Post by Peter Bakwin on Aug 18, 2011 16:42:31 GMT -5
This page documents the "Pfiffner Traverse (Milner Pass to Berthoud Pass) & the LA Freeway (Longs Peak to Arapaho Peaks)
Mark Oveson hiked from Milner Pass to Berthoud Pass, Colorado, in 37h44m on July 29-30, 2011.
Buzz Burrell traversed the Divide from Longs Peak to South Arapaho Peak (LA Freeway) in 2 days, July 8-9, 2002.
Matthias Messner did the LA Freeway in a speedy 16h59m, August 5, 2017.
If I can just get off of this LA freeway
Without getting killed or caught
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke
For some land that I ain't bought bought bought
- Guy Clark (L.A. Freeway)
“In the late 1950s Carl Pfiffner spoke passionately about traversing from the Arapaho Peaks to Longs Peak along the Continental Divide. This project retains all of its original mystique and it the ultimate mountaineering adventure in the Front Range. The adventure can be extended by going from Berthoud Pass to Milner Pass. There are many variations to this complicated project and any attempt requires your creativity.” - Gerry Roach, “Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Classic Hikes & Climbs” (1989)
Given this intriguing description in the most prominent mountaineering guidebook to the area, it’s remarkable that this traverse has not seen more attention. In 1987, Roach & his wife linked Berthoud to Milner Passes (the only 2 paved roads crossing the Divide in this area, the dirt Rollins Pass road also crosses the CD, but with closure of the Needle's Eye tunnel many years ago it is not longer possible to drive over the CD there) in a 16-day backpacking and peak bagging trip, but they did not stay on top of the Divide. Taking some liberty with Pfiffner’s original idea, Roach dubbed this the “Pfiffner Traverse”. Roach's Pfiffner crosses the southern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park and all of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The route is up to the individual, but there will certainly be much rugged off-trail travel.
Mark Oveson linked Berthoud and Milner Passes in a quick time of 37h44m, July 29-30, 2011. He did not stay on the Divide and did not summit all the peaks along the Divide. Oveson called his trip "Fast Pfiffner", with the idea to simply accomplish the full traverse in a single push. He travelled 77 miles with 21,500 vertical feet of elevation gain along the way. He summitted 18 peaks over 12,000 feet. His trip was supported along the way by friends and his wife, and Oveson was accompanied most of the way. His evocative trip report is here (3MB), and his gps track is here.
Oveson describes the Pfiffner Traverse as follows:
"As adventures go, the Pfiffner Traverse is hard to beat. Guidebook author Gerry Roach conceived and executed its first incarnation as a 16-day journey [in 1987], hiking from Berthoud Pass to Milner Pass with full backpacking gear, camping each night and climbing dozens of peaks along the way. His goal was to spend time in the high country, to visit remote areas, and to climb remote mountains along the way. He named his journey the Pfiffner Traverse, in memory of a deceased mountaineering friend who had proposed a similar adventure, and he documented the trip in two popular guidebooks."
Andrew Skurka has created a backpacking route for the Pfiffner, which he says is 77 miles in total.
The first person to complete Pfiffner’s original idea of linking the Arapahos to Longs along the CD was Buzz Burrell, who did this giant project on July 8-9, 2002. Burrell stuck strictly to the Divide, only dropping down to bivy and collect water, and he summitted every significant and named peak (see below). The route requires some serious climbing, with several mandatory 4th and 5th Class sections, all of which Burrell did solo. Other issues are the lack of water along the Divide, and the fact that the route crosses the western edge of the City of Boulder Watershed, which is strictly off limits to human access (and patrolled!) To distinguish the project from Roach’s “Pfiffner Traverse”, Burrell called his route the “LA Freeway” - an irresistible name for sure! Oddly, the LA Freeway languished in obscurity until a recent, sudden uptick of interest. Peter Bakwin attempted to repeat Burrell's 2-day effort on July 24-25, 2017, but got rained off the tricky Shoshone-Apache traverse on the second morning & bailed out. He posted some details on the route on 14ers.com. A couple weeks later, on August 5, 2017, Matthias Messner completed the LA Freeway in just 16h59m. His trip report with splits is here.
Mark Oveson on the summit of Ooh La La! peak
Summits, passes and THs of the L.A. Freeway:
Mark Oveson hiked from Milner Pass to Berthoud Pass, Colorado, in 37h44m on July 29-30, 2011.
Buzz Burrell traversed the Divide from Longs Peak to South Arapaho Peak (LA Freeway) in 2 days, July 8-9, 2002.
Matthias Messner did the LA Freeway in a speedy 16h59m, August 5, 2017.
