Rather than loafing around all day, watching the Bronco’s play the Patriots, Erin and I decided to go climb a mountain.
I stole Dennis’ Bronco shirt as a token of our support. My plan was to wear it on the summit!
In order to get there, we would need to climb 2900 feet of gain with a total trip distance of 5.4 miles, negotiating snow drifts, potential avalanche spots, and cornices.
The question is; would we conquer the mountain without succumbing to Old Man Winter?
Pacific Peak Bathed in Early Morning Sun and the long, mellow angled ridge of Atlantic, in the foreground. Mt. Fletcher is off to the right, connected to Atlantic by a foreboding snaggle-toothed ridge!
I had my eyes set on the west ridge of Atlantic ever since reading about it in Mr. Cooper’s Colorado Snow Climbs book. Having been into the Mayflower Gulch on a prior attempt of Mt. Fletcher, I was familiar with the area; one of convenience and beauty!
Erin and I left the house at 6am. I presented her with a Bronco’s doughnut which brought an immediate smile; it had orange frosting with orange and blue sprinkles!
The drive went well and soon we were at Mayflower Gulch Trailhead. There was only one other party there…a guy with a dog in a camper. Later that day, we saw him skiing the slopes with the dog chasing behind!
Amazingly, we were able to put the snowshoes on *inside* the car…which kept our boots and fingers nice and warm. This is the advantage of only having two people!
After a quick bite of breakfast, we left the car at 7:40am and got this picture at the trailhead.
We pretty much followed Mr. Cooper’s directions the entire day. The route was very well travelled and there was a trail all the way to the summit. We walked along the 4wd road for about a mile and then it was time to veer off onto single track.
Here’s Erin just after we left the 4wd road. And, yes, she’s wearing the jacket backwards!
From the turnoff from the 4wd road, it took us about 20 minutes to cross the gulch and gain some altitude to tree line.
We were both thrilled to behold such a beautiful (and warming!) sunrise. Oh, and that’s Mt. Fletcher in the background, if you’re wondering.
This was taken from the same spot as the previous picture. It’s just looking at the climb ahead of us. The west ridge of Atlantic starts off as a broad shoulder and as one ascends, it is chiseled into a proper ridge. Our route actually skirts around to the left of this slope, to an area more stable.
At this spot, we ditched the snowshoes and began the ridge climb. The hill behind her is Mayflower Hill.
Looking back at Mayflower Gulch
Looking up at the route ahead. Snow did not cover the rocks (these are anywhere from the size of cantaloupes to the size of a kitchen sized trash cans) and yet, most of them were pretty stable. As the day heated up, a few of them moved underfoot…but the problem was mostly on the way down.
Here’s Erin on the West Ridge. It took us about 2.5 hours to get to this spot, including a few breaks!
Looking up at the False Summit. Taken from near where the last picture was taken…staring up at the challenge. This bump on the ridge was steep, but conditions were excellent and our microspikes were just the thing to grip the slope. After this bump, the ridge sharpens and there are the added challenges of crossing cornices. Fun!
Erin considering the steepest part of the bump (false summit).
Erin with the profile of slope. The west ridge of Pacific is behind her! From this point, we have about 800 feet left to reach the summit.
Looking down from the steepness of the false summit. Taken from the same spot as the last 2 pictures.
Erin just after we passed over the false summit. Now the real deal begins! We walk one at a time over the cruxy cornices and have an increased alertness to any small creaking noises.
We still have a whole lotta ridge in our future!
It’s now 11:20am and I’m concerned about making the summit. With sunset being around 4pm…we’re pushing it.
We take a snack break and have a discussion. We’re both feeling strong and staying hydrated. As long as Erin can keep her microspikes from sliding around on her foot, we decide we’ll give it a shot. Several times her microspikes had slid off kilter, to our collective dismay, it was annoying and unsafe.
About 500 feet from the summit, I get this rad shot of the West Ridge of Pacific Peak. Doesn’t that look like fun? 3rd class and sustained. As long as the rocks are cemented by the cold, it would probably be sweet. In the middle of summer, maybe not so much, as those rocks would likely turn into death projectiles.
Half an hour later, and still about 200 feet from the summit, we take turns passing over a particularly impressive cornice. From each side, the drop off shoots down thousands of feet! We were both very happy to have our ice axes and even more so that the wind had stayed calm…for now!
An Awesome Day on the summit of Atlantic (with Quandary Peak behind me).
Go Broncos…from the summit of Atlantic Peak (13,841 ft)
Around 12:40pm, we reach the summit. It took us 5 hours. As we climb the last dozen feet, we feel the wind bearing down on us. It is blasting the East side of the mountain with quite a force. Spindrift is lifted hundreds of feet off the summit of nearby Mt. Fletcher. The view is awe inspiring.
We take several pictures up at the summit…including with the Bronco’s shirt…and then rush back down. We arrive back at the car right around 4pm, just in time to hit a bit of ski traffic on the way home. Erin uses her phone to get updates about the Bronco’s game.
Back in Denver, we go to Old Chicago’s to celebrate the victory. We are both dead tired, but it doesn’t stop us from getting the best seat in the house! We have a couple of cold ones and devour a whole plate of nachos to the delight (or disgust?) of the wait staff. Good times!
Tags: 13'er, Atlantic Peak, Centennial, Tenmile Range, Winter