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It was a camping weekend with my wife, the Border Collie and the Corgi so this report if for my wife. This report is a week behind in time.
We made the somewhat long drive down to Lake City, up past San Cristobal to the Wager Gulch Road. We made it up to a spot below the Town of Carson fairly late and slept in the truck as it was raining.
09.05.15 Saturday morning we drove up to the high point on the road to have a look and then back down to a nice camp spot in the trees at the end of a small meadow. After setting up camp we went back up and due to the unsettled nature of the weather I decided to hit the two short 13ers off and up to the east and north where we parked at 13100 feet.
We see moose on the way up.
The town of Carson.
I headed out as my wife stayed back at the truck. After hitting Coney BM myself after just 0.4 miles and 200+ feet, I radioed down to Brenda that she should hike up to Coney, which she did bring Brite the Corgi with her. Of course when Brite found out she was heading for Coney BM she had visions of bunnies dancing or rather hopping in her head. If you ask Brite there is nothing better than chasing a few rabbits around. Lets go.
Brite in the flowers.
What is that, that isn't a coney.
Here is a coney, a fine continental European rabbit.
Brite's and Brenda's first 13er together, wahoo.
I headed over to 13260B.
Unsettled weather.
It ended up raining and snowing.
13260B, Cairn Madness.
Billie Jean on a rock in the wind and rain.
After returning back to the truck I drove down the more than slick/greasy/slippery/muddy road back towards the road intersection below Bent Peak. Brenda opted to walk down rather than scream a lot as I slid here and there on the way down. I really appreciate the hill descent as we crawl down the steep stretches.
Later that evening as we were sitting there eating dinner a moose wandered within a few feet of camp.
3.8 miles and 1000 feet.
09.06.15 Sunday.
I left my warm sleeping bag at about 5:00 am and crawled out of the tent to be showered with ice from the overnight rain storm. The temp was at a slightly less than balmy 32 degrees. I drove back up from 11100 at camp to the bottom of the road that goes up to Bent Peak at 12300 feet or so. It was a quick 30-40 minutes to the summit despite the slick frosted rocks on the upper slopes.
Venus or Mars?
Bent Peak.
Sunrise.
Carson from frosty Bent Peak with just a touch of white.
Elk on the horizon as I headed towards Carson Peak.
A rising sun shines on a pastoral basin with a number of elk grazing about.
I think I am channeling Otina here, my shadow out ahead the same as her report.
It is still frosty.
Still channeling Otina.
Cataract and Brigadoon.
A sea of clouds away out there...
Thanks Leila and Alyson for the Beech Nut jar, still frosty but sunny.
The ridge to Carson was good except for on short stretch of flaky rock that was narrow and slippery.
On the way to Tundra Top.
Tundra Top just ahead.
A good look at Cataract.
There are two small cairns on Tundra which I tagged just to be sure, hard to tell. The Beech Nut jar I found was not at either cairn and was just out there, south and equidistant from the two cairns. It may have been at the high point or just blown over there.
Anyway I ditched my pack and made my way over to Cataract. A short 25 minutes over on a fine elk packed trail down of Tundra and up to Cataract.
The summit cairn.
A view of Tundra Top with 13580B beyond.
I reclimbed Tundra Top and dropped slightly southeast towards the Colorado trail, then up nice slopes to 13580B.
Uneventful.
13581.
The ridge to 13581 has a few sections that you can bypass the towers and then the notch. The first section is a bit of rocky side slope which isn't bad. I saw my fourth or fifth herd of elk. This one looked to be all cows. They watched me for a while and then decided to run off. I whistled at them and it was funny because they all turned back around to look at me again and even take some steps back towards me.
I continued on to the short rough section and notch.
Once closer you can see that by dropping down a short distance to the left or north you can bypass the notch and climb back up a gully once past the spires and rock bands.
13581.
There is one last pitch once you get to the peak. Head on about half way around, follow a ledge and then up about 30 feet of Class 3 to the top.
Plenty of good views all around. Actually made it to the last peak before it started to hail a little bit. That did not last too long though.
I dropped back off the first gully back towards 13580B and down to the creek. There was a trail there but it did not look like much so I headed cross country and up the slopes. It probably was the Colorado Trail but oh well. I contoured up and towards the truck. I went too high for what it was worth and ended up 200-300 feet higher than where I parked. Headed down the road below Bent Peak and back to the start.
A nice hike all around.
Flowers.
photo by Brenda
Log building in the Town of Carson.
photo by Brenda
Flowers and tree.
photo by Brenda
A$$ in the lawnchair, toes in the clay, dog on my lap, a dark ale on the way, life is good today, life is good today...
photo by Brenda (included by request of the wife despite protests)
11.8 miles and 5100 feet.
My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):
I think if the road is dry you could get a Subaru up the road. There wasn’t too many rocks and mostly it is okay. If it is wet though there are a couple of steeper sections. I saw one I think looked like a Forester. Maybe someone else with that type of vehicle can post a comment about that.
Brenda will be happy to know that about the pic. I don’t think I have two of my reports with a pic like that.
Thanks.
Another nice report, Al. I always enjoy your take on things. And I agree with Natalie – that last pic is EXACTLY how I would like to end each hike or climb of mine. Doesn’t get much better than sitting down with a dog on your lap and a beer in your hand...
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