|
At last the time came for me to tackle this remote group of peaks, and I sometimes forget what it is like to venture into the wilderness alone. The crescendo from driving, the train and the backpack up to camp at 10,900' was something I will probably not forget. I managed to prepare the heaviest pack I'd ever carried (about 60 lbs.), and was glad I remembered my running shoes after driving for 30 minutes from the start of the trip and turning around to retrieve them. On the right, the conductor is preparing for the ride to Durango (which stops in Needleton). The train-ride aspect of this trip definitely added to its character, punctuating the distance disparity with other hikes. I departed quickly whe nthe train stopped and made my way up the 6 miles of trail to my base camp at 10,900'. I found a nice worn area by the creek with a faint trail leading South to it. It was only 8:00 p.m., but I was tired and wanted an early start, so went to sleep.
|  |
 |
For some reason, I was feeling a little sluggish when I started ascending the trail in the morning at 5:15 a.m.; perhaps my pack was way too heavy yesterday and had an affect. I took my time ascending the steep trail to Twin Lakes and tried not to familiarize myself with it too much, since I would be in the same location(s) on the trail six separate times (three separate peaks with up and down). I really did not enjoy the steep section above the sign indicating no camping on any of the six visits. This section is where the class 2+ really begins (though most 2+ is a joke anyway). Ice covered all the rock on the creek crossings, and luckliy I did not slip here (though I took a spill later on some black ice below the Red Couloir). I was fascinated with how much this basin and the surrounding peaks reminded me of the Sierra Nevada; just a little bit more red.
|
|
After ascending some snow out of Twin Lakes, the trail quickly gained altitude to the flat area between Sunlight and Windom. I saw a figure traversing toward Sunlight from Windom at the point I was about 150' up the snow slope to the Red Couloir. I was happy to have an ice axe since the snow was rock solid - crampons would not have been a mistake to bring along. The view of the sun rising on Eolus was unrivaled by anything I'd ever seen climbing in Colorado. Picking my way up the slabs, talus, scree, and everthing else Sunlight had to offer, I finally arrived at the base of snow-free couloir, and attained the saddle. Everything went smoothly from here, and I left my axe on the ridge before a descending traverse. Somehow, I felt compelled to follow tracks in the snow and cairns on the East side of the peak about 50 yards from the summit. The descent through the Keyhole was interesting, and there just didn't seem to be a Class 4 way back up the ridge or the summit block.
|
 |
 |
Soon the figure I had seen earlier had made the summit. I asked where the turn in the route was that stayed on the West side of the ridge. "A Keyhole"...to make a long story short, I took the way-too-soon keyhole, and back-tracked to meet John Maki below the summit block. John had already done the summit twice and did it again to get a photo from me when I arrived. I was a little unnerved from the off-route line I had taken earlier, but was very surpised at the ease with which this summit was attained. At about 8:30 a.m. I made the summit. Here is a sequential look at the move necessary to make the summit (John Maki had the excellent presence of mind the capture the sequence on camera). I was thrilled at how easy it was for the "hardest move required to reach the summit of a Colorado fourteener by its easiest route", recalling all kinds of awkward moves I'd made in the past that were much more difficult (perhaps an indication of my tendency to become off-route a lot). John and I shared some conversation on the descent and he headed up Eolus to finish off the three, while I headed back to camp at 10,900' to begin the slog back up to Twin Lakes and attempt Windom in the early afternoon.
|
|