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On the 16th, I drove towards Cheyenne after work to join up with I-80 West to begin what would have been a five peak trip to Kings Peak, Boundary Peak in Nevada, Middle Palisade, White Mountain Peak, and Mount Shasta in California. Things didn't work out too well, beginning with a flat tire that I awoke to in Rawlins, Wyoming. My 4:00 a.m. wake-up was now useless, as I would have to wait until a tire shop would open. Luckily, my spare was actually a regular extra tire, and I was able to drive 110 miles to Rock Springs to the Big-O shop there by 9:00 a.m. They did an efficient exchange, and I was out at the trailhead south of Mountain View by 12:30 p.m. The hike in to Dollar lake was gentle, but my knee started to act up after only 1.5 hours of hiking. I had rested it for two weeks (which I mistakenly thought would be adequate) after similar pain on Ellingwood Point. I knew this would be a painful experience. It began to rain at this point also, which didn't let up for any portion of the 7.5 mile hike into Dollar Lake. I did mangage to spot some moose munching on willows. On the right is a view of Kings Peak from near Dollar Lake.
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I arrived at the day's destination at 4:30 p.m.
Finding a good camp site was relatively easy, though the whole basin was filled with the sound of horse neighs (two groups of horse tours were hitched up near the lake). I caught up on some reading and went to sleep around 8:00 p.m. Waking up at 6:00 a.m., I readied my gear and began the gentle hike up to Gunsight Pass. My knee didn't improve from the previous day, so I took things slowly. On the left is a view of Gunsight Pass from about 1/2 a mile away. A direct social trail bypasses the switchbacks, which I took advantage of. I had a hard time finding the route that ascends the slope on the South side of the pass instead of the 600' descent into Painter Basin.
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I descended about 200 yards and spotted some worn dirt and a cairn at the top of the ridge. I headed straight up talus to the ridgeline, and began a gentle descending traverse toward the switchbacks lining Kings Peak's South Ridge. Kings Peak is shown from this perspective in the photo on the right. This traverse, while off-trail, was a welcome relief, as I was able to put most of my weight on the right, upsloping side, allowing me to keep my left leg extended. The off-trail traverse was straight-forward, with cairns every so often demarking the route. I arrived at the saddle on the South Ridge at 9:00 a.m., surprised to see dark clouds rolling in this early.
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On the left, Kings Peak looms above, a class 2 slog up talus. The rock here beared a lot of resemblance to the Maroon Bells in its blocky red nature. Kings Peak's upper reaches on a macro level was much like Humboldt Peak in the Sangre de Cristos - topographically speaking. The hike up to the summit was a chore, as I was using my left leg for a pivot, fully extended while my right leg did the work of lifting my body upward. Trekking poles were very handy to keep my balance while climbing the peak one-legged. At 9:30 a.m., I reached the summit to see the clouds passing by neighboring peaks. It looked like a good time to get going just as I had arrived.
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I'm grateful that I was early to the summit, as crowds of people witnessing my facing-in downclimb of a class 2 ridge might have been quite humiliating. It was probably not the best decision to descend my ascent route, as I could have saved my knee a lot of pain by staying on the class 1 trail to Painter Basin. The descnet took an hour longer than the ascent, as I arrived at my tent around 1:30 p.m. The hike out was long, but not unbearably painful, as the gentle grade did not force me to bend knees too often. The parking lot was a welcome sight at 5:00 p.m., and I had little choice but to start the drive back home, aborting plans to climb all week. Peak bagging has taken a backseat to Physical Therapy for the time being.
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