Date Climbed: August 9, 2014
Climbing Party: Amanda Harnden, Aaron Dover
R/T Mileage: 8 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 3,900'
Leading up to this weekend, this summer had been really busy for the two of us. When we finally caught a break from everything and decided to take a weekend and go hike/camp in the Elk Range.
Our sights were set on Castle and Conundrum Peaks. The two peaks are connected by a very thin ridge line, and can be done in one hike. So, after work on Friday (literally…at 4:10) we booked it up 285 to Buena Vista and over Independence Pass, through Aspen and into the woods to get ourselves ready for the early morning.
The road in is actually the trail…it's conceivable to drive all of the way to 12,800' where the road ends. From there, your round trip hike distance would be 2 miles. We camped at about 11,200' on a ledge overlooking a valley below. It was a precarious spot, as it felt if we leaned too far over in the tent, we might roll off!
At 4:15 AM we were on trail. We hiked the initial 2 miles to the basin in the dark, and by the time we reached the basin at 12,800' it was light out and we ditched our headlamps. From the basin, the trail traverses a snowfield and a few boulder fields. Once you get to 13,000' a trail up to the summit ridge comes into view. Follow the trail a short way and the scramble begins!
The ridge to Castle's summit, to Conundrum and back consists of extremely loose rock and scrambling. There are some sketch areas with big drops, so keep an eye on your footing. There is plenty of solid rock to be found to make the scramble, but you do have to double/triple check all handholds and footholds before committing.
After summiting Conundrum, there is the option to descend down gully, backtracked over the top of Castle. As we were going back up Castle, a rock came hurtling down towards us, and luckily I was able to catch it in my chest. Be extremely cautious of rockfall on this trail.
We summited Castle at about 8AM, Conundrum at 9AM, Castle again at 9:45, and back to the car by 12:05, asleep for a nap at 3:00PM:)
Monday, January 16, 2017
The Citadel (13,294')
Climbing Party: Kit Dover, Amanda Harnden
Elevation Gain: 3,062'
Mileage: 6 miles round trip
We had this hike in mind as a good training hike for Longs Peak the next weekend. Dad was visiting from NH, and we wanted something that would give a good pump and some elevation.
From Denver, take I-70 west and get off at exit 216. At the end of the exit ramp, make a sharp right hand turn and drive down a dirt frontage road to the access gate to park.
Continue past the gate along a dirt road that gently leads you away from the highway, and eventually turns into a trail. Continue along the obvious trail in and out of small stands of trees until the trail disappears at the bottom of Dry Gulch. Although there is no trail, once you leave the trees there are quite a few cairns that will help guide you up the first steep section (around mile 2). Tis second mile will lead you out of the bottom of Dry Gulch. You will want to keep to the left around the large bulge in front of you. Contour around this feature and you will see the saddle to gain the ridge. Once on the ridge, spectacular views of Herman Gulch on one side, and Dry Gulch on the other await! From here, gain the false summit to your left and you will see the Citadel in all its glory! Make your way around the back of the prominent feature and there are multiple gully options. Choose your adventure, although the easiest gully becomes quite apparent as you rule out other options. The gully we chose was loose, and brought us to the saddle between the east summit and the west summit. We enjoyed a nice lunch on the west summit for about 30 minutes before we saw anyone else approaching.
The summit is nice and airy! Big drops await, and it may leave you asking what the hell holds all of these rocks in place?
It was Dad's first western hike, and he had a blast. At only his second day in Colorado, thought he did well with the elevation and cardio.
Elevation Gain: 3,062'
Mileage: 6 miles round trip
We had this hike in mind as a good training hike for Longs Peak the next weekend. Dad was visiting from NH, and we wanted something that would give a good pump and some elevation.
From Denver, take I-70 west and get off at exit 216. At the end of the exit ramp, make a sharp right hand turn and drive down a dirt frontage road to the access gate to park.
Continue past the gate along a dirt road that gently leads you away from the highway, and eventually turns into a trail. Continue along the obvious trail in and out of small stands of trees until the trail disappears at the bottom of Dry Gulch. Although there is no trail, once you leave the trees there are quite a few cairns that will help guide you up the first steep section (around mile 2). Tis second mile will lead you out of the bottom of Dry Gulch. You will want to keep to the left around the large bulge in front of you. Contour around this feature and you will see the saddle to gain the ridge. Once on the ridge, spectacular views of Herman Gulch on one side, and Dry Gulch on the other await! From here, gain the false summit to your left and you will see the Citadel in all its glory! Make your way around the back of the prominent feature and there are multiple gully options. Choose your adventure, although the easiest gully becomes quite apparent as you rule out other options. The gully we chose was loose, and brought us to the saddle between the east summit and the west summit. We enjoyed a nice lunch on the west summit for about 30 minutes before we saw anyone else approaching.
The summit is nice and airy! Big drops await, and it may leave you asking what the hell holds all of these rocks in place?
It was Dad's first western hike, and he had a blast. At only his second day in Colorado, thought he did well with the elevation and cardio.
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