Up Twin Peaks Saddle, Down Dromedary-Sunrise Chute

Up Broads Fork via Standard Twins Route

I found that there was not a lot of info about routes up Sunrise so thought I would add my trip report for those that want a bit more info about coming from the Twins side.

I headed up alone this day and got a late start just after noon and headed up the Broads Fork trail which I have never been up before. I don't know if I was having a bad day or if the trail was just that steep---I checked the vertical gain at nearly 1,000 feet per mile the first couple of miles which definitely made it harder to run as much as I had planned.

Around mile two I accidentally took a split that was rocked off that looked like a shortcut---after about 15 minutes I ended up coming back as I knew I was supposed to be on the east side of the valley/beaver pond. I believe the trail I took led to what is called the Robinson Variation---anybody reading this feel free to confirm.

Once I got back on trail and headed LEFT and DOWN to take me east of the beaver pond, etc. I got cruising again. I quickly got to where the creek comes right next to the trail---great spot to cool off and get some cold water. This was VERY nice on a 100 degree day.

As my objective was Sunrise first and Dromedary second, I had to make a choice whether to go up the chute to the saddle between the two or to go up the saddle to the Twin Peaks first. The way up to the saddle between Dromedary and Sunrise looked pretty intimidating so I chose to go up the Twin Peaks saddle. This allowed me to scout the Twin Peaks out as I have never been up there.

From the Twin Peaks saddle, I broke from there other people around and headed the other direction, towards Sunrise. I chose to stay relatively high on south (right)side since this was recommended and it looked like there was a path there. Eventually I ended up climbing straight up what was a really nice crack. However, it was very sheer with definite exposure and I was concerned since I was alone and didn't want to get stuck somewhere that would be difficult to down climb on the way back. If you are extremely adventurous, are with a group, or have ropes, this looks like a very fun route to try! I climbed back down and decided to see if there was a safer route below.

I was able to safely downclimb to what looked like a safer route and there seemed to be a faint trail there as well. I just picked a route directly beneath the cliffs most of the way around. I basically stayed low and circumnavigated the mountain until I was basically forced up once the summit came in to view. There was some exposure along the way but there was good footing and good holds so I never felt unsafe. I made it up to the saddle, looked over the North side (LONG way down!) and took the ridge and the south side of the ridge up to the summit. The Summit was nice with great views of the Twins and Dromedary as well as across to the Alpine ridgeline. I was happy to find a Summit register since I couldn't find one on Pfeifferhorn, the AF Twins, Red Top, or Red Baldy which I've done in the last few weeks. I stayed for a while on top but it was still quite warm so I decided to get down.

Towards Dromedary and down

Since I didn't really love the way up from the Twins saddle route, I didn't want to go back down that way and decided to go on towards Dromedary. The descent down the East side of Sunrise towards Dromedary looks pretty intimidating, but I never felt any of it was bad. A safe way down always seemed to appear on the way down. I was shocked how close Dromedary looked and I was severely tempted to go for it despite already being behind on getting back in time. I eventually decided that I needed to get back and that even though I could get Dromedary in 15 minutes, I would have to spend 4 hours another day to get it. At the saddle between Sunrise and Dromedary, I checked out the chute and decided it looked fine. I've heard that the chute is pretty bad to come down, but I actually thought it was better than coming back down the route up where the twins---there were bigger rocks to step on and I was able to fly down the talus filled chute back down to the Broad's Fork trail in less than 15 minutes (fancy footwork and some running were involved).



Looking back on it, I kind of wish I would have gone up this route as I'll bet I could've got both Dromedary and Sunrise in the time it took me. I was able to get down from Sunrise summit to car in well under 90 minutes mostly running, including a few stops with a long stop at the stream to cool myself off and soak all my clothes.

Morals of the story:
1) The route to the saddle between Dromedary and Sunrise may be easier than the approach up to the Twin Peaks saddle, despite looking more intimidating.
2) The route from Twin Peaks saddle to Sunrise can be a bit sketchy, especially if you try and stay high from the get go. Stay lower at first for an easier route.
3) From Sunrise down to Dromedary isn't NEARLY as bad as it looks.

Images

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