Silverton, CO

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by aloft94

Snow don't bother me, I love it (the more snow there is the happier I'll be )

Really? If you are hiking just keep in mind, that people end up dead in the Colorado backcountry ALL the time. You just don't hear about much because it's always oneseys and twoseys that go. A lot of people are never found again or found after the winter.

Once you get into October above 8000 feet, it will start snowing and it's very easy to get caught out in deplorable icy snowy conditions and succumb to the elements, get lost, get disoriented, slip and fall, etc.

Not to sound alarmist, but it happens all the time, so I'd know where you are going and be prepared for anything if you set out hiking up there.

[florida_native]

Be sure to checkout Lake City, Colorado on your way to Silverton.

I spent a week in Lake City with my family summer of 2008.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Really? If you are hiking just keep in mind, that people end up dead in the Colorado backcountry ALL the time. You just don't hear about much because it's always oneseys and twoseys that go. A lot of people are never found again or found after the winter.

Once you get into October above 8000 feet, it will start snowing and it's very easy to get caught out in deplorable icy snowy conditions and succumb to the elements, get lost, get disoriented, slip and fall, etc.

Not to sound alarmist, but it happens all the time, so I'd know where you are going and be prepared for anything if you set out hiking up there.

Not to mention what can happen in Alaska in the following months.

[livinslv]

Originally Posted by aloft94

Snow don't bother me, I love it (the more snow there is the happier I'll be )

Uh...well you either have not experienced much snow or had to shovel it or drive in it much then if more is better.

One of the other posters mentioned snow fall above 8K feet, yes that person is correct and the higher you go the more that will fall and it will be generally very cold.

You will enjoy Silverton or Lake City. They are fun to visit. That's true.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Not to mention what can happen in Alaska in the following months.

I remember when I lived in Vail one year after the ski season was over, 2 local gals went to Alaska to hike, got caught in a storm and both of them died.

Even in the Vail area over the years I lived there, there were quite a few hikers that died, some took a while to find.

I come from a family of Colorado hikers, so I have heard plenty of stories going back many years.

What it comes down to is especially if you don't know the local area really well and when hiking in months like October, you better be completely prepared and know where you are going(that means having map reading and orienteering skills).

[jazzlover]

I have to agree with a person being able to understand the risks in hiking in the backcountry in fall. Years ago, some friends and I went on a day hike in mid-November in Taylor canyon, northeast of Gunnison. The morning started out cool, but clear. The weather forecast was for a slight chance of snow flurries. We were experienced hikers and had dressed in layers--we also knew our route.

By late morning, sun had given way to ominous clouds looking heavy with snow. We decided to abandon our objective and double back over a ridge to another side canyon that would take us back down to our vehicles. Well, before we were halfway up the ridge, we were slammed by a savage blizzard. We could only follow what we thought was the trail, which was being rapidly obliterated by the snow falling at about 3-4" per hour. By the time we topped the ridge, we were post-holing in snow over our knees--some places nearly up to our waists. Fortunately, we had brought lunch, water, and candy bars with us, which we decided to ration over the rest of the day, since we now did not know how long it would take us to get back down to the side canyon to get to our vehicles--in retrospect, a very wise decision. By the time we got to the side canyon, it was getting dark, but the snow had stopped and the skies had cleared enough that a nearly full moon was out. Good thing--the one thing we had not brought were flashlights. The bad part was, that with the clear skies, temperatures quickly dropped below zero. By moonlight, we were able to follow the creek in the side canyon back down to where our vehicles were, getting to them about 8:30 in the evening. We were amazed when we got into the vehicles--with lights to be able to see--that we all had about an inch or more of ice encrusted on our clothes from the ordeal. Fortunately, none of us got hypothermia or frostbite--but the outcome could have been much different if we had not been prepared or if we had made any one of a number of possible critical mistakes. What probably saved us from a really bad situation was that several of us were very familiar with the area and terrain, so we made the right decisions when it came to choosing from alternative directions along the way. A "newbie" who didn't know the "country" would have likely made some wrong--and life-threatening--decisions under the same circumstances.

As to Silverton and the San Juans, I have spent much time there and have a number of friends who either grew up there or still live there. It is a very unforgiving place for backcountry mistakes, either when hiking, ATV'ing, or 4-wheeling.