Mt. Yale via the East Ridge (14,196')

Date: July 27, 2013
Climbing Party: Amanda Harnden
R/T Mileage: 10.6
Elevation Gain: 4,826'

Gerry Roach writes in his book that by taking the East Ridge of Mt. Yale to it’s summit is longer than the standard route, but that the additional length and effort is worth the solitude found on the route. He was right. For 5 hours and 12 minutes, we did not see one single soul on the trail – ahead or behind us.

We arrived in Buena Vista the night before with the hope of finding a good spot to hunker down for the evening ahead of the 3:30 AM start time. We ended up settling in for the evening in the back of Amanda’s car at the Avalanche trailhead, which worked out great, as the trailhead was mere steps from where we were.

We were on trail by 3:30, and started making our way up the Colorado Trail with the hope of finding Yale’s East Ridge trail, located 3.3 miles ahead. Our objective was summit at about 8:30, and get down as the weather forecast was calling for early morning precip in BV, and that meant clouds rolling in earlier than normal. So we were on our way!

Our heads were foggy on this morning- we stopped frequently, our steps weren’t deliberate, we were certainly grumpy from lack of sleep. For the first two hours, we put our heads down, and kept putting one foot in front of the other hoping that when the sun finally came up, it would generate more of an alert in our bodies, and wake us up! I can’t remember being so exhausted in the first few miles of a hike, and it began to wear on me mentally, knowing that we had a really long day ahead. The sun finally came up, and renewed our spirits! On a shoulder ridge in the Collegiates was a great place to be to see the sun come up!

We came to the clearing in the woods, where the guidebook says to make a 90 degree left hand turn to begin the East Ridge of Yale. It was blatantly obvious for us, as someone kindly fashioned an enormous arrow made out of dead trees. If you missed the huge arrow, there were also two large rock cairns, and a line of dead branches leading you in the right direction.

The first portion of the hike as standard class 1 hiking. We gained 2,530’ in the first 3.3 miles to get to the Silver Creek Saddle. From here, the remaining route is a class 2/3 scramble to the summit of Yale. Once you leave the Colorado trail, and start off on the East Ridge, it is definitely slower going. If you brought your helmet, this is a good time to put it on, as loose rock is everywhere.  The wind was picking up, and was in our faces. Follow the ridge over and around several large points. The summit of Yale is not too far off, but it will take a little while to get there! The rock is loose in several places, especially around 13,000’ where the ridge gets its steepest.  For some perspective, this portion took 38 minutes to go .25 miles, and we gained 538 vertical feet.

Climbing the talus - the last two miles looks like this!  We came from lookers right around the two points in the distance

First getting on to the summit ridge!

On the way down we decided to take the standard route back.  The thought of going back down the ridge seemed like a lot of work for our beaten up bodies.  The standard route didn't seem to be a cakewalk either...it was a direct slog from the parking lot, a steep, direct route.  It seemed longer I think because we had been up and packs were getting heavy and knees were getting sore.  Plenty of marmots along the way to keep us entertained however :)

Marmot on patrol 

Coming down Denny Gulch 

In the end, the (b)east ridge of Mt. Yale kicked our asses!  The route we took gave us solitude, great views and awesome scrambling.  I would have to agree with Mr. Roach, that the route is a classic.  The only issue with this choice of routes is the 2.9 mile downhill grunt back to the Avalanche trailhead.  I would recommend stashing a bike in the woods at the Denny trailhead.  Walking 2.9 miles back to Avalanche is the last thing you will want to do after this route! 

Mt. Bierstadt (14,060’) > Sawtooth Ridge > Mt. Spaulding (13,842’)

Date:   July 20, 2013
Climbing Party:   Sabrina Langer, Martin Barnett, Katie Moser, Nathan Hankins, Zach Taylor, Rich Ostrosky, Chris Pierce, Becca Frager
R/T Mileage: ~8 miles 

Estimated Total Elevation Gain: 3,262’

Mt. Bierstadt is one of the most popular 14ers in the Front Range. It’s close proximity to Denver and paved access to the trailhead makes it a very attractive option for folks looking to get up high. Let me say this again…Bierstadt is a VERY popular 14er.

