Crestone Peak Trip Report 07/20/2007

Peak(s):	Crestone Peak - 14,299 feet
Date Posted:	07/20/2007
Date Climbed:	07/14/2007
Author:	gitsumpottery

Crestone Peak - Red Gully
Sorry, my pictures aren‘t loading... I‘ll try to get them up tommorow. (too tired tonight ) Image #1 (not yet uploaded) After climbing Humboldt the day before, we headed out to do both the Peak and the Needle. The morning was full of miscalculations.... We left around 3 and it was pitch black. On the way up Broken Hand Pass StevieTwoShoes and I couldn't find the trial up the couloir to finish off the pass (several routefinding mistakes happened within the next hour or so keeping us from making any good headway)... We finally found the way up to the pass after spotting the crack in the large rock at the base of the pass. (you can see the crack just to the right of the couloir) Image #6 (not yet uploaded) Finally making it over the pass, we descended down to the Cottonwood Lake area and headed over to the red gully of Crestone Peak. Image #2 (not yet uploaded) We made quick work of the the lower part of the gully. We generally followed the water running through this area. It wasn't too slippery and we found plenty of holds. About 1/3 of the way up, we ran into some serious snowfields. It was super icy in the morning (it was about 6 or 7 or so at this time), and it made the rest of the gully kind of sketchy without crampons (I didn't take mine since a climber from the previous day was telling me how I didn't need them at all). A look at the gully from the top. Image #3 (not yet uploaded) After reaching the top of the gully, we took a left and scrambled up the remaining few feet to the summit. It was a welcome scramble after climbing through the last several snowfields. Below is a picture of the last bit of scrambling. It's a pretty obvious route up, but you can see the gully and the top of the snow as you look down in that picture. Image #4 (not yet uploaded) Image #5 (not yet uploaded) After summiting, Stevie and I started down the gully. This proved to be way harder than the way up. The snow hadn't softened up and it was a difficult descent through the snowfields. The way down took just as long as the way up if not longer. When we reached the lake and made it over to the pass, we decided not to go on to the Needle that day. The serious downclimb and mistakes in routefinding early in the morning convinced us that we shouldn't push our luck that day.

Crestone Peak - Red Gully

Sorry, my pictures aren‘t loading... I‘ll try to get them up tommorow. (too tired tonight

)

Image #1 (not uploaded yet) — Image #1 (not yet uploaded)

After climbing Humboldt the day before, we headed out to do both the Peak and the Needle.

The morning was full of miscalculations.... We left around 3 and it was pitch black. On the way up Broken Hand Pass StevieTwoShoes and I couldn't find the trial up the couloir to finish off the pass (several routefinding mistakes happened within the next hour or so keeping us from making any good headway)...

We finally found the way up to the pass after spotting the crack in the large rock at the base of the pass. (you can see the crack just to the right of the couloir)

Image #6 (not uploaded yet) — Image #6 (not yet uploaded)

Finally making it over the pass, we descended down to the Cottonwood Lake area and headed over to the red gully of Crestone Peak.

Image #2 (not uploaded yet) — Image #2 (not yet uploaded)

We made quick work of the the lower part of the gully. We generally followed the water running through this area. It wasn't too slippery and we found plenty of holds.

About 1/3 of the way up, we ran into some serious snowfields. It was super icy in the morning (it was about 6 or 7 or so at this time), and it made the rest of the gully kind of sketchy without crampons (I didn't take mine since a climber from the previous day was telling me how I didn't need them at all).

A look at the gully from the top.

Image #3 (not uploaded yet) — Image #3 (not yet uploaded)

After reaching the top of the gully, we took a left and scrambled up the remaining few feet to the summit. It was a welcome scramble after climbing through the last several snowfields. Below is a picture of the last bit of scrambling. It's a pretty obvious route up, but you can see the gully and the top of the snow as you look down in that picture.

Image #4 (not uploaded yet) — Image #4 (not yet uploaded)

Image #5 (not uploaded yet) — Image #5 (not yet uploaded)

After summiting, Stevie and I started down the gully. This proved to be way harder than the way up. The snow hadn't softened up and it was a difficult descent through the snowfields. The way down took just as long as the way up if not longer.

When we reached the lake and made it over to the pass, we decided not to go on to the Needle that day. The serious downclimb and mistakes in routefinding early in the morning convinced us that we shouldn't push our luck that day.

Comments or Questions

native_mntguy	Nice! 7/24/2007 3:33pm Wish I could have have been there with you guys. The crestones are quickly moving up on my list!
Cthulhu 2008	Ice Axes 7/25/2007 5:33am Did you happen to find any ice axes on Crestone Needle above Broken Hand Pass ??? 8)
gitsumpottery	fatty mc2x4 7/30/2007 11:17pm I wonder what ever happened to that fine speciman of an animal. That was a Dexter episode in the making!
gitsumpottery	Ice Axes 11/30/2010 5:28pm I sure did find a couple of good quality axes that I tried to steal from two unsuspecting guys. However, Steve wasn't keyed in on the whole ordeal, as he did not have his cloroform out and ready.
StevieTwoShoes	? 2/5/2011 12:22am What about Dan Cheeseman, Cal Coleman, Fatty Mc2x4 and the rest of the Crestones Crew?

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