| Happy Trails: Follow in Fremont's footsteps |
| Wednesday, July 27, 2011 09:10 |
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In the remote La Garita Mountains of southern Colorado, you’ll need a compass, topographic maps, a guidebook and good orienteering skills to locate the 1848 campsites used by the expedition of John C. Fremont — with one exception. The Christmas Camp is the only Fremont site marked on the Rio Grande National Forest map, and it’s the only one with any kind of sign at all, so it makes a great trip for hikers who want to visit a camp without the rigors of roaming off-trail above timberline. It’s about four hours from Colorado Springs, a bit long for a day trip, but great camping abounds in this relatively unvisited area. In six hours of hiking, we didn’t see a soul on the trail. Take Interstate 25 south to Walsenburg, then follow U.S. Highway 160 west to Del Norte. About 9 miles west of town, turn right onto Embargo Creek Road. Turn right, and then make a quick left onto Forest Service Road 650 for three miles, following signs for Cathedral Campground. Turn onto Forest Service Road 640 and go for seven more miles. Passenger cars should park at the campground or shortly beyond. Four-wheel-drive vehicles can make it another half-mile to the trailhead. The hike Follow the Fremont Trail (No. 885) on an old road, now gated shut, as it rises through aspen forests to an outfitter’s hunting camp. The trail branches to the left immediately after the camp, and is marked with orange posts and blazes. Rock-hop across a creek and stay on the trail through pine forests and meadows, running parallel to the creek. A small bog will make you glad you wore waterproof boots. If you lose the trail, watch for the orange marks. After about 3 miles you will emerge from the trees at a sign for the Fremont Trail. Mesa Mountain, the 12,944-foot hump that doomed the expedition, looms above. Walk lazily up through the meadow, keeping the creek on your right, until you see a sign in a small island that says “Fremont Camp I.”
This marker, installed in the 1960s, is the only one anywhere identifying a camp. Cross the creek again and follow the trail uphill until you reach a rocky cairn. The camp is all around you, identifiable only by the stumps of trees hacked away by desperate, starving men — a testament to the events of that cruel winter. The trees were cut head-high, which is how deep the snow probably was. Backpackers could enjoy a night camped among the pines. Otherwise, return the way you came. Rio Grande National Forest, Divide Ranger District, 1-719-657-3321. Other camps can be explored on this trip, but be sure to pick up a copy of “Trail to Disaster,” by Patricia Richmond. Copies are available at the Pikes Peak Library District or the Rio Grande County Museum in Del Norte. Cathedral Campground makes a great home base for exploring the area. The free campground has water, clean bathrooms and, on a recent July weekend, was barely one-quarter full. A scale of one to four boots. One is most gentle. Four is most difficult, with severe elevation gain, difficult terrain or extreme length or altitude. • 3 boots Tags: |
