| Southwest Slopes in late May, 2004 Trip Report |
Geography Parents  Loading... Trip Reports
| Southwest Slopes in late May, 2004   | 
| Page Type: Trip Report Location: Colorado, United States, North America Date Climbed/Hiked: May 21, 2004 Activities: Mountaineering Season: Spring | Page By: altitude14er Created/Edited: Mar 18, 2006 / Apr 2, 2006 Object ID: 181728 Hits: 332 Loading... Page Score: 0% - 0 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Southwest Slopes Route Via Watrous Gulch*Watrous Gulch Trailhead
*Approximately 6 miles roundtrip
*2,540 feet of elevation gain
I woke up early and drove from Denver to the trailhead. It took me an hour to head west down the I-70 corridor six miles past Silverplume to exit 218. You take your first right and the next immediate right after that which will lead you to the parking lot. The trailhead can't be missed and has a Forest Service registry I neglected to sign. There was also a pit toilet here.
I began the trail by following the signs for the Herman Gulch trail. The weather was promising and the trail is easy. After a short while you will be faced with a right turn leading to Watrous Gulch. The next .75 miles is pretty steep compared to the Herman Gulch trail. I was at the base of Watrous Gulch after an hour. Prior to this point the trail leads you through dense forest, but things open up a bit once you begin hiking into the gulch. This is right at treeline and provides several good camping spots. If you search you may find a fire pit also. You have to cross a small creek and follow the well defined trail as it parrellels Mt. Parnassus' West Slopes. After about 2.5 miles you will be brought near but well below Woods south slopes and the trail ends. By looking south you get a great view of the 14er Torreys Peak. I began to climb steadily up and to the left, attempting to gain Woods southwest ridge (Its so gentle I dont know if you can even call it a ridge). One can ascend any way they choose once the trail ends. I'd avoid the steep south slopes of Woods and use one of the ridges. I followed this northeast ridge towards Woods round summit. It felt great to be climbing in the spring and smelling the breeze. Yet large patches of snow presented themselves that I must cross to reach the ridge. As I would cross the temporary snowfields I would post-hole repeatedly..sometimes up to my waist. Yet I felt great being back in the high country. Sinking into the melting snow was giving me a workout given the fact that I hadn't climbed in several months. The whole place had a lonely feel to it, I hadn't seen anyone else on the trail all day. While surveying the surrounding peaks I could see alot of acreage, yet no signs of anyone else. It was an amazing feeling. I uneventfully made it to the summit after about 3.75 hours. The whole time I gained Woods the clouds kept looking worse. The sweeping views of the Indian Peaks was outstanding to my north. Due to the time of the year I wasn't too concerned about lightning, it was also pretty cold. As I ate a snack and soaked up the view on the summit it began to snow. It didn't bother me and I took my time enjoying the scenery. Although this mountain may not be very challenging or high it is a good outing through a less traveled area. Also, it's close to us "Denverites" a.k.a. citizens of Denver - for a little weekend outing. While descending the trail in the stretch leading through the dense forest I heard an odd noise. It repeated several times. I figured out it was something in the forest scratching it's claws against a tree. Judging by the sound (which was impressive) I guessed it was a bear or mtn. lion. I continued through the forest and made it back to my car without incident. ;) Images
|
|
