Capitol Peak Trip Report 08/10/2014

Peak(s):	Capitol Peak - 14,138 feet
Date Posted:	08/10/2014
Date Climbed:	08/06/2014
Author:	BoulderGiraffe

Capitol Peak
My first trip report, so I apologize in advance for any formatting errors. I was in Snowmass for a family trip and my wife was kind enough to let me head out for a day to take on Capitol. I arrived at the trailhead at 4:45 am and was glad to have a 4x4 with high clearance. The road up to the trailhead was as rough as advertised although I did see some lower-clearance vehicles at the trailhead as well. It had also rained recently which made the road even trickier. I hit the ditch trail at 5:00 am following the directions on this site and they were spot on. The trail was very well defined and I was never at a point where I started getting concerned that I had lost the trail. There are quite a few forks, but following the more defined route seemed to work for me. I have a pretty quick pace when I'm on my own, so I made it up to the Capitol Lake camping areas by 7:00 where you start to see what you're up against - Photo #1. Photo #1 Once I got up to the saddle between Capitol and Daly, I decided to take the route suggested on this site and traverse along the east side of the ridge. There was no well-defined trail on this part and I ended up ascending up to the ridge between K2 and the saddle earlier than what this site suggests. It caused me to have to do a bit more climbing than I expected, but I was able to get up to the ridge without too much trouble. I'd recommend staying below the ridge until you can see K2 if you're not comfortable climbing with all fours. Once I got up to the ridge, it was easy to pick out K2 and the route to the top. It was a bit cloudy at this point, but I could see blue skies beyond Capitol's summit so I opted to continue. Once I started on toward the Knife Edge and the summit, I understood why this peak was listed at the hardest on 14ers.com. It's very exposed and you should be comfortable with having to use all fours while you're going across. I'd recommend a good pair of gloves as well since you'll be using your hands a lot. I completed the climb and got to the summit by 10 am where I broke out the camera for a few pictures - Photo #2, #3 and #4. Photo #2 Photo #3 Photo #4 On the trip back, I decided to take the ridge all the way back to the saddle. I'm really glad I did it because it was beautiful and exhilirating, but it also takes solid nerves and confidence in your climbing ability. I actually wore a hole in the seat of my pants because of the scrambling I had to do, but the views were worth it - Photo #5, #6, #7 and #8. Photo #5 Photo #6 Photo #7 Photo #8 Once back to the saddle, I was able to catch my breath and head back toward the trailhead to pick my way through the bovine wildlife - Photo #9. Photo #9 Not being much of a cattleman, I employed the same technique I used while hiking in the dark - chatter. Waving my hat and arms and calling, "Excuse me, ladies!" or "Share the trail!" seemed to work nicely. The cows and cattle-escents obliged and moo-ved off the trail away from the loud crazy guy. Finally, when I came to the junction of the Capitol Creek trail and Capitol Ditch trail, I decided that I wanted to see what the elevation gain and loss on Capitol Creek's trail was all about. I can't say for sure if it was just the fact that my legs were shot at the end of a long hike, but the ascent up to the trailhead from the creek proved to be brutal! The hike is pretty going along the creek and through Aspen groves but If I had it to do over again, I'd take Capitol Ditch back to the trailhead. I finally made it back up the hill to the same trailhead at about 2:45 pm to wind up a successful hike. As a final note on the dangers of this peak, I was climbing Capitol the day that Mountain Rescue Aspen was searching for a missing hiker, so please hike carefully. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the missing hiker. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Capitol Peak

My first trip report, so I apologize in advance for any formatting errors.

I was in Snowmass for a family trip and my wife was kind enough to let me head out for a day to take on Capitol. I arrived at the trailhead at 4:45 am and was glad to have a 4x4 with high clearance. The road up to the trailhead was as rough as advertised although I did see some lower-clearance vehicles at the trailhead as well. It had also rained recently which made the road even trickier.

I hit the ditch trail at 5:00 am following the directions on this site and they were spot on. The trail was very well defined and I was never at a point where I started getting concerned that I had lost the trail. There are quite a few forks, but following the more defined route seemed to work for me. I have a pretty quick pace when I'm on my own, so I made it up to the Capitol Lake camping areas by 7:00 where you start to see what you're up against - Photo #1.

Once I got up to the saddle between Capitol and Daly, I decided to take the route suggested on this site and traverse along the east side of the ridge. There was no well-defined trail on this part and I ended up ascending up to the ridge between K2 and the saddle earlier than what this site suggests. It caused me to have to do a bit more climbing than I expected, but I was able to get up to the ridge without too much trouble. I'd recommend staying below the ridge until you can see K2 if you're not comfortable climbing with all fours. Once I got up to the ridge, it was easy to pick out K2 and the route to the top. It was a bit cloudy at this point, but I could see blue skies beyond Capitol's summit so I opted to continue. Once I started on toward the Knife Edge and the summit, I understood why this peak was listed at the hardest on 14ers.com. It's very exposed and you should be comfortable with having to use all fours while you're going across. I'd recommend a good pair of gloves as well since you'll be using your hands a lot. I completed the climb and got to the summit by 10 am where I broke out the camera for a few pictures - Photo #2, #3 and #4.

On the trip back, I decided to take the ridge all the way back to the saddle. I'm really glad I did it because it was beautiful and exhilirating, but it also takes solid nerves and confidence in your climbing ability. I actually wore a hole in the seat of my pants because of the scrambling I had to do, but the views were worth it - Photo #5, #6, #7 and #8.

Once back to the saddle, I was able to catch my breath and head back toward the trailhead to pick my way through the bovine wildlife - Photo #9.

Not being much of a cattleman, I employed the same technique I used while hiking in the dark - chatter. Waving my hat and arms and calling, "Excuse me, ladies!" or "Share the trail!" seemed to work nicely. The cows and cattle-escents obliged and moo-ved off the trail away from the loud crazy guy.

Finally, when I came to the junction of the Capitol Creek trail and Capitol Ditch trail, I decided that I wanted to see what the elevation gain and loss on Capitol Creek's trail was all about. I can't say for sure if it was just the fact that my legs were shot at the end of a long hike, but the ascent up to the trailhead from the creek proved to be brutal! The hike is pretty going along the creek and through Aspen groves but If I had it to do over again, I'd take Capitol Ditch back to the trailhead. I finally made it back up the hill to the same trailhead at about 2:45 pm to wind up a successful hike.

As a final note on the dangers of this peak, I was climbing Capitol the day that Mountain Rescue Aspen was searching for a missing hiker, so please hike carefully. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the missing hiker.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

claybonnyman	Long giraffe legs 8/10/2014 3:26pm Thanks for a good report. I climbed Capitol two days later and you're fast! I actually worked as a cowboy for 6+ years and you handled the ladies (and children and occasional bull) just right, fyi. Very glad I opted to return via the ditch trail and avoid that last slog.
claybonnyman	Photos 8/10/2014 3:27pm And you are a way better photographer than I am.

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