Kit Carson Peak Trip Report 06/24/2008

Peak(s):	Kit Carson Peak - 14,167 feet Challenger Point - 14,086 feet
Date Posted:	06/24/2008
Date Climbed:	06/22/2008
Author:	Kzar

Major Adventure On Kit Carson
Summit: Kit Carson / Challenger (Elevation 14,165/14,081 ft) Trailhead: Willow Lakes Trailhead Elevation: 6,300 ft Distance: 11.6 miles Date: June 22, 2008 Hike time: ~4 hour approach to the lake, ~3 hours to summit Challenger and an additional hour to summit Kit Carson. Overall Impression: The Willow Lakes area is beautiful; the lake is spectacular with the mountains forming a wall on one side and the waterfall plummeting into the lake. On the hike you start out fairly low where it is hot and dusty but you quickly gain elevation, get in the pines and cool down. The climb with snow in the couloirs is definitely class 3. I don't even know how to start. There was so much that happened I can't begin to summarize the trip, all I can do is describe what happened to the best of my recollection. I apologize but I'm guessing this will be a long report. The Professor and the Gazelle Prior to the Big Adventure The Professor (because he extensively studies the routes and trip reports prior to every climb), the Gazelle (because she hikes quickly until 12-13,000 ft where she turns mortal) and I (also known as a peak bagger, because I am) leisurely drove up on Saturday arriving at the trailhead around 1 in the afternoon, ~4 hrs from Denver. Nothing eventful happened on the drive just friends talking and enjoying the scenery. We got our packs all situated and starting hiking. It was hot, around 85�, when we started the hike. The trail initially is very soft with deep sand and it makes you understand how the sand dunes were created that are just a few miles to the south. The trail starts switchbacking quickly but the grade is pretty good so you can continue climbing and not need to take a lot of breaks. The Professor and the Gazelle on the Switchbacks Flower along the Trail We made decent time hiking up the switchbacks to an overlook of a meadow with the San Luis Valley in the background and the San Juan mountains in the distance. Beautiful view. I imagined a large herd of elk grazing in the meadow, they just never appeared. View of the Meadow with the San Luis Valley in the Background As you climb higher you get a nice view of the cirque that Willow Lake and Kit Carson are in. For some reason I don't have a picture of that view. When you take in this view you think you see a ridge that appears to hold the valley with the lake. Don't be mistaken, the lake is really at least another � mile beyond that ridge. We continued climbing up in elevation and made several water crossings. All the water crossings are logs jumbled together to make a reasonable crossing. The logs were wet but we all made the crossing easily. I'm sure in the middle of the summer you can just walk across the rocks in the stream because in most places the stream wasn't that deep. But there was still pretty good snow melt so the stream was flowing good. The Gazelle On One of the Many Stream Crossings On the right of the trail is a cool looking mountain with a waterfall. To the right of the waterfall is this wild snow/ice sculpture. I have no idea how it was created but it looked awesome. I don't know if another waterfall helped sculpt that shape or if the wind had some hand in the creation. Waterfall and Ice Sculpture Overall it took us ~4 hours to get to Willow Lake. We planned on camping at the lake but the camping there is very limited. On the east side of the lake there are a few campsites but all violate the Forest Service 300 ft rule. Also, they were mostly small and not very flat. We opted to climb back down and camp in a meadow since it could easily accommodate all three of our tents. It was clear after a few minutes that this was not just a camping area but many animals make this place home. Within a few minutes of setting up camp the Big Horn sheep and deer started circling our camp. The animals weren't an issue for the most part but we strung up our food just in case. Willow Lake and Waterfall Young Female Big Horn Deer Coming for Dinner The next day we packed somewhat light to tackle Challenger and see if Kit Carson was a possibility. We all were wondering if Kit Carson Avenue would be open due to the heavy snowfall this winter and spring. We hiked up to the lake and then circled around the north side of the lake. There are numerous trails created by people searching for camping spots but as long as you remember you need to climb above the cliffs hosting the waterfall you have no problem staying on trail. From the west end of the lake we plowed through some small snow fields and willows. After popping out of the willows we had an excellent view of the couloir for the standard route. We followed the standard route for a while but then decided it was best to cross to the left of the couloir (as you are looking uphill). This minimized the time on the snow field but it did make the climb class 3 to the ridge. The climb up the edge of the snow filled couloir was nice. Mostly it was class 2/2+, but occasionally you needed to consistently use handholds. The rock here is the conglomerate, similar to the rock on the Crestones. Mountains on the South Side of the Lake Reflection of the Mountains in the Lake View