One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: April 1, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1987_0829-30_MountMassive.htm)
(A
Fourteener
trip report.)
Later the same summer we held a virtual reunion on Snowmass Mountain of the Challenger Point memorial climbers with one addition and one substitution.
Saturday, September 5: Despite an early start and a quick drive (just four hours) from Fort Collins to Glenwood Springs I was half an hour behind the rest of the group. Jim Baer, Barbara Roach, and her nephew Bart left their Subaru at the general store in Marble (7950'), 262 miles from home, which told me the group had gone on ahead.
I 4-wheeled along with zillions of other Labor Day weekenders uphill through Crystal, site of the famous mill, 6.0 miles up a moderate but narrow road along the Crystal River. The stream was well-named for the light color of the bedrocks and the bluish clarity they imparted to the otherwise typical mountain runoff. Beyond Crystal the "road" was quite rotten and slow (~32 minutes) to go another 2.5 miles to the marked parking area and trailhead in Lead King Basin, 9700', on the southwest side of Snowmass Mountain.
Here I met up with the three and also their hitchhikees, Ron Miller and Ted, Chuchang, and Clifton Manahan. I took a bit longer than them to pack, and followed them up the trail at 1546. The route was obvious and easy all the way north to Geneva Lake, about 2.5 miles and a fairly steady gain of only ~1250', with switchbacks, to 10936'.
The hike to the lake and beyond to Siberia Lake was through a series of glacial basins separated by fairly steep walls. This time of year the basins were quite pretty with tall gold, orange, and even lime brush, old flowers, and green willows. There were a number of waterfalls along the way but the trail didn't get close to them.
At one point there was a great view through nearby hillsides of the west side of the Maroon Bells about eight miles away. At least it would have been spectacular if not so hazy (then and through the weekend) due to distant but massive California forest fires.
I reached a marked camping area above Geneva Lake at 1715 to find the others had already pitched four tents. I added my fifth between some tall pines overlooking the gorgeous green lake ringed by golden grasses. The serene and magnificent late-day views of Snowmass looming across the lake from the south end stuck in my mind a while. [2024: But of course now long faded!]
Sunday, September 6: After a leisurely Saturday evening we got a late start up the mountain Sunday morning at 0730, almost an hour after sunrise. It was cool and increasingly cloudy through the day but surprisingly dry. We followed a good, narrow footpath north towards Little Gem Lake and Siberia Lake, but turned off it to the east to drop about 200' into and then cross the valley floor.
Once across we found the climbing had only two descriptions: Steep, and steeper! First we rock-whacked up talus boulders NNE to a narrow gully just south of the main west ridge. Then on the solider rock of "the mountain itself" we remained spread out sideways somewhat to reduce rockfall hazard, and attacked the very steep hillside. Personally I liked ridges so I mainly stayed right on the crest, which was more inclined than prominent.
It was really not hard climbing a very steep mountain. Of course I must not mind the view down, and it was a lot of effort lugging myself up, but it was not hard... Just exhilarating. Three of us six felt a little slower, so we lagged behind as a separate party. When we had breath to spare we commiserated about the lousy visibility, no more than 10 miles we later decided looking at the rest of the Elk Range.
Our ascent ridge dead-ended at a T intersection with the summit ridge. It was a complex arrangement with lots of "character". I broke off to turn left and visit the north sub-peak first, 14000+'. I reached it at 1102 having taken about 3:30 to climb about 3300' total.
It was a small and pointy summit, just right for surveying the scenery: Snowmass Mountain south, Capitol Peak farther to the north, and the expanse of the famous snowfields for which the mountain was named, quite large even in late summer. A number of climbers were visible crossing it up from Snowmass Lake -- the long way, 12 miles from trailhead to peak, which I couldn't recommend, having done it two years earlier.
I spent only 10 minutes on the sub-peak. I was tireder than usual, but the climbing was good, fun, and challenging. I watched and exchanged hollers with the others on the main peak. Crossing back to it took only 20 minutes: 10 down to the saddle, then 10 up a very narrow, jagged, and exposed ridge to the summit itself at 1132.
It was great returning to Snowmass Mountain only a couple of years after the first time! The peak of Snowmass was a small, narrow bit of ridge with rapid dropoffs and a prominent summit boulder. On top before me, the others met a lady who'd climbed Challenger Point a week after we placed the plaque on it, and who'd removed the black plastic I'd left over the fresh cement!
We hung around for a while enjoying the view, such as it was, then broke up again. Three people headed for the north peak, two others started down, and I remained until 1227. 55 minutes on top was not enough time to get bored with it; but then there never seems to be enough of that precious summit time. I mosied back (if you can call this exciting sort of ridge traversal "moseying") and joined up with the threesome after they returned to the saddle. We met the rest of our party going down...
Just in time to get adventurous and descend via a steep, rotten, debris-filled gash to the right of the main ridgeline. Below it we bouldered all the way down to the shore of Siberia Lake, ~11840', at 1455. By unspoken consensus we took a long break on the edge of this placid pond.
Returning to camp was anticlimactic but still lovely through the tundra and pine glades. We met again there at 1625, 8:55 after departing.
Now I was typically gung-ho about packing out the same evening. But being unusually tired, I elected to hang around another night with the rest of the group. Again it was a mellow evening.
Monday, September 7: In the morning I headed out a bit before the others and traipsed back down to the trailhead 0852-0947. It was colder and wetter, and still depressingly smoky. After the others arrived we unwound down the "road" back to Marble to visit the marble quarry, except Ron departed for Schofield Pass.
(Next trip report: 1987_0907-07_MarbleQuarry.htm)