Backpacking Colorado: Weminuche Wilderness Pine River to Continental Divide Loop

[@jonhenke1504]

I spent a week in that wilderness in 1968! We knew somebody in Durango and he had seven trail horses and we use them for our trip. Our pack horse had plywood packs for some reason and he spooked and ran over the guy who owned the horse's son and ran between to Aspen trees at full gallop and blew up both packs. I remember seeing loaves of bread and eggs flying 30 ft in the air. The owner was going to shoot the horse but we stopped him. Once he settled down he actually drove back to Durango and got the cloth packs we should have used in the first place and we picked up the food that survived which was most of it and got a late start. I was 11 years old in 1968 and it was quite an unbelievably wonderful trip. Of course in 1968 there weren't very many people and once we got ten miles back we saw no one the rest of the trip. No GPS no satellite phones no nothing, just a memory to head downstream to go home. I have about 100 slides of our trip due to no kind of small convenient cameras like they have nowadays. It's one of the most beautiful places on Earth and now I live in Arizona which is beautiful as well!! One thing that's different it's really sad to see all those dead trees probably from drought and bark Beatles!! There were no dead trees when I did the trip all those years ago!!

[@adamsfly6212]

I just recently came across your channel and it is now my favorite for hiking videos. Your cinematography is outstanding and you provide just the right amount of narration. It's been over 20 years since I backpacked that area and it doesn't appear to have changed. However, I'm sure there are more people. Thanks for sharing and please keep them coming.

[@DJM-yr7gk]

I am from Switzerland, renowned for its views and I am an avid hiker, but I have to say this: the abundance of colors in and the sheer beauty of the San Juans/Continental Divide must be unmatched on a global scale. Nice man!

[@MB-dp1rj]

Just returned from family's annual ski/hiking trip to Switzerland (Zermatt, Andermatt and Burgenstock in Lucerne)...it is truly one of the most stunning places on the planet Delighted you appreciate some of America's splendid wilderness country.

[@michaelsanfilippo7433]

Hello WWH, so much to say today. Just finished viewing, great job. Doing landscape still photography myself, I know how much work it is to take the images and then do all the editing. So all the hard work you do is genuinely appreciated by all we viewers. As I said before, your productions keep improving, and your style is spot on. I've mentioned how I really like the way you incorporate the use of the map; additionally, I like the short moving clips that give the feel that I'm hiking along with you. Your scenic and nature shots are becoming more cinematic, yet the mood is still friendly, informative and entertaining. Although I didn't really miss the background music, I still think it is a very nice touch. As a lifelong backpacker who recently retired in June, you have given me so many options for new journeys in my life. Already, I have followed in your footsteps to the Mazatzal Wilderness, the Mogollon Wilderness, and most recently the Superstition Mountains. I thank you for that. Now I'm looking forward to some warmer weather to venture along your paths in Utah and here in Colorado. Now, regarding this trip. I was amused by your troubles with the downed trees and overgrown areas in the beginning. You see, I am a volunteer for the San Bernardino National Forest, San Gorgonio Wilderness here in Southern California (for eight years). In addition to patrolling trails, helping hikers, monitoring water flow in the scarce creeks; I also spend many hours clearing brush and removing downed trees. I generally volunteer 300-400 hours per year. Throughout the country, the Forest Service has little or no paid staff working on trails in the Wilderness areas. Nearly all trail work in these areas is competed by volunteers. Most of the time we are alone on day trips or 2-3 overnight backpacks. No power tools are allowed so we must carry all our hand tools ourselves and do the work until we are tired. If the trees are too big to handle for one person, a crew of several volunteers will carry a 5-foot, two-man crosscut saw however many miles is needed to cut and remove the trees. Most of us are over age sixty. Some over age seventy-five. So the next time you are hiking a well groomed trail in the Wilderness, offer a silent thank you to all those hard working volunteers. Better still, when you have the time, look for a volunteer organization that you can become a part of and offer your desperately needed time. As an official volunteer for the Forest Service, I wear the official Uniform and carry a radio in contact Forest Dispatch in case of emergencies. On a couple of occasions I had to call in for Search and Rescue for injured hikers. So I know about risk taking and bad decisions. You made the right decision regarding that fire. You may have been able to walk past it unharmed, but I have seen up close how fast those fires can move and it is terrifying. As you said, you can always go back another time. Now, just for your information, all those dead pine trees you walked past are the result of Bark Beatle infestation that devastated millions of acers of pine forest across the Western States several years ago. Colorado got hit particularly hard. Anyway, thank you again for all your hard work on these productions. Stay outdoors my friend.

