August 10, 2013
Unnamed 13232 B
Unnamed 13295
Sawatch Mountain Range
Unnamed 13232 B CO Peak Rank: 453
38.98638°N, 106.50744°W
Unnamed 13295 CO Peak Rank: 403
38.98061°N, 106.52822°W

Mileage: 7.3 miles
Trailhead at the end of the road at West Winfield. Take CR 390 to Winfield. Go straight and past the Winfield Cemetery and La Plata trail. Continue another 1 1/2 miles or so to the end of the road and the start of the North Fork Clear Creek trail.
Vertical: 3200 feet.
Roundtrip Time: approximately 5.5 hour's roundtrip

When you want to post a trip report, a dialogue box pops up and asks if you really want to post a report. It states that people have differing opinions on what constitutes a trip report. So why do I post trip reports? What do I think a report should tell someone interested in hiking/climbing a peak. First though, I will admit there is some personal gratification in doing a report but generally speaking I enjoy doing them not just for my own records but in sharing some of my perspectives on a trip, perspectives that may be different than the way others would look at it. I like to see directions to the trailhead, highlights of the more difficult portions of the trip with possible alternative routes, views not seen except from less travelled peaks, maps or gpx and maybe an interesting story to make the trip report more interesting.

That being said, here is another of my reports and hopefully it will be useful in the future to other adventurers.

Early morning and sign at the trailhead.

Slopes.

This is looking back down the valley.

Sun rising on the peaks across the valley.

Unnamed 13232 B.

The slopes below.

I gained the ridge east of Unnamed 13232 B.

The ridge looking to the north.

This is looking at Unnamed 13232 B.

Summit.

Again looking north along the ridge to Sayres Benchmark.

A look ahead towards Unnamed 13295.

The ridge to Unnamed 13295.

The ridge started well just like many other traverses but then hit the crux of the day. There is some Class 3 narrow ridge and ledge scrambling for a short way until you get to the old remains of a sling. This did not bode well.

The look down the notch that impeded progress.

A look back along the ridge.

The very loose dirt/rock gulley I down climbed.

I traversed west and then up climbed a ways thinking it might go but after a bit more of the traverse I decided to go down another gulley. Once down a bit more I continued across to the west. I was not sure if going back up to the ridge would work.

Since I changed plans on the drive down, from doing some other peaks because of the heavy rains, I did not have a good map or reports.

I seemed to recall a report, as I looked at the ridge above, concerning this traverse and something about "hooked on the Sawatch" or "hoodies in the Sawatch".

After getting back home I looked and found a report by Chicago Transplant called "Hoodwinked in the Sawatch", in regards to the notch. Kudos on down climbing the notch.

A look at the next gulley. It looked like it would work and then it looked like some cliffs would stop me but it went by going west and over the rocks.

A look at the notch as I traversed below it. This perspective makes you think you could go back up west of the notch to gain the ridge again but I decided against it.

Sideslope.

The base of the ridge.

This is looking east at the ridge towards the notch after climbing back up.

The now easy ridge to Unnamed 13295.

The summit.

A look back at the notch.

Another look at the notch from the basin below and where I went (red).

One possible way to avoid the notch would be to drop down this way (red) to the basin and back up or traverse across (green).

I headed directly back towards the route I took going up before dropping down to the trail to avoid some rocky areas. Then back to the truck.

A ptarmigan along the way.

The rout I took did not have any bushwhacking going up and I only whacked a few bushes on the way down.