Mt. Adams Trip Report 07/31/2014

Peak(s):	Mt. Adams - 13,937 feet Horn Peak - 13,454 feet Fluted Peak - 13,576 feet
Date Posted:	07/31/2014
Modified:	08/04/2014
Date Climbed:	07/21/2014
Author:	tomcat32

Sangres 13er Trio- Adams,Fluted, Horn
I apoligize but I live with 25kbps dial up and the pictures were not working and it's becoming too time consuming to wait for them to load so for pictures and the report go to http://tomcatoutdoors.blogspot.com/2014/07/sangre-de-cristo-13er-trio-horn-fluted.html After my last trip in the Sangre de Cristo Range, I was eager to return. I look at the ranges rugged profile from my house everyday and look forward to further exploring the peaks. My last blog I wrote about hiking the Comanche-Venable Loop over the July 4th weekend. After reading info on other routes in the range and looking over maps, I decided to hike the peaks just south of the Comanche-Venable Loop. Just a few miles to the south is the Horn Creek Trailhead. From Horn Creek, several trails are accessible. On the morning of July 21, I woke at 4AM to get an early start. My goal for the day was to climb Horn Peak via the Horn Peak Trail, then travel off-trail to Fluted Peak and Little Horn Peak before descending into the Horn Lakes Basin. I would return to the trailhead via the Horn Creek Trail after visiting three 13000 foot peaks. I began my hike just before sunrise. Just a few minutes into the hike I saw the sun rise to the east over the Wet Mountains. A mile or so on the Rainbow Trail brought me to the Horn Peak Trail. The trail traveled through woods for no more than two miles before reaching treeline. Although the trail is shown on the map as going to the summit, it fades away quickly on the grassy alpine slopes. A few posts marked the way just as the trail entered the tundra. Despite the lack of trail, the route to the summit was pretty straightforward. A beautiful grassy slope led to the first bump of the ridge. After reaching the first bump, the route was less steep but rockier as I followed the ridge to the summit. Upon reaching the summit the views opened up to 360 degrees. Particularly stunning was the view toward the Crestone's jagged profile. The sawtooth ar�te between Horn and Fluted Peak that stood before me also looked quite impressive. After a short rest to enjoy Horn Peak's summit, I headed for Fluted Peak. Much of this traverse follows a jagged ridge. Most of the traverse is pretty straightforward although there are a few stretches that require some scrambling. At least one spot it was easier to drop off the ridge to avoid a steep scrambling section, but generally I stuck to the ridge. Since it was still early in the morning and somewhat breezy, I had to stop and put on a heavier layer while on the traverse. It was a challenge to focus on the trail and not the far-reaching views in every direction. At the low point on the ridge between Horn and Fluted I dropped off the ridge and traveled across the grassy slopes below to head more directly to Fluted. I followed what appeared to be bighorn sheep herd paths across the slope. The slope was covered in sheep tracks as well as scat. I never did see any sheep though. This slope was heavily covered with colorful wildflowers. I regained Fluted Peak's summit ridge by climbing a short couloir. I reached the summit of Fluted Peak quickly. The views are far flung in every direction. However, the view toward the Crestones and Kit Carson Mountain are most impressive. I sat on Fluted's summit and had lunch while enjoying the scenery. As I looked toward the Crestones, I decided I would not visit Little Horn Peak. Instead I decided to head to Mt Adams, just over a mile as the crow flies. 13931 foot Mt Adams is a loftier and much more rugged peak. I was looking forward to its challenge and the grandstand views it was sure to have of the jagged Crestones. From Fluted's summit, the ridge that connected it to Adams appeared quite rugged. I didn't have detailed info on the routes to Adams so I would have to find my own route. I thought it might be easier to descend into the basin between the two peaks above Crestone Lake and regain the ridge of Adams part of the way up the peak. That route turned out to be more challenging than I anticipated. I lost a fair amount of elevation in the process. Then I reached the area above the lake. The area was a jumble of rocks that made for slow travel and much of the footing was unstable. As I reached the slope to the ridge, I encountered lots of scree and talus. As I climbed to the ridge, the slope became steeper and the travel more challenging in the loose rock. Travel was much easier when I reached the ridge. Much of this ridge required scrambling. Sticking to the ridge, a few sections may have approached class 4 moves, although descending just off the crest of the ridge made easier passage possible. Despite the rockiness of the ridge, there were a lot of wildflowers and the air smelled sweet from them. Having wasted a lot of energy on the scree and talus, I had to take a short break before I reached the summit to grab a snack. While I was resting, I saw a pair descending from the summit, the first people I saw so far. They descended on a different route so I never did pass them. The last bit of terrain to the summit is quite steep. With a little route finding I reached the final hump to the summit with basic scrambling although one route required climbing a vertical chimney. The summit views were as good as I expected. The close up views to the 14000 foot peaks of Crestones and Kit Carson Mountain were amazing. I could look back on the summits of Horn and Fluted Peaks as well as much of my route. The descent to valley is nearly as challenging as the climb. Just below the summit I began dropping east toward the Horn Lakes. This required descending about 2000 vertical feet in about a mile over the mostly grassy slopes. As I approached the lakes, I reached bands of cliff. I was able to descend chutes between the cliffs with no real down climbing. The grassy slopes were filled with wildflowers. When I finally reached the basin near the lakes, I encountered thick sections of willows that were difficult to traverse. About an hour after leaving the summit I reached the Horn Creek Trail that led me back to the trailhead. I reached my car just after 3PM, a little more than 9 hours after I started the hike. I don't have the exact mileage or elevation but the trip was in the neighborhood of 13 miles with nearly 5 miles off trail and somewhere around 7500 vertical feet of climbing. I crossed paths with a few groups around the Horn Lakes and saw a pair in the distance on the summit of Adams. I basically had the entire alpine stretch of the trip to myself. Despite a few high clouds, the weather never appeared threatening. I'm lucky I had such nice weather. Just a few days earlier I was forced to turn around on a hike as I encountered a thunderstorm above treeline and thunderstorms are quite common this time of year in the afternoon in the mountains. This hike was more challenging than the Comanche-Venable Loop. The views on this hike were quite impressive and the vast wildflowers added to the experience. This trip isn't for anyone that is uncomfortable with exposure, scrambling, route-finding, or traveling off-trail

