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Ryan, Erin and I had attempted Rosalie three weeks previously via a grueling bushwhack route from the south via Bandit Peak, turning back just under treeline. We arrived at the trailhead at around 8:30 a.m. This time we opted for a more standard approach. With May-like weather conditions, we progressed up from the Deer Creek Trail at 9,300' through the drainage. We spent a good portion of the morning in the trees. The warm weather of late had compacted the snow well enough to render snowshoes unnecessary; in fact, we carried them to 12,300', having never used them. We stopped briefly at around treeline to admire the twisted bristlecone pines (photo on right).
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With pleasure, we were able to avoid any postholing through willows on our way up to the North Ridge at 12,300. On the left is a view of the gentle slopes leading up Rosalie. We were enamored with the expansive views of the Lost Creek on our ascent to the ridge. It was also interesting to see four county highpoints aligned together so closely - Buffalo Peak, Thunder Butte, Pikes Peak (including Teller County). We reached the ridge at around noon, having traveled 4.5 miles to this point, and the summit was within reach. We left our snowshoes to lighten the load a bit, and continued upward.
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So far, the weather had been unbelievable, clear and very warm. It was a little cooler on the ridge, and we added a layer. The walk up the broad ridge was very easy, lacking snow except on rare ocassions, when the snow was in great shape to walk on. The wind started to pick up a bit, and the change in temperature was a subtle reminder that it was indeed only the beginning of spring. We took our time ascending, and soon we could see the last hundred feet or so of the huge summit. On the right, Ryan and Erin walk the remainder of the slope to Rosalie's summit. On top, the highest point was conveniently a protruding boulder that provided good wind shelter. We contemplated a traverse over to "Epaulie", and after a half hour at 1:30 p.m., opted to head down to Pegmatite Points instead.
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Mount Evans is featured in the photo on the left from the summit. We made our way down to the saddle at 12,200' quickly, and scurried around to the highest of the Pegmatite points, returning to the saddle about 50 minutes later. The descent to treeline was aided by a few glissades and we finally found a use for our snowshoes once on the slushy trail again. We made our way down to the last couple miles before the snowshoes were utterly useless again. After 12 miles, and 4,500' elevation gain, we arrived at the trailhead at 5:10 p.m. It was nice to get out and bag a peak again, having been my second outing in two months.
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