[@cjjt66]

Wonderful video! Great footage. I LOVE that you do NOT add music--I go to the back country for the quiet. You do an excellent job of describing your hike. And you do not spend too much time filming yourself. Keep up the good work!

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thanks! I try to do a little bit of everything shot-wise. It was so windy on that trip, music would have been pointless anyway, haha.

[@Gambeli02]

1:43:34 The bridge was wiped out by an avalanche way back in 2004-05. Although the FS cleared the trail, they never replaced the bridge. A couple hundred feet down, there's a place that's a little easier to cross.

[@akjack42]

I just wanted to thank you for taking me back to Flint Lake. It has been a very long time since I have been there. Wow close to forty years ago. Enjoying the video

[@WildlandExplorer]

Glad you enjoyed! I bet it was very different 40 years ago before pine beetles were in everything.

[@SummitSeeker546]

Nice video! Just found your channel. Here’s a tip on how to get more food stored in your ursack or bear can, repack your Mtn House in freezer quart bags. They work great. Usually the Mtn House I buy has 2-2.5servings per bag. That’s too much food for me. If I buy 2 Mtn House of the same meal, I’ll put 3 equal servings in my quart baggies and that’s the perfect amount of food for me. Also I use a Big Sky Insulite Cooking Pouch Single Size - 1oz while the food is rehydrating/cooking. If cold out you can tuck it in your puffy on your torso to warm up while it’s doing it’s thing….

[@MikeRodick-x2b]

This video is very reminiscent of My Own Frontier’s style of videography and narration. Thanks for posting!

[@strathack33]

Lol !! Definitely!! I was actually getting excited thinking this was a new channel by Joey… Not bad but Joey was the best !!!

[@tracykooken2606]

they NEVER dissapoint !!!! u did a great job amigo !!!! aftr the 1st tree i bet u where having spidey senses going off constantly 😂😂!!!

[@DrJohn493]

Planning next summer's western trip from here in the southeast, searched on Vallecito Creek/Johnson Creek and found this gem of a video. The Pine River section takes me back to 2010 when I backpacked in along that trail and up to Emereld Lake. Thanks for the memories. Absolutely stunning scenery captured well with your camera work and editing. Watched it in one sitting. Way better than the Discovery channel! Being flexible on the trail is always a smart thing, especially when avoiding unforeseen circumstancess like wildfires. Thanks for the vicarious adventure until I can get out next year.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Glad you enjoyed! It's my longest video too - would have been even longer without the fire as I had planned to do the halfmoon lake cross country route. Gonna be heading back there soon enough and will incorporate it into a different, longer route out there - possibly this year even. Thanks again!

[@davidherdrich7124]

I was google earthing the area when I did a search and stumbled across your video. Very cool to see what it actually looks like. Enjoyed that and look forward to seeing some of your other trips.

[@pepejuan2924]

Really good video, beautiful area and an A+ on videography, good work thanks for posting 👍😁💪🏻🇺🇸

[@milwaukeemotor5995]

incredible views all around

[@Piratedaveslife]

I go to Pagosa Springs for Elk season and hike up in the Wiemenuche Wilderness area. Spectacular scenery.

[@robertlange5587]

Fantastic job filming as usual, and great timing with that tree falling. Awesome...

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thanks Robert! There were plenty of falling trees on that day to choose from 😆

[@ronl8495]

Nice video, well edited and narrated! New subscriber!😎

[@brucecarroll4041]

Thanks!

[@AbelTravel]

Super awesome video of the wilderness. You give excellent narration and I enjoy your view of filming what you see in the wilderness. You have a love for rocks and mountains. Geology can be quite interesting to learn about. Thanks for sharing your video.

[@KayVgKatTV]

Beautiful Colorado. Nice photos

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

Awesome video, and quite a change after watching your Arizona and Utah hikes. Good choice giving the fire a wide berth. Even if you had avoided danger from the flames, the smoke can make for a very nasty experience under the exertion of hiking. That alone would have been enough to send me elsewhere. Hope you get to do Chicago Basin; there's some awesome scenery in there. Thanks for another great experience!

[@WildlandExplorer]

I'm definitely returning to the Weminuche ASAP. Thanks man for checking it out!

[@michaelrogers9898]

Brilliant video good video very informative thank you for sharing.uk.

[@tangenttrails]

Epic footage! Was there in 2018 and had to abort our plans due to the 416 fire. Came back in 2019 to get it done. The area you missed is beautiful and check out Chicago Basin. Thanks for sharing and stirring up the memories.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Totally, I've seen other video of the route traversing Rock Lake to moon Lake. The channel "This Girl Hikes" did a video of this area around the same time as me, but earlier in the year and she showed that section and I was immediately jealous. But only fools screw around with wildfires, lol. I purposely didn't cover Chicago Basin on this go-round as I figured I'd be back to film an entirely different trip later on. Thanks for watching!

[@tangenttrails]

@@WildlandExplorer I’ll be looking forward to it! Happy exploring!

[@DrJohn493]

@@WildlandExplorer Well, I for one will be on the lookout for your Chicago Basin trip!

[@gregchenoweth8963]

Great video. Wow! You made a lot of stops to shoot all of this. Perhaps that’s when you caught your breath. I enjoyed watching this on my quest 2 VR headset. It may not be virtual but it was viewing on a big theater screen. Awesome place. I plan on hiking the Elk Creek to Needleton loop this summer which includes the Vallecito trail. Thanks so much for going thru all the work and sharing.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Hiking twice through the camera isn't as exhausting as people expect because I have to stop for a minute to setup the shot. It just makes doing miles take forever and it's hard to ever go beyond 12 mi per day when filming. Happy you're enjoying Colorado!

[@DanielleMarieyt]

Looks so beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[@WildlandExplorer]

Wonderful place, if not windy, lol. Thank you for checking it out!

[@toddgrant7190]

Nicely shot. Thank you for posting.

[@MojaveZach]

awesome video, it's really well done

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thank you very much!

[@thebackpackblazer3973]

Beautiful wilderness my friend.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Yes it truly is, thank you for watching!

[@GiuliaontheSummit]

what a place 😍

[@caddis666]

That's some very beautiful country. Are the dead trees that are in some of the video the result of Mountain Pine Beetle?

[@WildlandExplorer]

Well part of it was being late October; everything up high had lost their leaves. But yeah Pine Beetle infestation has totally wrecked forests out there. I've seen videos from years past and the the pines in Southern Colorado looked completely different. Thanks for taking the time to watch!

[@DrJohn493]

@@WildlandExplorer Confirms my observations from 2010. I saw beetle kill in this video where there was none, or very little, in 2010.

[@ewokinthewoods]

I’m from Colo and never did this hike. Thanks for the adventure

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thanks Colleen! Hoping to spend more time out there next year.

[@SummitSeeker546]

I bring olive oil on all my trips and used to use the 2 fl oz Nalgene bottles but hated the oil running down the sides of the bottle. Found the Humangear GoToob+ Squeeze Bottle (L) 3.4 fl.oz. At REI. They are perfect for pouring or in this case squeezing out olive oil. They are a bit pricey but worth it.

