The hike
I left for Mount Jasper from the Devil's Thumb Park Trailhead at nine in the morning. The weather was perfect, so I felt like relaxing in the morning. The forecast called for no rain with sun, and for lots of wind... It was a nice hot day below treeline, and when the wind first came I welcomed it as it kept me cool, however, it was not to last.
As soon as I reached treeline, the wind came. It started out at a low pitch, and it built in intensity until I reached Devil's Thumb Pass. At this point the wind reached its height in strength, and as I turned towards point 12,660 (12,695)I almost got blown off my feet as a wind gust that had to be near 40-50 mph hit me. I soldiered on and after another 30 minutes reached the summit of point 12,660.
As I climbed the summit rocks of the peak, the wind kept gusting and trying to throw me off the mountain. I reached the top of point 12,660, stopped for two minutes to take pictures, and then set off for Mount Jasper. The wind did not seem to like me being on this ridge and it kept trying to blow me off the mountain. I stayed below the ridge to stay out of wind for as long as I can. I eventually had to reach the ridge and hurried up the easy slopes to the summit of Jasper.
The views were amazing from the top of Jasper, you can see North and South Arapahoe Peaks, Apache and Navajo Peaks, Mount Neva to the north, and Parry, James and Bancroft Peaks to the south. The small summit has excellent views, and with a couple of rocks to offer some shelter from the wind, it let me sit down for a moment and savor the views.
I stayed on the summit for about five minutes before turning around to face the wind on the way back. As I started down, the wind picked up and tried to keep me from going down the slopes. As I reached the saddle between Mount Jasper and Point 12,660, the wind finally started to settle down and I skirted Point 12,660 and made the way back to Devil's Thumb Pass. I made my way down, and overall, it was a great, yet very windy day. I would definitely recommend doing this hike to anyone looking for a great climb.
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