On Sunday, I joined members of the CMC for a hike of Mt. Shavano (14,229 ft) & Tabeguache Peak (14,155 ft). Under the leadership of Rich M. we achieved the summit of both peaks and had a wonderful time in the process. ~4,200 feet of gain in ~11 miles.
We left the Blank Gulch Trailhead (TH) at 5am, summited Shavano at 8:45am, topped Tabeguache at 9:40am, back to Shavano at 11:30am, and back to TH at 2:30pm. Excellent hiking by the CMC team; James, Rick, myself, Josh, and Rich. (Order from L to R for picture above).
The Blank Gulch TH is a large cow paddie laden field. Not the nicest smelling place, but plenty of room for tents & vehicles. I slept in my bivy which I placed strategically under a very large pine tree. I’m glad I did so because it rained & displayed flashes of lightning throughout the night. The tree provided some shelter…
We left the TH at 5am, and hiked fairly continuosly until about 6:40am. I couldn’t help but take the following picture, it was such a *beautiful* alpine morning!
The Group Climbing the East Slope at 7am:
Climbergirl at the saddle, 700 feet or so below the summit of Shavano. Notice the Fog (still lifting!)
Climbergirl Nearing the Summit of Shavano (You can see the saddle behind me…where I was when I took the photo above)
Rich (Our Fearless Leader!) Near Summit of Shavano
Clare on the Summit of Shavano at 8:45am
Pretty View from the Summit of Shavano
The Summit of Tabeguache
Clare on Top of Tabeguache at 9:40am (Antero in the Background!)
View of Shavano from Summit of Tabeguache
Wild Mushrooms
After we got back to the TH, we stopped in Buena Vista for lunch. We had a great time stuffing our faces and visiting with each other. What a wonderful trip, I’m so happy I got to go climb some 14’ers with such fun and competent folks!
Tags: Blank Gulch Trailhead, CMC, Mountaineering, Mt Shavano, Tabeguache Peak