Arrow Peak, CO
Trip Overview
The Crew: Kevin, Sarah, BenRoutes Day 1 and 2: Approach from Elk Park at 8,860' (via the Durango/Silverton NGRR) to camp in Vestal Basin at 11,500' (September 2nd). Ascent of Vestal's Wham Ridge (5.4), descent of South Face, ascent of Arrow's Northeast Ramp Route (September 3rd).
Stats Day 1 and 2: 5.1 Miles, 2,900' (approach), ~3.5 Miles, 4,100' (Vestal and Arrow from camp)
Routes Day 3 and 4: Ascent of West Trinity's West Ridge, traverse to Middle Trinity, traverse to East Trinity, descent back to camp via East Trinity's Northeast Ridge (September 4th). Deproach back to Elk Park (September 5th).
Stats Day 3 and 4: 5.1 Miles, 3,315 ft. from camp at 11,500' (The Trinity Traverse)
Vestal and Arrow 9.3.11
This trip had been in the back of my mind since the first time I saw Vestal and Arrow from the summit of Sunlight in 07'. These peaks are just spectacular from afar, and they reside in the heart of an equally spectacular wilderness area in the Weminuche. I always knew I would head in to climb them at some point, I just didn't know when the opportunity would arise. Well with early-September generally lending to good weather windows in Colorado, and the potential for four consecutive days off from work, Labor Day weekend seemed like a good time to make this trip happen.I was able to round up two solid partners in Kevin and Sarah, with whom I had shared beers and stories several times but had never gotten out with. It just so happened that they had also been looking forward to climbing the Grenadiers, particularly the Wham Ridge on Vestal, for some time and just needed a little motivation to commit to heading in there. We boarded the train out of Silverton as a group of three, intent on hitting Vestal, Arrow, and the Trinities in a three night push from Elk Park. I'd like to say thank you again to Kevin and Sarah for picking up my train ticket, if it weren't for their generosity I would have been grunting it out from Molas Pass.
The Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge pulling out of Elk Park:
(photo by benners)
After becoming accustomed to two and a half hour plus train rides from Durango, the thirty minute ride from Silverton went quickly. I wasn't complaining though as inhaling smog isn't high on my list of preferred pastimes and we were hoping to have camp established in Vestal Basin by dark. After a 2:45pm drop off we were on the trail by 3pm.
(photo by benners)
The trail gradually gains elevation above Elk Creek for a few miles before it comes time to split off south near a prominent beaver pond. A steep, deadfall riddled trail winds up through the mouth of the basin, leading to a clearing at 11,400' below Vestal and Arrow. From the beaver pond to the clearing is something like 1,500' vertical. We arrived around 6pm and began looking for a campsite, eventually finding one a tad above the 11,400' meadow in a grove of trees.
Late-afternoon light on Vestal's west side:
After camp was established, we turned to pumping water and making dinner. Some Gordon's and Modus rounded out the evening nicely, we hit the sack around 8pm.
A word on approach strategy: We by no means had tons of time to waste in getting camp up before dark, but that being said a 2:45pm drop off at Elk Park gives more than enough time to get it done. We later discussed how boarding the train in Silverton at 2:15pm and being dropped off in Silverton around noon at the end of the trip has its advantages. One, you have the rest of the day to drive to and from Silverton (as opposed to boarding/being dropped off in Durango in the morning/evening), and two, you are on the train for a much shorter period of time. The only disadvantage is the pack in/out to Vestal Basin is a tad more rushed than it would be coming in from Durango, and if you're really moving slow, in theory you could potentially have to route find your way into the basin in the dark. That said if you move somewhat quickly you should have no problems with running out of daylight. In conclusion, we think taking the train from Silverton is the better of the two train options. Anyway enough on that...
Home sweet home for the next few nights:
(benners)
Camping in such close proximity to the peaks makes for a short approach in the morning. We left camp a little after sunrise and found a nice climber's trail that heads up from the east side of the 11,400' meadow, the objective being to gain the large bench below Vestal's North Face. Once on this bench, we got our first up-close view of the Wham. In person it is nothing short of spectacular.