of the Climb to the Ridge We reached the ridge with stunning views of the San Luis Valley and back down to Willow Creek drainage. We took a short break, chewed on some jerky and pressed on to Challenger. The ridge up to Challenger was mostly clear of snow and the snow fields created no problems reaching Challenger's summit. The plaque at the top of Challenger is a tribute to the Space Shuttle Challenger crew which is a nice touch, especially if you're a rocket scientist (Aerospace Engineer). The weather on the summit was perfect, bluebird Colorado day wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I didn't hang on Challenger long because my climbing companions weren't interested in doing Kit Carson because it appeared the Avenue was filled with snow. They were going to wait for me on Challenger while I attempted the Kit Carson summit. Crossing the Snowfield Professor Approaching Challenger Summit Challenger Summit Plaque I went over to the Avenue and found you could avoid the snow if you went slightly downhill of the Avenue. I found the footing good and I was comfortable with the additional exposure. I called my friends over from Challenger saying the route was open. After they caught up with me we went around the bend and discovered this part of the Avenue was worse. They both decided to stay put and I pressed on. I continued along the downhill side of the avenue and used my ice axe on the uphill side as an anchor. With this approach I still had to cross some small snowfields to avoid significant down climbs. The snow at this point (11 am) was soft, so I was able to get good footing. I carried crampons but didn't put them on because it didn't seem prudent. While on the Avenue I heard a huge noise, which I assumed, was an explosion. I crouched down and searched for what happened and saw an avalanche coming down one of the chutes from Crestone Peak. When I turned around I could see the snow running out and the huge snow cloud above the avalanche area. I couldn't believe the noise and it took me a while to regain my senses. I thought about what it would have been like to be climbing up that chute and it made me realize how unlikely it would be to survive an avalanche. I looked uphill at Kit Carson and was relieved to see there was no snow on the summit above me. I focused on the task at hand and continued along the Avenue. Kit Carson With Snow Field on the Avenue (far right) Close up of Snow Field on Avenue I quickly found the gulley to reach Kit Carson's summit. I took off my pack, crossed the snow field covering the Avenue, and started up the gulley. The gulley was mostly snow free and I was able to reach the summit in good time. I returned and met my climbing partners at Challenger. At this point I was fairly tired, my knees seemed a little wobbly, and my balance wasn't as good as it normally is. I think I ascended Kit Carson too quickly to make sure my friends didn't wait and this just wore me out. We left Challenger's summit and climbed the ridge back to the couloir that we climbed up. After climbing down some of clear standard trail we decided to glissade down the couloir. On the way up we had seen someone glissading down and the snow appeared soft on top. This was at least two hours later so the snow should be even softer now providing a more controlled descent. This is when all hell broke loose. We all took turns glissading down small sections of the couloir to get comfortable with the snow and grade. On the Professor's second glissade he lost control and hit a rock out cropping on the right side (looking down hill) of the couloir. It looked horrible, he hit the rocks and flew completely over the rock outcropping. I quickly glissaded down to check on him and was thrilled he was alive. We talked for a few minutes discussing his situation, making sure he was lucid and assessing his pain. He wanted to get off the snow so I assisted him in glissading down the snow about 20-30 feet and we rolled to a stop onto dry ground. The Gazelle glissaded down and helped assess the situation. We quickly decided that there was no way the Professor was going to hike out. We guessed he broke a bone(s) or dislocated his leg from the hip socket. There wasn't any cell coverage so I descended to the cliffs near the waterfall above Willow Lake where I called 911 and they alerted Saguache Search and Rescue (SAR). The Gazelle remained with the Professor and another hiker joined up with them a little later. While I was making the 911 calls a Forest Service guy, that is EMT certified, just happened to be there cleaning up some camp sites. The Forest Service man hiked up to the downed climber, did a full evaluation and monitored his vitals. I continued down past the lake to our camp to get all the clothing, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tent, (looked like rain) food and water I could carry. I was planning for a bivouac at 12,800 ft for the Professor and myself. As I was ascending back up the slope to where my friend was a helicopter came up the valley. It did some runs up the canyon and hovered but didn't land. I assumed it couldn't see us. With each subsequent run I was waving my poles but I looked up hill and one of the climbers had on orange clothing. Seems like they would be hard to miss. After a while the chopper dropped off a single search and