[@WildlandExplorer]

At first read I read the (L) as liters and was trying to figure out if you were just drinking olive oil for your food out there, haha. That's probably about how much I bring, 3oz or so. Thinking about switching to ghee, for the flavor. I'm always worried about those flexible tube bags breaking and making a mess in my pack.

[@SummitSeeker546]

@@WildlandExplorer Sorry the squeeze bottles come in 3 sizes. (L) being, you guessed it, large! They are pretty indestructible. Me and a buddy have been using them for some time and have never had a problem! Loved your Ansel Adams trip. We did the JMT northbound around that same time; finishing at Happy Isle on 9/15. We got lucky and missed most of the smoke. In fact when we were at Virginia Lake we watched an incredible lightening storm that started the fire in the Sequoia NP. I think you got smoke from that fire. Enjoying your channel!

[@mccreary74]

Amazing content. What gear did you use to film yourself? Also can you provide a backpacking gear you brought for this trip?

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thanks! For static shots I use a Panasonic Lumix G9 w/12-60mm f/2.8 Leica lens. Walking shots are GoPro Hero. The G9 is a 2017 camera and still nothing matches it for quality vs. weight IMO. I tend to update the GoPro every few years when new features arise. My gear is always in flux and what is on that video is nothing like what I carry these days. That Nemo tent actually started ripping itself apart the night I camped at Nebo and I returned it to REI when I got back, lol.

[@SFkKennels]

Awesome Video! Thanks for taking me along! Watched every second. Did you see much wildlife?

[@Kisthename928]

You should hike the san Juan mountains in the summer when it is green

[@WildlandExplorer]

That does seem to be when everyone else hikes out there. The fall colors were cool to see & record but otherwise would have preferred the summer. Thanks for watching!

[@Kisthename928]

@@WildlandExplorer gotcha its still pretty

[@FrontlineLLC]

I love Colorado. Gonna add this hike to the list. What watch do you use?

[@WildlandExplorer]

Garmin Instinct for the watch. Love it! I bought it before the solar version came out -- get the solar if you can.

[@SoloSchmitty]

Great video! Thanks! Subscribed. I am curious how you get such smooth first person video while moving? Do you use a gimbal? Thx!

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thank you! No I actually just started using a GoPro 8 for 1st-person and fast action shots. All the other 3rd person & panning shots are on a Panasonic G9. Turns out GoPro doesn't suck like they used to a few years ago, haha. The in-built stabilization is scary good. I was convinced to buy one after seeing what some other folks have gotten out of them.

[@SoloSchmitty]

@@WildlandExplorer Awesome! Thanks for the info! I have watched some videos on some of the new stabilization and it looks great! I have a 5 and definitely cannot get a smooth video on the move which is ironic since it is an "action" camera :). Keep up the good work!

[@DaveOutdoors]

That was a really well put together production, enjoyed watching that. Thank you for sharing. Hats off to you for the editing. Just stumbled on your channel, subscribed to you and gave video a 👍 look forward to your future videos. Stay safe ATB Dave 👍

[@WildlandExplorer]

The secret to my editing is that I genuinely enjoy it! Haha. Thank you for the kind comment!

[@DaveOutdoors]

@@WildlandExplorer it certainly shows, I'll have a look through some other videos this evening. Stay safe ATB Dave ✊

[@keithgriswold6890]

Great video in some beautiful country, im hoping to make it out there this fall. Im curious, did you have cell phone service at the trailhead or anywhere else further down the trail?

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thanks! There is Verizon service on the north side of Vallecito Reservoir, but no service at Pine River TH. Once I get to the trailhead my phone stays in Airplane mode till I get back so I can't comment beyond that. I carry an InReach and highly recommend if you can get one.

[@azcolby40]

Why did you take a Nemo tent instead of your Zpack ? Beautiful videos

[@WildlandExplorer]

Funny story - this was originally supposed to be a Utah canyons trip I cancelled due to the megadrought, issues with water sources. I like semi-freestanding tents on slickrock; they are just less of a hassle than a non-freestanding tent in that environment. But I figured use it in CO anyway since it was a new gear aquisition. Anyway something I didn't show on video (because generally I like Nemo) is that the fly ripped about 6" on each side of one of the foot-end guyouts in those high winds on night 4. So that tent won't be making another appearance. 😂 Thanks again for watching!

