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Date: Sunday, September 11, 2011 Route: Mt. Spalding's East Ridge to SE Face of Gray Wolf Mtn. > SW Ridge to Mt. Warren from Summit Lake Stats: 6 miles; 2,300' climbed; 4 hrs 10 min RT
Topo and profile of the route:
I had to be back in town in time for the University of Colorado Women's Alumni Soccer Game so I was looking for something short and quick; Gray Wolf, Warren, and Rogers fit that bill. I left Boulder at 5:30am and arrived at Summit Lake at 7:00am. Twenty minutes later I set off along Mt. Spalding's standard East Ridge. The temps were definitely chilly - fall is in the air! I left the ridge near 13,560' and headed north towards Gray Wolf Mtn., losing about 500' of elevation.
To my left, I am greeted with Mt. Evans' beautiful North Face:
To my right, Gray Wolf Mtn. comes into view from Mt. Spalding's East Ridge:
The remaining straight-forward route to Gray Wolf:
Looking back at my route from Mt. Spalding's East Ridge:
I was on the summit at 8:35am. It was 9/11/11 and I had the summit to myself. I had time to reflect on where I was that day 10 years ago, pray for all those involved and affected by the incident, and let myself be engulfed by my angel mother. A woman hiker behind me caught me in mid-prayer and didn't want to interrupt, but snapped a photo and later emailed it to me (thank you!).
Grays and Torreys from the summit:
I packed up and left Gray Wolf at 9:00am taking the same route I came; staying closer the "cliffs" to avoid re-gaining any unnecessary elevation. I reached Summit Lake at 10:20am and immediately left the trail heading east Mt. Warren's Southwest Ridge. Shortly after, I arrived on the summit at 10:45am. I did not find a trail, but it's very easy class 1+/2.
Mt. Warren and Rogers Pk from Mt. Spalding's ridge:
A shot at the route to Warren:
I started over to Rogers; before I started descending to the saddle, I evaluated the weather and time. Clouds were moving in, and it was almost 11:00am. The alumni game was at 1:00pm. It was very tempting to "just run over and tag it", but I didn't want to risk anything. I turned around and headed back to the car. I even thought about driving down the road, finding a pull-over to park, and climbing the 500' to the summit, but again, time was a factor.
The route to Rogers Peak from Warren if I had the time to go:
In a half hour, I arrived back to the car. Rogers Peak - I will be back for you! Nice day in the mountains.
My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):
Last November I attempted Gray Wolf from Echo Lake. There was lots of deadfall which made the route a poor choice. Your route looks much more enjoyable! :) Beautiful conditions as captured well in your photos.
I had considered this route a year ago, and came close to completing it, but started late and ran out of time. Beautiful coarse-textured granites on Spalding. I have a shot or two of these if interested. Trip report very will done and informative.
Yes, I'd love to see the pics! Thanks for the comments Mark!
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