If I can just get off of this LA freeway
Without getting killed or caught
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke
For some land that I ain't bought bought bought
- Guy Clark (L.A. Freeway)
“In the late 1950s Carl Pfiffner spoke passionately about traversing from the Arapaho Peaks to Longs Peak along the Continental Divide. This project retains all of its original mystique and it the ultimate mountaineering adventure in the Front Range. The adventure can be extended by going from Berthoud Pass to Milner Pass. There are many variations to this complicated project and any attempt requires your creativity.” - Gerry Roach, “Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Classic Hikes & Climbs” (1989)
Given this intriguing description in the most prominent mountaineering guidebook to the area, it’s remarkable that this traverse has not seen more attention. In 1987, Roach & his wife linked Berthoud to Milner Passes (the only 2 paved roads crossing the Divide in this area, the dirt Rollins Pass road also crosses the CD, but with closure of the Needle's Eye tunnel many years ago it is not longer possible to drive over the CD there) in a 16-day backpacking and peak bagging trip, but they did not stay on top of the Divide. Taking some liberty with Pfiffner’s original idea, Roach dubbed this the “Pfiffner Traverse”. Roach's Pfiffner crosses the southern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park and all of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The route is up to the individual, but there will certainly be much rugged off-trail travel.
Mark Oveson linked Berthoud and Milner Passes in a quick time of 37h44m, July 29-30, 2011. He did not stay on the Divide and did not summit all the peaks along the Divide. Oveson called his trip "Fast Pfiffner", with the idea to simply accomplish the full traverse in a single push. He travelled 77 miles with 21,500 vertical feet of elevation gain along the way. He summitted 18 peaks over 12,000 feet. His trip was supported along the way by friends and his wife, and Oveson was accompanied most of the way. His evocative trip report is here (3MB), and his gps track is here.
Oveson describes the Pfiffner Traverse as follows:
"As adventures go, the Pfiffner Traverse is hard to beat. Guidebook author Gerry Roach conceived and executed its first incarnation as a 16-day journey [in 1987], hiking from Berthoud Pass to Milner Pass with full backpacking gear, camping each night and climbing dozens of peaks along the way. His goal was to spend time in the high country, to visit remote areas, and to climb remote mountains along the way. He named his journey the Pfiffner Traverse, in memory of a deceased mountaineering friend who had proposed a similar adventure, and he documented the trip in two popular guidebooks."
Andrew Skurka has created a backpacking route for the Pfiffner, which he says is 77 miles in total.
The first person to complete Pfiffner’s original idea of linking the Arapahos to Longs along the CD was Buzz Burrell, who did this giant project on July 8-9, 2002. Burrell stuck strictly to the Divide, only dropping down to bivy and collect water, and he summitted every significant and named peak (see below). The route requires some serious climbing, with several mandatory 4th and 5th Class sections, all of which Burrell did solo. Other issues are the lack of water along the Divide, and the fact that the route crosses the western edge of the City of Boulder Watershed, which is strictly off limits to human access (and patrolled!) To distinguish the project from Roach’s “Pfiffner Traverse”, Burrell called his route the “LA Freeway” - an irresistible name for sure! Oddly, the LA Freeway languished in obscurity until a recent, sudden uptick of interest. Peter Bakwin attempted to repeat Burrell's 2-day effort on July 24-25, 2017, but got rained off the tricky Shoshone-Apache traverse on the second morning & bailed out. He posted some details on the route on 14ers.com. A couple weeks later, on August 5, 2017, Matthias Messner completed the LA Freeway in just 16h59m. His trip report with splits is here.
Mark Oveson on the summit of Ooh La La! peak
Summits, passes and THs of the L.A. Freeway:
| Long TH | 0.0 | 9400 |
| Longs Peak | 4.8 | 14255 |
| Pagoda Mtn | 5.7 | 13497 |
| Chief’s Head Peak | 7.0 | 13579 |
| Mt Alice | 8.7 | 13310 |
| Boulder Grand Pass | 10.0 | 12061 |
| Tanima Peak | 10.5 | 12420 |
| The Cleaver | 11.2 | 12220 |
| Isolation Peak | 12.5 | 13118 |
| Ouzel Peak | 14.0 | 12716 |
| Ogalalla Peak | 15.1 | 13198 |
| UN12277 | 18.0 | 12277 |
| "Red Deer" | - | 12391 |
| Buchanan Pass | 19.2 | 11837 |
| Sawtooth Mtn | 19.7 | 12304 |
| "Algonquin" | 21.1 | 12574 |
| Paiute Peak | 22.1 | 13088 |
| Mt Toll | 22.9 | 12979 |
| Pawnee Peak | 23.5 | 12943 |
| Pawnee Pass | - | 12541 |
| Shoshone Peak | 24.9 | 12967 |
| Apache Peak | 26.0 | 13441 |
| Navajo Peak | 26.5 | 13409 |
| Arikaree Peak | 27.2 | 13150 |
| N Arapaho Peak | 28.9 | 13502 |
| S Arapaho Peak | 29.5 | 13397 |
| 4th of July TH | 33.8 | 10121 |
