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A couple weeks off, and a longer drive doesn't seem so bad. I arrived at the wet, sloppy, muddy dirt road leading to the trailhead from Crawford, CO, admiring "The Needle" on the way in at about 7:00 a.m. I had hoped to do this one later in the year, but this fit the bill given weather forecasts. In retrospect, this is one of the most prolific aspen areas, and a perfect visit this time of year. I started out with moderate gear in my pack, and was prepared for bad conditions. It was a little chilly, but not cold by any means, so superflouity bounded for the majority of the day. Aspen dominated this hike, and the abundance of yellow actually was over-stimulating after a while. The inaccurate mileage posts were about the only solace from the deep yellow cover. Oak was a brilliant red along the lower relative elevations, complicating the matter somewhat. Eventually, the objective became clear when Inter-Ocean Pass was less than a mile away.
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The pass itself is not necessarily the extent one wants to go to in order to attain the saddle - this involved ascending 100' and descending 200' to get to the creekside "trail" that doesn't exist, yet appears on topographic maps. The San Juans were just getting socked in, and I was reinforced in my convictions about peak selection. En route to the East Ridge, I snapped the photo appearing on the left. 1,600' to go in less than a mile is a little odd for an 11er, at least in my experience, and the hiking was going to be tougher than I expected. Elk bugled from across the way and scurried above me as I ascended. Many a dead elk is evidenced here, in an almost ritualistic multiple bone allocation (poachers perhaps?). Fall had fallen upon this, the West Elks, in full splendor, and yet no one else was to be reckoned in the area. The steep slope had little sign of foot traffic, contray to the register's regular Paonian visitation.
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From the slope, the neighboring peak to the east - a.k.a. Coal Mountain - 11,705' was impressive with incredible aspen stands from bottom to near snow-capped top. The clouds were building, so the hurry factor superfluously increased, though it was good to stay warm owing to quick movement. The steep slope seemed to take a while, and was surprisingly energy-sapping. Elk continued to bugle their screaming pitch, as if taunting, saying they were proud and fearless - perhaps the truth, perhaps not. Another empty thought about reproduction and its related epithets. Now, the elevation on my GPS indicates 10,980', meaning my thigh muscles are soon to switch stress of the event to my knee-area tendons - the slope is steep, and the view of the summit boulders makes it more than worthwhile. From here, it looks like a challenge might be in order, but disappointment lurks for those of that persuasion.
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There is a scramble, but one-handed would suffice. The top was glorious, nonetheless, as most apline county highpoints are. The top was a little iced-over, but not a problem to stand on top of. The cloud cover was an interesting contrast to the surrounding valley floor(s). Peaks to the east in the West Elks were a good backdrop to the building weather seemingly flowing to the north. The summit register was one of the most original I have seen; so cumbersome as to not be removable, yet given PVC register-smashing new era mentalities was classicallly defiant. Well, this was a great outing and one that definitley brings the fun factor into listism.
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