Crestone Needle Trip Report 05/06/2012

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Crestone Needle - 14,196 feet Humboldt Peak - 14,068 feet
Date Posted	05/06/2012
Date Climbed	05/05/2012
Author	RJansen77
Additional Members	SurfNTurf, Fisching, kushrocks

Spring Gathering 2012: Needle to Humboldt Traverse
Spring Gathering 2012: The "Needle to Humboldt Traverse" Date: May 5, 2012 Peaks: Crestone Needle (14,197'), Humboldt Peak (14,064') Climbers: Ryan (kushrocks), Jeff (SurfNTurf), James (Fletch), Greg (gregory_fischer) and Rob (RJansen77) The idea was really pretty simple. Our group of five would leave Denver Friday afternoon, pick up Greg in Colorado Springs, and head for the South Colony Lakes trailhead for the pack in. With different schedules and peak goals, we had all agreed on one primary objective for Saturday: The Crestone Traverse from Needle to Peak. Humboldt would be the Sunday icing. I'm not sure who came up with it - Jeff and his wooden ice axe, Greg and his goal of getting both Crestones, or all of us and a few too many beverages. Regardless of who it was, we shouldered overnight packs and technical gear, and began the pack in to South Colony Lakes from the 4wd trailhead around 5:30pm Friday afternoon. The Needle from the road We started up the road and soon ran into the first of many downed trees Terry had kindly warned us about. The choice to limbo under with full packs, or high-center over was challenging, at least for myself, but we reached the old 4wd trailhead as the sun fell behind the Crestones, and continued up the road. Once past the old trailhead, the road decided to throw steep side hilling and snow drifts at us, and the postholing, swearing, and demoralization ensued. Eventually giving up on the road, we attempted to bushwack through the woods and willows, finally reaching the lake around 8:15pm. It was a rough approach. We began setting camp at 8:30pm, and quickly ate dinner and crawled into our sleeping bags in preparation for our 4am wake-up call. I'm not sure what the conditions were like Friday night at Horn Creek, but we were blasted by wind at South Colony. I think we all agreed our tents took consistent 40 mph gusts, and I lay awake that night wondering how the this might alter our Saturday. The alarms finally broke the gusts at 4am. I believe sleep for all five of us was measured in minutes that night. We geared up, downed some calories, did a quick gear check, and shoved off around 5:30am. The four of us climbing towards BHP at sunrise - photo by Ryan Current snow conditions on BHP. There had been one wet slab avalanche in the couloir to the north, that looked to be somewhat Conditions up the pass were pretty straightforward. A large snowfield dominates before the relatively dry final couple hundred vertical feet, and a boot ladder existed that I did not set. There must have been a 7 footer up here just prior to us. It was like taking the stairs two at a time. Nearing the choke on BHP Greg, Jeff and James approaching the pass We reached the pass at 6:45 or so, and took in the glory of Crestone Needle. The Needle from Broken Hand Pass The traverse to the base of the first gully was straightforward. We observed a thin ribbon of ice and snow on the route, but soon discovered it could be easily avoided by scrambling on either side. We enjoyed the fantastic conglomerate, and quickly found ourselves at the crossover. James, Jeff and Greg in the first gully Ryan, Greg and myself at the crossover Jeff and James scrambling The crossover was mostly snow-free, and we continued up the second gully quickly. Despite the presence of snow and ice, we were able to stay mainly on the rock. Looking up the second gully Ryan and myself scrambling for the summit Jeff and Greg on the summit We reached the windy summit at 8:50, about 3:20 from our campsite at South Colony Lakes. The views, as they always are in the Sangres, were spectacular. After refueling and gazing over at the Peak and connecting traverse, we made our way to the rap station to try and build an anchor. The Peak and Kit Carson James topping out on the Needle Ryan and Jeff heading for the rappel point James and Jeff worked hard to set an anchor for the rappel, but we were unable to construct anything that we felt we could really trust. This, along with the potentially unstable snow on the east side of Broken Hand Pass, that had been baking since sunrise, was enough to turn at the summit of the Needle and descend the standard route. There was no disappointment though, it's hard to complain about climbing the Needle on a gorgeous spring day! Working on the anchor Myself, Ryan, Jeff, Greg and James on the summit Darrin, Keri, Kevin and Ryan on the summit Terry, Jerry and James on the summit The descent was relatively straightforward, and once we reached the bottom of the first gully we put it in cruise control back to Broken Hand Pass. Jeff and Ryan on the crossover - can you find the wooden ice axe? We saw these guys at BHP, they were showing off Glissading BHP We rehydrated and refueled, and I halfheartedly floated a question to Greg and Ryan. It was only 2:30pm; what else were we supposed to do with the rest of the afternoon? After some encouragement from Terry and Jerry, the plan was in place. We said goodbye to James and Jeff, grabbed water, food, layers and lamps, and set off for Humboldt. Having carried ropes and technical gear up and down the Needle, our packs were very light. When life doesn't give you the Needle to Peak Great Traverse, you do the Needle to Humboldt traverse. Not entirely on ridges. With a re-supply. Ryan and Greg begin the push up Humboldt Our work from the morning watches Ryan and Greg The West Ridge from the saddle Greg and Ryan grind up the ridge We reached the saddle in an hour, and summit an hour after that. The Sangres were gorgeous in the afternoon light. Myself, Greg and Ryan on the summit of Humboldt, 5:30pm Looking south along the Sangres Descending in the fading light, with a fantastic backdrop "Hey Ryan, you going to break your Taco Bell record tomorrow?" The descent back to camp was very fast, and we chugged water, cooked food, and enjoyed a celebratory shot of SoCo before retiring to our sleeping bags. The night was much calmer than our first, and I believe we all slept like rocks. A 6am alarm had us packing up early, and we departed South Colony Lakes at 7:30, reaching the car just after 9am. It was an honor climbing with everyone in this group, and it was great to see some familiar faces on the summit of the Needle, in addition to meeting some new 14er enthusiasts. Hope everyone had a fun Spring Gathering, and thanks to Terry or organizing! Thanks for reading! Robert Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Spring Gathering 2012: Needle to Humboldt Traverse

