Backpacking The South San Juan Wilderness - "Epic" Loop Hike

[handyscot1]

Awesome video man. We really enjoyed this one. Take care.

[timgriz1]

thanks for the great video! it was a great video with great footage. But could you tell me what kind of hat you were wearing in this video? And also what kind of grill stand that you used to cook the fish? Again a great video!  hope to hear from you soon. Thanks!

[CrazyTaileZ]

@timgriz1 Thanks for watching! I appreciate the kind words.

The hat is made by "Faded Glory" and it is one of those lightweight squishy or stuffable style sun hats. I've had it for so long that I don't remember where I purchased it from... mabey Walmart or Target?

The grill that was used for cooking the fish was actually found nearby our camp while I was out gathering firewood! LUCKY FIND! Found it under a log, sealed in a freezer bag. I think its a toaster oven grill someone had stashed.

[4doctorjohn]

Another great vid of the South San Juans. Still haven't made it to Blue Lake but did mess around for about 3 weeks this summer backpacking the CT west of Leadville/BV. Two thumbs up!

[winnipegdiver]

Wow great video, thanks fir brings us with you on your hike, awesome water fall

[ihikearoundcom]

Well just returned from a few hiking adventures and did not get to see this video, So Col nice! So glad to see you fishing because our next adventure we are heading to the Adirondacks for some fishing (first time in the back counrty) but I have yet to select a pole will look into the ones you were using. Wow I am going to have to show Kim this hike, were hoping to get out there next summer! Sick Video! 

[CrazyTaileZ]

@ihikearoundcom Thanks Matt! Lots of people go to the Weminuche Wilderness in So Col which is right next to the South San Juan Wilderness but you need a permit to backpack in the Weminuche. I highly recommend coming here to The South San Juan Wilderness for at least 2 nights, 3 days. The fishing everywhere up here (except Lake Ann! :-D) is awesome! I hope you catch some fish and have a great trip in the Adirondacks. The pole i'm using is a collapsible Shakespear pole with a small spin cast reel.

[outbackoutside]

Thanks for taking us along.....AWESOME !!!! and of course, EPIC !

[kookiemoose]

Great video, just really enjoyable. Thanks for helping to kill my television, it becomes more and more of a dust collector with every video you post. You certainly have some beautiful country out there to escape into.

[CrazyTaileZ]

@kookiemoose Thanks moose! I plug my PC into my television to watch on big screen your epic videos along with everyone else I'm subbed to and I end up getting somthing WAY BETTER than sattelite or cable! ;) South San Juan Wilderness is one of my favorite places to backpack. I had to drive out of state to find a place to backpack that wasn't shut down from forest fire and drought conditions but we have had monsoon rain for the past 3 days so things will reopen soon. Glad you enjoyed it my friend!

[SnowLobo95]

Some of the most amazing hiking videos can be seen on your channel! Beautiful scenery and good music to go along with it. That footage of Blue Lake @ 5:00 minutes was amazing! It was cool to see you get up into some snow as well. So much diversity on this hike. Thank you for sharing this with us my friend!

[CrazyTaileZ]

@SnowLobo95 Thank you SnowLobo! Yeah, Blue Lake is a sweet place to just hang out for the day and enjoy the scenery... and some exciting fishing action too! It was cool and crazy to see snow in July up there but made for a great video/pic backdrop. Glad you enjoyed watching the journey my friend!

[hikinginva]

Terrific video!  I had the opportunity to backpack in these same San Juan mountains back in the mid-90s. I loved it there and I need to go back. This whole year I've been getting in shape, lost 60 lbs so far and still losing more. I've been vlogging a few of my day hikes around Shenandoah National Park and other areas of Virginia and as I said I'll be doing much more. I hope to re-join the backpacking world again soon, now that my health is much better. Looking forward to your vids.

[CrazyTaileZ]

@hikinginva Congratulations on the 60 lbs of weight loss! Thats awesome! Keep up the good work there my friend. Yeah, this has been one of those memorible backpacking trips that I will remember for the rest of my life. I think I will make it a tradition to hike/backpack/fish here in the South San Juan Wilderness each year. Thanks for watching!

