Moving To The Mountains For Summer

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I live in a town in the mountains of Colorado. I've lived in others before and in Denver.

Have you looked at just getting a summer job in a town in the mountains or do you just want to bum it? If you're just looking to camp/run/hike and not really integrate into the lifestyle of the mountain town summers, you can live cheap. If you want to be in town and get involved, might want to have some ca$h.

Are you looking to run/train or hike or rock climb? Not a lot of real mountaineering to do in CO; either walkups (14ers) or rock climbing (RMNP, Rifle, Black Canyon, Eldo, etc).

Your living situation depends on where you want to live. If you're say up in Breckenridge at 9500', camping isn't going to be super fun every night with lower temps and storms. If you're in most other "mountain" towns (6000-8000ft) its more doable with daytime highs in the 60-80s and lows around 40-50. Some towns have BLM land nearby which allows you 14 days before you need to move. With the right setup, you could fairly easily camp through the summer in those types of areas.

Food storage will be an issue with refrigeration and bears. I cant think of many issues in CO of bears ripping into cars, but might not be ideal to leave food in your car for 75 days.

Some car camping recs (ie craigslist/garage sale if you're cheap):

Solid two man tent (REI half dome or better; no walmart/coleman type crap)

Tarps for rain and sun shade

colapsible table and chairs

thick foam mattress (something more than a basic Thermarest)

5gal water jug

Coleman propane stove

cast iron skillet

earplugs

backpacking stuff

and... try to do your hiking earlier in the day then later if you're going to be up high.

All of this is very good. Emphasis on "THICK foam mattress" (not just a thermarest). Nothing worse than trying to train and waking up all creaky and beat up the next AM.

mountaineering advice - summit early, and be heading down well before the afternoon thunderstorms get going.

[quote]Dexter Rutecki and TJ Burke wrote:

I live in a town in the mountains of Colorado. I've lived in others before and in Denver.

I'm just gonna bum it this summer and camp/run/hike

I'm definitely trying to run everyday but also go on hikes and do some rock climbing. Running 14ers will be something that I want to do every couple days or so.

I don't want to necessarily have a home base. I kind of just want to drive from town to town whenever I get bored of a spot, but probably a good amount of time around the Leadville area.

I realize there will be lower temps some nights and storms from time to time but I will have my Xterra that I could sleep in in inclement weather situations

I also will be able to drive and stop a grocery store every two weeks or so, so I won't have to keep too much food at one time.... I'm mostly worried about bears like you stated. I don't know much about bears and their behavior.

I plan on buying a two person tent like you said.

A 60 liter backpack

Tarps

A nice foam mattress

Stove and Skillet

Would a hammock be recommended?

What about a gun and or weapon?

Is there anything to worry about besides bears and weather?

Obviously if I'm hiking or getting to high elevation I will want to start early in case of storms

I'm going to be bumming in the mountains, no job, and just trying to camp

Sounds like a summer to remember. I did something similar in Alaska 25 years ago-and spent much of my youth camping around Leadville where I grew up. In terms of a stove-Coleman fuel (white gas) is more economical than the little green bottles of propane. If you have a big white refillable barbecue grill propane tank, that's acceptable-though a little more expensive than white gas, and you've got that monster to look at and lug around. Cooking and boiling water to wash dishes with the little green bottles will cost 10 bucks every day or two. A gallon of 10 dollar coleman fuel will last a couple weeks. You can use unleaded from the gas station, but it will clog your generator (the little brass tube that vaporizes the gas in the stove or lantern.) Propane is easier to run, but white gas is not hard to learn, and is so much cheaper if you're running it all summer.

Baby wipes are your friend. Keep a clean camp. Bury your poop a foot deep. Burn your toilet paper. Solar shower makes life nicer. Don't wash clothes/dishes in the creek. Low impact camping. Use established fire rings. Don't go crazy with campfires. Watch for fire bans-you don't want to burn the place down. Biodegradable soap.

