8-4-14

Me: Snowmass Mountain

14.092 ft

August 4, 2014

Climbing report below with a plethora of photos!

Any photo can be clicked on to enlarge then scroll through for better viewing.

We woke up at 5am and started hiking at 5:45am. 2 miles of trail with a couple river crossings to get to Snowmass Lake at 10,900 ft.

Snowmass Lake. This is a popular destination for many hikers (8.3 miles from trailhead parking and a nice path). Snowmass Lake has great campsites with a view of one of the most beautiful mountain lakes I've ever seen.

Ansel Adams pic. :-) 

So, the pointed peak is Snowmass Peak (13,620 ft). The one we are hiking to is Snowmass Mountain which looks like the lowest peak in this photo. It's the 2nd peak from the right. The distance of the peak makes the height deceiving.

Such a cool lake. Can we just stay here?!

Onward. After skirting around the southwest side of the lake, much of it wading through water and high willows (we were soaked & muddy), we started trudging up the boulders. From here on there was no path. We had to look for cairns to keep us on route (not easy).

The boulders were big and some unstable. We tried to be light on our feet with good balance.

Past the first steep boulder field we crossed a stream and were into some welcomed grass (though also steep).

Back to the rocks and more cairn finding.

Um, this view is cool! Taking a rest, the air is THIN.

Nice to see we are getting higher but at this point I am really tired. Not soon after this photo at 13,500 ft I told Rich to go ahead to the summit. I was quite certain I couldn't go any further because I was so exhausted but also because the terrain was getting even more technical (sketchy with loose sharp rock). Bob stayed with me & Rich went on.

Somehow I got a second wind and Bob & I kept aiming for the top. Here I am on my last push to the summit!

We made it!!! Rich was a bit surprised to see us too. We had one other guy, Ed with us on the ascent (he too has hiked 50 of the 54 CO 14'ers). He took our photo and lent us a Which Wich bag (if you take a photo on a 14'er with the bag you get a free sandwich). The length some people will go to get a free meal. :-)

Top of the world view.

My summit shot on Snowmass Mountain. 14,092'.

August 4, 2014. 10:30am.

Our summit shot.

That was one really tough 14'er! Glad we made it. Shocked we did.

My two most favorite shots from Snowmass Mountain. This one and the next...

We didn't spend long on the summit as the clouds were rolling in.

We scampered down the peak in a controlled manner.

Once below the saddle the rain came, making the rocks slick. Nothing like adding more of a challenge to an already difficult day!

Back to the grass & wildflowers.

Love the view of Snowmass Lake!

Down past the treacherous scree and "Oh, good. More boulders!"

Snack break.

What a relief to be at lake level again!

 Once back to the lake the trail got a lot better. We pressed on 8.3 more miles for the car.

We had off & on rain throughout the rest of our hike & saw some cute marmots along the way. Back at the car (4:45pm) we completed our 2 day backpacking trip and conquered Snowmass Mountain. Today was 11 hours of hiking (ugh). Total trip was 23.5 miles and 5,712' elevation gain. We were a muddy mess with aching feet & backs. I really thought I was OK to stop at 13,500 ft today and not reach the summit. In the end I'm really glad we did it. Thanks to Bob for sticking it out with me. Congrats to Rich for climbing those rocks with gusto. It will be a memorable adventure that I don't plan on repeating. :-)