request volunteer, Ben. Ben quickly hiked up my location, we chatted about the situation, and he moved on to reach my friend. He indicated that he had seen us right off but the pilot was dealing with nasty winds and couldn't land. Once Ben got to the Professor he quickly took charge of the situation. He used the Forest Service EMT's notes of the Professor's medical condition and worked to make life as comfortable as he could for him. He did another full evaluation, got him an IV and quickly organized the recovery effort. Ben Taking Care of the Professor SAR Team Taking Charge of the Recovery I could go on for hours here on the multiple helicopter flights ferrying in additional search and request volunteer support. All the great guys that helped, Chris, Ivan, Tiddman, Josh, Ben, the Argentinian and Stevevets689. You all had a great attitude and did a great job. All the guys spent over 8 hours working to lowering my friend down to a safe helicopter landing site. They tied him to a backboard and a sled that we belayed down, while either sliding on snow or carrying the litter down the ~2,000 ft to the landing zone. The SAR team, the Forest Service guy and I all worked by headlamps for most of the night. I helped carry my friend down about halfway but I was exhausted and someone spelled me from carrying the litter. When we were within 500 ft or so from the landing zone I just pulled out my sleeping bag and collapsed. I was shivering from the cold, exhausted from the day and maybe dehydrated since I didn't have anything to drink after 7pm. I climbed well over 6,000 ft that day, half of that with heavy pack, and was up for almost 24 hours at altitude. I was spent. The SAR guys came by once or twice to make sure I was ok. I mumbled something like I'm fine but tired, just a slight exaggeration. I peaked out of my bag when the helicopter came in around 3:30 to take my friend out. I couldn't muster the energy to get up, put on my boots and wish my friend luck. I felt horrible not being with him to the end but I knew he was in great hands. I was so happy they got him out of there so quickly. There is no way he would have moved 10 feet down the mountain without the SAR guys. They were quick, responsive and FANTASTIC. Half the SAR guys, including the Forest Service guy, hiked out at this point (~4 in morning). The other half camped into the morning. I woke up at 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, 4:30, 5:00 and then 5:30 for good. I returned the SAR equipment I was carrying to the SAR gear pile and headed down to my camp. It killed me not to thank the SAR team but I sure didn't want to wake them. When they woke up they still had to go back up the hill and look for additional gear they had cached at the start of the rescue. Also, if anyone sees a REI half dome tent packed in its bag or a REI red mountaineering ice axe it came from our party, my tent and the Professor's axe. The axe was lost in the fall and I never went to look for it. My tent accidentally slid, bounced and careened down the slope when we were trying to setup a level spot on the slope for my injured friend. When I got to our base camp just below Willow Lake my other friend was still sleeping so I broke down the Professor's tent and packed up all his gear. The Gazelle woke up and we talked about the night. She thought the Professor was air lifted out at 9pm because a chopper went through the area. She also assumed the chopper ride at 3:30 was to ferry out the SAR team. I explained the whole episode to her and she was relieved to know the Professor was out and at a hospital. I decided we had to carry everything down in one trip. I was too beat to bring down gear, hike back up and then bring down my hurt friends gear. We attached some equipment to the Gazelle's pack and then tied the Professor's pack onto mine and I huffed the load down to the car. For the last mile or so I could only hike to the closest large rock in the shade where I could sit and take the weight of the pack off my body. I was totally spent. My legs were beat, I was exhausted and just wanted to sit without a pack on. The Gazelle sensing my weakness went on ahead to the trailhead, dumped her pack and came back up the trail to meet me. She took the Professor's pack off of mine. At this point I could hike without stopping. Finally we reached the trailhead and I could dump my pack. I wanted to take off my boots but couldn't find my sandals. Another casualty of the trip, but worse than that, the ice cooling down our beers had melted since we were a day late. I had warm beer and the Professor's jeep had a flat tire. Carumba! The good news is my friend is ok. Well, he is ok with all things considered. He is lucky to be alive after that nasty collision. He broke his femur (hip bone) but went into surgery to put him back together. The surgeons indicated the surgery was successful and we all hope he will recover quickly. Again I want to pass along heaps of thanks to the Saguache SAR team, not only did they do a great job but they handled it very professionally and created a great team atmosphere. And to my Forest Service friend, you obviously went above and beyond what you needed to do. I and my entire party are very thankful for everything all of you did. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Major Adventure On Kit Carson