(Sarah)
We headed climber's left to the base of the face and began scrambling up dry slabs until we reached a prominent grass ledge. This ledge cuts all the way across the face, providing easy access to the far right side of the Wham.
Kevin taking it all in:
(benners)
Myself and Arrow:
(Sarah)
Ledge Traverse:
(benners)
Once on the far right of the face, the low-angle and easy grade allows for a few hundred feet of fun, unroped scrambling up the ridge crest...
(benners)
...but before long the difficulty and exposure ramps up:
(benners)
(Sarah)
We found a nice belay ledge and started gearing up. The plan was to tie Kevin and Sarah into the end of the rope with about ten feet of slack in between them. This technique allows for longer pitches to be led as well as the climbers on the end to climb at the same time, making it more efficient than the standard method of tying a climber into the middle of the rope. The only catch is the climber on the low end of the rope has to take care to keep as much tension as possible on the short segment of rope without tugging too much on the middle climber to reduce shocking/pulling the middle climber off in the event of a fall. Doing it this way gave Kevin and Sarah a reason to hone their communication skills.
The first pitch went quickly:
(benners)
On to the second:
(Sarah)
(benners)
The only comment I really have from a leading perspective is that this face protects very well. It is rife with deep, solid cracks that take all kinds of pro. If you already burned a piece that you realize you could use, it's not hard to just find another crack that suits what you have. Overall for the Wham I'd recommend taking a set of stoppers, a set of hexes, and a couple of mid-sized cams and not a whole lot else. There are also plenty of rock horns that are easy to sling, so taking some webbing along is a good idea as well.
At the top of our second pitch we were directly below what we considered to be the crux of the route; a notch that forces you out onto the face proper. The holds on this section are a little thinner than elsewhere on the route, which is why it gets a 5.4 rating.
Bringing Kevin and Sarah up the crux:
(benners)
Above the crux pitch, a few hundred feet of exposed class 4 scrambling leads to the sub-summit...
(benners)
(benners)
From the sub-summit, a short class 3 section through a notch gets you to the true summit.
(Sarah)
We topped out around 10am. The views of the Weminuche from Vestal's summit are outstanding...
(benners)
Sunlight and Windom:
(benners)
From the summit, the route heads down off the south side of Vestal through a loose gully which Roach rates as class 2+. We found it to be more like class 3. From the bottom of the gully the route traverses west to the Vestal/Arrow connecting saddle. From this saddle another 500' of choss and scree fields spits you back out at Vestal's base. This south face route on Vestal really is a pain, and shouldn't be used as anything but a descent route in my opinion.
The Vestal/Arrow connecting saddle:
(Kevin)
We had been evaluating the weather all day and, though it didn't look great for a better portion of the morning, the skies seemed to be clearing for us at the opportune time. We were in between Vestal and Arrow when the sun came out and the remaining rain clouds burned off. We took this as a sign and decided to head for Arrow.
Kevin and Sarah, and the Wham:
(benners)
The route up Arrow takes the broad, southward-trending ramp to within a few hundred feet of the summit, then hits the North Ridge and tops out from there. The nice thing about this route is that it is almost completely on solid slab rock, no choss to deal with. Take shoes with sticky rubber if you plan on climbing this route.
(Sarah)
A little higher up the route gets steeper and slightly more convoluted. Keeping the route at class 3 requires some route finding, but there are a lot of cairns marking the way.
Kevin and Sarah scrambling
(benners)
We were all a little tired at this point but Arrow was all but in the bag. We gained the North Ridge and scrambled for a hundred feet to the summit.
Looking down the route from the top, the ramp can be seen far below:
(Sarah)
Arrow summit:
(benners)
This summit was particularly special for us; an awesome day capped off by a dramatic summit with outstanding views of the Weminuche and beyond. It doesn't get much better than this.
