From: Ken Flanagan (kenflan@raex.com)
Date: Tue May 07 2002 - 20:37:26 CDT
Greenwood Canyon to Copper Park! Ahh the memories. First I would like=
to=0D=0Aqualify that one as the toughest hike I have ever experience=
d in 10 trips to=0D=0Athe ranch. ( Even worse than the Black Horse to=
Baldy Town - over Baldy to=0D=0AFrench Henry - back to BC and on to =
Pueblano Ruins for the night) We did the=0D=0AGreenwood thing in 1999=
and had a perfect weather all day. We camped about=0D=0Aa mile up t=
he canyon that night and started our hike to Copper at 7 am=0D=0Afoll=
owing the jeep trail until it disappeared. From there we started=0D=
=0Aschwackin" up. I have to say that we really didn't have much of an=
idea=0D=0Aexactly where we were for most of the day and it could be =
very easily for an=0D=0Ainexperienced crew to get "confused" in that =
area. I know we crossed a fence=0D=0Aline somewhere along the way. We=
headed in a generally south to southwest=0D=0Adirection with the hop=
es of topping out on the ridge behind Baldy. We came=0D=0Aacross seve=
ral jeep/logging trails that seemed to follow the contours for=0D=
=0Athe most part. We would head in the direction that seemed to go up=
until=0D=0Athat trail would end then back to schwackin". It is very =
very steep back=0D=0Athere with no trails and considerable deadfall t=
o negotiate over and around.=0D=0AWe found a small snowmelt stream to=
refill our canteens that were running=0D=0Adangerously low by then. =
Saw a lot of interesting stuff back there from some=0D=0Areal neat an=
d picturesque canyons to literal devastation from logging. It=0D=0Awa=
s very slow going and several times we followed elk trails and tracks=
to=0D=0Aget through. It was heavy forest and couldn't see surroundin=
g features that=0D=0Awell. We just kept going up making our own switc=
hbacks as we went. I finally=0D=0Arecognized Wheeler Peak to the west=
and told the crew that we were far=0D=0Aenough around and needed to =
go straight up and that is what we did. We ended=0D=0Aup coming out o=
n the ridge about 500 yards north of where you start the last=0D=0Ast=
eep ascent of Baldy. It is an absolutely incredible site to come up o=
n=0D=0ABaldy from there. It was a highlight for our crew and their en=
ergy was=0D=0Arenewed. It was nearly 3 pm by then and the weather was=
still great. I was=0D=0Athe only one in our crew that had ever been =
up Baldy and I urged a crew=0D=0Adecision that broke my own rule of w=
hen to be off that mountain. We decided=0D=0Ato climb to the top befo=
re we went down into Copper Park and not come back=0D=0Aup the next m=
orning. Needless to say we had the top to ourselves. The view=0D=0Awa=
s only slightly hazy and the weather was still mostly clear in all=
=0D=0Adirections. We headed down into Copper and arrived about 6:30pm=
. That was=0D=0A11=BD hours on the trail, we were beat ,but were stil=
l exhilarated from the=0D=0Aincredible experience. The climb was spec=
ial for me, even though it was the=0D=0A7th time I stood on top of Ba=
ldy, it was the first time I stood up there=0D=0Awith my two sons. It=
was the high point of my years in Scouting. Would I do=0D=0Athat hik=
e again? Absolutely not, been there - done that - don't need to do=
=0D=0Ait again. Anybody going that way - pay attention to what Signe =
said in her=0D=0Apost about doing your homework before going that tra=
il.=0D=0ASorry for rambling on like this.=0D=0AKen Flanagan=0D=0A=
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