Our group of 9 left the trailhead at 5:00 AM, and the parking lot was already nearly full. Lines of hikers could be seen going up the mountain ahead of us, and queuing up behind us. We were off, and summited Bierstadt just before 8:00 AM.

On the way up Bierstadt

From the summit of Bierstadt, we began the traverse of the Sawtooth Ridge. Picking our way down to the low point of the saddle was a lot of fun. This ridge traverse is mostly class 3 scrambling, requiring the standard three points of contact most of the way. The ridge affords beautiful views to the east, and beautiful views to the west accompanied by some exposure as you make your way. The ridge was snow free, except in one spot roughly 10 feet wide by 40 feet long. Ironically, we were there to witness the sole patch of snow warm to a magic temperature, and release a boulder about the size of a refrigerator down the slope. It rumbled its way down, and smashed into another rock and broke into pieces. The boulder surely would’ve ruined anyone’s day that was unlucky enough to be below it. Thankfully, no one was. It served as a reminder as to the level of care to be taken. It was not human triggered, as we were all resting above it, just a small chapter in the mountain’s history. We gingerly made it past the snowfield, and gained the saddle of the ridge at 13,300. 

About the low point of the ridge

From the low point of the ridge, there is a large gendarme straight ahead. It can either be taken straight on, or bypassed to the east. To take it straight on would’ve entailed what appeared to be class 4ish moves. We elected to bypass it to the east. There is a nice trail that will take you past the gendarme to another spot on the ridge where you will get your first view of the ramp up the Sawtooth itself. The ramp is exposed, but wide enough to feel relatively safe. There is some loose dirt and scree that leads you to larger, more solid rock ahead. It’s a quick move around the corner and voila, you have finished and are on top of the tooth! There is a Starbucks on top and a large hot tub to soak in…wouldn’t that be nice! 

Preparing to go up the ramp (ahead)

The remaining route to Spaulding consists of picking your way through an alpine tundra littered with grass, wildflowers and small boulders. It is a welcome change of terrain and pace following the traverse. So long as there are no clouds moving in, it’s a great place to relax! The summit of Spaulding is at 13,842, and a gain of 542 vertical from the low point of the Sawtooth saddle. 

From the summit of Mt. Spaulding, we descended west, and into a friendly gully that lead us to the willows. ***There is a trail to be found to the south of the southernmost stream. If you are able to locate it, it will lead you to the Bierstadt trail, through the driest part of the willows***

On top of the tooth

 We got back to our cars around 4:30, tired but feeling great about our hike. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, or a better day. For one of our hikers, it was her first time at 14k’. Knocking out a 14er, 13er, and a class 3 scramble is a hell of an intro to high altitude hiking, and she did a great job!

Mt. Morrison - 7,884'

To get there:  If you are familiar with how close Red Rocks is to Denver, then you know how close this is!  Just head to the Red Rocks Amphitheater entrance #4 which is located a few hundred feet west of the intersection of CO74 and CO8 (on CO74), and you will see what looks like a game trail on your left, and room for about 4-5 cars on your right.  That game trail looking path is what you're after.  It's not marked, but tis the only obvious trail you will see.

Mt. Morrison - A beastly front range hike!  Red Rocks Amphitheater below

Mt. Morrison is located in the small town of Morrison, Colorado, and served as the last hike I did before my surgery.  I figured it might be a good test, kind of a then and now snapshot of where I was physically then, and what direction things are going.  The trail we did must have originated as erosion, as it more or less leads you directly up to the summit ridge.  It's steep, and filled with what my father calls "death cookies" or loose rock on a steep trail.  It's a no nonsense gainer, getting you out of the gates and up high immediately.  You will gain 900' in the first mile or so, and 1,800' in what I'm guessing is around 2 miles?!?!  It is a short hike, but a good burner.  Many people on this seem to be training for something with enormous loads on their backs, it will definitely get your motor going quickly, and it's really close to town!