Officially, the forest service doesn't want you camping in any single national forest for more than 14 days. I've never heard of anyone getting busted unless they stayed in one campsite for 2 months. Move around, keep your nose clean and you should be fine. Beware of private property. You don't want to camp on some crazy hillbilly's place. The forest service office will sell you a map that kind of shows the limits of private property, etc. There are such offices in Dillon, Idaho Springs, Minturn, Leadville, Glenwood, Gunnison, Salida, Canon City, and I imagine Montrose and Durango. Maybe Alamosa. YOu can probably get them online too. The National Forests are delineated by drainage. Arkansas River (Leadville/Salida)is San Isabel, Upper Colorado (Dillon)is Arapahoe and (Meeker/Glenwood) is White River, Gunnison is Gunnison. Rio Grande (Alamosa,etc)is Rio Grande. Uncompaghre (Ouray area) is Uncompaghre and San Juan (Durango/Silverton)is San Juan. That's how the forests are administered, and in some ways they are little fiefdoms.

I've never had any trouble with bears. They are more prevalent in the 6000-8000 foot area than the 10-12K I'm more used to. Food in your car. Don't sleep in the clothes you cook in. Yellowstone and Montana are a different story, but in Colorado, bear problems are rare.

Don't bring a gun unless you plan on potentially killing someone. Seriously-I've been camping in Colorado for 40 plus years-hundreds if not a thousand nights- and never had the need for a gun on a non-hunting trip. Like the song says, it can get you into trouble, but it can't get you out. It's more risky in the Walmart Parking lot in Denver buying supplies than in any of the places you plan to visit in the mountains.

Fishing pole and license will make your hikes a lot more fun. If you're in the Leadville area-there are a bunch of high lakes above Turquoise lake that are really bitchin little hikes. Nothing better than fresh trout. St. Kevin, Bear, Galena, Timberline, Windsor, Native Lake, Three Lakes, etc. A bunch more a half hour north toward Vail in the Homestake Drainage. A few off Independence Pass-Blue, Lost Man. Each of these is a wonderful day hike. Check in with your family every few days. Tell them where you are going. If you don't check in, they'll know where to send the Sheriff. Be very careful if you're by yourself-a broken leg can be a death sentence if you're in a bad place. In the last month, three people have been found dead a week or two after their families reported them missing. In one case, no one knew where to look until people noticed the abandoned car at the trailhead.

The lakes are frozen until early July up high. Fourteeners too, are pretty snowy through July. Be careful. Don't be afraid to turn back. Read fourteener books-Gerry Roach's is good, Dawson is not bad-2 volumes-Bourneman and Lampert is OK too. Colorado Mountain Club has a book that discusses other peaks besides fourteeners-but it's not as detailed as the others.

Good luck. I may see you in Leadville metro area. I frequently go to all these places I list. I'm the 50 year old with a jealous smile.

Thanks for that reply Leadville Native. That was a great guide and give me all the basics I will need to live in the mountains this summer. Is it safe to bathe in lakes with soap or would that be a health hazard?

Also what would you recommend to buy to eat for long trips. Obviously I would like to eat fresh fish all summer but I can't bank on being able to catch fish everyday.

As far as hygiene, you should have four things: baking soda (kills odors instantly), baby powder (general mainteneance, toss a little into your briefs, hat, etc. to control "swampiness"),rubbing alcohol (astringent for quick clean up, saves on wipes) and hydrogen peroxide (antibacterial, great for the feet). In a dry alpine climate, you can easily go days without much water bathing if you keep on top with this stuff. When you finally do get a hot shower, you will jizz your pants...or..er...

Don't scrimp on the sunscreen. I have lived outdoors more summers than not the last 40 years and still have great skin thanks to early adherence to sunscreen and avoiding the rays when possible. Lost a few relatives to skin cancer and am keeping my (gnarly rock climber) fingers crossed.

For food, stock up on high fat, saltier fare like roasted salted cashews, almonds, almond butter, etc., and both fresh and dried fruit. Cabbage and kale are the most durable and nutritious veggies, they'll help keep you balanced. Canned beans, hot sauce, cheese, etc., all are staples. Keep a cooler wrapped in a sleeping bag-not only keeps it cooler but dampens odors for passing critterfolk.

If you go to a climbing crag (area), talk to people who have been on the road for weeks/months...many have great tips on living well in the open air.

