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This horse pack trip is demanding and
designed for the horse and high country lover who want to disappear
completely into the wilderness.
This adventure is not for everyone. Recommended for experienced riders (no
fast paced riding, but difficult terrain), we cross 12 to 13,000 foot
passes nearly everyday. Some of our riding will be done off established
trails above timberline where it may be necessary to dismount and lead
your horse over rugged terrain. This expedition extends over the top of
the Sangre de Cristo Range into the wilds of the Rio Grande National
Forest. Traversing the spine of these mountains we steer clear of all
roads and habitations until we descend on Day Five.
The group will work as a team. Everyone participates in the care and
saddling of their horses and the setting up and breaking down of personal
tents. The staff cook, clean and pack horses.
This is an expedition, light-weight and mobile, utilizing all hands
towards the ultimate goal of reaching the next pass...catching sight of
the moving forest of elk.....simply, responding to the call.
 RTCO01 
Included: Accommodations, meals, 5 riding days
5 days/ 4 nights
Ultimate Grape Creek Ride $950
2008 Dates:
05/12-05/16 05/19-05/23 05/26-05/30
06/02-06/06 06/09-06/13 06/16-06/20
06/23-06/27 06/30-07/04 07/07-07/11
Ultimate Pack Trip $ 995
2008 Dates:
07/28-08/01 08/04-08/08 08/11-08/15
08/25-08/29 09/01-09/05 09/08-09/12
09/15-09/19
availability & reservation
Excellent
add on Weekend Ride available
Cowboy Weekend
Taxes: 3%
Gratuities: 10-15% suggested
Meeting: Westcliffe
Airport: Colorado Springs
Transfer Colorado Springs
7:30 AM at the Radisson Inn
Transfer: $70 return
Tack:
Western
Horses:
Quarter mix
Pace : Slow
mountain riding
- weekends with trots
& canters
Level: Low intermediate+
Min/Max Riders: 4-8
Notes:
If less than 4 riders sign up for any trip ... there is
a surcharge of $220 per person
TRIP ITINERARY
(July-Sept)
DAY 1 We meet in Colorado Springs 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 found and used by the white man for less
than, maybe, 200 years. Over 12 feet of snow fell on much of the Wet
Mountains this winter, and rain, hail, and snow can find riders in the Wet
Mountains every summer. You will get the opportunity to learn how the
Sangre de Cristo range gets its name (in English, the “Blood of Christ”)
if you see the morning sun strike the mountains and, for just a few
moments, the snow-covered peaks turn the pink of snow brushed with blood.
If you need to buy a fishing license, remember to ask your guide to stop
before we pass through the town of Westcliffe. You will arrive at the
trail head mid-morning, where we begin with a detailed lesson on riding,
saddling and care of your mount, then we pack up and head out. Quiet
riders will discover the joys of meandering through age-old aspen, pine,
and spruce to round a blind corner and discover mule deer, a porcupine, a
wild turkey, cottontail rabbits, or maybe a snowshoe hare. 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 mouth-watering
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.
The trail winds through low-lying bogs, across downfall timber, through
dark groves of evergreens, past fields of wildflowers, and ultimately
will lead you above timberline to a 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. |
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He’s a
friendly fellow 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’ 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’ 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 are so many small forest critters as well as deer and
elk, there are predators, and deep in the mountains we cross live 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 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 4-6pm. This is truly the most spectacular
day yet.These breath-taking,lofty views are perfect locations to watch for
some of our air-borne 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, 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’re at the
trail head too soon. We drive you back to Colorado Springs in time for
late evening flights or for a restful evening in a hotel.
OR if you are looking for a
couple of days of faster paced riding you can stay on at the ranch in
Westcliff until Sunday afternoon. Enjoy great rides across the wide open
rolling meadows. Overnights are in a very comfortable outfitter camp on
the ranch - showers, heat, beds. (dinner on Friday night not included)
EARLY SEASON ULTIMATE GRAPE CREEK
(May-July)
This ultimate pack trip takes place in the lower elevations of the Wet
Mountains and canyons of Grape Creek allowing for an equally 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 from the peaks to Grape Creek on a little known trail. We
momentarily pop out onto the Grape Creek access road, a point at which we
may meet others coming in to fish. We move 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
ALTERNATE ULTIMATE: Those times when the snow is so deep at the top of the
Sangres that the horses’ bellies would drag through drifts, but when we
still can’t resist the call of the Sangre Wilderness, we traverse the
eastern slopes of the Sangres in the San Isabel National Forest. The
description of this trip closely parallels the traditional Ultimate, 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 another adventure on warmer days.
Due to factors beyond our control, we occasionally find it necessary to
change the order or the route of these activities.
POST TRIP INFORMATION: At the end of your trip
you will be returned to the hotel sometime between 5:00 and 8:00pm. We
recommend making prior lodging reservations if you plan to spend the
night. If you must fly out that evening, please do not schedule a flight
before 8:30pm, to make certain you can make your flight. |