March 19, 2013:  It was the day before my surgery, and it was the date of the physcial pack carry for Alpine, and we did the shoulder of Mt. Morrison.  It was 5:15 am, climbed 900' in one mile, and did it in 30 minutes, without stopping with approximately 40lbs of gear on my back.  Winded? A little bit, but definitely not tired.

June 23, 2013:  On the trail about 7:15, just Scarlet and I.  We stopped about three times before getting to that 900' point.  Wow!  What an eye opener.  This goes to show there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.  We went longer today, going further along the trail, and almost gaining the summit.  Didn't think it fair for the dog to continue much further on the last little bit of some steepish scramble moves.  Winded?  Absolutely.

July 13, 2013:  Hiked it with my friend Rich, and could not believe how much better the legs felt.  Felt stronger overall, and balance felt a lot better too.  We got all the way up, and had great views of the city, Mt. Falcon's trail system to the south, and blue skies off to the west.  Winded?  Yes, but not like last time, and legs felt better too.  Great views.  This hike seems to be under the radar for now, but take advantage of this hike so close to town!

Pettingell Peak (13,553') via East Ridge

Date:                    July 4, 2013
Climbing Party:   Zach Taylor, Nathan Hankins
R/T:                     9 Miles, 3,300 gain


Following our weekly Wednesday meeting, Zach, Nathan and I bolted up the I-70 corridor to the Herman Gulch exit (218) to camp at the Herman Gulch trailhead.  We had our sights on Pettingell Peak via the East Ridge for a fun class 3 scramble, and to get a little more familiar with the area.  We had our eyes on the west ridge of Quandary, but this was more attractive as it was closer, in territory, and none of us had been up in this drainage before.

After getting our camp set up, and conversing with a motorist who had stopped for a safety break, we hunkered down in the parking lot for a few hours sleep.  The jake-braking semis coming out of the tunnel all through the night ensured we all got quality rest before our hike.

At 4:30 AM, I rolled over and accidentally hit the "panic" button on my truck keys sounding the alarm, and waking everyone up.  I didn't feel as bad since that was the time we were planning on getting up in the first place.  We hit the trail at about 5AM, the light provided by the sun and moon together.

At the low point of the saddle, about to move to the summit ridge.

We took the well travelled Herman Gulch trail to the junction about 2.5 miles up, marked with a sign.  At the sign, looking straight ahead is a low lying saddle of the east ridge of Pettingell.  Once you leave the established trail, it is a "choose your own adventure" route straight up to the saddle.  It is a steep, direct route to gain the saddle, but once you get there, you will be rewarded with gorgeous views of the Herman Gulch drainage and Jones Pass area.  Once you attain the ridge, the next objective is the short but steep scree climb up to the summit ridge.  Looking west at this point, you will have a better look at the class 3 ridge ahead.

Herman Gulch

Along the ridge it is important to check your handholds and footholds, but overall the holds along the ridge are bomber, and can be trusted.  There are a few sections of the ridge that are somewhat exposed to the right, but can always be avoided to the left.  There is a large face at the end of the ridge that we had read would appear to be impassable.  When we got there though it was pretty straightforward, and were able to scramble up to the summit without an issue.

After all that, this is the only pic of the ridge I took...

On the way down, follow that drainage!

On a day when the front range fourteeners were most likely at capacity, we enjoyed solitude at the summit.  This was my first 13er, and it was great!  I enjoyed the scramble, the route finding, scenery, and solitude it provided.  It also felt great to test out my ears at elevation.  Aside from constant ringing, they felt fine.  Pressure didn't affect them one bit.

I will add that being deaf in one ear enhances the serenity that can be found in the outdoors:)  

Cookin' up some bratwurst on the summit for the 4th!