El Diente Peak Trip Report 09/14/2018

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	El Diente Peak - 14,175 feet Mt. Wilson - 14,256 feet
Date Posted	09/14/2018
Modified	09/25/2018
Date Climbed	09/13/2018
Author	Wentzl

West Ridge of El Diente and Traverse
I have done variations on this trip report a couple times already. I am adding this one because it will provide detailed mileage and times. I am not very high tech, but I did carry a gps along with pad and paper to make notes along the way marking distance at key waypoints. On this trip I started at the Silverpick (Rock of Ages) trailhead. At just over a mile from the trailhead I took the Elk Creek trail south, passing the Woods Lake trail and eventually joining the Navajo Lake trail. Just when the Navajo Lake trail levels out I left the trail, crossed the creek and started up the long ugly talus slope to the West Ridge of El Diente. After climbing El Diente and traversing to Mt. Wilson, I hiked down the North Slopes to once again intersect the Navajo Lake trail and hike up to Rock of Ages Pass and then down to the start. This took 12h 20m. I burned about 30 minutes or more losing the trail on the North Slopes even though I have done this several times, both up and down. My only advice here is make sure you don't begin dropping down too soon. When in doubt, move to the north and descend close to the Wilson Glacier. I think this would be a good route for someone interested in knocking all three peaks done in one day without camping. You get to the Rock of Ages pass and are less than 5 miles from your car and can easily gauge if you have the time and/or energy to go for Wilson Peak before heading out. Intro out of the way, here is the down and dirty of this hike: 9:00 a.m. start. 9:30 a.m./1.22 miles intersection with Elk Creek Trail Elk Creek/Rock of Ages trail junction 10:30 a.m./mile 3.75 Woods Lake trail junction. The Elk Creek trail is a nice alternative to Woods Lake. It is about a mile longer to get to Navajo Lake this way, but it starts about 1,000' higher up and is a much prettier hike. Elk Creek/Woods Lake trail junction 11:00 a.m./mile 5.0 Junction with Navajo Lake trail Woods Lake/Navajo Getting up to the West Ridge of El Diente can be a real bear. On this trip, it didn't seem like the hell it had been in past efforts. Best advice I have here is leave the Navajo Lake trail as soon as it levels out. There is a faint trail leading to an old and seldom used campsite. A fire ring and some trash. From there head to the creek and find a crossing. East to keep feet dry when the water is low, as it is now. Work your way out of the trees and gaze on your next hour of effort. Work along the tree line to the highest point where trees grow. Spot a tower of rock just west and high above that point. Getting to the bottom of the cliff and then working right, climbing "solid" rock when possible worked well. I was off the nasty bit in about 45 minutes. Noon/mile 6.0 Crest of the West Ridge Looking back at where Woods Lake trail drops down to join Navajo Lake trail. Hike on the ridge for about an hour to reach a false summit, where the first view of the fun ahead comes into view. False summit 1:00 p.m./ mile 6.8 False summit reached. View of El D from false summit 1:50 p.m./mile 7.6 The first crux Getting near the 1st crux 1st Crux Look for a cairn on the left in the shadow on the big rock platform. Don't try to drop down to it too soon. Climb up past the first obvious gap and then do a sporty and exposed downclimb. One hard move and then it immediately eases up. Regain the ridge and carry on. Looking back at the 1st Crux after regaining the ridge 2:15 p.m./mile 7.8 The 2nd Crux Looking back at the 2nd crux after downclimb The 2nd crux is a downclimb to a notch that marks the beginning of the final push to the summit. This looks harder than it is and I think the first crux is the more technically difficult. Short people may disagree. The move requires downclimbing the crack in the center of the previous photo. There is actually room in there to do a bit of stemming. Once down in this notch the view ahead is daunting. But take heart, the difficulties are behind you now. The climbing from here to the summit is gymnastic and fun and nothing comes close to the technical climbing required to get here. View ahead after 2nd Crux. Just head straight up! 2:50 p.m./mile 8.2 Summit El D. Summit Register canister has no cap and is empty 4:50 p.m./mile 9.6 Summit Mt. Wilson El Diente from the summit of Mt. Wilson 6:30 p.m./mile 10.8 Regain Navajo Lake trail Looking up at Rock of Ages pass after getting off North Slopes of Mt. Wilson 7:15 p.m./mile 11.7 Rock of Ages Pass North Slopes of Mt. Wilson from Rock of Ages Pass 8:50 p.m./mile 14.8 Rock of Ages/Elk Creek trail junction Elk Creek trail, where I started 12 hours earlier 9:20 p.m./mile 16 Back at truck. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

West Ridge of El Diente and Traverse

I have done variations on this trip report a couple times already. I am adding this one because it will provide detailed mileage and times. I am not very high tech, but I did carry a gps along with pad and paper to make notes along the way marking distance at key waypoints. On this trip I started at the Silverpick (Rock of Ages) trailhead. At just over a mile from the trailhead I took the Elk Creek trail south, passing the Woods Lake trail and eventually joining the Navajo Lake trail. Just when the Navajo Lake trail levels out I left the trail, crossed the creek and started up the long ugly talus slope to the West Ridge of El Diente. After climbing El Diente and traversing to Mt. Wilson, I hiked down the North Slopes to once again intersect the Navajo Lake trail and hike up to Rock of Ages Pass and then down to the start. This took 12h 20m. I burned about 30 minutes or more losing the trail on the North Slopes even though I have done this several times, both up and down. My only advice here is make sure you don't begin dropping down too soon. When in doubt, move to the north and descend close to the Wilson Glacier.