Summit: Kit Carson / Challenger (Elevation 14,165/14,081 ft)
Trailhead: Willow Lakes Trailhead
Elevation: 6,300 ft
Distance: 11.6 miles
Date: June 22, 2008
Hike time: ~4 hour approach to the lake, ~3 hours to summit Challenger and an additional hour to summit Kit Carson.

Overall Impression: The Willow Lakes area is beautiful; the lake is spectacular with the mountains forming a wall on one side and the waterfall plummeting into the lake. On the hike you start out fairly low where it is hot and dusty but you quickly gain elevation, get in the pines and cool down. The climb with snow in the couloirs is definitely class 3.

I don't even know how to start. There was so much that happened I can't begin to summarize the trip, all I can do is describe what happened to the best of my recollection. I apologize but I'm guessing this will be a long report.

The Professor and the Gazelle Prior to the Big Adventure

The Professor (because he extensively studies the routes and trip reports prior to every climb), the Gazelle (because she hikes quickly until 12-13,000 ft where she turns mortal) and I (also known as a peak bagger, because I am) leisurely drove up on Saturday arriving at the trailhead around 1 in the afternoon, ~4 hrs from Denver. Nothing eventful happened on the drive just friends talking and enjoying the scenery. We got our packs all situated and starting hiking. It was hot, around 85�, when we started the hike. The trail initially is very soft with deep sand and it makes you understand how the sand dunes were created that are just a few miles to the south. The trail starts switchbacking quickly but the grade is pretty good so you can continue climbing and not need to take a lot of breaks.

The Professor and the Gazelle on the Switchbacks

Flower along the Trail

We made decent time hiking up the switchbacks to an overlook of a meadow with the San Luis Valley in the background and the San Juan mountains in the distance. Beautiful view. I imagined a large herd of elk grazing in the meadow, they just never appeared.

View of the Meadow with the San Luis Valley in the Background

As you climb higher you get a nice view of the cirque that Willow Lake and Kit Carson are in. For some reason I don't have a picture of that view. When you take in this view you think you see a ridge that appears to hold the valley with the lake. Don't be mistaken, the lake is really at least another � mile beyond that ridge.

We continued climbing up in elevation and made several water crossings. All the water crossings are logs jumbled together to make a reasonable crossing. The logs were wet but we all made the crossing easily. I'm sure in the middle of the summer you can just walk across the rocks in the stream because in most places the stream wasn't that deep. But there was still pretty good snow melt so the stream was flowing good.

The Gazelle On One of the Many Stream Crossings

On the right of the trail is a cool looking mountain with a waterfall. To the right of the waterfall is this wild snow/ice sculpture. I have no idea how it was created but it looked awesome. I don't know if another waterfall helped sculpt that shape or if the wind had some hand in the creation.

Waterfall and Ice Sculpture

Overall it took us ~4 hours to get to Willow Lake. We planned on camping at the lake but the camping there is very limited. On the east side of the lake there are a few campsites but all violate the Forest Service 300 ft rule. Also, they were mostly small and not very flat. We opted to climb back down and camp in a meadow since it could easily accommodate all three of our tents. It was clear after a few minutes that this was not just a camping area but many animals make this place home. Within a few minutes of setting up camp the Big Horn sheep and deer started circling our camp.

The animals weren't an issue for the most part but we strung up our food just in case.

Willow Lake and Waterfall

Young Female Big Horn

Deer Coming for Dinner

The next day we packed somewhat light to tackle Challenger and see if Kit Carson was a possibility. We all were wondering if Kit Carson Avenue would be open due to the heavy snowfall this winter and spring. We hiked up to the lake and then circled around the north side of the lake. There are numerous trails created by people searching for camping spots but as long as you remember you need to climb above the cliffs hosting the waterfall you have no problem staying on trail. From the west end of the lake we plowed through some small snow fields and willows. After popping out of the willows we had an excellent view of the couloir for the standard route. We followed the standard route for a while but then decided it was best to cross to the left of the couloir (as you are looking uphill). This minimized the time on the snow field but it did make the climb class 3 to the ridge. The climb up the edge of the snow filled couloir was nice. Mostly it was class 2/2+, but occasionally you needed to consistently use handholds. The rock here is the conglomerate, similar to the rock on the Crestones.

