| Peak: | Mt. Lindsey |
| Route: | Northwest Ridge |
| Range: | Sangre de Cristo |
| Posted By: | Tommy4646 |
| Date of Info: | 6/11/2021 |
| Date Posted: | 6/12/2021 |
| Details |
|---|
|
Hello all, I lost my phone while descending yesterday. It is probably somewhere on the saddle, the switchbacks (down to the basin), or somewhere in the basin next to glissade tracks or boot-pack. If anyone finds it please pm or email me (tommyalamin@gmail.com). I would immensely appreciate it. I will pay for shipping and will send you a gift as a thank you. Trip Report: As far as gear goes, the snow is melted enough to where you don't need axes and crampons if you're doing the NW ridge. Snowshoes would be helpful for the upper basing though. Also, waterproof boots and gaiters are pretty essential as there is still quite a bit of unavoidable post-holing. Microspikes might be helpful for a few sections of the approach. Driving conditions to the trailhead are clear of snow; we made it up in a Subaru. There were a few tricky spots where we had to pile rocks under the wheels though, but we made it up just fine. Temperatures for us felt like they ranged from the high 40s to the low 60s. We had no precipitation and the wind was only bad while camping at Lily Lake the night before and when coming back down the saddle. We had no precipitation. The Trail in the valley was mostly clear until you cross the creek. The creek crossing itself was a little dicey for our group we ended up balancing across some fallen trees, which worked fine. The water is extremely cold though, so be careful. After the creek, the trail ascends the hiker's left side of the valley, which is where much of the trail disappears under several feet of snow. There is a solid boot pack over most of it which you can follow. Our group ended up climbing a bunch of rocks and scree up and then traversing hiker's right to rejoin the trail. We took the boot pack down and that was much nicer. Once the trail hits the canyon coming down from the high basin, you are supposed to traverse the creek. and then follow it on the hiker's right side as you ascend. However, the snow trail is hard to follow with all the snow still there. Also, the creek is frozen and snow-covered from about halfway up all the way to the basin. The snowpack over the creek was pretty solid when we were there, so walking up that is probably the easiest way up (this is probably where the microspikes would be helpful). Our group tried to stick to the trail on the way up and had quite a bit of trouble; we descended via the frozen sections of the creek on the way down. It was a lot easier. The basin still has quite a bit of snow in it. About 2/3 of the trail up there is still covered in several feet of snow. There is a boot pack which is okay, but this is where snowshoes would help. Once you reach the switchbacks to the saddle, the conditions are nice and dry. The NW ridge itself was also dry and we had little wind when we went up. Like all the other beta says, it's is quite exposed. Lots of fall and ygd moments. The summit ridge did have snow on it with some post-holing. Nothing too bad though. The summit itself still has some serious cornices but is mostly dry. Be careful while descending. The crux is quite tricky going down. I think 3+ would probably be the right grade for it. The NW gully is still filled with snow and has a boot pack going up it. Most of the snow was quite slushy past noon though. |
| Comments or Questions |
|---|
|
|