Spring Gathering 2012: The "Needle to Humboldt Traverse"

Date: May 5, 2012
Peaks: Crestone Needle (14,197'), Humboldt Peak (14,064')
Climbers: Ryan (kushrocks), Jeff (SurfNTurf), James (Fletch), Greg (gregory_fischer) and Rob (RJansen77)

The idea was really pretty simple. Our group of five would leave Denver Friday afternoon, pick up Greg in Colorado Springs, and head for the South Colony Lakes trailhead for the pack in. With different schedules and peak goals, we had all agreed on one primary objective for Saturday: The Crestone Traverse from Needle to Peak. Humboldt would be the Sunday icing. I'm not sure who came up with it - Jeff and his wooden ice axe, Greg and his goal of getting both Crestones, or all of us and a few too many beverages. Regardless of who it was, we shouldered overnight packs and technical gear, and began the pack in to South Colony Lakes from the 4wd trailhead around 5:30pm Friday afternoon.

We started up the road and soon ran into the first of many downed trees Terry had kindly warned us about. The choice to limbo under with full packs, or high-center over was challenging, at least for myself, but we reached the old 4wd trailhead as the sun fell behind the Crestones, and continued up the road.

Once past the old trailhead, the road decided to throw steep side hilling and snow drifts at us, and the postholing, swearing, and demoralization ensued. Eventually giving up on the road, we attempted to bushwack through the woods and willows, finally reaching the lake around 8:15pm. It was a rough approach. We began setting camp at 8:30pm, and quickly ate dinner and crawled into our sleeping bags in preparation for our 4am wake-up call.

I'm not sure what the conditions were like Friday night at Horn Creek, but we were blasted by wind at South Colony. I think we all agreed our tents took consistent 40 mph gusts, and I lay awake that night wondering how the this might alter our Saturday.

The alarms finally broke the gusts at 4am. I believe sleep for all five of us was measured in minutes that night. We geared up, downed some calories, did a quick gear check, and shoved off around 5:30am.

The four of us climbing towards BHP at sunrise - photo by Ryan

Current snow conditions on BHP. There had been one wet slab avalanche in the couloir to the north, that looked to be somewhat

Conditions up the pass were pretty straightforward. A large snowfield dominates before the relatively dry final couple hundred vertical feet, and a boot ladder existed that I did not set. There must have been a 7 footer up here just prior to us. It was like taking the stairs two at a time.

Greg, Jeff and James approaching the pass

We reached the pass at 6:45 or so, and took in the glory of Crestone Needle.

The traverse to the base of the first gully was straightforward. We observed a thin ribbon of ice and snow on the route, but soon discovered it could be easily avoided by scrambling on either side. We enjoyed the fantastic conglomerate, and quickly found ourselves at the crossover.

The crossover was mostly snow-free, and we continued up the second gully quickly. Despite the presence of snow and ice, we were able to stay mainly on the rock.

Ryan and myself scrambling for the summit

We reached the windy summit at 8:50, about 3:20 from our campsite at South Colony Lakes. The views, as they always are in the Sangres, were spectacular. After refueling and gazing over at the Peak and connecting traverse, we made our way to the rap station to try and build an anchor.

Ryan and Jeff heading for the rappel point

James and Jeff worked hard to set an anchor for the rappel, but we were unable to construct anything that we felt we could really trust. This, along with the potentially unstable snow on the east side of Broken Hand Pass, that had been baking since sunrise, was enough to turn at the summit of the Needle and descend the standard route. There was no disappointment though, it's hard to complain about climbing the Needle on a gorgeous spring day!