Don't bathe in lakes-the suds are not good for the lake. It's safe for you, but colder than shiola. Get a solar shower, and soap up and rinse away from the lake. Let the suds soak into the ground, rather than float in the lake. The lakes in the Colorado mountains will shrink your manhood right up-38 degrees on the first of August. If you can last 30 seconds submerged in such water, you're a better man than I am. Even with the solar shower to take the edge off, it's pretty chilly. You can boil up a gallon or two and put that in the solar shower tank to bring your shower up above 75 degrees or so.Pasta, Rice are good carbs. Quick rice cooks without using a lot of fuel. At 10,000 feet, stuff doesn't cook as fast when boiled-the boiling point of water is like 185 degrees or something. Canned chicken is good for protein, but can be pricey. You can also sometimes buy frozen beef or pork chops, and keep it in a cooler for a couple days till it thaws. Fruit is fine. If you plan on hanging around a camp for an afternoon, you can make a killer roast chicken in a dutch oven. Not something to do everyday, but eating right is important, and dutch oven cooking is fun. Don't fool with camping dehydrated stuff. It's a ripoff. Pasta, rice, canned spaghetti sauce, canned chicken, and fruit. Potatoes are a cheap source of calories-a ten pound bag costs 5 bucks, keeps without refrigeration, and will feed you for a week or two. Dried mashed potato flakes are very light to carry, and fill you right up when reconstituted. I like to drink hot Gatorade or tang for breakfast. When you go to the grocery, buy some frozen meat, some eggs, milk and maybe some cheese, and some unfrozen meat. Let the frozen meat refrigerate your eggs and cheese and milk for a day or two, while you eat the unfrozen stuff. When the frozen stuff thaws, eat it, and then eat canned and dried stuff for a couple days. Fresh food will help your attitude. Dried, canned stuff gets old after a few weeks straight. Also, get a water filter. Don't want to get sick. Katahdin is good brand that I've had for a decade or so. IF you're in your sleeping bag for two months, you might want to buy a cheap liner-it's like a bed sheet that you can wash every few weeks. It will keep your bag clean. A sleeping bag can be washed, but it's hard on them-it's better to keep them clean and wash the liner.Campmor.com is a good place to buy solar showers, stoves, pads, water filters, etc. REI has the same stuff, but charges 50% more. I would try camping a weekend or two before heading out here, to make sure your setup will work. 2 months is a long time for a rookie trip. Do a shakedown trip to make sure your tent and bag and stove works. The other thing is try to have some human contact-either calling home, and/or chatting people up on the trail. A couple months camping by yourself can get lonely. Make an effort to stay ahead of that issue.Best of Luck!!! Camping isn't hard, but realize that life moves slower, things take a little more effort, and it's not quite as comfortable as living in an apartment. But it is nice-and your trip will be something you can tell your grandkids about.

100 trials wrote:

Thanks for that reply Leadville Native. That was a great guide and give me all the basics I will need to live in the mountains this summer. Is it safe to bathe in lakes with soap or would that be a health hazard?

Also what would you recommend to buy to eat for long trips. Obviously I would like to eat fresh fish all summer but I can't bank on being able to catch fish everyday.

I did what you're talking about in 2006. God, I am so jealous. You're about to have the time of your life.

Just try to get laid. Sex in the mountains, outdoors, is wonderful, especially under a night sky with minimal light pollution.

100 trails wrote:

Would a hammock be recommended?

What about a gun and or weapon?

Is there anything to worry about besides bears and weather?

Hammock - I have an ENO hammock; nice, but I wouldn't want to sleep in it night after night.

Gun/Weapon - As Leadville Native said... no need. IMHO, if you're in CO and feel you need a gun for protection from bears, you probably shouldn't be in CO. In the realm of dangerous objects, I would definitely have a decent swiss army or leatherman.

Things to worry about besides bears and weather - as aforementioned: sun exposure, proper water filtration and hydration.

A fishing license also gets you a little bit of financial coverage if you were to end up in a rescue situation:

Anonymous Pseudonym wrote:

For food, stock up on high fat, saltier fare like roasted salted cashews, almonds, almond butter, etc.

Why all the salt?

Bump

Expected to snow 24-30 inches Saturday night-Sunday Night in the central Colorado mountains. Forget the tent-you might be in an igloo this summer!!!

Crazy MF weather this year.