| Southeast Ridge via Blue Lakes Route |
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| Southeast Ridge via Blue Lakes   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 39.40330°N / 106.1283°W Route Type: Scramble Time Required: Most of a day Difficulty: Class 2
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| Page By: Aaron Johnson Created/Edited: Oct 30, 2002 / Jul 28, 2008 Object ID: 157274 Hits: 1437 Loading... Page Score: 0% - 0 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Approach & MapSee the GETTING THERE section on the main page.
Route DescriptionAfter parking at the dam at upper Blue Lake, find the use trail on the north side of the lake, and follow it to the "hanging valley" below Quandary Peak's southwest face. The use trail ends around 12,400 feet, at which point you must go cross-country. The easiest approach is to head northwest toward the obvious Fletcher/Quandary saddle at 13,400', staying west of the stream. A steep draw may be filled with snow to access the upper portion of the basin. Climb it directly or skirt it on rock (Class 2). In the higher basin, head for the saddle or angle left toward Fletcher up through more rock bands (Class 2) which could be snow covered. Getting to the saddle requires some scrambling (Class 2). Once there, you'll do the "ole' boulder hop" along Fletcher's southeast ridge to the summit.
VARIATION: Once in the hanging valley, head west and climb a fun scramble of a buttress (Class 2) and then turn right and head directly north toward Fletcher over rolling tundra. Intersect the southeast ridge west of theQuandary/Fletcher saddle.
DISTANCE: 2.19 miles
GAIN: 2,196 feet
Calculated utilizing Topo! topographic map software.
Fletcher/Quandary Combination CLASS 3Ascend Fletcher Mountain via the standard route up the southeast ridge. Descend Fletcher via the southeast ridge and climb Quandary Peak's infamous West Ridge Route (Class 3). Descend Quandary Peak via the south slopes route directly back to your vehicle.
This is a very long day. Start from the parking lot early. Take plenty of water and expect changing conditions. Do not continue from the Fletcher-Quandary saddle in questionable weather.
Experience in Class 3 climbing is highly recommended for the Quandary West Ridge route. See the West Ridge route description and trip reports, along with accompanying photos on the Quandary Peak page. The link to Morgan Brown's (mbpro) trip report, in the trip report section of this page, is also recommended.
An additional excellent resource for the West Ridge route is Gerry Roach's guide on the Colorado Fourteeners.
Essential GearStandard hiking gear will do.
No technical gear is required for a winter snow shoe or ski outing. If combined with Quandary, ice axe and crampons at the minimum are required. If the road is closed, check on avalanche conditions before proceeding up the road to the dam.
Miscellaneous InfoIf you have climbed Fletcher Mountain from another approach, notably McCollough Gulch, I encourage you to add it to the route section. Thanks!--AJ
If you have information about this mountain or area that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
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Tenmile Range
