Summits with nice granite for a wedding ring

[Dave B]

So here's the deal. I'm getting married, my awesome, to-be wife is also my climbing partner. We've decided that instead of a typical diamond in her ring we're going to climb something and take a stone from the summit to be cut down to the shape of a diamond and then have a strip from the same stone inlaid into my ring.

As we're both granite hounds we'd like to use granite and luckily there is an abundance of it in CO.

However, we're specifically looking for a very white (Yosemite-esqe) or a dark black granite. The other caveat is that we'd like the climb to be somewhat of a challenge and probably an overnighter, (i.e. we're not looking to take a piece of scree home from one of the Sawatch). We also don't care if it's a 14er, we'd rather have an awesome but challenging climb that lands us an awesomely beautiful, and hopefully unique, piece of rock.

Due to her recovering from ACL surgery, the onset of winter and the time it takes for the rings to be made before our wedding, we're looking at a realistic time window of probably early November to early April which further limits our choices. We're open to some traveling but would prefer it to be a CO peak.

Snowmass comes to mind instantly but the above caveats make me think it isn't a reality, suggestions please!!!

Cheers!

[tmathews]

Congrats! I don't have any suggestions that I can think of for you, though....

[jf32]

Snowmass and Capitol are the 1st 2 I think of when I think Granite. I have a chunk of it sitting in my fish tanks now.

Another stone suggestion - there's a white quartz like rock on a lot of mountanis - I took a bunch home after I did the Sawtooth between Evans and Bierstadt and gave them to my nephews who use it as their pirate treasure because it's shiny(ish).

Also - if you want to take the time rumor has it the nicest (aquamarines) rocks can be found on Antero.

Hope that helps.

Congrats

[Jim Davies]

The mineral belt around Breckenridge has some interesting and fairly solid rock. I'm not sure what the best would be, but I remember finding some nice quartz crystals and colorful rock on the way from Blue Lakes to Fletcher Mtn. Short hike, too.

[wildlobo71]

I'm drawing mostly blanks, too... trying to think about where the variation of the rock is substantial enough in a small quantity for a diamond-size piece... you want something more strinking than a piece of Pikes Peak granite... hmmm... What about some of the granite that has mica flakes in it - all over the saddle between Argentine Peak and Wilcox... granted it's not challenging a climb - you could make it interesting by doing the multi-day Evans-to-I-70 traverse and camp on or near Argentine or in the basin there... I think the harder challenge is finding something that will really zing in your band - that's a small piece of stone... I can't think of stone variation, but perhaps a face with granite and mica or some other reflective properties...

I'll be interested in other comments. Fabulous idea! congrats!

[Dave B]

...that's a small piece of stone...

Sorry, should have mentioned that we've already talked to a stone cutter and size isn't really an issue as he said he could do a princess cut (for her of course) and a small strip for mine from just about any size of rock. So it's really about finding a cool rock.

Awesome ideas so far! Keep 'em coming!

[Gabe]

Good luck, very cool idea. No help here but hopefully you will post some pics when this idea comes to fruition.

[Gahugafuga]

I don't keep a collection of rocks from the summit of 14ers because that would be unethical, but let's say hypothetically that I did, I would probably dig through it and note that La Plata has almost purely white rock at its summit, and Princeton has a beautifully black and white peppered granite. Antero does too, to a lesser extent. The darkest rocks would be from the Wilson group, but they would be more gray than black.

Then I'd take a picture of some of the nicer ones and post them here like this:

Princeton, Antero, La Plata

DSC_1464a.jpg (188.73 KiB) Viewed 1412 times

Wish I could help you! Good luck!

[wildlobo71]

I understood that you'd get it cut down... With what is left is there enough variation out there in nature to really see it? That's my thought, and why I'd do mica... Just don't want it flaking off!

[bergsteigen]

Crestone Needle may fit the bill.

While the rock that makes up the Needle is technically sedimentary, it just means that various rocks/pebbles of other TYPES of rock (igneous/metamorphic/sedimentary) have been re-cemented back together again. So unless the snow may be an issue that early in the season, this could fit the interesting climb, overnight bill with a variety of pebbles/cobbles to choose from!

[sunny1]

You can find obsidian on Ruby Mtn near Nathrop - the mountain does not appear to meet your other specs.
Princeton did have cool granite on the summit as gahugafuga has shown.

Have fun and congrats! :D

[MtHurd]

Would definitely be challenging in the winter. There is a technical route on the west face of Knife Point shown here.