Archive for the ‘Snowshoe Hiking’ Category

Mountaineering – Humboldt Peak (14,064 ft)

Friday, February 13th, 2015

Charlie's Angels on Humboldt Peak
Jane and I do our impression of Charlie’s Angles. The Third Angel took a hike!

Happy on Humboldt
David and Jane on the summit of Humboldt Peak.

Humboldt Peak East Ridge Topographic Map
Topographic Map of Humboldt Peak

The rest of the state was being pummeled by strong winds, snowstorms, and laden with avalanche hazards. David, Jane, and I were looking for some place to go where we could safely summit a peak and it seemed the Crestones might just be the solution.

Jane has already climbed all the 14ers, but when there is opportunity to climb one in winter, she’s game! And, since I had not done Humboldt before, it looked like a great idea. I booked a room for the three of us in the tiny town of Crestone; so on Friday we drove down and arrived at bedtime. We made some tea and gathered our gear for the next day.

Would the mild forecast hold out? Would we make the summit? With a half marathon distance and over 5,400 ft of gain, it was bound to be a long day! What would the snow be like; would it be post hole madness or nice consolidated crunching?

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Mountaineering – Lackawanna Peak (13,823 ft)

Sunday, February 8th, 2015

Lackawanna Peak Summit Picture
Clare, Tom, and Frank on the summit of Lackawanna Peak

Climbing South Slopes of Lackawanna
At ~12,000 ft on the direct south slope of Lackawanna

Tom Climbing Lackawanna
Tom climbing the lower slopes of Lackawanna. You can see hwy 82 below him.

Lackawanna Peak Topographic Map and Waypoints
The Route and GPS Waypoints

Good times were had by Tom, Frank, and Clare on the Lackawanna legburner route, which was climbed on Sunday. The 4 mile round trip journey featured 3,450 feet of gain! It took us 6 hours to get up the peak (mainly due to the deep snow over the first half of the route) and 4 hours to get down. I was very thankful to Frank, who both supplied the pictures and drove us there!

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Mountaineering – Mt. Massive via East Ridge, A Winter Attempt

Sunday, January 25th, 2015

Mt Massive East Ridge
David, Jane, and Sonja Ascending the East Ridge in Gale Force Winds

Sneak Preview of Massive
Mt. Massive (Taken the day before!). The Lower portion of the East Ridge is blown free of snow.

Mt. Massive East Ridge - Topographic Map
Our Route, the East Ridge, (Failed Attempt in Red).

The Crew: Jane, David, Sonja, and myself.
Launch Time: 6am
High Point Turnaround: 11:40am (from ~12,700 ft)
Trench Contribution: (~1 mile)
Return to Fish Hatchery: 3:10pm (~9,620 ft)

We enjoyed a fabulous winter day in the beautiful mountains of the Sawatch. We had high hopes for summitting Mt. Massive, but were thwarted by gale force winds up high on the East Ridge.

Mt Massive East Ridge GPS Waypoints
The Waypoints!

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Mountaineering – Mt. Elbert (14,439 ft)

Saturday, January 17th, 2015

Winter Camping Gear Schmear
Gear Schmear, for Winter Mountaineering trip up Mt. Elbert

Approaching 11,000 ft on Mt. Elbert
At 11,000 ft and almost to our camping spot. Enjoying the bluebird day.

Mt. Elbert and Bill
Bill, the CMC Trip Leader. He’s taking a breather before we reach camp. Elbert stands tall behind him.

Silly Summit Shot on Mt. Elbert
Flying High on the summit of Mt. Elbert!

I wanted to try winter camping and I hadn’t yet climbed Mt. Elbert. So, why not join Bill’s CMC trip which would combine both elements? Bill is leading a trip to attempt Aconcagua later this year, so this trip was a warm up and test of sorts for his participants. Lucky for me, there was a last minute cancellation on his trip, which opened up a space for me, AND my friend, Helen, needed a partner for her tent. It was almost like I was meant to be on the trip, all along!

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Mountaineering – Horseshoe Mountain (13,898 ft) via Boudoir Couloir

Sunday, June 8th, 2014

Horseshoe Mountain
Horseshoe Mountain, a Mosquito Range Centennial

Horseshoe Mountain Lake
Beautiful Alpine Lake

Getting Closer to Boudoir Couloir
The Boudoir Couloir!

Smiles at the top of Boudoir Couloir
Snow Climbing is Fun!

Horseshoe Mountain Summit
Doug and I enjoying the summit of Horseshoe Mountain

The Roaches give Horseshoe Mountain’s Boudoir Couloir route a *Classic* rating. This fact, combined with the ease of access to the trailhead, straightforward approach (no stream crossings!), small amount of elevation gain (~2,350 ft!), and mellow angled climbing put this climb at the top of my list. We were looking for a half day’s worth of effort and this climb was perfect!

Also, thanks to Bill Middlebrook, of 14ers.com, for posting a condition report of Horseshoe while out on White Ridge. That report was super helpful!

The Schedule:
Departure from Denver: 4am
Departure from TH: 6:30am
Past the Lake: 7:20am
Start Climbing Boudoir Couloir: 8:10am
Finish Boudoir Couloir: 9:20am
Summit of Horseshoe Mountain: 9:30am
Start Glissade of Boudoir: 10am
Back at the TH:~12pm

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