Backpack – Buffalo Peaks Wilderness - Rich Creek Trail

Met 2025 BKPS Group 6 at Twin Forks Park & Ride on HWY 285 at 7:00 AM.  We started later than we wanted.  Stopped in Fairplay for a toilet stop and purchase of some forgotten gear.  Got to Rich Creek Trailhead later than planned, but the weather was spectacular and everyone was excited about our overnight trip.  We had a pre-hike briefing to talk about CMC rules, learning objective plans for the weekend, assignment of incident command roles, etc.  About a mile in we stopped for a water/snack break and to do some navigation orientation and refresher from an open meadow that we could see some features that posed interesting challenges regarding locating our position on the maps and also just some fundamental refresher lessons about map and compass.  We then hiked on to one optional camp location and did a walk-through on camp site selection fundamentals. We then moved on another mile or so to our camp destination.  We got to camp about 12:30 and because the weather was good we decided to have lunch before we set up tents.  We then set up tents and worked through water treatment/gathering and also knots lessons and setting up a tarp as a practical knot tying exercise and for shelter if we ended up needing it, which we didn't.  We then went on a short hike back to the west along Rough and Tumbling Creek for about a mile until the group decided it was time to go back to camp.  At camp we then went through the 7 principles of Leave No Trace and had a discussion about that.  We had a group dinner and many group members hit their tents for an early night.  Not long after dark we had a group member use their whistle to call out when they got turned around on a bathroom excursion.  One of the assistant instructors was on top of that and assisted in getting the group member back and re-oriented and back to their tent.  The night started out wonderfully, but during the night there were several periods of gusty winds which got worse until about dawn.  We were up and at it for the most part for breakfast and camp break-down by about 8:00.  Despite that goal of departure time, several team members seemed to lazily get around to it and we didn't end up leaving for our return hike until about 8:25.  Our hike out we were lucky enough to see a young bull moose munching on his breakfast down by the creek.  We hiked back about a mile to the location where we diverted off-trail to hike up to a saddle along a ridge with great views and which is a point that got us over to a historic mining site where there are pit mines evident and an old log structure that is in ruins.  From there we hiked back down to catch the trail back to the trailhead and cars.  One of three cars decided to get back to Denver right away.  Two remaining cars stopped in Fairplay for a burger before heading back.  There happened to be a bad wreck on Kenosha pass, so the return trip had us stop-and-go traffic from about half way between Fariplay and Jefferson all the way up and over Kenosha Pass summit......about 2-hours of additional time to deal with that.  This was a fantastic first trip and students and instructors were awesome!