One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: March 30, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1986_0721-21_HandiesPeak.htm)
(A
Fourteener
trip report.)
Monday, July 21: After departing Handies Peak, Dave Landers and I headed for Windom Peak, and Sunlight Peak, and more in the Chicago Basin. We arrived in Silverton just in time to spend an hour frantically packing to catch the last train that day (on the Durango-Silverton RR) south at 1545. The cost one-way to Needleton was $11.10, and the same coming back.
It took about an hour to ride the train 15 miles or so. Then they dropped us and our packs on the banks of the Animas River next to a small suspension bridge. There was nothing much in the area but private property and some small cabins. It was a lonely feeling as the train pulled away. I wondered if I had enough food for four days... Well it started raining again, and it was late, so we decided to camp for the night right there at Needleton.
Tuesday, July 22: The next morning we made a leisurely start up the trail to Chicago Basin at 1055 from about 8200'. The first 1/2 mile was easy, even downhill, then we turned and start up through a forest along Needle Creek. The trail was generally good and uniform, without too many downhills or real steep or narrow sections, and easy to follow. But it was rocky in spots.
Well now 6.5 miles was a looonng way with a full pack, so I took it slow. And it rained several times, during which I sheltered under trees. Eventually I caught up to Dave at 1640 or so, just about where the trail got rough and hard to follow after going through some meadows. We joined up with an interesting fellow named Scottie who'd come up alone, and then continued a ways further to make camp at 1700, 11400' (6:05 to backpack up 3200').
Our camp was at the high end of the basin, which was really more of a wide valley, next to one of the last clumps of trees. We were also next to some very pretty waterfalls, and surrounded by wildflowers.
Wednesday, July 23: This morning we started up in overcast and drizzle at 0620 on a very muddy, and then steep, trail north to Twin Lakes at 12500'. The upper basin holding the lakes was marvelous, a gorgeous and enticing place of rocks, moss, water, snow, and even an old miner's cabin. There wasn't much shelter for camping -- no trees -- but it was surrounded on most sides by tall peaks and spires.
Due to the foggy weather we proceeded on inertial navigation using the Borneman route description. We climbed some snow and fun rounded rocks to a small upper bowl, then east on snow to the west ridge of Windom Peak at 13400' (0820). Going north up the ridge was easy at first, on moss and rocks, but the last couple of hundred feet was tougher, lots of scrambling. We left Dave behind a little, and he got lost in the fog!
Scottie and I made the summit, a jaggy ridge of huge, angular granite boulders, at 0855 (2:35 for 2680'). We couldn't see much because of the wet (40 deg), cold, heavy clouds. After 40 minutes we got worried and descended a ways, finally meeting Dave coming up. He continued up and back while we took a long break.
Next we crossed a mile and a 400' drop and gain to Sunlight Peak, which took us an astounding 3:20 to reach from Windom because of breaks, tough route-finding due to the weather, tiredness, and rugged rock on the last section. We dropped northeast across the northwest face of Windom starting small avalanches in heavy, wet, fresh snow. After reaching the saddle, which was nearer to Windom, we started climbing up a couloir too soon. Eventually we saw the Sunlight Spire (13995') through the clouds and figured out that we had to traverse a high ledge a long way north to the right couloir.
By the time we got to it the snow was falling hard and fast. It wasn't tough to get up to the summit approach. But from there route-finding was no joy in bad weather. Borneman's description was imprecise and there weren't enough cairns.
We were cold and wet as we searched through a rock window for a route, then retraced back to the west side. Meanwhile snow blew uphill through the window! Finally we did find a second window, the right one, and crossed through it. We carefully scrambled the last remaining boulders to the summit of Sunlight Peak at 1255.
Almost to the summit that is. Sunlight was infamous because its top was a unique collection of rounded granite boulders, the highest of which was a spire with a sheer drop on two sides. Scottie raced up and down, while I slowly got to the top and satisfied myself with touching it -- but not sitting on it. The snow stopped and it got brighter, but the rocks were wet and I could see only clouds on the far side.
After a pause to gather my self-control, I made a careful jump back across a 3' gap down 2' to another rock. [In later years I heard this described as the "Leap of Faith".] The exposure here was about 10', just enough to hurt a lot... And get you stuck.
The rest of the descent was anticlimactic starting at 1335. We took soft snow and steep, smooth rocks down the southwest side of Sunlight Peak. Once in the first (highest) basin between Sunlight and Windom the rest was an easy series of glissades and walks down to Twin Lakes at 1510. At one point Scottie did about a 10' jump landing on his derriere to start a fast slide on mushy snow.
We took a long break at the miner's cabin to assess the time and weather, then roamed around the lakes and towards Mount Eolus. Dave dropped back to camp on the trail while Scottie and I climbed a couple hundred feet southwest into the Eolus east basin. We considered an evening ascent but wisely deferred after a long break in the meadows there watching the clouds build again. We had a couple of hours of clear weather, and a great view of where we'd been groping around all day!
Coming down from there without a trail was wet and slow. We were back at camp at 1730, making for a very long day. It rained hard soon after, and most of the night... Leaving us uncertain about Mount Eolus the next day.
(Next trip report: 1986_0724-25_MountEolus.htm)