Ellingwood Point Trip Report 08/20/2011

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Ellingwood Point - 14,057 feet
Date Posted	08/20/2011
Date Climbed	08/26/2010
Author	Ace

Ellingwood, Southwest Ridge
This trip report is from August 2010, but I got a little busy, and am just getting around to it. Sorry My brother and I have an annual trip that we take to get out of Texas for a little while, and last year's agenda was Ellingwood via the Southwest Ridge. Coming from 600' and 60' elevation respectively requires a few days of acclimation, a lesson learned from previous trips. In order to do that we stop in Cuchara and spend a couple of days at Bear Lake and the Dog Bar. Our "warm-ups" involved some 4 wheeling on the trails between Cuchara and La Veta , and a trip around East Spanish Peak. If you've never been to the Dog Bar, I say it's a must see. Aside from the decent food and drink, there are horseshoes to play while you wait. I won. Every. Single. Game. While waiting on our food at the Dog Bar in Cuchara While waiting on our food at the Dog Bar in Cuchara A Lazyboy shaped cairn on the ridge beside Trinchera, with a Texas shaped rock Soaking up the scenery After a few days around 10,000', we move on to Lake Como Road. Breaking camp at Cuchara and the drive to Blanca puts us parking the truck at about 1030. That leaves plenty of time to get up the road at a leisurely pace, set up camp and explore the area a bit before getting a 0500 start. After loading our equipment on the ATV's, we were off. This would be our 4th trip up Lake Como Road. Some may say that we are gluttons for punishment. The truth is that I love this place....It is my favorite location anywhere. The trip up the road really is just as much of a highlight for me as gaining a summit is. This year was particularly special. Just before JAWS 1 we passed a single ATV with camping equipment on it parked on the side of the road. Thinking nothing of it, we continued on. A short bit after the first JAWS, we came across an "older" gentleman ( he turned out to be 70. 70!) that was carrying some more camping gear. I talk to everyone, so I struck up a conversation. The "older" gentleman was named Paul. Paul related to us that he was unable to get over or around JAWS 1 safely, so he was going to hike to the lake with this load, hike back down to get the rest, hike back up, camp, climb Ellingwood, then do it again to get back down. Paul said that he had never been up to the lake before but he has seen some stuff on this one website called 14ers.com (small world). We told him our "secret" about how to navigate JAWS 1 and offered to carry his first load up on our ATV's so he would be spared a trip up and down the road. He readily agreed. Paul, Kenny and Kris About an hour later we were at the base of the little incline just above JAWS 3 (we took the bypass) trying to decide how best to negotiate this. Normally there is an easy route up the right side but this time it was blocked by a large rock. Suddenly, here comes Paul roaring up JAWS 3 on two wheels like a bat out of hell. When he makes it to us he calmly parked and said "You boys haven't made it too far!" To say we were stunned to see this 70 year old man make it alone over what we did with a spotter and winches would be an understatement. Paul was fearless and an amazingly skilled rider. He made us look like true amateurs. After making it to the lake, we asked Paul if he wanted to camp with us and climb Ellingwood with us the next day. Paul was in. I'm not sure he knew at the time we were planning on using the Southwest ridge. However, given what we had just seen I had no worries that Paul could handle it. We made camp just before the turn off to Little Bear, then rode to the end of the road and back, made some dinner and hit the sack. The next morning we were up and moving just as the sun was coming up. Heading up the "Y" Coulier Encouraging Kris and Paul. Almost to the ridgeline! Once we made it to the top of the waterfall, we kind of made our own trail to the "Y" coulier. From the time that we had started hiking to the time we were sitting in that notch at the top of the ridge was about an hour. We took a few minutes to catch our breath and soak in the amazing scenery that was available to us now. That area is truly my favorite spot in the world. I can't wait until I can take my kids up there to see it like I have. This was Paul's (70 year old Paul) first time this high up, and we were about to take off across what has been called a "good tune-up" for the Little Bear/Blanca traverse. I was admittedly a little nervous, but I should not have been. Paul is a trooper, and handled everything 2 guys half his age handled, and he probably did it better. We took off across the ridge. Kris: "Are you sure about this? This looks like a good way to die." Halfway up the "Y" Shortly after starting the ridge walk, we came to the first real obstacle. When we were walking up to it, I can remember thinking that there is no way we could climb this! It was too steep, too tall, too exposed... until we got up to it. Then it didn't seem so bad. We just started picking our way up it and to be honest it really wasn't that bad at all! This was a common theme. As we would be coming up to obstacles, we would talk about how it didn't look passable, then we would get there it was just fine. The only place that I had a little bit of trouble finding the route is when we got the saddle just before the summit push, which is shown in photos 18 and 19 of the Southwest ridge route description on this sight. I think the only reason we had trouble here is that you can't really see what was over the wall after you scrambled to the right a little, and didn't want to get stuck somewhere we were uncomfortable having to down climb. That was actually never an issue because just like all the other parts that looked hard on this route, once we got to doing it all was fine. "Maybe it's not TOO bad" Almost there! The summit views were everything that I expected, and the company was great. We descended the standard route, and that reaffirmed our decision to ascend via the southwest ridge. We took a look at Blanca, but decided that relaxing at camp was sounding pretty good. I was OK with that decision because it gives me a reason to come back up to this place. Success. Thanks, God, for coming up with places like this and good friends. This one is going on my wall "The traverse doesn't look too bad from here." Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Ellingwood, Southwest Ridge

