A 54-year-old Silverton-area man who planned a 26-mile backcountry snowshoe trek from Silverton to Lake City last December to benefit area youth centers recently made good on his pledge.
Steve Allen had to abort the trip in mid-December when he lost one of his snowshoes in 6 feet of powder after about 12 miles in Maggie Gulch. It took him five hours on one snowshoe to get off the mountain.
Undaunted, Allen waited until the end of winter to attempt the trek again. This time, conditions were more favorable, and he completed it in one 27-hour burst earlier this month.
“A lot of people were telling me to wait (through the winter) because of the (danger of) avalanches, so it was a big relief,” Allen said this week. “I accomplished the goal. It helped the kids out. I’ve already given the money to the youth centers, and there’s more to come.”
He raised $1,600 in pledges and donations for the youth centers in Silverton and Lake City. His sponsors included Ski Barn, Pine Needle Mountaineering, Backcountry Experience, KSUT and the Callaghan and O’Connor families of Durango.
Allen began his trip late May 3 outside of Silverton at Howardsville. Carrying a 50-pound pack, he went over Stony Pass, crossed into Maggie Gulch and Minnie Gulch, then dropped down into Cuba Gulch to Cottonwood Creek and the old town site of Sherman.
The trip became a hike at Sherman, as there was no snow there. Allen hiked to Silver Creek, then, back on snowshoes trekked along a shoulder of Redcloud Peak. He reached his high point at 13,200 feet on this stretch.
From Redcloud, Allen traversed toward East Creek, then climbed down to the Castle Lakes area to main road to Lake City and the end of trip.
jeisele@durangoherald.com
