Leader in Training (LIT) Hike – Stormy Peaks-1943 B-17 Crash Site

This will be an out-n-back to one of the B-17 crash sites in/ near Pingree Park. We will be starting at the Stormy Peaks trailhead, following the Stormy Peaks Trail for the first .7 miles, at the sign for Denny's Point we will continue right, and at the next junction (where the sign says "Original Wagon Road to Pingree Valley" we will continue left and pass at .3 miles a small reservoir (Pennock Creek Reservoir). We will likely begin seeing green 'B-17' tags on the trees, as well as arrows made out of rocks on the trail indicating the correct direction, the last one pointing right, up the mountain to a boulder pile. We'll continue along the trail, which will follow alongside a stream part of the way and lead us past small waterfalls (possibly seasonal waterfalls). We'll come to an area with three poles sticking up out of the ground; at this point we will be 45 minutes to an hour from the site. Once we reach the wreckage site, we will see it strewn across the boulders heading up the mountain side, there are various pieces, including part of the engine, wheel struts and wing. This crash site is one of two B-17 crash sites in the area; this crash occurred on Oct. 18, 1943, on a training run coming out of South Dakota. The other crash site is located about 6 miles away off Crown Point Road in the Comanche Peak Wilderness, and while four of the ten crew did perish, six survived. (B-17 Crash Site - Comanche - CalTopo)

Carpool Meeting Location and Time: Will meet at the NW Corner of the King Soopers Parking Lot on North College in Fort Collins (King Soopers - Google Maps). Meeting time is 6:30AM, we'll depart at 6:45AM

We'll carpool to the Stormy Peaks trailhead parking lot (Stormy Peaks Trailhead - Google Maps)