Looking south towards the Pigeon and Eolus groups:
(benners)
Jagged:
(Sarah)
After devouring a can of Salt n' Vinegar Pringles we starting back down. Back on the ramp, the descent goes quickly as you can just walk down the solid slabs. I would echo though that this route would certainly be dangerous if wet.
On the descent:
(Sarah)
Since I've featured so many photos of the Wham in this TR, I think one more couldn't hurt...
A last look at Wham:
(benners)
We descended back to camp and enjoyed Cuban Cigars and IPAs with our neighbors before trading in for the night.
The Trinity Peaks 9.4.11
The Wham Ridge on Vestal was always the prize of this trip, and Arrow was undoubtedly priority number two. Having no idea how smoothly these two peaks would go for us we made sure to keep our expectations in check regarding the Trinity Traverse. Well as fortune would have it, an unexpected turn in the weather allowed us to get Vestal and Arrow on the first day, leaving us free to go after some day two extra credit on the Trinity Peaks. It's always nice when things go according to plan on a relatively committing trip like this one. With Vestal and Arrow in the bag, and the Trinities being a much easier day, we finally allowed ourselves some hope of leaving Vestal Basin with all five peaks.We ended up departing camp around 8am on the morning of the 4th, a few hours later than planned. Kevin and Sarah were able to get decent night of sleep and were good to go around 6am, whereas I had been up most of the night with stomach problems that nearly prevented me from being able to hike at all. Something I had eaten the evening before didn't agree with me, which made for a rather uncomfortable night in the tent (not to go into too much detail). By 6am I was drinking fluids and eating again and by 8am I was able to muster the energy (or will of mind) to have a go at the Trinities. We set out from camp with low expectations once again, reasoning we could turn back if my stomach wasn't up to the task. Kevin and Sarah being the thoughtful and gracious partners they are told me if I turned back they would as well, and that their motto for the day was "we all summit or none of us summit". I personally thought this was really cool, and a great example of group camaraderie that we should all strive for when in the mountains.
From a meadow around 11,700' the route heads right (south) up a steep slope through some patches of willows. I'm not sure we were ever on the correct trail but the general goal is to gain the large basin in between Vestal and West Trinity. We were all a little beat from the previous two days but we were making decent time and the weather looked like it was going to cooperate. I made sure to take a moment to savor the incredible beauty and remoteness of this area.
Vestal Peak from the east:
(photo by benners)
Once in the basin the route weaves through car-sized boulders and rock moraines to the base of the Vestal/West Trinity Saddle.
A look at the terrain through this basin en route to the saddle:
(photo by Kevin)
Gaining the saddle is nothing more than a knee bashing, lung burning, two steps forward one step back gruelfest. I'll skip depicting this section in any further detail as most of my descriptors would be of the four and five letter variety. It took us the better portion of an hour to gain the saddle. Upon reaching it, we took a long break and admired the views of Sunlight, Eolus, Jagged, Pigeon, and Turret to the south. Such an amazing wilderness area the Weminuche is. Dramatic peaks and deep drainages comprise the landscape, it reminds me of a slightly larger version of the Gores. I think John Fielder got it right.
Pigeon and Turret:
(Sarah)
After downing half a bag of gummy bears and a few cookies (light food to keep the stomach in check), it was time to continue on up. With Kevin and Sarah leading the way we headed up the West Ridge. Thirty minutes of boulder hopping had us to the summit ridge, which looked to be a tad trickier to gain than any of us were expecting. After a few attempts at finding a suitable route up to the ridge crest we decided to take another break and give the weather some attention. Over the course of our ascent a cluster of moisture-laden clouds had slowly worked their way up the valley towards our position. We decided to just hunker down and wait things out for awhile, as it was yet to be determined whether we were simply dealing with low-flying fog or the alternative; storm clouds.
