Audubon from Paiute
| I got started pehaps a bit too early for this one, arriving at Brainard Lake at 5:00 am, and found time-consuming things to do before setting out. There was only one other vehicle at the trailhead, whereas upon departing at 11:30 the were people waiting in line for parking spots. There was a stiff wind that would not relent for the duration of the hike as I hit the trail at 5:50. It doesn't take long to get above the relatively low treeline here, and the wind really started making its presence known. In the sprawling meadow, I thought I could save myself some pain by taking the gentle east ridge (photo on right) directly to the summit. Talus was plentiful all the way up the ridge, for the most part quite stable. It seemed to take a long time to get up this ridge, but it was a full mile of talus. | |
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The wind still blew down the ridge pretty well, but certainly less than what I would have encountered on the trail. In more or less winter gear, I found myself still longing for extra layers. The views were hard to appreciate on the summit, as the wind made it a ridiculous endeavor to stand in place. The windchill at 8:00 am wasn't very pleasant either. The sea of peaks to the north and south along the Continental Divide is astonishing, nonetheless. I didn't waste much time getting to the south side of Audubon's west ridge in hopes of avoiding being blown around so much. Mount Toll was a sight to behold from lower down the ridge, though not looking appetizing to climb from this location with a fresh coat of snow on its weakness - the slabby Northwest Side. The route ahead looked a little tougher than I had expected, since I did no reading and thought it would be easy class 2. |
| The wind somehow eased up considerably once I started up Paiute's east ridge (photo on right). The ridge was still very easy to navigate and short scrambles here and there were enjoyable as I took my time going up. It had been over a year since being in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, and I'd almost forgotten the rugged nature of these peaks. I had been slow getting to Paiute, arriving on the summit at 9:10. I saw the register on the east summit and wasn't quite convinced it was the higher of two double summits, so I made the quick trip over. There was a fair amount of snow on the north side of the ridge (lower-right in photo below). I met another party making their way up from the saddle, one with a cowboy hat who was from Nederland. The trip back over Audubon was faster, and I made my way down the way I ascended in hopes of saving some time. It was quite a bit warmer now with little wind and there were many people on the trail from near treeline all the way back to the parking lot. Seems their planning worked out in their favor moreso than mine. | |
Audubon from Paiute | |