Myself, Ryan, Jeff, Greg and James on the summit

Darrin, Keri, Kevin and Ryan on the summit

The descent was relatively straightforward, and once we reached the bottom of the first gully we put it in cruise control back to Broken Hand Pass.

Jeff and Ryan on the crossover - can you find the wooden ice axe?

We saw these guys at BHP, they were showing off

We rehydrated and refueled, and I halfheartedly floated a question to Greg and Ryan. It was only 2:30pm; what else were we supposed to do with the rest of the afternoon? After some encouragement from Terry and Jerry, the plan was in place. We said goodbye to James and Jeff, grabbed water, food, layers and lamps, and set off for Humboldt. Having carried ropes and technical gear up and down the Needle, our packs were very light.

When life doesn't give you the Needle to Peak Great Traverse, you do the Needle to Humboldt traverse. Not entirely on ridges. With a re-supply.

Ryan and Greg begin the push up Humboldt

Our work from the morning watches Ryan and Greg

We reached the saddle in an hour, and summit an hour after that. The Sangres were gorgeous in the afternoon light.

Myself, Greg and Ryan on the summit of Humboldt, 5:30pm

Descending in the fading light, with a fantastic backdrop

"Hey Ryan, you going to break your Taco Bell record tomorrow?"

The descent back to camp was very fast, and we chugged water, cooked food, and enjoyed a celebratory shot of SoCo before retiring to our sleeping bags. The night was much calmer than our first, and I believe we all slept like rocks.

A 6am alarm had us packing up early, and we departed South Colony Lakes at 7:30, reaching the car just after 9am. It was an honor climbing with everyone in this group, and it was great to see some familiar faces on the summit of the Needle, in addition to meeting some new 14er enthusiasts. Hope everyone had a fun Spring Gathering, and thanks to Terry or organizing!

Thanks for reading!

Robert

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Monster5	Robert? 5/7/2012 12:34am I've heard of a different colloquial fist name for you. Congrats on two well-earned peaks. What happened to the usual rap station? A no go?
Kevin Baker	Nice to meet you guys 5/7/2012 12:43am Nice to meet your group on the summit and hang out for awhile. I think it was a good call to bail on the traverse, although the snow conditions on Broken Hand in the afternoon were better than expected. Nice job picking up Humboldt!
WDavis	Congrats 5/7/2012 12:50am Nice work, gents.
dmccool	Boom 5/7/2012 1:03am Great work, guys! I know you're disappointed to abandon the traverse, but getting the Needle is no small task in itself - not to mention Humboldt as extra credit. I wish I could have been there. Can't wait to get out with you guys again!
dillonsarnelli	cathy? 5/7/2012 1:17am this look awesome. I hope jeff will invite me on your next trip. well done.
doggler	One of the 5/7/2012 1:46am great traverses. Even more glorious with a bit of moonshine.
kansas	Animal 5/7/2012 2:27am I can't believe you went for Humboldt after kicking those ridiculously huge steps up Broken Hand. :P Good to see you up there.
SurfNTurf	Attention whore 5/7/2012 5:00pm Rob I can't believe you posted this. Have you no shame? TRs are the same as calling 9NEWS, in case you haven't heard. This is self-promotion at its worst. I highly doubt anyone will use this beta on the Needle or Humboldt in the near future. Get over yourself.
FireOnTheMountain	Gotta love big vert days! 5/7/2012 6:21pm Great job to you all and way to play it safe. Glad that you were able to salvage something else out of the day.
tmathews	lulz 5/7/2012 9:00pm I had to laugh at Ryan when I told him that you left for Humboldt when I saw him come out of his tent after the nap. He got this dejected look on his face, so I told him that I was just joking. :lol:
SurfNTurf	P.S. 5/7/2012 11:08pm Was Image #12 necessary? I look like someone just murdered my puppy.
jam6880	traverse? 5/7/2012 11:18pm Is this one of the great four? Not in 14ers book?
RJansen77	Thanks! 5/8/2012 2:32am Thanks for the comments everyone! Monster5 - Yes, someone else who commented on this TR (and who was on this climb) has revived my college nickname! Kevin - It was great to finally meet you too! Hopefully see you out again soon, and nice work on Lightning Pyramid! Dan - Can't wait to get out again with you either, I hear there is one more Sangre 14er calling. for us.. Darrin - Great to see you guys too, though I missed your fantastic red GoLite jacket! Jeff - This worked at South Colony Lakes, so it would work at Everest Base Camp. I'm 100% sure. Also, photo #12 is priceless. Jerry - It's an undocumented traverse, like Sneffels-->Longs-->16th Street Mall. But in reality I'm just terrible at thinking of TR titles.
kushrocks	Another Awesome Weekend 5/10/2012 9:13pm Another great climb with everyone. Unfortunately I let everyone down and did not break my taco bell record after this trip. I blame that on Wendys screwing up my extremely complicated Spicy Chicken Sandwich order.

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