| The 15 week consecutive hiking string ended 8/14 with our daughter's arrival 8/20. Now that things had settled down a little, I thought a quick hike was in order. I was disappointed Memorial Day Weekend when snow in the air and 4' deep on the ground ended my bid for this peak in the meadow at treeline. A few months makes a big difference in the Rawah's - only a light dusting of snow from Friday's storm was present. I reached the end of the 4x4 road and started moving at 7:00 a.m., in a brisk temperature. On the right, Clark Peak rears up above the trees in the early morning. The trail, which was completely covered up in May, led me in a different direction to arrive in the upper basin than I went before. Essentially, I went up the right side of the creek previously. Ruby Jewel Lake did not resemble its name very well, but was pretty nonetheless. I scoped the slopes above for the most expedient way up to the West Ridge, deciding on a gully to start things off. | |
| On the left, the gully I ascended appears from above Ruby Jewel Lake. The rock and scree mixture here was somewhat unpleasant, though arriving at the exit did not take very long. Steep and slippery grass slopes dominated, with rock/scree intermittently vying for presence. I was becoming increasingly aware that I was going straight up the face rather than toward the saddle, though this was the path of least resistance from the exit of the gully. The wind was a little chilly, and I neglected to put the jacket I took out of the closet into my pack before leaving home. The slope gains considerable altitude quickly given the steepness, and it was impossible for me to maintain the fast pace I'm used to. The sun was just starting to peek over onto East facing slopes behind me and I was hoping it would warm up a little. Balaclava and thin gloves would have to do. The angle relented momentarily about 100' below the summit. |
| I reached the ridge a little east of the summit, so backtracked 30 yards. It was 8:20 a.m. - early summits have the disadvantage of being cooler from now until winter's end. The wind was strong and I took in the views rather quickly before heading down again. The sea of prominent peaks from here is astounding - Hagues to the east, Longs to the southeast, Richtofen to the south, Parkview to the southwest, and Zirkel to the west. That's 12% of Colorado's 50 most prominent I was able to identify. The descent was not any more enjoyable on the slippery grass and scree, though it was not as windy. Back home at 1:00 p.m., I was glad this one went as planned. |
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