Rim Lake Llama Trip | Flat Tops Wilderness

Llama trips offer great opportunities to explore some of the beautiful and more remote areas of the wilderness with experienced backpackers and help restore these harder-to-reach areas. This ESWA llama trip will spend a four day weekend performing various forms of trail work and restoration activities around Rim Lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness in Eagle County, CO.

U.S. Forest Service rangers guide the trips. We will backpack in to camp on Thursday, 7/31, and set up camp away from the more heavily used areas near the lake. We expect to be back at the trailhead sometime during the afternoon on Sunday, 8/3.

The llamas often have extra capacity and typically carry some of our gear (tents, stoves, group beverages, sleeping bags, etc). The llamas are unable to carry tools, which may require participants to volunteer to carry a tool during the hike in to camp on the first day and back to the trailhead on the last day. The llamas walk steadily, but not fast. People generally hike at their own pace with one of the rangers arriving early to mark the camping area not far from a water source.

We are all responsible for our own food, cooking/eating gear, and camping equipment. Personal water purifiers (filters) are needed. Typically, the Forest Service requires use of bear-proof containers. Please let us know if you need to borrow one. We practice Leave No Trace camping so we don’t build campfires, but we generally eat together. ESWA also brings some happy hour supplies for everyone. In addition, please bring your own individual WAG bags for human waste. If you do not have any, please let us know and ESWA can provide some. The llamas carry the WAG bags back.

Objectives of the trip:

Clear trail corridor of trees and brush back vegetation to Rim Lake.

Trail tread maintenance areas where possible.

Campsite Inventory Rim, Shepherd, Shingle & Indian Lakes and along trail headed up to Rim Lake.

Remove fire rings and campsites too close to trail & and water.

Brush/Lop back vegetation on trail system surrounding the lakes.

Itinerary:

Day 1:  Meet at a TBD location in the morning and carpool to the trailhead. The first evening we have two camp options dependent upon a variety of factors (timing, weather, group fitness, etc): 1) 5 miles from the trailhead (1,700 ft of elevation gain) or 2) at Rim Lake (7.8 miles, 3,200 ft of elevation gain).

Day 2: Continue to Rim Lake if camped below Rim Lake. Set up camp for next two days. Once camp is set up, information about possible hazards and proper use of the tools is presented. Afterwards, we usually hike up the trail and break into smaller groups to do various restoration activities. These might include scattering illegal fire rings and restoring the area, restoring illegal campsites (typically on lakeshores), trail maintenance (erosion control, trimming vegetation, tree clearing, etc), pulling noxious weeds, and repairing and adding signage. Everyone works at their own pace, and we are urged to take frequent breaks and drink lots of water. We return to camp in the late afternoon to enjoy the wilderness and each other’s company.

Day 3: The third day will include activities that are similar to the second day.

Day 4: The last day is spent mainly backpacking out. Sometimes there is an opportunity to do some additional work for those interested.

Please contact krista.a.hughes@gmail.com with any questions.