GoreRange.info

This was to be my last real hike of 2000. A week later, the first of several fall snowstorms moved in and blanketed the entire wilderness. The year before, there was virtually no snow through the middle of November. Not so in 2000; the snow cam in mid October and was there to stay. I wanted to do one last decent hike before the snow came so I picked a seldom-visited mountain in the Gore Range – Mount Solitude. Mount Solitude is a relatively gentle mountain (at least from the side we approached it from) on the east side of Pitkin Creek Valley. A friend from work, Mike, accompanied me on this trip.
 
We arrived at the Pitkin Lake trailhead around 7 in the morning. Like most of the trailheads from this side, it was paved but very small – only enough room for a few cars. The morning air was really cold and brisk; it definitely felt like winter was on the way. The trail started out along the creek passing by people’s condo porches for a few yards then climbed steeply up. Finally, the trail leveled off and we were strolling through the classic Gore Range woods – lots of aspen with ponderosa pines dotting the woods, thick grass, and steep gorges and walls around us.  We could eventually see the first impressive waterfall in the distance.  Several minutes later, we passed in front of a second waterfall which was our signal to leave the trail and start heading up Mount Solitude’s grassy slopes. 

The climb up to Mount Solitude, though covered in thick grass, was very steep.  It was about a 2000 foot slog to get up the ridge but we enjoyed it.  Finally, we arrived at the saddle between Climber’s Point and Mount Solitude.  We were staring right at the jagged, broken west face of Keller Mountain.  It took me a few moment to get figure that out (it’s hard to pick out peaks in this range because there so densely packed).  South along the ridge we were looking at Climber’s Point which looked absolutely awesome (left).  To the right was a longer and gentler hike to Mount Solitude.  We started out by heading for Climber’s Point and quickly realized that the point we saw earlier was a false summit.  It was a easy scramble to the true summit, however we passed over a couple of spots that looked almost 500 feet down near-vertical icy walls.

After several minutes on the summit, we retraced our steps back to the saddle and headed on to Mount Solitude.  It was an easy hike to the summit.  Although it was an easy hike, that didn’t mean it wasn’t inspiring – the views were phenomenal from here.  So far, I think these peaks have the best views of all the Gores because there so centrally located. 
 
Because of the inspiring views, I had tons of extra energy.  Mike was up for anything so we opted to head for the next mountain along the ridge, Point 13,075.  This side of the 3rd peak was an easy hike but things were to change on the north ridge.  We were very close to the saddle that connected the valley we came from with the Boulder Lake Valley so we decided to hike on to that.  From the saddle, Peak “X” was only a quarter mile away.  To climb those 4 peaks in one day would have been a great effort and I knew I had the energy in me.  Mike started feeling a bit tired though (this was his only real hike of the year).  We started to try to climb the ridge over to the saddle but it got really difficult really fast.  We both went in opposite directions around some towers looking for a passage.  It seems that most difficult peaks in Colorado have a weakness in their ramparts but after several minutes, we found none.  There’s no sense in attempting a risky route so we backed down and traversed underneath the ridge along some steep snowy slopes.  These easier slopes though were by no means a walk-in-the-park though.  After a while, Mike decided that he would downclimb one of the gullies while I opted to continue traversing and eventually hook back up with the ridge at a more gentle spot and hike to the saddle.  We picked out some small tarns that we’d meet up at in the valley floor beneath “East Partner Peak” on the opposite side of the valley.

My hike over to the saddle was awesome.  The view of Point 13,075 from this side is absolutely stunning, hence the nickname “Vista” or “Vista Peak”.  It was a good thing that we retreated because, from this vantage point, it appeared that the ridge got even more precipitous and difficult.  I took a ten minute rest at the saddle taking in the views.  Peak “X” was so close and I was still tempted to climb it.  It would have taken another two hours though so I opted not to leave Mike worrying.  There was a faint trail here at the saddle linking the two valleys but it wasn’t one that received much traffic obviously.

The hike back down to the valley floor was easier than I thought it would be.  The slopes looked like they were very loose, but it was surprisingly stable.  Mike and I met up at exactly the same time.  The gully that he had tried downclimbing had cliffed-out so he was forced to traverse as well to in order to find decent passage down.
 
After a long rest, we headed out.  Pitkin Valley splits into two smaller valleys that head northwest and northeast with “East Partner Peak” separating them.  Pitkin Lake is at the head of the northwestern valley and we were in the northeastern one.  Again, there was not much of a trail here and after passing another set of absolutely lovely tarns, we completely lost the trail and ended up bushwacking through delightful forest until we came out near the waterfall where we left the trail to originally climb up to the saddle between Mount Solitude and Climber’s Point.  During the hike out, we saw a large group of deer go bounding past us.  This turned out to be my most enjoyable day hike of the year.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  Though it was fall and brisk out, it was perfect.  There was also enough cloud cover to keep the sun from being over-powering.  Maybe the best thing was that, except for the very beginning of the hike, we didn’t see a soul all day.

[Show as slideshow]

Finally – a trip in the summer/fall of 1999 to the Gore Range. I spent the majority of the summer hiking the fourteeners, reaching a count of 39 with a hike of Mount Yale at the end of September. This trip to Keller Mountain was with the Colorado Mountain Club so, thinking that the peak would be covered in a layer of slick snow this time of year, I figured it was safest to go with the club. I also convinced my friends Ken and Kirk to go along too. Ironically, it turned out to be the nicest day of 1999. It was very warm, sunny, and there was virtually no wind.  Winter also got a very late start in 1999; there was still no significant snowfall in the mountains yet – and we were well into fall.

