Scramble – Helen to Father Dyer to Crystal Traverse

This is a challenging traverse of a spectacular ridge connecting three 13,000 peaks in the Mosquito Range including Crystal (a "centennial" peak at about 13,850).  This will be a long day (probably 8-10 hours) with lots of scrambling over frequently exposed Class 3 (and some Class 4) terrain requiring stamina and focus. 

Our hiking pace will be brisk, but once the scrambling begins it will necessarily become more deliberate.

A more detailed description of the route can be found here.

The trip stats assume we begin on foot from the lower 2WD Spruce Creek TH.  Its possible we will be able to drive higher along the 4WD road which could reduce the trip to approximately 8 miles RT and 3500 feet. 

The meeting time and place will be communicated to participants a few days before the trip, but expect to meetup at the 2WD Spruce Creek TH by 5:30 am.  For those carpooling same-day from Fort Collins, this would require leaving town before 3 am.  There is some dispersed camping near the trailhead and lodging in nearby towns.  We will work out the options as a group once we have a roster.