Sunlight Peak's silhouette as seen through the fog:
(Sarah)
We waited it out for roughly one hour, expecting the dark clouds to end our day at any moment but they never did. Kevin and I were actually able to get some decent sleep, despite staking it out on the side of a scree field. Eventually two friends of ours, Alyson and John (with whom we had talked with the previous night), hiked past us and sort of lit a fire under our asses to get moving. It seemed that the clouds were burning off and once again, giving us a decent window to complete our goals. I'm glad we made the decisions we did, had we headed back down to camp we would have been kicking ourselves later in the day.
Kevin and Sarah high on the West Ridge:
(benners)
Past three false summits along the summit ridge, West Trinity finally yielded. As we crested the summit, the clouds completely cleared out of the area and we had sun on our backs once again.
A cool shot of Pigeon from West Trinity's summit:
(Sarah)
Getting to West Trinity's summit is the grueling part of this outing. From there all you have in front of you is nothing less than a classic class 4 ridge run between three spectacular peaks. We didn't linger on West Trinity for too long...
The traverse to Middle Trinity in its entirety:
(Sarah)
The route is well cairned:
(benners)
From the low-point between West and Middle Trinity the route traverses to the south of the ridge line across a series of exposed ledges. The one critical moment from a route finding perspective is locating the class 4 crux chimneys described in Roach's and Cooper's books. These chimneys are climbed in close succession and are they keys to gaining the summit of Middle Trinity.
Kevin on his way up the first chimney:
(Sarah)
...and a look down the second:
(benners)
The scrambling through these chimneys is somewhat precarious; large exposure and loose hand holds seemed to be the norm. Once above the chimneys, the route traverses east across a ledge system and then up the final portion of Middle Trinity's west side. We topped out roughly an hour and a half after leaving West Trinity.
Looking back at West Trinity and the connecting ridge:
(Sarah)
...and ahead at East Trinity and the rest of the traverse, Rio Grande Pyramid can be seen in the distance:
(benners)
We took a break on Middle Trinity and snacked on energy gel and cookies. I think we were all feeling a tad beat at this point but we knew we only had about 500' left on the day, so spirits were high. A steep, narrow gully leads down to the 13,340' notch between Middle and East Trinity. We took this gully one at a time as it is loose and has a tendency to funnel falling rocks directly down the climbing route.
Heading down the gully:
(benners)
From the low point between the two peaks, East Trinity is less than 500' away. A wide, low-angled gully makes for a perfect route up the west side of the peak.
Sarah on her way up East Trinity:
(benners)
We topped out in the late-afternoon, elated to have completed the Trinity Traverse but also excited to get back to camp and eat dinner. I was in that stage where my stomach wanted food but my mind was telling me to take it easy.
Off the east side of East Trinity, Storm King, Peak Nine, and Mt. Silex in the background:
(benners)
The descent off East takes a north facing ridge down to the East Trinity/Peak Three Saddle, and then down a loose talus field to the valley floor.
Scree field off of the East Trinity/Peak Three Saddle:
(Kevin)
Down at the valley floor, all three of us laid in the grass for twenty minutes, reminiscing of the past two days' accomplishments and cherishing the remote place we were in. I love this area of the Weminuche. I was telling Kevin that when I'm ninety years old I plan on chartering a helicopter to drop me off in upper-Vestal basin with a lawn chair and a twelve pack. Mark my words people.
The view of West Trinity across an unnamed lake (12,396'):
(benners)
All three Trinity Peaks as seen from upper-Vestal Basin:
(benners)
Back at camp, celebratory Gordons and peanut butter bagels complimented the view of the sun setting on the Wham quite well. We hit the sack early in preparation for a 7am departure from camp. Sleep hit me like a brick, I remember nothing between my head hitting the pillow (yes, I packed in a pillow) and my alarm going off eight hours later.
A quick pack up and we departed the basin on schedule, arriving in Elk Park at 10am with an hour to spare.
Our ride out:
(benners)
...and a concluding shot of the Durango/Silverton Narrow Guage:
(benners)
All in all this was an amazing trip. The area, the routes, but most of all the partners. Kevin and Sarah, thanks for making it a special one.
Thanks for reading,
benners
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