Mountains on the South Side of the Lake

Reflection of the Mountains in the Lake

View of the Climb to the Ridge

We reached the ridge with stunning views of the San Luis Valley and back down to Willow Creek drainage. We took a short break, chewed on some jerky and pressed on to Challenger. The ridge up to Challenger was mostly clear of snow and the snow fields created no problems reaching Challenger's summit. The plaque at the top of Challenger is a tribute to the Space Shuttle Challenger crew which is a nice touch, especially if you're a rocket scientist (Aerospace Engineer). The weather on the summit was perfect, bluebird Colorado day wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

I didn't hang on Challenger long because my climbing companions weren't interested in doing Kit Carson because it appeared the Avenue was filled with snow. They were going to wait for me on Challenger while I attempted the Kit Carson summit.

Crossing the Snowfield

Professor Approaching Challenger Summit

Challenger Summit Plaque

I went over to the Avenue and found you could avoid the snow if you went slightly downhill of the Avenue. I found the footing good and I was comfortable with the additional exposure. I called my friends over from Challenger saying the route was open. After they caught up with me we went around the bend and discovered this part of the Avenue was worse. They both decided to stay put and I pressed on. I continued along the downhill side of the avenue and used my ice axe on the uphill side as an anchor. With this approach I still had to cross some small snowfields to avoid significant down climbs. The snow at this point (11 am) was soft, so I was able to get good footing. I carried crampons but didn't put them on because it didn't seem prudent. While on the Avenue I heard a huge noise, which I assumed, was an explosion. I crouched down and searched for what happened and saw an avalanche coming down one of the chutes from Crestone Peak. When I turned around I could see the snow running out and the huge snow cloud above the avalanche area.

I couldn't believe the noise and it took me a while to regain my senses. I thought about what it would have been like to be climbing up that chute and it made me realize how unlikely it would be to survive an avalanche. I looked uphill at Kit Carson and was relieved to see there was no snow on the summit above me. I focused on the task at hand and continued along the Avenue.

Kit Carson With Snow Field on the Avenue (far right)

Close up of Snow Field on Avenue

I quickly found the gulley to reach Kit Carson's summit. I took off my pack, crossed the snow field covering the Avenue, and started up the gulley. The gulley was mostly snow free and I was able to reach the summit in good time. I returned and met my climbing partners at Challenger. At this point I was fairly tired, my knees seemed a little wobbly, and my balance wasn't as good as it normally is. I think I ascended Kit Carson too quickly to make sure my friends didn't wait and this just wore me out.

We left Challenger's summit and climbed the ridge back to the couloir that we climbed up. After climbing down some of clear standard trail we decided to glissade down the couloir. On the way up we had seen someone glissading down and the snow appeared soft on top. This was at least two hours later so the snow should be even softer now providing a more controlled descent. This is when all hell broke loose. We all took turns glissading down small sections of the couloir to get comfortable with the snow and grade. On the Professor's second glissade he lost control and hit a rock out cropping on the right side (looking down hill) of the couloir. It looked horrible, he hit the rocks and flew completely over the rock outcropping. I quickly glissaded down to check on him and was thrilled he was alive. We talked for a few minutes discussing his situation, making sure he was lucid and assessing his pain. He wanted to get off the snow so I assisted him in glissading down the snow about 20-30 feet and we rolled to a stop onto dry ground. The Gazelle glissaded down and helped assess the situation. We quickly decided that there was no way the Professor was going to hike out. We guessed he broke a bone(s) or dislocated his leg from the hip socket. There wasn't any cell coverage so I descended to the cliffs near the waterfall above Willow Lake where I called 911 and they alerted Saguache Search and Rescue (SAR). The Gazelle remained with the Professor and another hiker joined up with them a little later. While I was making the 911 calls a Forest Service guy, that is EMT certified, just happened to be there cleaning up some camp sites. The Forest Service man hiked up to the downed climber, did a full evaluation and monitored his vitals. I continued down past the lake to our camp to get all the clothing, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tent, (looked like rain) food and water I could carry. I was planning for a bivouac at 12,800 ft for the Professor and myself.