[ThreeWheelJourney]

it is so nice to have a chance to sit back and catch up on your videos. Fantastic scenery... thanks so much for the hard work you do

[CrazyTaileZ]

@ThreeWheelJourney Thank you Dave! I have become quite the fan of your videos ("addicted" is a better way to describe it) and have really enjoyed watching you tour the USA. Be safe out there and I hope this crazy heat doesn't beat down on you for too much longer. Looking forward to your next video my friend.

[tstockt]

Another amazing video, no surprise. amazing scenery and perfect music. good to see the fish were biting too. keep em coming my friend.

[CrazyTaileZ]

@tstockt Thank you Brother! I appreciate you watching it. I'll keep cranking em out for you guys as I really enjoy putting these productions together.

[kb9akp]

What a great trip and video. South San Juan Wilderness is a very special place. Is it normal for Lake Anne to be frozen this time of year?

[CrazyTaileZ]

@kb9akp Thanks for watching and your great comment! The glacier state that Lake Ann was in is typical in May but a little unusual for July. I guess since most of the northern part of the country had above average snow pack, and southern Colorado had some heavy late spring snow, it makes sense that it would still be in the de-thawing process. It suprised us to say the least. South San Juan Wilderness is a VERY special place and I hope you get the chance to experience it some day my friend.

[wawhiker]

Grand spectacle this one! Massive scenery! It amazing how the change in elevation offers up different hiking zones for you to enjoy - (I'm not sure if 12,000 up is a joy for breathing but is sure looks stunning up there). Three cheers and two thumbs up for roughin' it! So good to see you plan a layover day into your hike - and what a productive one it was - nice string of fish and great two fish shot! This was just plan and simple pure enjoyment! Epic indeed - eye candy galore my friend!

[CrazyTaileZ]

@wawhiker It's quite the change from 10,000ft to 12,000ft. Timber line in southern CO is about 11,600 ft. Since I live @ 5,000ft, its not diffucult for me to aclimate but I do feel the difference in my breathing when I reach those high points. This trip was action packed and having a layover day made it more enjoyable. Fishing was sweet! Both of us were catching 2 for 2 each cast! Every trail in New Mex. is closed from fire danger so it was great to be in a cooler, safer environment. Thanx Bill!

[ez2curanut]

When does your 1st TV episode show? This was incredible, all the stunning footage; How many batteries you take along? Thanks for "taking one for the team" with those blisters...OUCH!!! That waterfall looks like it creates its own weather. LOL. Once again you out-did the last one :)

[CrazyTaileZ]

@ez2curanut Thanks Jim! Man, you're too kind! :D Primetime's not ready for me yet! haha I'll be compiling my YT vids on to BlueRay DVD at the end of the year and posting them for sale on my website to help offset the cost of the website. So I typically take 3 proprietary batteries with me. (Kodak Z1015) and 1 of those is strictly dedicated for timelapse. Also a 32GB flash memory SDHC card. That waterfall was throwing out so much mist, you had to stand 80ft away and it was REALLY COLD water!

[touchnova]

...oh yeah, get some moleskin adhesives for those shredded feet...I don't leave for long a hike without 'em. Cheap, effective...

[touchnova]

Epic is definitely the word for it! Insane views, fresh trout, Guiness and cigars...now that's how a fella should roll! :) A few years ago I did an 18 mile hike over the 4th of July holiday to a cirque lake just below 11,000 here in MT...was frozen up just like Lake Ann...was total deja vu watching that part of this vid...crazy! :) Many thanks for taking us along bro!

[CrazyTaileZ]

@touchnova Thanks for watchin Brother! Looked like a big ol natural solar array @ Lake Ann to best describe it. My friend Terry was laughing hysterically when we got up there (he saw it 1st) and I wondered what he was laughing at. He had his hopes on catchin more fish so when I got to where he was at, I then undertood what the mad laughter was all about! :-D 100% fan of the mole skin too! I gave mine to a friend last BPing trip but forgot to restock my pack again. Man, I wanna BP MT some day!

