Long weekend in Northern Colorado

[Dan]

Companion forum thread to: Long weekend in Northern Colorado

I took a little extra time over the Labor Day weekend and spent four days in the Mt. Z wilderness. It’s a place I always enjoy, straddling the continental divide, between Steamboat Springs and the Wyoming border…

[Luke Schmidt]

Looks nice. What is a ribbon forest? I assume it’s a subalpine forest that hugs a ribbon of ground where trees can grow.

[Dan]

Near timberline trees sometimes grow/survive in thin bands or strips and the Mt Zirkel wilderness is a classic example. If you look at some of the photos, it should be apparent … it’s very distinctive. I think that it helps protect trees from wind and perhaps other harsh conditions. Krummholz could almost be considered an extreme case of this phenomenon, where stunted spruce grows in small strips, often on the leeward side of trees that did not survive.

Here are a couple more photos that hopefully illustrate the phenomenon.

[Luke Schmidt]

Makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.  Now that I think about it I’ve seen similar places down in the Rockies.

[Dan]

I think it makes for very pleasant and interesting terrain for hiking and camping, TBH. There is plenty of open space/tundra for walking, but one can still find shelter if desired.

[Ryan Jordan]

I love this place so much. It’s one of my favorite alpine wilderness areas in the CONUS. Cross-country travel is so good, and it embodies the notion of “wide open spaces”, but not at the expense of some incredibly rugged terrain and peaks. Thank you for sharing.

[Alex Wallace]

Wonderful pictures! Thanks for sharing.

[jscott]

I’m curious about these miner “cabins”. There’s a famous example, or anyway the remains of one on the way to Parker Pass in Yosemite. It’s built very low. It’s really a very small shelter that no one could stand up in, for example. Were these ‘cabins’ meant to be something more like a very solid tent, mostly used for sleeping and getting out of storms?

 

edit: the ‘cabin’ in your photo looks like it would have allowed for standing. I imagine that most did. Very small but solid.

[Dan]

I think that the top half of that cabin is long gone @jscott. When i see them in better shape they are generally not super tall, but enough for standing. Footprints vary a lot. That one is tiny.

[Dan]

I agree @Ryan Jordan. It’s a great place to explore, so many wonderful destinations and routes to discover.  Very underrated place, but one of my favorites.

[dirtbag]

Thats awesome! I love the open space within those mountains!! So different form what I see over here!

[Ben C]

Beautiful country. Thanks for sharing.

[Author]

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