Sangres 13er Trio- Adams,Fluted, Horn

I apoligize but I live with 25kbps dial up and the pictures were not working and it's becoming too time consuming to wait for them to load so for pictures and the report go to http://tomcatoutdoors.blogspot.com/2014/07/sangre-de-cristo-13er-trio-horn-fluted.html

After my last trip in the Sangre de Cristo Range, I was eager to return. I look at the ranges rugged profile from my house everyday and look forward to further exploring the peaks. My last blog I wrote about hiking the Comanche-Venable Loop over the July 4th weekend. After reading info on other routes in the range and looking over maps, I decided to hike the peaks just south of the Comanche-Venable Loop.

Just a few miles to the south is the Horn Creek Trailhead. From Horn Creek, several trails are accessible. On the morning of July 21, I woke at 4AM to get an early start. My goal for the day was to climb Horn Peak via the Horn Peak Trail, then travel off-trail to Fluted Peak and Little Horn Peak before descending into the Horn Lakes Basin. I would return to the trailhead via the Horn Creek Trail after visiting three 13000 foot peaks.

I began my hike just before sunrise. Just a few minutes into the hike I saw the sun rise to the east over the Wet Mountains. A mile or so on the Rainbow Trail brought me to the Horn Peak Trail. The trail traveled through woods for no more than two miles before reaching treeline. Although the trail is shown on the map as going to the summit, it fades away quickly on the grassy alpine slopes. A few posts marked the way just as the trail entered the tundra. Despite the lack of trail, the route to the summit was pretty straightforward. A beautiful grassy slope led to the first bump of the ridge. After reaching the first bump, the route was less steep but rockier as I followed the ridge to the summit. Upon reaching the summit the views opened up to 360 degrees. Particularly stunning was the view toward the Crestone's jagged profile. The sawtooth ar�te between Horn and Fluted Peak that stood before me also looked quite impressive.

