, I would not care to be jumping from rock to rock as the death torrent is swirling about my feet. That would scare the snot out of me. It also seems as if there could be issues concerning boaters with this (I'm thinking of area 3 that Mike has in his picture.)

While the ramp that leads above that area is composed of water-polished rock, I've honestly used it for nearly 30 years, and it just isn't that bad. Yes it seems a bit dicey during high-water season, when it almost seems as if that raging torrent is pulling at me like a magnet, but then I just scootch across on my butt a little bit more to increase friction with the rock. I've never found the ramp to be so sketchy and slippery that it has kept me from climbing on the W. Ridge.

Downclimbing from the ramp (and staying dry) has gotten more difficult during high-water. If you are to make any changes at all, maybe a boulder or two in area 2 and 1 could be helpful, but even that is not absolutely necessary. Maybe you get a foot wet, but high-water season is also a warm time of the year, so cold has not been an issue for me on that crossing since the 2013 flood.

In regards to crossing the stream from the south side, I like hiking enough that I've never used that approach very much. You improve the crossing, and more people will come. I think any manufactured crossing will be dangerous during high water. In addition to my concerns regarding preservation, wouldn't that possibly make the Park liable if someone falls in and drowns?

Bottom line for me (and I think lots of Eldo lovers) is leave Eldo as natural as possible to preserve the experience.

Jfriday1 · · Golden, CO · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 40

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 :)

Brendan Magee · · Parker, CO · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0
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.
mark felber · · Wheat Ridge, CO · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 41

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.

I appreciate trail building efforts that reduce erosion, mitigate rockfall hazards and protect plant and animal life. Creating easy routes to the crags might be a little too much of a good thing.

Jfriday, if you don't like stinky climbing shoes (which are also part of the game), you can wear sandals and your feet will be dry when you get to the climb, or you can bring something to dry your feet with.

Mike McHugh · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 420

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.

The work site.

My plan is to go ahead and build a "texas crossing" in the area immediately west of the streamside boulder ("1" in the picture upthread). It won't be a full-on trail, rather, it will be a decent way to step across some boulders to connect the west side of the streamside boulder to the west ridge trail.

Egads, that's horrible explaining. I'll post up pictures when it's done - but I'm going with Brad's solid points and will try to make access similar to what it was before the 2013 flood. Nothing across the creek, nothing in the stream next to the streamside boulder.

More deets here: facebook.com/eldoTrails

Mike McHugh · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 420

Today we were able to get three big honkin' rocks in next to the wall. These should last through the big spring runoff.

Repaired streamside/West Ridge connection.

We cached a bunch of extra rocks and will revisit the area in the fall to reinforce as necessary.

Many, many, many thanks to: Brian, Bryan, Callie, Connor, Mike, Michael, Liam, Matt, Tom, and the vivacious Squirt.

We'll be heading up to Rincon to start a long summer of work building/rebuilding - I'll post up volunteer opportunities here and on the trails facebook page: facebook.com/eldoTrails

Jfriday1 · · Golden, CO · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 40

Nice

Em Cos · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 5

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.

Thanks again for all you do!

Mike McHugh · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 420


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?
Em Cos · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 5

Certainly worth at least considering.
Possible pros: solve the safety concern, seems like it would be less impact and less work than moving boulders, would eliminate possibility of impacting boaters, and would still require some time and effort to access west ridge.

Brad White · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 25

Thanks for the update Mike. Those are indeed some honkin' rocks. You must be doing some serious engineering to move those beasts around.

I hear the concern of Em Cos about the greater challenge for some downclimbing off the slippery ramp. I have observed shorter partners having a more difficult time with it than I have at just over 6 feet.

But with that said, I would really be disappointed to see that turned into a two meter rap. If it's one or the other, it seems a discreet handline would be more appropriate than turning that small spot into a full on rappel.

I have crossed that spot with significantly shorter partners since the 2013 flood, and it is certainly not impossible. To repeat what I said upthread, please keep Eldo as natural as possible, and where not possible due to safety concerns, the more discrete and low key solution, the better.

Thanks for the work, and for your obvious interest in seeking out input from Eldo climbers.

Mike McHugh · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 420

We might be talking about a different traverse. I'm thinking about this one:

High Traverse.

Last time I was up there, there was some tat on the base of a dead/dying juniper(?) that people were rappelling off of.

Brad White · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 25

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.

If I'm understanding your high traverse, I personally think it makes more since to use the low traverse that (I think) you've shored up using those big rocks. I've never used that high traverse, even during the highest of high water, and to my knowledge it is less "established" than the slippery ramp low traverse.

Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,665

I wouldn't place an anchor. I think the base walk-around is great.

WadeM · · Auburn, Ca · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 481

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.

Em Cos · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 5
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.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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