One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: June 12, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1985_0816-25_Evans,Pikes.htm)
(A
Fourteener
trip report.)
(Originally posted to internal newsgroup:
/* hpfcla:hpnc.general/ajs */ 5:31 pm Sep 5, 1985)
This is a trip report on climbing Blanca Peak, Ellingwood Peak, and Little Bear Peak, and bopping around Great Sand Dunes NP and Mount Princeton Hot Springs. We did so much during the five-day Labor Day "weekend" that this could be an even longer report than it is... I left a lot out to focus on the Fourteener climbing.
Friday, Aug 30: That morning at about 1130 Dave Morse picked up Chuck Reese and me in his Wagoneer. (We were going to take my new old one, or both, but with only three of us going, his was a much better choice -- air conditioning, cassette deck, carpeting, experienced driver...)
We made the long drive south to Walsenburg, including heavy Denver traffic, then west to the San Luis Valley, where we met Dave Landers and his brother John Landers at the Colorado 150 & 160 intersection at 1715. At the start of the rough road up to Lake Como, about two miles in from the pavement, we (all five) piled into the Jeep. (We turned off the pavement at the metal sign, but ignored the "9 miles" on it, for it was closer to 7.)
The Lake Como road really was the roughest you'd ever see. It was more like a hiking trail (and a rocky one at that) expanded to the width of a one-lane road. We managed to make 2.5 more miles in about an hour, then decided to let the Jeep stop making funny noises in the something.
We backpacked in another 2+ miles from 9900' to 11600' in about 1:50, ending up at 2115 (yes, after dark) at a nice spot in trees just off the road about five minutes below Lake Como. Most people going up there were hiking too, but a few vehicles (mainly CJs?) did make it to the lake, even to the end of the road a mile or so further up!
Saturday, Aug 31: We started up-trail that morning, leaving Lake Como (11750') at around 0730. From there the trail was easy to follow across mossy meadows and up rocks to Crater Lake (12700' at 0820), then up some steeper sections below Blanca and Ellingwood. Surprisingly the latter was the really prominent summit from below. It was a long ridge but looked very pyramidal seen edge-on. Blanca on the other hand was well hidden up to where the trail petered out and you started scrambling up big boulders. As usual the Borneman route description was sparse but adequate.
We made the summit of Blanca Peak (14345') in good time, at 0945 (2:15 for 2595'), and were the first group up that day. The weather both Saturday and Sunday was clear to partly cloudy till afternoon, with cool breezes, and larger, darker clouds later in the day, and some rain in the evening.
The view from Blanca Peak was spectacular, but then again some foothills hid things. The best sights were Little Bear Peak and the connecting ridge, Mount Lindsey to the east, the San Luis Valley, and the Crestones 28 miles to the north. On top of Blanca there was a lot of "graffiti" scratched into the rocks, including at least one set of names from 1909(!)
After 45 minutes we dropped down the northwest ridge, a steep, enjoyable descent. The northeast face between Blanca and Ellingwood was a sheer, awesome cliff, and the ridge was quite narrow. After the low point (13750') there was a cairned route that descended a little below some really bad stuff, then it was an easy scramble to the summit of Ellingwood Point (14042', 1145).
Some of us liked the view from Ellingwood better than from Blanca. Certainly the massive, steep knob of Blanca was more impressive to look at from across the way than on top of it. We couldn't see the Sand Dunes from Blanca at all, but they were somewhat visible from Ellingwood, and completely in view from Little Bear.
We took a "fun" and more direct way down starting at 1230, then moved more slowly once on leveler ground, including a stop to soak sore feet in a soothing creek. We didn't get back to camp till 1630, which still made for a relaxing evening -- other than discussing the next day's climb of Little Bear!
Sunday, Sep 1: We hit the jeep road on foot at 0650. After another water fillup at Lake Como using Dave Morse's whizzy new water pump and filter, we started up the steep couloir southeast of the lake. It was the only reasonable way to attain the southeast ridge. The couloir, full of loose rock and dirt, was only a taste of what was to come.
We were on the ridge (12600') by 0815 -- and oh what a nice ridge it was! Fairly level with some ups and downs, very steep sided, with a sharp top that was easy to stroll along. No place to be in bad weather, but on a clear day it was worth a climb of Little Bear just to enjoy this ridge!
After 45 minutes we were at the east end of the "level" section, where a cairned route left the ridge (just as it went vertical) to traverse around and up the back side, on yukky dirt and scree. This led us to a marvelously steep, smooth, U-shaped, granite-lined couloir that was the only non-technical way up from here. (We called it the "Bowling Alley" after seeing some large rocks fly down it!) Well all five of us hauled ourselves carefully up the 100' or so of the worst section to a large boulder festooned with pitons holding orange webbing, wondering how we'd ever get back down. Fortunately we were the first ones there that day.
Above the funnel the last 600' or so to the summit was a very steep, complex, colorful mess of intersecting couloirs and ridges. There was a great variety of rock types, due to igneous and water-based intrusions, with pure white and pure black rocks sometimes adjacent. We spread out and searched our way slowly up, past only occasional cairns, finally attaining the summit of Little Bear Peak (14037') at 1113 (3:50 from the lake for only 2300', a rather slow pace).
The top of Little Bear was a jagged knife of a ridge with cliffs on all sides. There wasn't room near the summit cairn for very many people, and only about 20' away the world ended in a 2000'+ cliff down to the Lake Como valley. One of us observed that it was like being held two miles up in the air by a tiny point of rock.
What was really neat was, after you've climbed these tall peaks for a while, plus spent so much time on rough terrain on the way up, it's not scary at all being there -- it's exhilarating!
We didn't stay long because of building clouds and the long trip back. At 1136 we dropped down, meeting several other climbing parties. It turned out that crab-walking down the funnel was easier than it looked, the greatest danger being the likelihood of someone above knocking loose a rock, even a small pebble, which would rocket down with little warning. Fortunately we were all pretty careful (and lucky), and everyone above and below knew when someone was in the trough.
Once below the "Bowling Alley" the rest of the descent was mellow, slow, and anticlimactic. After you finish the worst and most fearsome part of a climb and descent, stuff that normally would put you a little on edge doesn't faze you a bit! We cruised across the ridgetop, regrouped, and slid down the lower couloir to return to Lake Como by 1550 (4:15 from the summit, could have gone faster, but that ridge ate at least 0:40).
Little Bear Peak was a tough mountain; harder, in my opinion, than North Maroon Peak. It wasn't steeper or longer, but the dangerous and exposed sections were worse. Falling rock was a much greater hazard.
Monday, Sep 2: We elected to stay another night near the lake, then hiked out one hour Monday morning to the Jeep. We cruised up to Great Sand Dunes NP, spent an hour getting grit in every orifice while scrunching up a ways in strong winds, then we drove down to San Luis to climb Culebra Peak... At least we had hoped to do that!
The Taylor Ranch was deserted and the gate was locked. We found out later that the season was only July-August, and they charged $20 a head for entrance, even if you only wanted to dayhike, which is partly why we didn't go back the next morning after camping at Mountain Home Reservoir near Fort Garland, 30 miles up the road. (This, even though the caretaker we reached Tuesday morning by phone was eager to have us come back, but still at $20 each.) (I wrote back then:) Anyway, next time I will make reservations in advance by phone! (And a year later, I did.)
We salvaged the rest of Monday by swimming at Mount Princeton Hot Springs, all three of us in the Jeep that is. Dave went to climb something, and John had gone back to Boulder Sunday night. MPHS was [just!] $4; small, simple, a little run down, nice enough. I liked the Glenwood Springs, Salida, and Steamboat Springs hot springs better (in that order). It still beat Idaho Springs though!
[Apparently we spent the night someplace and drove home Tuesday, Sep 3, but I didn't record that.]
Alan Silverstein
(Next trip report: 1986_0305-0428_HalleysComet.htm)