After a short rest to enjoy Horn Peak's summit, I headed for Fluted Peak. Much of this traverse follows a jagged ridge. Most of the traverse is pretty straightforward although there are a few stretches that require some scrambling. At least one spot it was easier to drop off the ridge to avoid a steep scrambling section, but generally I stuck to the ridge. Since it was still early in the morning and somewhat breezy, I had to stop and put on a heavier layer while on the traverse. It was a challenge to focus on the trail and not the far-reaching views in every direction.

At the low point on the ridge between Horn and Fluted I dropped off the ridge and traveled across the grassy slopes below to head more directly to Fluted. I followed what appeared to be bighorn sheep herd paths across the slope. The slope was covered in sheep tracks as well as scat. I never did see any sheep though. This slope was heavily covered with colorful wildflowers. I regained Fluted Peak's summit ridge by climbing a short couloir.

I reached the summit of Fluted Peak quickly. The views are far flung in every direction. However, the view toward the Crestones and Kit Carson Mountain are most impressive. I sat on Fluted's summit and had lunch while enjoying the scenery. As I looked toward the Crestones, I decided I would not visit Little Horn Peak. Instead I decided to head to Mt Adams, just over a mile as the crow flies. 13931 foot Mt Adams is a loftier and much more rugged peak. I was looking forward to its challenge and the grandstand views it was sure to have of the jagged Crestones.

From Fluted's summit, the ridge that connected it to Adams appeared quite rugged. I didn't have detailed info on the routes to Adams so I would have to find my own route. I thought it might be easier to descend into the basin between the two peaks above Crestone Lake and regain the ridge of Adams part of the way up the peak. That route turned out to be more challenging than I anticipated. I lost a fair amount of elevation in the process. Then I reached the area above the lake. The area was a jumble of rocks that made for slow travel and much of the footing was unstable. As I reached the slope to the ridge, I encountered lots of scree and talus. As I climbed to the ridge, the slope became steeper and the travel more challenging in the loose rock.

Travel was much easier when I reached the ridge. Much of this ridge required scrambling. Sticking to the ridge, a few sections may have approached class 4 moves, although descending just off the crest of the ridge made easier passage possible. Despite the rockiness of the ridge, there were a lot of wildflowers and the air smelled sweet from them. Having wasted a lot of energy on the scree and talus, I had to take a short break before I reached the summit to grab a snack. While I was resting, I saw a pair descending from the summit, the first people I saw so far. They descended on a different route so I never did pass them.

The last bit of terrain to the summit is quite steep. With a little route finding I reached the final hump to the summit with basic scrambling although one route required climbing a vertical chimney. The summit views were as good as I expected. The close up views to the 14000 foot peaks of Crestones and Kit Carson Mountain were amazing. I could look back on the summits of Horn and Fluted Peaks as well as much of my route.

The descent to valley is nearly as challenging as the climb. Just below the summit I began dropping east toward the Horn Lakes. This required descending about 2000 vertical feet in about a mile over the mostly grassy slopes. As I approached the lakes, I reached bands of cliff. I was able to descend chutes between the cliffs with no real down climbing. The grassy slopes were filled with wildflowers. When I finally reached the basin near the lakes, I encountered thick sections of willows that were difficult to traverse. About an hour after leaving the summit I reached the Horn Creek Trail that led me back to the trailhead.

I reached my car just after 3PM, a little more than 9 hours after I started the hike. I don't have the exact mileage or elevation but the trip was in the neighborhood of 13 miles with nearly 5 miles off trail and somewhere around 7500 vertical feet of climbing. I crossed paths with a few groups around the Horn Lakes and saw a pair in the distance on the summit of Adams. I basically had the entire alpine stretch of the trip to myself. Despite a few high clouds, the weather never appeared threatening. I'm lucky I had such nice weather. Just a few days earlier I was forced to turn around on a hike as I encountered a thunderstorm above treeline and thunderstorms are quite common this time of year in the afternoon in the mountains.
This hike was more challenging than the Comanche-Venable Loop. The views on this hike were quite impressive and the vast wildflowers added to the experience. This trip isn't for anyone that is uncomfortable with exposure, scrambling, route-finding, or traveling off-trail

Comments or Questions

plainview

That was a good day
8/2/2014 3:14pm

Nice trip and interesting description. I grew up climbing Horn Peak and its neighbors. Never saw any sheep up there but once I did encounter a bull elk on the very summit of Horn. Couldn't get your link to work.

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