| Peak(s): |
Mt. Yale - 14,200 feet |
| Date Posted: | 04/07/2015 |
| Date Climbed: | 04/04/2015 |
| Author: | Corey17 |
| Spring on Yale's East Ridge |
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4/4/15: Redefining a day hike on Mt. Yale. This day, was loooooong! This winter, I had done my first snow climb(Quandary on 3/15), and I didn't have plans to do another climb in the snow. But alas, when people invite me to climb peaks, I have a hard time saying no to mountains. So when my friend Scott asked for a climb in exchange for a favor, who am I to say no? Some planning, a bit of research, and too little sleep, my alarm is waking me up at 2:10 in Boulder. Food and packing ensued, along with a tour around Boulder to pick up my partners - Dan, Scott, and Laura. At about 3:30, we hit the road for the long drive. Normally, I wouldn't say more about the drive. But it turns out that the morning of 4/4 had a lunar eclipse, starting at about 3:30, and hitting totality around 6. Which means that we got to watch the entire eclipse happen as we drove southwest on 285. And it was beautiful!! The moon slowly went from its full, bright orb, falling into shadow, until the entire thing was eclipsed, and it glowed a rusty red color, as any blood moon will. A blood moon, the day before Easter, where Christ's blood was poured out for all, felt truly special, and having the privilege to watch an eclipse happen made it even moreso. Definitely the best early morning mountain drive I've been on. We got to the Avalanche TH around 6:30, being the only car in a parking lot that feels waaaay too big for its usage. Seriously, who built this parking lot to be so large? I mean, too much parking is better than too little. But c'mon. This is overkill!   The road up was bone dry, and looking up the initial hillside, also bone dry, we began to question the need for snowshoes. We had planned to snowshoe up to the saddle at treeline, stash then in a tree, then use spikes/crampons up the ridge. Scott, Dan, and myself all brought them, while Laura didn't. Her roommate was gonna drop them off before we left, but then she was out until 4am, and was shocked to see us already gone. College culture. Yaaaay. After some thought, Scott and Dan chose to save weight and leave the snowshoes in the car, while I chose to take mine, silly as it seemed at the time. At 6:50, we started up the Colorado Trail, beautiful as always.  After hiking a short 0.3 miles, I realized a problem: my microspikes were sitting on the floor in my car, costing me a quick jog down and back up, taking about 10 min. I love my brain's immense capability to forget things. Not 5 minutes later, I had a freak-out wondering where my sunglasses were. Turns out they were on top of my head. After that, we were off again, switchbacking up the hill, watching as the mountains bathe in sunlight. Mascot peak was particularly visible and stunning in the alpine glow. Above the hill, snow began to show up, but only in small and icy patches. Nothing bad. At about 10,500 feet, where the trail takes a quick West turn, the snow showed up in full force. We paused here to don our microspikes( me and Dan) and crampons(Scott and Laura). From here on to the saddle, the snow was continuous and well consolidated. The freezes of the last two nights clearly did wonders for the snowpack. Pics below indicate the condition.    We were able to follow the Colorado Trail to about 11,000 feet, but lost it at that point, as the trench was gone. From that point, we just took a quick map check, and headed about due North, following the center of the gulch up to the saddle. The snow from here on was at least a couple feet, but had a solid crust over the top. After one lone post hole, I decided to swap the spikes for snowshoes. We weaved up the forest to the saddle, dancing around the sunny spots where the crust was less firm. Dan, Scott, and Laura had a few post holes on the way up, but not so much that it was an issue. We made it up to the saddle about 3 hours from when we left, and sat down for some food just over the hill where the East Ridge leaps into view. I stashed my snowshoes in a tree here, put the spikes back on, and got my ax out. Scott and I had ice axes, while Laura and Dan stuck to trekking poles. The added safety of the ax was nice, but not 100% necessary. I always marvel at this view, and wonder why so few people climb such a beautiful route up the mountain.    At the saddle, the winds were moderate. ~25 mph, on and off. That wind would stick around all day, but the ridge did a good job of shielding us at many points. The tops of ridge bumps always were windy. The conditions on the ridge varied substantially, including mounds of bare rocks, steep snow fields, and mostly shallow snow with protruding rocks. The snow was not particularly firm, so rock hopping was generally our approach on the ascent. I always led, and we tended to go up and over just about every bump, as that was safer than trying to skirt the points. Skirting points would put you on steep snow slopes, where a fall would be bad news, taking you off the main ridge. One MIGHT be able to summit without traction, but I would NOT try it. There are places where a slip can get you sliding down off the mountain, where you don't want to be. Microspikes were completely sufficient, but Scott and Laura enjoyed their crampons. There, however, was loads of exposed rock. Be prepared to either be constantly taking on/off your traction, of make peace with the fact that you'll be scraping up rocks.       