Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
Capitol NE Ridge (direct variation) - Sep 2007 - part 1
I apologize for posting this report so late. Even though it is of no use to you for current route conditions, there are three reasons I'm posting it:
1. In a recent forum poll about "Favorite 14ers" I listed Capitol as our favorite because we had a wonderful backcountry trip and an awesome climb.
2. I read all previous TR's of Capitol, and it seemed most of them described tremendous one-day climbs from the trailhead and return. I wanted to show some of the beauty of slowing down and enjoying the backpacking aspects of this climb.
3. There were only a couple reports talking about the NE Ridge Direct Variation from the Capitol-Daly saddle (maybe from climbers who took the route accidentally); we climbed this long ridge because we were looking forward to more exposed scrambling... and it did not disappoint us!
I will not provide any times in this report because: that information is available in most other reports; we intentionally took it slow on this trip (three days, Sep 8-10); and after all these months I can't remember those details!
We (my wife- Ron, and I) parked at the Capitol Creek Trailhead, and as seems to be the norm now, we hiked in on the Ditch Trail (Roach's Variation 22.A1V). The hike was very pleasant and uneventful; we kept looking for the famous (infamous) cows but never saw any on the way in (but lots of evidence they had been in the area!).
We arrived in the gorgeous basin below Capitol and saw the "tree-covered knoll" but selected a nice spot a little north of there, just west of the trail. After clearing our campsite of "cow pies" we set up camp and relaxed with a great view of the next day's climb.
We still had lots of daylight, and strolled over to Capitol Lake for dinner. Note Thermarest chair kits (we won't leave home without them), Jetboil stove (MSR Reactor is faster, but we still like the features of Jetboil), and the Nalgene Cantene with wine between Ron's feet (can't enjoy dinner is this setting without some good wine!).
We had a great night's sleep and were up pre-dawn for the hike up to the Capitol-Daly saddle. We were there in time for sunrise, stashed our trekking poles, and took a look at the standard route over the east side of the saddle, and our intended route straight up the ridge.
The ridge looked great, and what a pure, simple line to follow up this beautiful mountain! Up we went. Someone else who climbed this ridge wrote it was at least as difficult as the more famous sections above K2. We thought the Knife Edge was the single most difficult part of the entire route, but this ridge presented many places where I told Ron "be careful here" or "be sure to test your holds here". The exposure was continuously dramatic (at the risk of over-exaggeration, we did recognize the "if you fall you die" aspect of this route), but route-finding was very simple (stay on top of the ridge... most of the time).
The ridge widened as we approached K2, and we saw other parties coming up the standard route from the left. We crossed over K2, and crossed the tremendous Knife Edge. A side note for those still considering whether they should attempt Capitol: we talked to a woman sitting at the east end of the Knife Edge; she and her friend (husband?) had climbed to this point the previous year, and both turned back at the Knife Edge; they were now here for their second attempt; this time he decided to cross, but she was still not ready for it, and was waiting for his return. Another note: we saw two parties on K2 or at the Knife Edge changing from their hiking boots to their rock climbing shoes.
Once across the Knife Edge, we started to follow the standard route ("long, ascending traverse across the south face of the northeast ridge on looser rock"), but soon realized the "looser rock" was not much fun, and the ridge above us to the right looked very nice, so we climbed directly up (low 5th class?) to regain the ridge, and great views down to Capitol Lake and our campsite.
We met a great guy from Aspen Mountain Rescue on the summit. He ran up (in his trail running shoes) the standard route from the trailhead that morning. We had a nice chat, and he took some summit shots of us (Snowmass Mountain in background).
We were descending the standard route, carefully using our hands along the way, when the guy from AMR came "jogging" down the route and right across the Knife Edge without even slowing down! Pretty impressive!
We re-crossed the Knife Edge, and I climbed up a bit to get a better view of it.
continued in part 2
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
I too took the ridge to K2 July 20,07 and found it to be one of the most enjoyable hikes of the 14ers, and would strongly recommend it to all parties. As you say there are fantastic views, the rock is granite and solid, one avoids descending into the valley and it puts one in the mood for the knife ridge.
Unlike you I met no-one all day.
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
