Outing Supplement

Sierra Club, Oklahoma City Regional Group

Chama Basin, Colorado

Date: September 2-4, 2000 (Travel on 9/1)

Leaders:

• Guy Love (H) 946-0012; (W) 947-0410; soonerg@telepath.com
  P O Box 75695 Oklahoma City, OK 73147

• Assistant- David Franklin (H) 789-5377; dfranklin@ussok.com

Level of Difficulty:  Moderate to strenuous (due to altitude)

Outing Description & Itinerary:  Backpack to base camp where we will camp for 2 nights & day hike Chama Basin on layover day. The hike will gain 800 ft over 4-5 miles with an easy climb except for half mile where we will gain 400 ft.. Trailhead will be at 8800 ft , we will camp at 9600 ft, & hike up to 10000 ft in Basin.  The Basin has volcanic cliffs & there will be plenty of water along the trail with some stream crossings. Aspen along with pines are numerous in this well forested area.

Friday, 9-1: Meet at Love’s on Morgan Rd at 6:30AM & drive to Fri campsite in the Chama River camping area near trailhead.

Saturday, 9-2: Backpack to base camp from trailhead. Will cross  Chama River & have 3 to 4 stream crossings later as well. Will follow the west side of the Chama River for 2 miles then take trail up valley side (300 ft) to above river valley in lower part of Basin. Will try to camp along stream in fairly level point along the trail about 4-5 miles from start. Well forested with great views of Chama River valley.

Sunday, 9-3:  Dayhike in Chama Basin up the trail. Will try trail loop that will take us back to camp-about 10-11 miles. Some of hike along West Fork Chama River & have views of volcanic cliffs, waterfalls provided enough water, aspen & pine forests in one of the most beautiful valleys in CO.

Monday, 9-4:  Hike out to vehicles & drive back to OKC.

Fees & Costs:  Outing fee is $15 for members & $30 for non-members. The fee is payable at sign-up.

The transportation costs will be 15 cents a mile divided by 4 for car poolers with the distance 1300 miles round trip OKC to trailhead. (Approximately $50 per person.) You will also want money for food while on the road.

Transportation & Travel:  Transportation arrangements to & from trailhead are not a part of the outing.  The Club encourages carpooling to conserve energy & promote fellowship. The arrangements should be made ahead of trip but final arrangements will be made at the meeting point.  We will meet Friday at Love’s on  I-40 at Morgan Rd at 6:30AM. Club policy is to wait 15 minutes before leaving. Cars can be left there for car poolers.

Directions to trailhead: Take I-40 to US 285 at Clines Corner NM through Santa Fe to US 84 to Chama NM. Take NM 17 7 miles to Chama River Road/Forest Rd 121 turnoff on the left. The Lobo Ranch is a good landmark at this intersection. FR 121 will run 6 miles north through private property into the Rio Grande NF. There at the forest boundary take the left fork to the Chama River Camping Area.

Equipment:   See backpack equipment list for more information.  I expect the weather to be cooler than the other 2 backpacks this summer, so prepare accordingly. Also you might bring some gear for water crossings- they will be low this time of year but be prepared for calf high water just in case. The campsite Fri night will be dry so bring water for Sat.

Meals:   Each participant will need to bring 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, & 2 dinners plus trail snacks. Lunches should not require cooking. We will try to eat dinner Fri in Chama.

Weather & Conditions:   Temperatures will be in the upper 70’s during the day to the lower 40’s at night. Rain can occur this time of year in the mountains so bring rain gear. Bug season should be past but be prepared. You will need to properly store food in the campsite to keep it from being eaten by the varmints including black bear. This means hanging food bags in camp. The fire restrictions have been lifted for the national forest so we can have campfires.

Medical Notification:  Please alert the outing leader to any existing health condition you may have that can affect you on this trip & of any prescription medications you are taking. This would include, but not be limited to allergies (such as insect bites), respiratory conditions (such as asthma), diabetes, and heart conditions. This information will not limit your participation in any way and will be kept confidential.

Nearest Medical Facility:

• Chama, NM clinic: about 15 miles from trailhead.

Outing Rules:  Carry out what you carry in. No pets. No electronic music devices. No firearms.

Emergency Numbers:

• Rio Grande NF ranger station- Conjeros District: (719)-274-8971

• Chama, NM police: (505)-756-2319

• Archuleta Co, CO sheriff: (970)-264-2536(co ofcs); 911 system in CO

Cancellations:  If you signed up to go, but must cancel out for any reason, please let me know as soon as possible.

For More Information on this area (not the exact hike) see GORP's West Chama Trail