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| South Ridge   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 38.62690°N / 106.2856°W Route Type: Hike & Bushwack Time Required: Half a day Difficulty: Class 1
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| Page By: Aaron Johnson Created/Edited: Sep 4, 2005 / Dec 7, 2005 Object ID: 166612 Hits: 1002 Loading... Page Score: 86.02% - 1 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Approach
Proceed west on Highway 50 from Poncha Springs toward Monarch Pass. Take a right on County Road 240 at Maysville. The Cyclone Creek trailhead is about 8 miles up County Road 240. Park at the old Shavano ghost town site, marked by a sign that may or may not be present. Look sharp for what appears to be a trail departing the north side of the road. The old 4WD trail has been bulldozed and closed off. This obscure point is the beginning of your climb.
Route Description
Hike up the trail only a short distance, probably a 5th of a mile, then bushwack north-northeast, first through dark timbers, then through stands of young aspens. Try to stay on the high ground and use your map, compass and GPS to navigate this stretch.
Emerge above timberline into an old burn area. Angle slightly east toward the ridge up steep tundra. The ridge will narrow and offer some brief Class 2 scrambling. Expedient execution can be done by staying just to the left of the ridge bumps in a shallow draw.
The ridge ends at the top of the draw. Angle left, slightly northwest, up stable talus and sketchy tundra to the summit.
Return the same route.
ROUNDTRIP DISTANCE: 4 miles
GAIN: 2,843'
Climbing Tabeguache from Carbonate
A descent from Carbonate (likely loose and very steep) down to the saddle east of Tabeguache would put you in position for a possible ascent of Mount Tabeguache's summit. Expect lots of talus, both solid and loose, during this long ridge climb. You will intersect the old (and closed) Jennings Creek route upon reaching a contour trail on the south slopes of Tab's western false summit. Return the same route, descending into Jennings Creek from the same saddle. Be sure to stay on the west side of Jennings Creek, and contour high to stay out of the willows. Stay low enough to avoid the loose talus above you. Contour around the south end of Carbonate's south ridge through aspen thickets and dark timber back to your vehicle at the Cyclone trailhead.
ROUNDTRIP DISTANCE: 8 miles
GAIN: 4,260'
Essential Gear
This is a serious route finding exercise. A map and compass or GPS are required for an expedient execution of this route!
SUMMER & FALL: Standard dayhike gear will do.
SPRING: Winter clothing, ice axe, crampons.
WINTER: Avalanche potential below these ridge lines is certain and thus this route is not recommended for a winter ascent.
Miscellaneous Info
If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
Images
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Sawatch Range