As I was ascending back up the slope to where my friend was a helicopter came up the valley. It did some runs up the canyon and hovered but didn't land. I assumed it couldn't see us. With each subsequent run I was waving my poles but I looked up hill and one of the climbers had on orange clothing. Seems like they would be hard to miss. After a while the chopper dropped off a single search and request volunteer, Ben. Ben quickly hiked up my location, we chatted about the situation, and he moved on to reach my friend. He indicated that he had seen us right off but the pilot was dealing with nasty winds and couldn't land. Once Ben got to the Professor he quickly took charge of the situation. He used the Forest Service EMT's notes of the Professor's medical condition and worked to make life as comfortable as he could for him. He did another full evaluation, got him an IV and quickly organized the recovery effort.

Ben Taking Care of the Professor

SAR Team Taking Charge of the Recovery

I could go on for hours here on the multiple helicopter flights ferrying in additional search and request volunteer support. All the great guys that helped, Chris, Ivan, Tiddman, Josh, Ben, the Argentinian and Stevevets689. You all had a great attitude and did a great job. All the guys spent over 8 hours working to lowering my friend down to a safe helicopter landing site. They tied him to a backboard and a sled that we belayed down, while either sliding on snow or carrying the litter down the ~2,000 ft to the landing zone. The SAR team, the Forest Service guy and I all worked by headlamps for most of the night. I helped carry my friend down about halfway but I was exhausted and someone spelled me from carrying the litter. When we were within 500 ft or so from the landing zone I just pulled out my sleeping bag and collapsed. I was shivering from the cold, exhausted from the day and maybe dehydrated since I didn't have anything to drink after 7pm. I climbed well over 6,000 ft that day, half of that with heavy pack, and was up for almost 24 hours at altitude. I was spent. The SAR guys came by once or twice to make sure I was ok. I mumbled something like I'm fine but tired, just a slight exaggeration. I peaked out of my bag when the helicopter came in around 3:30 to take my friend out. I couldn't muster the energy to get up, put on my boots and wish my friend luck. I felt horrible not being with him to the end but I knew he was in great hands. I was so happy they got him out of there so quickly. There is no way he would have moved 10 feet down the mountain without the SAR guys. They were quick, responsive and FANTASTIC. Half the SAR guys, including the Forest Service guy, hiked out at this point (~4 in morning). The other half camped into the morning.

I woke up at 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, 4:30, 5:00 and then 5:30 for good. I returned the SAR equipment I was carrying to the SAR gear pile and headed down to my camp. It killed me not to thank the SAR team but I sure didn't want to wake them. When they woke up they still had to go back up the hill and look for additional gear they had cached at the start of the rescue. Also, if anyone sees a REI half dome tent packed in its bag or a REI red mountaineering ice axe it came from our party, my tent and the Professor's axe. The axe was lost in the fall and I never went to look for it. My tent accidentally slid, bounced and careened down the slope when we were trying to setup a level spot on the slope for my injured friend.

When I got to our base camp just below Willow Lake my other friend was still sleeping so I broke down the Professor's tent and packed up all his gear. The Gazelle woke up and we talked about the night. She thought the Professor was air lifted out at 9pm because a chopper went through the area. She also assumed the chopper ride at 3:30 was to ferry out the SAR team. I explained the whole episode to her and she was relieved to know the Professor was out and at a hospital. I decided we had to carry everything down in one trip. I was too beat to bring down gear, hike back up and then bring down my hurt friends gear. We attached some equipment to the Gazelle's pack and then tied the Professor's pack onto mine and I huffed the load down to the car. For the last mile or so I could only hike to the closest large rock in the shade where I could sit and take the weight of the pack off my body. I was totally spent. My legs were beat, I was exhausted and just wanted to sit without a pack on. The Gazelle sensing my weakness went on ahead to the trailhead, dumped her pack and came back up the trail to meet me. She took the Professor's pack off of mine. At this point I could hike without stopping. Finally we reached the trailhead and I could dump my pack. I wanted to take off my boots but couldn't find my sandals. Another casualty of the trip, but worse than that, the ice cooling down our beers had melted since we were a day late. I had warm beer and the Professor's jeep had a flat tire. Carumba!