[monzanoman]

Awesome video and very pretty Colorado high country!!! It looks like you and Terri were having a blast in the back woods. Simply amazing video of wild flowers, catching high country trout, water falls, snow, rain showers, and much more. Gracias mi amigo Crazy Tailez - I always feel as if I were there with you guys on these epic trips!!!!

[CrazyTaileZ]

@monzanoman Da nada mi amigo! I owe you for helping me get this posted to the internet. This entire trip was all about the timing and man did I luck out! If I had gone earlier, there would have been too much snow to safely travel the trails and too much water to ford across in the stream sections... if I had waited too long, the monsoon rains would have brought dangerous lighting above the timber line and we would have spent too many hours in rain gear or hunkerd unter a tarp. Thank you again!

[monzanoman]

@CrazyTaileZ You don't owe me anything as your life time dedicated friendship has paid time and time again! I sure hope it begins to rain here in N.M. and the fire restrictions are lifted so we can get out and have a camp trip.

Again thanks for the videos you continue to post. Very incredible and as touchnova says it....Insane views, fresh trout, Guinness and cigars...now that's how a fella should roll!

Take care buddy!!!

[medicjimr]

Everyone has there own unique environment but I am always memorized by the western mountains the beautiful peaks water features etc. I am so glad you take us on your journeys my friend.

[CrazyTaileZ]

@medicjimr I'm glad to share with you and this amazing community of poeple who love the outdoors, my neck of the woods and I'm just as glad to see and enjoy the spectacular northeast woodlands that you share with the community. It's very valuable to me my friend and encourages me to get out there some day and be in and of it.

[rainbowhiker]

That really was spectacular views. I'm always amazed and the diversity of your state. Great looking waterfall. That was loud. Thanks for all the notes on and off trail. This is the way outdoor videos shouold be made. Thanks a lot.

[CrazyTaileZ]

@rainbowhiker Thank you John. This loop hike was somthing I had planned 2 years ago but inclimate weather shut down those plans. I could hear the waterfall roaring from way up on top of the continential divide and when I looked over, there it was! I thought I would try some "narration" in this video since I usually just overlay music with raw video. I credit you for that as I really enjoy the way you do so in your videos. Thanks for your delightful comment my friend.

[stefchollet]

great video, thank's guys :)

[CrazyTaileZ]

@stefchollet Thank you for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[debistogs]

Beautiful!

[CrazyTaileZ]

@debistogs Thanks for watching!

[intenseangler]

Epic trip Brother! Everything from some spectacular falls to stunning vistas to some killer Brookie fishing. Gotta say you were killin' me though... sittin' around camp with a fresh caught fish dinner and a cold one... now that's roughing it ;-) Killer shot of Blue lake at sunset too... one of the best views I can imagine seeing. Two thumbs up my Brother!

[CrazyTaileZ]

@intenseangler Thanks Brother! I was thinking about you when we were pulling out thos brookies. I have not caught trout like that since I was a kid with my grandfather. One of those lucky days where the fish just kept banging on every cast. (finally got more T-shirts... I'm mailing you off one this week.) Yeah, "roughin it"! hahahaa! I wasn't going to carry those tall boys any further up the trail even if we didn't catch fish. They were heavy just worth the effort to bring them.

[beast12101]

too beautiful, must be CGI ;)

[CrazyTaileZ]

@beast12101 It's quite the "eye candy"! I still haven't come down from this trip yet.

[Pallooka51]

I appreciate all the work that you put into your vids (and extra weight you have to carry). The time-laps over the lake was something special with the clouds in the reflection. Beautiful country! Thanks again!

[CrazyTaileZ]

@Pallooka51 Thanks for watching! I was quite impressed with how the time lapse turned out over Blue Lake and I felt very fortunate to have a wonderful sunset to complement it.