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"...
Matt Halbakken and I headed for Lake City at 10:30 pm from Gunnison. We stopped at Mammy's for pool & were invited to the Easter dinner at the Quiet Moose. Cinnamon Pass was cleared just a little past Sherman, still at least a couple miles to the TH, but not worth the trouble of hauling a snowmobile, since there were also long dry parts. From the obvious trailhead, we entered the woods on the north side of Silver Creek, in the direction of a lonely coyote howling at the rising moon. We cracked glow sticks and mounted them to the back of our packs to make keeping track of each other easier in the forest when we were not using headlamps. At 5:00 am we dropped our camping grear in one of the last protected areas just below the junction with the South Fork of Silver Creek, up on the southwest side.
4/14/01
It is a very confined valley up through perpetual avalanche terrain from there. The convoluted debris had filled the bottom from one side to the other for nearly a mile, and probably thirty feet deep in places. Getting past this monster was tough, and a bit creepy in the moonlight. We left it behind, and entered more open terrain at dawn.
When we reached the ridge we got forewarning of a false summit. We went into turtle mode. The wind was tough to deal with while sleep deprived. This route does a huge circle around the peak before climbing it. It was still early though, so we took our time rambling up the scree. There was at least one false summit, and this peak felt very tall next to its neighbors.
Views of Uncompahgre developed to the north. The wind lashed at us on the summit. The east face sure looks nice from here. The wind loading was surely the culprit for the wreckage in the bottom.
We rode harsh srtrugi crust off the north side of the summit, and connected thin snow down to the left to get to the west face gully.
This was an excellent run, and the snow felt very firm under just a few inches of new pow. A little wind stripped, but not yet strugi crust. The other side was mostly stripped, so we stuck to the middle for the most part.
click for larger image
The run down the South Fork to camp was also a very nice cruise. This place was full of white ptarmigan. We slept away the afternoon, and made a huge dinner. One thing about snow camping, you can bring more perishables. I had packed a tupperware full of burrito fillings: pork sausage, eggs, cheese, potatoes, rice, pinto beans, green chile, corn, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and peppers.
4/15/01
We slept in the next morning, putting off Sunshine for another time. Back in Lake City, we rejoined civilization at the Quiet Moose for the Easter pig roast.
j~
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Good shot of Coxcomb in photo #3. And +1 on the joy of being able to bring perishables ... gotta love that part of winter/spring camping. Thanks for posting. Happy trails!
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.
