| Southwest Ridge via Lake Silex Route |
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| Southwest Ridge via Lake Silex   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 37.67030°N / 107.5481°W Route Type: Scramble/Rock climb Time Required: A long day Difficulty: Class 4/5
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| Page By: truchas Created/Edited: Aug 15, 2005 / Aug 27, 2005 Object ID: 166322 Hits: 960 Loading... Page Score: 0% - 0 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview
This is a technical alternative to dropping down 400 ft. below the Pt. 13,176/Mt. Silex saddle to access the South Face scree route. Although this route avoids downclimbing 400 ft. as well as a scree ascent of the South Face, this route is technical and can be dangerous. Experienced parties with rock climbing skills only.
Approach
Total round trip to base camp from trailhead: 12.6 miles
Total elevation gain to base camp from trailhead: 2000 ft.
Total elevation loss to base camp from trailhead: 1900 ft.
Starting elevation from trailhead: 11,800 ft.
Finishing elevation at basecamp: 11,900 ft.
Total elevation gain from trailhead to peak: 3800 ft.
Total round trip distance from trailhead to peak: 14.6 miles
The approach starts from the Beartown Trailhead. See the "Getting There" section on the main page for directions.
From the Beartown Trailhead, follow the Vallecito Creek Trail approximately 4.2 miles over Hunchback Pass and down to Vallecito Creek. Look for the first large meadow about 1/2 mile past the last switchbacks (I will have GPS coordinates soon). This meadow will have a trail leading to it from the Vallecito Creek Trail that you will be on.
Cross the meadow and ford Vallecito Creek. This will REQUIRE you to wear sandals as there is no dry way across. This could be very tricky in early season high water. After crossing the creek bushwack a short ways into the wilderness and you will find a nice but primitive trail.
Take a right turn and hike up this trail as it follows along the south side of Trinity Creek. You will lose the trail about 1.5 miles up just before leaving the forest and entering a boulder field. Hike onto the boulder field and make your way up boulders and tundra to a bench about 200 feet below lake silex. A nice but small meadow will make for an excellent base camp.
Route Description
Total distance from base camp to summit round trip: Approx. 2 miles
Total elevation gain to summit from base camp: 1700 ft.
Hike up to Lake Silex which is about 100 ft. above base camp. Put on your crampons at this point and begin walking along the eastern portion of the lake along snow. If there is no snow (not recommended if there is not), it will be a horrendous boulder and scree hike.
After passing by the lake hike directly up to the saddle between Pt. 13,176 and Mt. Silex. It will become steeper as you near the saddle but not steep enough to rope up.
From the Pt. 13,176/Mt. Silex saddle, hike directly up the Southwest Ridge. The fun begins immediately. Staying directly on the ridge will get you into a band of small cliffs in the 5.5 range. The cliffs are small but can be a bit tricky with the loose rock.
As an alternative to climbing directly on the ridge, it is possible to drop down a short distance to the south along the cliff bands and locate 4th class rock. The route finding is very difficult and will most likely lead you to dead ends here and there. It is much more fun than the South Face scree climb but it can be time consuming and does have some short exposure and loose rock. Be careful if you choose this route.
About 1/4 of the way up, the climbing becomes easy until you get to a false summit. Climb around this false summit to the right and then regain the ridge after passing it. The rest of the climb is 2+ class scrambling all the way to the summit.
Downclimbing the South Face route on your way back is recommended unless you have a short rope for a rappel, or you have plenty of time for route finding.
Essential Gear
An ice axe, campons, helmet are recommended. This route is not recommended when there is no snow in Lake Silex Basin. A short rope might be useful for a rappel on the way down this route if you so chose.
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