The good news is my friend is ok. Well, he is ok with all things considered. He is lucky to be alive after that nasty collision. He broke his femur (hip bone) but went into surgery to put him back together. The surgeons indicated the surgery was successful and we all hope he will recover quickly. Again I want to pass along heaps of thanks to the Saguache SAR team, not only did they do a great job but they handled it very professionally and created a great team atmosphere. And to my Forest Service friend, you obviously went above and beyond what you needed to do. I and my entire party are very thankful for everything all of you did.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Doug Shaw	Wow 6/25/2008 6:47am He IS lucky to be alive if he broke his femur in the mountains and had that long of a wait before getting to a hospital. If I may comment on an obvious point - and I am not intending to be critical or judgemental of this accident, just instructive for others who may read this - glissading has got to be one of the most underestimated things we can do in the mountains. When we talk about self-arresting we discuss how it has to be instantaneous because if you pick up any speed, you might be unable to stop. Yet when we glissade, we intentionally put ourselves into a position where we are violating that first principle of self-arrest. All it takes is a split second to lose control of the glissade and that‘s it - you might not be able to recover or arrest at all, and then it‘s all up to luck - good or bad. Best wishes for the Professor‘s recovery, and thanks to all those who assisted, named and unnamed.
uwe	Happy To Hear The Good Ending 6/25/2008 5:18pm What an intense ordeal! You did great, and I am glad that the gentleman is going to be ok. A friend and I are going up this weekend, and we‘ll be on the lookout for any left over gear. If you can give us any more detail on where to look, that would be great.
Kzar	Update 6/26/2008 12:38am Doug you are absolutely correct. Other thoughts I‘ve had on the risks of climbing. Many people continually push themselves to do something they haven‘t done before, class 3 to class 4, glissading, backpacking overnight, or snow travel. All these events have risks with varying degrees of consequences. Each person needs to evaluate the risk to make sure they are personally comfortable with that risk. Secondly, each member of the party should be thinking of not only themselves but for all members to make sure no one is taking an unacceptable risk. It is easy for a minor mishap to become a serious problem in the wilderness. It is easy to push yourself past your limit when climbing with someone over your ability. I‘m not saying that is what happened here just important to realize. The tent fell on the left side of the snowfield in the picture ”View of the climb to the ridge”. It landed somewhere below 12,800 and 100 feet or so below the snowfield. The camera could be at the accident site, again left side at 12,800, or somewhere in the willows. The Gazelle may have tied it to the outside of her pack and had it stripped in the willows. No big deal, a minor price to pay for such a good ending.
Marcia	Scary 6/26/2008 9:53pm I‘m glad that your friend will be ok. This report is a great reminder about glissading and the potential hazards. Thank heavens for SAR! I‘m hiking Kit Carson over the 4th and if we see your belongings, we‘ll retrieve them for you.
Kzar	Have a Great Time Marcia 6/26/2008 11:35pm Have a great time hiking Kit Carson on the 4th, the area is beautiful. I wish I could have spent more time fishing at the lake and seeing the alpine glow on the surrounding peaks. It is a beautiful area. My friend is getting out of the hospital today. Glad he can be home with the comforts of home.
skier25	The East Couloirs 6/27/2008 8:38am The east couloirs coming off of Challenger Peak can be very dangerous. I had a similar experience in Kirk Couloir. I think it‘s important for future climbers to know that those slopes in particular can be quite treacherous. I‘m glad that he‘s OK and I wish you all the best (I hear the femur is one of the most painful bones to have broken)!
kdk1610	contacting the professor???? 8/5/2008 7:33pm Ksar, i would REALLY love to get contact info for your friend who got hurt on challenger. i‘m suffering throu a similar injury and would love to talk to him about his progress. can‘t find any contact info for you, Kzar, otherwise i would email you!!!!! I REALLY COULD USE SOMEONE TO TALK TO WHO HAS UNDERGONE SIMILAR PROBLEM!!!! HELP!
roozers42	Scary stuff 11/30/2010 5:28pm Thanks to Doug for his comments. I lost a friend last year (talusmonkey) because he decided to glissade without proper knowledge, equipment, and practice. I don't consider it a minor mishap to glissade a snowslope without the proper knowledge to evaulate conditions and have a serious knowledge of how to self-arrest. I realize this is a fairly negative comment, but I feel the need to put it out there. As always, many thanks for SAR and for those who helped.
stevevets689	So glad... 2/5/2011 12:22am you were with him, you were a great help. The Willow Lake area is one of my favorite areas in the state, I‘m glad you could enjoy it somewhat through this ordeal. Give my regards to The Professor and my hopes for a swift, complete recovery.

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