Also worth noting, we ended up taking a few class 3 moves right around the false summit. Alternatives were steep snow slopes that went down the mountain. Plus, class 3 is tons of fun. Do watch for wobbly rocks though. This was Dan's first time on any class 3, so I have him a simple 7-step process to deal with wobbly rocks: 1. Look at the rock. 2. Think about the rock. Don't be daydreaming about the summit, or the car, depending on which direction you're going. 3. Study the rock. Is it well anchored? Is it big? 4. Ask the rock if it is a good rock or bad rock. 4a. If the rock answer, run away. It isn't a rock. 5. Poke the rock with a stick. If it moves, run away. It's a bad rock. 6. Poke the rock with your foot. If it moves, run away. It's a bad rock. 7. Assume the rock is a bad rock anyway, and step on it. Get off ASAP. All rocks are bad rocks. We pushed up to the false summit at 13,400, where the reality of how big this mountain really is sets in. To quote Laura: "Quandary last month did not feel like climbing a mountain. THIS, feels like climbing a mountain." And I agree with that completely!! Dan was particularly devastated by the distance between false and true summits, while Scott was grinning ear to ear the entire time. I was happy as a mountain goat, skipping from rock to rock, leading the way, and soaking up the crisp air. But alas, after a short break, we realized how late it was getting, and pushed onward and upwards.   I took no pics from false summit to true summit, as I was so focused on getting up to the top, and providing encouragement and trying to keep the mood light and the trekking got tough. Somehow, Laura is the type of person who can hike from 13k to the top without taking breaks. Below that, breaks are good. Above that, she goes beast mode at her own pace, and grinds out a tough slog. Count me impressed. Photos below are from Dan on the final stretches. The top of the ridge had a steep snow/rock slope, but then mellowed out to the top of the gentle giant. After re-grouping at 14,150, we claimed victory over the mountain together, topping out at about 2:30 PM. We spent 30 minutes on the summit, eating, drinking, dancing, and taking pics. This was Dan's second 14er, with the first being Quandary 3 weeks ago. I think I have officially contaminated another with the curse/blessing of peak fever.        Now, let the wacky shenanigans of college kids, high on oxygen deprivation begin. Well, for me and Dan. Scott and Laura were struggling more with the thin air, so Dan and I took to doing a new tradition, started on Quandary 3 weeks ago: A dance called on interlude on the summit. Yes, we are insane. Yes, I embrace that fact! Is anyone up here in early April truly sane, anyway? The hike down the ridge was not much easier than the ascent. They were full of those wonderful moments where we wonder, "How on Earth did I go UP THIS????" Many steep bump descents had a snow option, and a rock option. If you don't have a self-arrest tool, do NOT take the snow option. Dan, Scott and I took the snow options, while Laura kept to the rocks on the way down, as Yale's shadow chased us. Any glissade opportunities were short, but several existed to slide down maybe 100 feet at a time. I took about half of those, not exceeding my comfort level. But then Scott goes racing past me, a big smile on his face as he plunges his ax into the snow. We continued this trend back to the saddle, where I spent 5 minutes remembering what tree had my snowshoes. After a short break, we headed down.   Now then, the descent. 3 people had no snowshoes. There were ~1 1/2 miles of snow covered forest. Dan now understands, always bring snowshoes. Even if the trailhead is doing its best to trick you. About 90% of steps for the snow-shoe-less crowd were knee deep post holes. I had maybe 5% of my steps posthole to my knee, even with snowshoes. The fact that is was only knee-deep postholes, though, was a blessing. The day was cold, and coming off of two good freezes. So, as a whole, the conditions could have been a TON worse. But still. Bring the snowshoes this time of year. You may regret leaving them in the trunk.  We hit the bend where the snow stopped right as darkness set in, took off all snow gear, and made quick work of the bottom of the trail. A brilliantly bright moon came out while we were on the hill, so we didn't need any headlamps or lights. We returned to the car around 8:30, and proceeded to hug the car. What a day this had been. All hungry and tired, we were looking forward to food in Buena. But we got to Buena at about 9. Being a small town, Buena had not a single food place open after 9. After lots of loud complaining, and eating the leftover trail food, I drove us back to Boulder, where we pulled into town at about 11:45 PM and got food. Gotta love college towns, where everything is open till 2 AM, yeah? I didn't get to bed till 2:10, making this a frighteningly perfect 24 hour day. Needless to say, sleep was the best. What better way to kick off Easter than by climbing a mountain? Praise the Lord, from the highest of mountaintops. His glory is everywhere. I see it in the mountains more than anywhere else. I hope you enjoyed the read! See you all on a mountain someday. SPLITS: Boulder Depart - 3:40 AM TH - 6:30 AM Start - 6:50 AM Saddle - 10 AM Summit - 2:30 PM Begin descent - 3:00 PM Saddle - 5:50 PM TH - 8:20 PM Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow): 
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