[@Raevenswood]

my favorite Knorr side is the broccoli and cheddar fussily one .... add powdered milk, some oil or butter, boil then let sit in the pot for about 15-20 minutes. After that add tuna.

[@Starfish2145]

October is a dicey month to do that hike you could get an unexpected snow

[@WildlandExplorer]

Oh yeah I know, I had micro spikes buried in my pack on that trip. Anytime in the high country past Sept really.

[@milwaukeemotor5995]

interesting landscapes

[@denise20240]

You take us on some very wild hikes. Do you ever run into bears?

[@WildlandExplorer]

I've had a couple close encounters including one a few feet around the corner from me on the trail. Areas I hike black bears are mostly are big chickens and run away as soon as you yell at them.

[@AlCapwn369]

Great video. Loved the whole thing! I have a question for you-- if you've ever returned to the Vallecito Creek trail in early May and had to cross that creek crossing where there's no bridge anymore (they call it the 3rd crossing online and there's no bridge anymore), is it passable in early May or will that thing be like raging like crazy? Thanks.

[@WildlandExplorer]

I'd use the USGS flow data to inform any decisions to plan a hike around water crossings as big as that one. There's supposed to be a hand-line at that 3rd crossing but I didn't see it. Looks like early May to early June is peak snowmelt & peak surface flow. I prefer to do these hikes in late summer/early fall for precisely this reason. I'm not a local though and locals would know better than me. waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/09352900/#parameterCode=00060&period=P365D nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv/?cb_all_=on&cb_00010=on&cb_00060=on&cb_00065=on&format=gif_default&site_no=09352900&period=365&begin_date=2022-04-13&end_date=2022-04-20

[@AlCapwn369]

@@WildlandExplorer amazing response, I truly appreciate it. Thank you thank you. I will check out these links.

[@DaystarHiker]

I spend my summers in the Weminuche!

[@scottbideau]

How many miles did this end up being, including road walking back to the car?

[@WildlandExplorer]

I don't honestly track my mileages very closely, and my filmed hikes aren't the best reference since I am walking back and forth with camera shots. People not shooting video will easily do much longer mileages but it was somewhere between 7 - 9mi per day. I think the road walk back to the car was around 12 miles if I remember correctly. That part kind of sucked, haha.

[@shredhiker6209]

How did you like that pot cozy?

[@WildlandExplorer]

Works great! Tea is still piping hot in 20F after it sits for 15-20 mins in that thing. Not super durable though.

[@BS2Dos]

👍👍

[@strathack33]

Just happened across this channel. Bro, I don’t want to say you’re copying Joey Coconato from My Own Frontier, but you are definitely channeling him. It is obvious but there is nothing wrong with that. Joey has influenced numerous vloggers. You’re doing a great job !

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thanks! He was an inspiration for how to get going with a backpacking channel because it was arguably the best at the time.

[@Paulpoission]

I did a trip here a long time back. Great memories. It is a sin to not have brought a fly rod though

[@rucksackadventures4878]

Great video my mate love it keep up the hard work inspiring people I’ve liked & subscribed also feel free to check us out stay safe much appreciated Rucksack Adventures🇬🇧

[@maxasaurus3008]

That’s odd: a no trespassing sign 5:54

[@WildlandExplorer]

Before public lands existed, ranchers had vast swaths of land on and abutting what would later become public lands. Later, in the 20th century, these properties then became enclaves of private land surrounded by public land. Typically near a trailhead, thin corridors of public land stretch thru these old parcels of private land for a short distance until you are past the private property boundaries. This is typical of US wilderness areas in the west. This is one such corridor.

[@ronl8495]

Awesome video, well edited and narrated! New subscriber!😎