*This trip report is from August 2010, but I got a little busy, and am just getting around to it. Sorry*

My brother and I have an annual trip that we take to get out of Texas for a little while, and last year's agenda was Ellingwood via the Southwest Ridge. Coming from 600' and 60' elevation respectively requires a few days of acclimation, a lesson learned from previous trips. In order to do that we stop in Cuchara and spend a couple of days at Bear Lake and the Dog Bar. Our "warm-ups" involved some 4 wheeling on the trails between Cuchara and La Veta , and a trip around East Spanish Peak. If you've never been to the Dog Bar, I say it's a must see. Aside from the decent food and drink, there are horseshoes to play while you wait. I won. Every. Single. Game.

While waiting on our food at the Dog Bar in Cuchara

A Lazyboy shaped cairn on the ridge beside Trinchera, with a Texas shaped rock

After a few days around 10,000', we move on to Lake Como Road. Breaking camp at Cuchara and the drive to Blanca puts us parking the truck at about 1030. That leaves plenty of time to get up the road at a leisurely pace, set up camp and explore the area a bit before getting a 0500 start. After loading our equipment on the ATV's, we were off. This would be our 4th trip up Lake Como Road. Some may say that we are gluttons for punishment. The truth is that I love this place....It is my favorite location anywhere.

The trip up the road really is just as much of a highlight for me as gaining a summit is. This year was particularly special. Just before JAWS 1 we passed a single ATV with camping equipment on it parked on the side of the road. Thinking nothing of it, we continued on. A short bit after the first JAWS, we came across an "older" gentleman ( he turned out to be 70. 70!) that was carrying some more camping gear. I talk to everyone, so I struck up a conversation. The "older" gentleman was named Paul. Paul related to us that he was unable to get over or around JAWS 1 safely, so he was going to hike to the lake with this load, hike back down to get the rest, hike back up, camp, climb Ellingwood, then do it again to get back down. Paul said that he had never been up to the lake before but he has seen some stuff on this one website called 14ers.com (small world). We told him our "secret" about how to navigate JAWS 1 and offered to carry his first load up on our ATV's so he would be spared a trip up and down the road. He readily agreed.

About an hour later we were at the base of the little incline just above JAWS 3 (we took the bypass) trying to decide how best to negotiate this. Normally there is an easy route up the right side but this time it was blocked by a large rock. Suddenly, here comes Paul roaring up JAWS 3 on two wheels like a bat out of hell. When he makes it to us he calmly parked and said "You boys haven't made it too far!" To say we were stunned to see this 70 year old man make it alone over what we did with a spotter and winches would be an understatement. Paul was fearless and an amazingly skilled rider. He made us look like true amateurs. After making it to the lake, we asked Paul if he wanted to camp with us and climb Ellingwood with us the next day. Paul was in. I'm not sure he knew at the time we were planning on using the Southwest ridge. However, given what we had just seen I had no worries that Paul could handle it.
We made camp just before the turn off to Little Bear, then rode to the end of the road and back, made some dinner and hit the sack. The next morning we were up and moving just as the sun was coming up.

Encouraging Kris and Paul. Almost to the ridgeline!

Once we made it to the top of the waterfall, we kind of made our own trail to the "Y" coulier. From the time that we had started hiking to the time we were sitting in that notch at the top of the ridge was about an hour. We took a few minutes to catch our breath and soak in the amazing scenery that was available to us now. That area is truly my favorite spot in the world. I can't wait until I can take my kids up there to see it like I have. This was Paul's (70 year old Paul) first time this high up, and we were about to take off across what has been called a "good tune-up" for the Little Bear/Blanca traverse. I was admittedly a little nervous, but I should not have been. Paul is a trooper, and handled everything 2 guys half his age handled, and he probably did it better. We took off across the ridge.

Kris: "Are you sure about this? This looks like a good way to die."

Shortly after starting the ridge walk, we came to the first real obstacle. When we were walking up to it, I can remember thinking that there is no way we could climb this! It was too steep, too tall, too exposed... until we got up to it. Then it didn't seem so bad. We just started picking our way up it and to be honest it really wasn't that bad at all! This was a common theme. As we would be coming up to obstacles, we would talk about how it didn't look passable, then we would get there it was just fine. The only place that I had a little bit of trouble finding the route is when we got the saddle just before the summit push, which is shown in photos 18 and 19 of the Southwest ridge route description on this sight. I think the only reason we had trouble here is that you can't really see what was over the wall after you scrambled to the right a little, and didn't want to get stuck somewhere we were uncomfortable having to down climb. That was actually never an issue because just like all the other parts that looked hard on this route, once we got to doing it all was fine.

The summit views were everything that I expected, and the company was great. We descended the standard route, and that reaffirmed our decision to ascend via the southwest ridge. We took a look at Blanca, but decided that relaxing at camp was sounding pretty good. I was OK with that decision because it gives me a reason to come back up to this place.

Success. Thanks, God, for coming up with places like this and good friends.

"The traverse doesn't look too bad from here."

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Wundermarmot

2010 Ellingwood
8/21/2011 3:22am

Your trip report was much appreciated as it highlighted a very special event of my life, my first 14'er! I'm looking forward to climbing with you again next week. Paul

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