27 replies to this topic

[Jeffery]

HighPlainsMedic, on 15 July 2011 - 07:34 PM, said:

The pool of Jade is probably inaccessable.. the canyon above Emerald may be pretty well packed with snow.. I would defer to someone else who might know more.

I was thinking that might be the case, so doing Flattop/Hallet/Otis would make sense as the pool should be viewable from flattop. Granted, it wouldn't be accessible but unless it's under snow it should still be something we could see.

Quote

as for how to get to Otis.. Well park at Bear Lake Parking lot, head up the Flattop Mtn. Trail.. its a bit over 4.5 miles to the top. steep but not dangerous.. just kinda relentless.. If you can do twin sisters you can do flattop.


When you reach the top, Basicaly turn left,
Flattop is the moutain on the right... Tyndal Glacier is between Flattop and Hallets, DO NOT TRY TO GET OUT ON TYNDAL.. its a great view but.. watch out.. Hallets is in the Middle, Otis is left of Hallets and Andrews is to the Left of Otis.. You don't have to do the peaks if you poop out, you can just motor over to Andrews and backtrack back to Flattop.



Hope the map makes sense

Jeff]

Map makes *PERFECT* sense. Thank you very much.

When you mention not to get out on Tyndal glacier, I assume there is plenty of distance between the glacier and the ridge which connects the 3.

This looks like a great hike with tons of accomplishment & views.

[HighPlainsMedic]

Jeffery, on 15 July 2011 - 08:02 PM, said:

When you mention not to get out on Tyndal glacier, I assume there is plenty of distance between the glacier and the ridge which connects the 3.

There is more than enough space.. yep... just had to throw the red flag.. oh.. and BTW.. if you get on the North Inlet trail which runs between pairs of Rock Cairns. you will get too low to hit the peaks.. the divide should be completely clear of snow, and the tundra flowers should be quite a site.. Lastly, do this early enough in the day so if it starts to storm, you can get off the divide..the parking lot fills up early so get there before 7 am at the latest. ENJOY lol..

[jflo]

HighPlainsMedic, on 15 July 2011 - 01:09 PM, said:

Here's a comparison from 6/5/2011 when Ed and I came down it..

Wow. What difference a little (or a lot) of snow makes...

Have a great time Jeffrey!! Remember to take lots o' pics to share!!!

Edited by jflo, 15 July 2011 - 08:53 PM.

[Jeffery]

Will definitely start early enough to get a parking spot and have ample time before the afternoon storms.

Question (forgive me as I'm sure this has been asked a million times, I did search and didn't find anything). Is there a place I can download .GPX files of any trails/routes?

Thanks.

[HighPlainsMedic]

Jeffery, on 15 July 2011 - 10:20 PM, said:

Will definitely start early enough to get a parking spot and have ample time before the afternoon storms.

Question (forgive me as I'm sure this has been asked a million times, I did search and didn't find anything). Is there a place I can download .GPX files of any trails/routes?

Thanks.

you can try http://connect.garmin.com/

I don't know if you have to have a garmin or not..Google Earth is a place to start too..

[Jeffery]

HighPlainsMedic, on 15 July 2011 - 11:18 PM, said:

you can try http://connect.garmin.com/

I don't know if you have to have a garmin or not..Google Earth is a place to start too..

I kicked around getting a handheld, but have been using my iPhone4 with MotionX GPS which has been real good so far. Just a matter of getting tracks for specific hikes. If I'm on a hike that is well documented, most of the time the route will show up when I'm on it (assuming I have 3G or edge signal). I downloaded map details for much of the park, but it's difficult to tell exactly what I actually downloaded until I'm there and try to use them.

But for now, I'm on hold with Frontier airlines to see how we're even GETTING to Denver since apparently ~20 of their fleet was taken out by the hail storm that Denver got on Wed...

[HighPlainsMedic]

Jeffery, on 16 July 2011 - 08:19 AM, said:

I kicked around getting a handheld, but have been using my iPhone4 with MotionX GPS which has been real good so far. Just a matter of getting tracks for specific hikes. If I'm on a hike that is well documented, most of the time the route will show up when I'm on it (assuming I have 3G or edge signal). I downloaded map details for much of the park, but it's difficult to tell exactly what I actually downloaded until I'm there and try to use them.

But for now, I'm on hold with Frontier airlines to see how we're even GETTING to Denver since apparently ~20 of their fleet was taken out by the hail storm that Denver got on Wed...

check your messages.. and there is little or no cell signal in the park.. maybe above treeline and a good straight shot to Prospect Mtn..alongside Estes Valley..

[Mr. Jinks]

Cell phone coverage in much of the park is an anomaly; certainly nothing you can count on for navigation.

(In Wild Basin it is non-existent.)

[Jeffery]

Just to update this...

I knew that cell phone coverage would not be reliable and network connectivity would be basically nonexistent, so I pulled up maps of the areas we were hiking and downloaded them to my phone. MotionX GPS will work with downloaded maps and a GPS signal.

Through the trip I found it to be semi reliable. The altimeter function was sketchy at best. Mostly it was good for getting back to where we began when going off-trail. Other than that, the compass & topo map ruled =)

Will post up my trip reports, but ultimately we did not end up doing flattop/hallet/otis. Instead we opted for Mt Ida which was an incredible adventure.

[DeeCeeM]

Jeffery, on 10 August 2011 - 07:59 AM, said:

Through the trip I found it to be semi reliable. The altimeter function was sketchy at best. Mostly it was good for getting back to where we began when going off-trail. Other than that, the compass & topo map ruled =)

Yeah, technology is great; but sometimes you just gotta go with the tried and true.


(Besides, I've never had a paper map run out of battery power with no place to recharge. )

[mirak]

DeeCeeM, on 11 August 2011 - 11:17 AM, said:

Yeah, technology is great; but sometimes you just gotta go with the tried and true.


(Besides, I've never had a paper map run out of battery power with no place to recharge. )

Meh, my Garmin 60csx, with custom made 24k topo and routable trails, is better than any map. The trick is to charge the batteries before leaving, and carry an extra set. Can't leave "breadcrumbs" and retrace your steps with a regular map. Plus, there's the risk that a paper map will be blown away by the wind, torn, smudged, lit on fire, etc. And how good is that compass if the magnetic poles shift? Just too many unacceptable risks, if you ask me. Better to stick with tried and true, rock solid reliable GPS. At the very least, you should carry a GPS as a backup in case your map fails.

[foxfire]

Make a compass out of a needle. Magnetize buy rubbing on you silk 1st layer. Put it on a leaf in a small pool of water. Hope it works.

Fox

p.s. Careful of your metal belt buckle!

Edited by foxfire, 15 August 2011 - 08:01 PM.

[Bill 007]

foxfire, on 15 August 2011 - 08:00 PM, said:

Make a compass out of a needle. Magnetize buy rubbing on you silk 1st layer. Put it on a leaf in a small pool of water. Hope it works.

Fox

p.s. Careful of your metal belt buckle!

I'm cheap! Compass & map's work for me.

Bill