Eugenia Mine Campout

      On Thursday morning we showed up in whiteout conditions at the Backcountry office to get our permit; after a very good breakfast at the Loveland “Egg & I”. The ranger responded to our announcement that we needed a permit for three nights with “Aha!” and a big smile. We wondered if that was a good sign or not. He was a great guy and cheerfully issued our permit explaining that since it was still winter conditions that we could camp anywhere in the “Inn Brook” area that we wanted and didn’t have to use the designated sight – bonus for us! He also told us that the Colorado Avalanche Information Center had just two days ago stopped issuing avalanche reports since spring has arrived and warned us to “just be careful with the new snow”. Comforting, eh?

      We arrived at the Longs Peak trailhead and were the first car to venture up that road since the snow started falling that morning. After fixing packs and such we signed in at the Trail Register and started up the hill. Two weeks prior, this trail had been mixed between bare ground and hard packed snow bank; but now it was covered in about 7 inches of fresh powder and got deeper as we climbed from 9,400 to 9,900 feet. The snowfall varied between light and heavy, but the whole scene was beautiful. Now and then the sun would poke out and at times little windows of blue sky would open. The snow however never really stopped falling for more than just a few minutes. Stickmon couldn’t get the big grin off his face – his cheeks were going to be sore by nightfall.

      We arrived at the Eugenia Mine site and decided that the two partial walls of the old cabin would provide an ideal shelter from wind and decided to make camp there. Inn Brook was flowing and provided an excellent water source, (although we later wondered at the logic of pulling water from a stream just down from an abandoned mine site and tailings pile). After stomping out an area to set up tents and rigging the tarp for our kitchen, we explored up the stream to the old mine site. A large pile of tailings sits alongside the stream and old poles rise from the stream bed where there apparently was an old sluice. Further upstream an ancient boiler sits on the ground. I wonder where the entrance to the mine is and plan to go back after the melt to explore up the stream bed further.

      After dinner when the sun went down, so did the temperature. It had snowed another couple of inches in the afternoon and we had to keep knocking snow off our tents. We commented that we’d likely be buried in by morning. After having a cup of hot chocolate (with Baileys) and debating whether Eddie would actually show up or not we decided to call it a night. Late that evening, I woke up when EddieS arrived in camp. He walked in and asked “Is this Roam Around and Stickmon’s campsite?” to which Stickmon replied from inside his tent “NO”. I barely woke up and just rolled over and went back to sleep hoping Eddie wouldn’t take the easy way out and come into my tent. Thankfully, Eddie set up his tent next to ours and we all went to sleep.

      The next morning, sure enough – my tent looked more like an igloo than a tent. I slept very warm though in my zero degree bag – this was its first time out and it performed wonderfully. Up to knock the snow from the tent – around 5 inches fell overnight and it was still coming down while we made coffee and breakfast.

      Eddie had come thru with the extra set of snowshoes for Stickmon to use and we fixed up fanny packs and daypacks and took off to see if we could find Estes Cone. Breaking trail all the way and in awe of the scenery we emerged into Moore Park to a very dramatic view of Twin Sisters to the east. Swirling clouds lay in the valley and around the twin summits making for a classic Rocky Mountain view. Estes Cone was shrouded in clouds but now and then we could glimpse the rocks on top. We picked our way through the trees to Storm Pass. At first we couldn’t locate the trail and just bushwhacked on a compass heading. Further up the mountain we found the trail and followed it up to the Pass. Beyond the pass, we picked our way up the steep slope and finding ourselves too far to the north when we reached the cliffs on the northeast side of the mountain. Working our way back around we finally arrived at the “staircase of death”. We were not on the trail at all most of this section and if anyone had followed our tracks they would have been complaining mightily at the steepness of the grade. On the summit, the snow was falling heavy and the wind was blowing fairly hard. It was very satisfying to reach the summit rocks and ascend the “Staircase of Death” to the ultimate summit. Our view was limited to what one can see when inside a cloud. So after about 30 seconds on top and a quick picture, we took off back down the mountain. I'd been warned not to do anything stupid, so I was very careful picking my way around the summit rocks.

