Offshoot of the "Never Hike Alone" thread....

[theirishavenger]

Supposing a guy read that other thread and got a hankerin' to go do a solo hike with an overnight stay, where would you recommend I go? A nice little mellow hike, not too steep, good scenery, etc. I'm more familiar with northern CO, so I was thinking like Grey Rock maybe. Anybody recommend anything?

Chris

[xjmatt]

I'm not super familiar with northern CO but time of year is everything when you're talking about spending time in the mountains here. With the avalanche danger the way it is right now due to wind and snowfall I'd be picking my routes pretty carefully.

The area I'd look at though in Northern CO is the Never summer area. I haven't been there myself but I've been plotting for a trip this year.

I stopped reading the 'Never hike alone' thread after the first 6-7 posts. Did it ever get any better? It was going downhill fast as far as I could tell.

[denverd0n]

It was going downhill fast as far as I could tell.
And it continued downhill. Pretty much a bunch of people saying that if you prepare well and think it through then going solo is no more dangerous than the average walk through downtown at night. And a couple of others (though mostly just the OP) continuing to say that it is stupid and dangerous to go by yourself.

Ho-hummm.

[_CJ]

I didn't see the other thread, but for the most part it seems to me that the people who carp about not doing stuff alone don't actually get out and do much.

I do lots of stuff alone and I'm still kicking. Mountain biking, snowshoe, backcounty skiing, hiking, wheeling, etc. There have certainly been some incidents (broken foot, broken collar bone, knocked out & lost vision, snow fraturing under my feet), but I view them more as character building experiences.

[rubbersidedown]

One of my favorite hikes, that would makes a nice overnighter, is Rogers Pass into Heart lake! I wouldn't recommend it in the winter time (butt then again I am kind of a wuss when it comes to snow! :D )

http://www.protrails.com/trail.php?trailID=103

[Whitey]

A nice little mellow hike, not too steep, good scenery, etc........... Anybody recommend anything?

This is a nice over night hike, http://www.protrails.com/trail.php?trailID=47

Used to take my kids there, easy hike if you stop at Jasper Lake. Devils Thumb lake to the divide is steep with switch backs and in the winter, I would be real careful. There's a few lakes in that area worth hiking to, so, you'd have a choice.

Never Summer Wilderness is sort of steep and exposed, but, I haven't hiked all of it. It didn't even exist as a wilderness till not too long ago, has lots of mines, old shelf roads, and, IIRC, it has some steep grades, especially on the the Illinois(?) (Missouri??) River side. (South end, west of the divide). :shrug:

(Not gonna go pull the map to remember the river right now) :P

[xjmatt]

One of my favorite hikes, that would makes a nice overnighter, is Rogers Pass into Heart lake! I wouldn't recommend it in the winter time (butt then again I am kind of a wuss when it comes to snow! :D )

http://www.protrails.com/trail.php?trailID=103

I'd worry about avalanche on that Pass as well. I've hiked to heart lake from the Rollinsville side via James Peak wilderness area and that is a really nice hike summer and winter. Nice and mellow down in the trees but once you start getting close to the end of the canyon the snow will get deep and you'll be exposed to wind until you can get closer to the trees around the lakes. Trail finding can also get a little rough but finding your way back out is easy even if you loose trail. Been up there twice in summer and once in winter. Both times in the summer I wish I had brought my fly rod. Those 2 lakes look beautiful.