Needle Creek
Statistics
- Date - 08/22/2006
- Elevation - 11,000'
- Route - Needle Creek Trail
- Miles - 6.0
- Elevation Gain - 0'
- ACME Mapper - Link
- CalTopo - Link
- Partners - Aaron Reid
Description
Despite having planned another day in Chicago Basin, I had climbed the four 14ers and Aaron wasn't sure he wanted to make another trip into the upper basin. As a result, we decided to pack out Tuesday instead of Wednesday and informed Lyle and Tom of this upon their return. They also decided to depart a day early. The evening came quickly with rain showers throughout the night. After sleeping in until 6:00 am, Aaron and I got up, packed up our camps, and made our way back down to the trailhead for the 11:30 am train back to Silverton, Colorado.
The conductor let us on the train without a hassle despite having tickets for the following day. I quickly asked Aaron to hand over his cash so I could get some beers. The train ride out was fun as the trip was coming to a conclusion and there was no longer any anxiety regarding the weather or our success. We all gained some backpacking experience and learned of a few more pieces of gear we could purchase. We all agreed on was that more hot beverage mixes would be beneficial. Whether it be coffee, tea, or hot cocoa, being able to sip a hot flavored drink throughout the evenings not only re-hydrated you and changed up the monotony of water, it also warmed you from the inside out.
Photos
Durango/Silverton Train
Silverton, Colorado