| 32 Hours In The Elk Range Trip Report |
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| 32 Hours In The Elk Range   | 
| Page Type: Trip Report Location: Colorado, United States, North America Date Climbed/Hiked: Jun 24, 2006 Activities: Mountaineering Season: Summer | Page By: altitude14er Created/Edited: Jun 26, 2006 / Jun 27, 2006 Object ID: 202734 Hits: 674 Loading... Page Score: 86.56% - 2 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
6-23-2006
8 mile backpack to Snowmass Lake
2,600ft. Elevation Gain
6-24-2006
5 mile, 3,100ft. Ascent of Snowmass Mtn.
Plus 8 mile backpack out of paradise
My friends and I had an ascent of Snowmass Mtn planned for some time and it was high on my priority list. However, it didnt seem like Id be able to go after being diagnosed with bronchitis 8 days before the climb. I took great care of myself and felt like I might be able to do it. I loaded my internal frame pack with Nyquil, anti-biotics & cough drops; among other things, of course.
Me, Mark & Mike departed from the Snowmass Creek Trailhead around 12:30pm. The day was extremely warm & pleasant. A dozen other cars were at the popular trailhead. We began huffing down the very well defined trail with our heavy loads. This trail takes you through lush, dense green forests of aspen trees. All the while you stay close to Snowmass Creek. It is an impressively fast flowing, large river. We reached the junction with the West Snowmass Creek trail (1.2 miles) and continued straight on the Maroon-Snowmass trail. Nearly halfway to the lake and we stopped to admire a large waterfall in the distance to our right. This drainage leads back into the Pierre Lakes & was striking. We didnt realize it then, but we could see Snowmass Mtn in the distance.
After about 6 miles of hiking we reached the first small lake at 10,100ft. Beaver activity was apparent in this area & added to the beauty. The river snaked around in between small ponds. The area was pristine and amazing, typical of the Elk Range. The trail lead to the fabled logjam at the upper lakes end.
It also leads straight but its best to cross the creek here. Without the help of the logs, you will get wet. We carefully crossed the logs, which stayed in place for the most part. Occasionally, one would shift slightly. Keeping our balance with the heavy loads on our backs was difficult in this river crossing. It was definitely an entertaining part of the approach. From here the trail picks up on the west side of the creek and leads you into thick forest again. The following two miles were the steepest on the approach. The reward was reaching Snowmass Lake at 10,980ft. on an afternoon of clear skies.
We set up camp on the southeast side of the huge lake. At camp I realized my new "Asolo" boots were digging into my feet worse than I thought. Both heels had quarter sized blisters. After filtrating fresh water and cooking a hot meal we went to rest at 8:30pm.
Mike woke us up at about 4:20am. We hit the trail on the south side of the lake with a tinge of daylight starting.
We followed the trail up a steep, somewhat loose scree slope. All the while my blistered heels were killing me. Above the scree slope we hit the first of the snow. We discussed our route in detail as we now had a
clearer picture of the snow on the eastern aspects of the peak. We opted not to aim for the standard route on the southeast ridge. That snow looked really easy; we wanted to do steep snow & had brought cramp-ons. We followed the variation that Gerry Roach describes for the East Slopes Route, opting to attempt to climb snow directly to the summit.
I began kicking steps up the steep slope. It was several hundred feet high. The higher you went, the steeper the grade. I was getting into a rhythm, kicking steps up the steep snow, and suddenly the snow holding my feet began crumbling. The snow was getting soggy and loose and I was on a 65 degree slope. With anxiety in my voice, I explained my problem to Mark. I just couldnt kick any decent steps any higher. It was all mush! When I tried, my feet would shift on shaky snow. I decided to bail off the couloir to my right about 50ft. away was climbable rock. Mark & Mike opted to do the same. Sidestepping to my right & reaching the rock was very intense. A fall here would be bad news and the snow had rocks underneath it, making climbing tough. We all agreed later that these moments had required some 4th class maneuvers. Once on the solid rocks, I quickly shed my cramp-ons. I was very glad to be off the snow at that moment. We climbed the loose rock up to the summit. Once on the top I was glad that Mark & Mike were OK with descending a different/easier route. The views of Capitol Peak & the rest of the Elk Range were superb from up top.
We spent some moments up top and descended the standard route. After getting back to camp we cooked a hot meal once again and filtered water. We all agreed that it would have been nice to stay longer in this splendid place. The 8 mile backpack out was a real butt-kicker
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Elk Mountains
