BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Arizona Outdoors Club - ECPv6.16.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://arizonaoutdoorsclub.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Arizona Outdoors Club REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Phoenix BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20250101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20260813T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20260818T180000 DTSTAMP:20260608T031302 CREATED:20260525T153604Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260530T165459Z UID:5848-1786608000-1787076000@arizonaoutdoorsclub.com SUMMARY:Colorado Backpacking and 14ers: Chicago Basin Grand Slam DESCRIPTION:Deep in the San Juan Mountains lies the hidden kingdom of Chicago Basin ā€” a remote alpine cirque guarded by jagged granite towers\, wandering mountain goats\, and four ancient 14ers: Eolus\, North Eolus\, Sunlight\, and Windom. \nThe journey begins in the desert of Tempe\, crossing into the high country of southwest Colorado before boarding the historic Durango & Silverton train into the Animas River canyon. From the Needleton stop\, a steep 6ā€“7 mile ascent climbs nearly 3\,000 vertical feet into the basin\, where waterfalls echo through the trees and peaks rise like stone cathedrals above camp. \nOver 3ā€“4 days in the backcountry\, the summit team will attempt all four 14ers in a massive alpine push involving exposed scrambling\, endless talus\, thin air\, and rapidly changing mountain weather. Total trip mileage is expected to land around 30 miles with well over 9\,000 feet of elevation gain. \nA second group will have the option to enjoy a more relaxed wilderness experience by backpacking into Chicago Basin and hiking up toward Twin Lakes beneath the surrounding peaks\, taking in the alpine scenery without committing to the technical summit routes. \nWhether chasing summits or simply immersing in the basin itself\, the trip offers a rare chance to step into one of the wildest and most beautiful mountain landscapes in the American West. \nšŸ—ŗļø Location: Chicago Basin in the San Juan Mountains of Colorad0\, North of Durango\nšŸŒ„ Activity: Backpacking and Summit Push\nšŸ”ļø Skill Level: Advanced to Extremely Strenuous\nšŸ“Œ Total Miles: 14-32 hard miles\nšŸ„¾ Total Elevation Gain: 4500 ā€“ 10000 ft (at altitude)\nšŸ‘„ Max People: 12\nšŸ—žļø Costs: Gas ~$75\, Train $120\, Food\nā›… Weather: TBD\nšŸ§­ Meeting Place: TBD\nšŸ§³ What to Bring: Backpacking gear and food for 3-4 days in backcountry \nCLICK TO SIGN UP URL:https://arizonaoutdoorsclub.com/trips_and_events/colorado-backpacking-and-14ers-chicago-basin-grand-slam/ CATEGORIES:Trip ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://arizonaoutdoorsclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/images.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Raden Chambers":MAILTO:raden.chambers@gmail.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR