One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: May 28, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1986_0615_Lincoln,Bross.htm)
(Originally posted to internal newsgroup:
/* hpfcla:hpnc.general / ajs / 12:07 pm Jun 23, 1986)
We sure lucked out on the weather yesterday! Dave Landers, his brother John Landers, a friend, and I tackled South Arapaho Peak (13397') and North Arapaho Peak (13503') in the Indian Peaks Wilderness (west of Boulder, Colorado). The purpose was just to stay in shape while climbing some Thirteeners we hadn't done yet -- but what a great climb it turned out to be.
We didn't want to do anything too far away (requiring an earlier start), so we left at 0600 (not too miserable on a Sunday I guess). The weather looked crummy, and it stayed strange all day. From up top we saw a layer of popcorn cumulus over the plains, but it was mostly clear above that despite the predicted thunderstorms. Starting around 1030 the first cumulus clouds formed in updrafts -- which can mean lightening by 1300 -- but not yesterday. Just cold stiff breezes and occasional cumulus until late in the day, with fascinating swirling clouds.
The trailhead was west of Boulder, west of Nederland, actually 4.5 miles up a rough but non-4WD road west of Eldora, at the Fourth of July Campground. It was about 80 miles from Fort Collins.
The trail was nice, but this time of year muddy, with many creek crossings. The snow was melting fast, the peaks were down to 30-40% covered, and a lot of the snowfields were pretty crusty. There was still some snow under timber, but not much.
We started up from 10200' at 0830. At one tough creek crossing I got wanderlust and started straight uphill while the other three followed the trail. Usually that sort of craziness is a mistake, but this time it worked out. I crossed the raging creek much higher, then sidehilled up and around to the trail where it headed back east and up.
Meanwhile the other three lost the trail completely due to snow and confusion, dropped some elevation, eventually cross-countried back the right way. I sat at about 12000' for 40 minutes watching them with binoculars and waiting for them to get into shouting range.
After that I led them by some amount all the way up! [This was unusual for me even in my best days.] The trail switched east-west up a steep grassy slope, then flattened north to the southeast ridge of South Arapaho Peak at 12720'. The view from here alone was worth the trip, looking over Arapaho Pass to the west and down Arapaho Glacier to the north. From here the ridge to the summit was a steep, enjoyable sawtooth, quite spectacular -- it was what we saw from the road below.
I was on top by 1215, meaning 3:45 for a "mere" 3200', not very fast. But it was a challenging climb. On top there was a brass plate which had been there almost 60 years, pointing out various peaks and towns and giving distances to them. Major landmarks included Longs Peak (17 miles due north), Evans and Bierstadt, Grays and Torreys, and Holy Cross.
Once we regrouped, as the weather was "holding" at 1250, we started off west, then north 0.5 miles to North Arapaho Peak. It was only 100' higher but the ridge was quite challenging, with lots of ups and downs, some 5.2-5.3 technical moves, and steep drops on both sides. There were arrows and cairns on it though.
At some points we walked on a ridge of snow or rock only a few feet wide. It took us a full 80 minutes to make the traverse, and I must tell you I found it challenging and scary, even though I led a lot of it. I loved scrambling and steep rock but hated out-and-out exposure -- you fall you die, unless you're lucky.
(Observation: It's mental, not physical, limitations that hold you back the most. The laws of physics say you might die if you fall, but they don't toss you summarily off a ridge -- unless it's real windy maybe. It's not that treacherous or difficult. But if you feel fear, as I did, you can end up physicially disabled -- shaky -- and that's very real and hard to control. The only cure is practice!)
The summit of the north peak was hard to reach except by this ridge, quite an isolated place, with sheer, sharp-edged cliffs on one side. There was a humongous cairn on top, a cubical shape about 8' high you could sit on top of (I did). It looked like a cabin but was solid rock.
We didn't stay long before unwinding our steps (and moves) back across the ridge, in only an hour. The weather looked more threatening so we moved a little quicker. I found a way to detour down and up around the worst section on a rock pillar while the others walked it. We had to go right over the top of South Arapaho Peak again, at 1530, then started the steep descent back to the trail.
I cut off to glissade down a series of snowfields in couloirs on the southeast face. The snow was surprisingly crusty for late in the day; the ice axe saved my life (literally) a couple of times. It was hard but exhilarating work, and not very dangerous with the axe, so long as I didn't poke myself with it. And of course I beat the other three back to the main trail in the valley below.
With a couple other detours to do glissades, we were all back to Dave's truck by 1755. Round trip time, 9:35 (a long day); elevation gain 3500'+.
(Next trip report: 1986_0628_14erFlight1.htm)