I think this would be a good route for someone interested in knocking all three peaks done in one day without camping. You get to the Rock of Ages pass and are less than 5 miles from your car and can easily gauge if you have the time and/or energy to go for Wilson Peak before heading out.

Intro out of the way, here is the down and dirty of this hike:

9:00 a.m. start.

9:30 a.m./1.22 miles intersection with Elk Creek Trail

19069_01 — Elk Creek/Rock of Ages trail junction

10:30 a.m./mile 3.75 Woods Lake trail junction. The Elk Creek trail is a nice alternative to Woods Lake. It is about a mile longer to get to Navajo Lake this way, but it starts about 1,000' higher up and is a much prettier hike.

19069_02 — Elk Creek/Woods Lake trail junction

11:00 a.m./mile 5.0 Junction with Navajo Lake trail

Getting up to the West Ridge of El Diente can be a real bear. On this trip, it didn't seem like the hell it had been in past efforts. Best advice I have here is leave the Navajo Lake trail as soon as it levels out. There is a faint trail leading to an old and seldom used campsite. A fire ring and some trash. From there head to the creek and find a crossing. East to keep feet dry when the water is low, as it is now. Work your way out of the trees and gaze on your next hour of effort. Work along the tree line to the highest point where trees grow. Spot a tower of rock just west and high above that point. Getting to the bottom of the cliff and then working right, climbing "solid" rock when possible worked well. I was off the nasty bit in about 45 minutes.

Noon/mile 6.0 Crest of the West Ridge

19069_04 — Looking back at where Woods Lake trail drops down to join Navajo Lake trail.

Hike on the ridge for about an hour to reach a false summit, where the first view of the fun ahead comes into view.

1:00 p.m./ mile 6.8 False summit reached.

19069_06 — View of El D from false summit

1:50 p.m./mile 7.6 The first crux

Look for a cairn on the left in the shadow on the big rock platform. Don't try to drop down to it too soon. Climb up past the first obvious gap and then do a sporty and exposed downclimb. One hard move and then it immediately eases up. Regain the ridge and carry on.

19069_09 — Looking back at the 1st Crux after regaining the ridge

2:15 p.m./mile 7.8 The 2nd Crux

19069_10 — Looking back at the 2nd crux after downclimb

The 2nd crux is a downclimb to a notch that marks the beginning of the final push to the summit. This looks harder than it is and I think the first crux is the more technically difficult. Short people may disagree. The move requires downclimbing the crack in the center of the previous photo. There is actually room in there to do a bit of stemming. Once down in this notch the view ahead is daunting. But take heart, the difficulties are behind you now. The climbing from here to the summit is gymnastic and fun and nothing comes close to the technical climbing required to get here.

19069_11 — View ahead after 2nd Crux. Just head straight up!

2:50 p.m./mile 8.2 Summit El D.

19069_12 — Summit Register canister has no cap and is empty

4:50 p.m./mile 9.6 Summit Mt. Wilson

19069_13 — El Diente from the summit of Mt. Wilson

6:30 p.m./mile 10.8 Regain Navajo Lake trail

19069_14 — Looking up at Rock of Ages pass after getting off North Slopes of Mt. Wilson

7:15 p.m./mile 11.7 Rock of Ages Pass

19069_15 — North Slopes of Mt. Wilson from Rock of Ages Pass

8:50 p.m./mile 14.8 Rock of Ages/Elk Creek trail junction

19069_16 — Elk Creek trail, where I started 12 hours earlier

9:20 p.m./mile 16 Back at truck.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Exiled Michigander	Nice Work! 9/14/2018 10:21am My friends and I glassed the West Ridge of El D from both the Kilpacker and Navajo Basins in July, and we were curious if it was viable. Now we know it goes! Looks like a pretty sweet ridge once you get on it, but I'm assuming there is a sufferfest of bushwhacking to get there.
supranihilest	Looks awesome 9/14/2018 3:49pm How's the rock quality? Having been on both the north and south sides of El Diente I can't imagine the west ridge is any good but the photos make it look alright!
Wentzl	Quality Rock 9/14/2018 3:53pm Yeah, it is crazy. Would not think it was the same mountain, or even in the San Juans. All the difficult sections are excellent rock.
medunham	Fills the Gaps Nicely 8/5/2024 2:49pm Kinda late to the party here, but then the mountain ain't going anywhere in our lifetime. So we are headed there next week to do West ridge but ascend from Kilpacker Creek side, which looked like a grassy and tight scree stroll last time I came down the trail. We would start just beyond where you cross Kilpacker Creek, to get the most shallow slope. Thanks for real pictures of the crux areas, which fill in the gaps of Prinner's report found elsewhere. Not sure I want to publicize this route much, given what the Millenials have done to the standard Kilpacker ascent, which is now a killer rock chute. I'll add some comments to the North Buttress posts, since this one did not even pop up under El Diente when I looked.
Wentzl	kilpacker approach 8/5/2024 3:07pm Hey medunham. I have done the west ridge several times, and once up the grass from Kilpacker. Since I live in Montrose, the drive make the Navajo Basin easier to reach. But for that, I would prefer the approach from the south, as you intend. Good luck, have fun. It takes a long time to gain the ridge, but the grass in just nicer to walk on than the scree on the other side.

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