The trip started from the Rock Creek trailhead which, contrary to my suspicions, was quite easy to find and drive to. I think there were approximately 10 people in our group. The first part of the trail is apparently an old road and it’s very wide and smooth for a long way. Not long after the trailhead, you pass the Gore Range trail running north and south, perpendicular to the Rock Creek trail. After a mile or so, the trail narrows to a footpath, passes through some nice meadows then begins contouring along the north side of the valley. Eventually, you arrive at the Boss Mine, which is a gigantic pile of tailings that really spoils the natural beauty of this valley. In any event, it’s hard to miss it (although the leader did!) and at this point you head up the tailings along a very steep trail. The trail fades in and out above the tailings. Eventually, you need to bushwack to gain the east ridge of Keller Mountain.

Above treeline, it’s easy to see where to go. At this point, Keller Mountain looks more like a bland rockpile. Well, it’s true at this point but once you attain the point that you can see from the east side, the fun scrambling begins. Before we began hiking up the ridge, the female member of the group got tired and decided not to continue. The leader as well as a couple of the older members of the group stayed back. About five of us continued, including Ken and Kirk. Since we didn’t have to wait on anyone we made great time.

At the top of the point, we could see the rest of the route. It’s probably a little under a mile to get to the true summit of Keller and the majority of it is 3rd class although we chose a harder route just for the fun of it. It was such a nice day so we decided to make it at least 4th class. It took us well over an hour to reach the true summit but it was an absolutely delightful scramble. We spent about 20 minutes on the summit eating and taking pictures then headed back over the ridge and to the group waiting below.

The hike out was uneventful although I did have my second wind and zoomed in front of the group. I arrived about 15 to 20 minutes before the rest of the group did. This was a really fun trip – especially for a CMC trip. Ken decided that it was his best climb to date. Even Kirk liked it as well and decided that he ought to return to the Gore Range sometime.

[Show as slideshow]

Approach from Booth Lake Trailhead

Never judge a peak by its elevation.  “The Spider” was one of the toughest – and most fun – climbs of the summer and it’s not even a thirteener!   I’d been wanting to climb Spider for a long time ever since seeing it from Piney Valley.  “I took this picture one year ago when I attempted Peak “C”. “The Spider” totally dominates the head of the Upper Piney valley and entices climbers and hikers.  Yet, it’s a seldom visited peak.  When I arrived at the top, I noticed that the register had been placed in 1988 and wasn’t even close to being halfway full.  In fact, only 25 people at most have signed it.  Most were instructors at the COBS, or Colorado Outward Bound School.

I approached Spider from the Booth Lake trailhead, which is the opposite side from where this picture was taken.  A slightly easier route is to hike up the long Upper Piney Valley.  Anyway, from Booth Trailhead, after two miles of hiking up the trail, I arrived at Booth Falls which features two large drops – one about 30 feet and the other around 60 feet.  Most hikers stop here.  However, another two and a half miles of hiking will bring you to picturesque Booth Lake.  I set up camp above the lake and had the entire place to myself.

The weather this weekend was absolutely fantastic.  The sky was perfectly clear, the temperature was warm, and there was no wind.  There was a rather large population of mountain goats living up around the lake who were very interested in me.   They frequently approached the tent to investigate.  At night, after eating a fantastic hot meal, I turned in.  I was so tired from hauling my backpack all the way up to the lake that I fell asleep within minutes.

However, about two hours later, a curious sound caused me to stir.  It sounded like something was grabbing the grass outside the tend and pulling it up.  I realized right away what it was:   the goats!  They had returned to feast on the grass and flowers around the tent.  Well, after about 10 minutes, I both shouted and clapped my hands and the goats ran off frightened.  But they soon regained their confidence and returned.   Thus began about a two hour ordeal where the goats continually returned to the tent to eat.  Eventually, I put on my boots, grabbed my flashlight, and left the tent.  Instead of scaring them where they’d simply run for cover behind a nearby boulder, I turned on my flashlight and chased them to the opposite side of the lake!   After that, I was able to get back to sleep and they didn’t bother me for the rest of the night.

The next morning, I woke up late – 8 o’clock!  I started hiking up the steep slopes towards the Spider.  One of the reasons that this route is more difficult is that you have to climb “The Fly” first.  The entire route is 3rd class scrambling.  In fact, from the lake, the entire route is practically 3rd class scrambling that will test your routefinding skills.  The measly one mile climb to the peak takes quite a bit of time.  At the top of the Fly, I had quite an in-your-face view of the remaining route.

From the top of Fly, I descended down the east side of the north ridge and began climbing up the Spider.  The Spider was different than most difficult peaks I’ve done.  On those others, there was typically always a well-defined route to the top – even on tough mountains.  On this peak, I had to frequently leave the ridge for easier terrain.  At one point, I was faced with a vertical 100 foot wall on the ridge.  Certainly I wasn’t going to scramble up that, so I had to drop down to the west face and traverse under the cliffs then climb back up to the ridge.

Finally, I made it.  I rested on the summit for quite a while and enjoyed the perfect weather and all the mini dissertations that were written in the register.

(above) “The Spider” rises to the northwest of Booth Lake

I decided to bypass Fly on the way back and scrambled down the west face and then back up a couloir to a saddle on the west side of the Fly.  I think this took just as much time to do and it was a lot more difficult because the narrow, sinuous route kept traversing above steep cliffs.  Either way, it was pretty exhausting.  After about three hours I arrived back at camp.  There was still no one at the lake (it was pretty late anyway – nearly 4 pm) so I decided to go swimming! It was awesome – very cold, but not as bad as you’d expect.  I swam around for about 15 minutes then basked in the sun.  Relaxed, I then began packing up and started a non-stop march back to the car at the trailhead five miles away.  I was really tired from this trip but thought that this was perhaps the best trip of the summer.

[Show as slideshow]