      Back in camp with snacks, hot chocolate (yes, with Baileys) and then dinner, we discussed plans for the next day – an attempt to reach Chasm Lake. It felt colder tonight than the night before and I was in bed early and Eddie and Stickmon soon were in their tents as well.

      Up early on Saturday knowing that Chasm Lake was about a seven mile round trip. Again, more snow fell over night – about six more inches. Eddie broke his camp and was going home at the end of the day. We headed down trail towards the junction to head up to Chasm Lake in good spirits. Occasional sun, but mostly cloudy and the snowfall never really stopped. I learned this morning to never try to put in contacts in a gusting wind with snowfall - always do that in the tent. But contacts are pretty easy to find in the snow.

      The trail to Chasm Lake winds it way up Pine Ridge alongside Alpine Brook. Switchbacks lead to a sign that declares you are entering the tundra zone. We were lucky to be following snowshoe tracks from the day before that hadn’t been obscured yet. We really hoped that the tracks would lead us all the way up to the lake, but they stopped about a quarter mile from the tundra zone sign. We later found out that the tracks were left by a USDA Snow Survey person. From there we had to break our own trail. Three people caught up with us and we took turns leading the line up above tree line.

      Just beyond the tundra sign, you cross a foot bridge over Alpine Brook and encounter a sign that others have kept dug out of the snow. This one tells you of the LIGHTNING HAZARD and for some reason warning you to stay clear of horses. Also, we found a paper note on a small branch telling someone that a portion of a group had turned back at this point and they were safe. Hope the other party members got the message.

      Once we were above tree line on the exposed slopes of Mills Moraine, the wind was blowing very hard, visibility was very limited and the snow stung your face like little pellets and it was COLD. Of course the cairns that mark the trail were hidden and we knew that our tracks would become obscured from the wind and blowing snow fairly quickly if we tried to proceed the remaining two miles to Chasm Lake. Taking all the variables into account we opted to turn around. The other three were going to proceed a little further, but I think they turned around shortly after we did.

      Coming down always goes surprisingly fast. We had a blast coming down the steep slope – we cheated and cut straight down the switchbacks on the roughly 50 degree slope in about 4 feet of snow – kicking up a cloud of powder around us on the snowshoes – that was FUN.

      Back at the junction, Eddie went onto the parking lot and Stickmon and I discussed our options. We had done/attempted all that we had set out to do for the weekend. We summated Estes Cone and gave Chasm Lake our best shot. All the fresh snow made Mt. Lady Washington an avalanche risk so that was out regardless. We also knew that Loveland had a bar with cold beer and really good cheeseburgers. The only thing to gain by staying another night was another cold bag night. So, back to camp and break down, load the packs and hike out. When we got back to camp, it was evident that another two or three inches of snow had fallen while we had been gone.

      Our decision to head out was validated as a low cloud settled in the area creating a fog and we wondered if the fog wouldn’t bring rain or sleet to top off the snow and were somewhat happy that we wouldn’t be out there to find out.

      All in all, it was a great trip. We had some really good experiences navigating up Estes Cone and battling the elements on Mills Moraine. This was my first trip with Stickmon and he’s a true character and a solid hiker. We managed a successful camping trip even with the twenty plus inches of snow that fell after we set up camp, were able to stay warm and dry, ate pretty well and had an all around great time. Thanks to EddieS for the loan on snowshoes for Stickmon – the trip wouldn’t have been a success without those.

      Brief History of the Eugenia Mine: The Eugenia Mine had an even less successful history than Lulu City. It was worked by Carl Norwall and his family in the early 1900s, and although Norwall enthusiastically dug more than 1,000 feet into Battle Mountain, no ore of any value was found. Curiously, though, Norwall was able to maintain a relatively elegant log home, complete with a piano, for himself, his wife, and their two daughters. Today, the remains of the cabin and discarded mining machines can be seen along the banks of a shallow brook, and the mine and tailings can be found several hundred feet upstream.