Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
With the forecast predicting unpleasant weather conditions throughout the day for this past Saturday, I wasn't as eager as usual to go climbing, but the plans had been made and our group of five was going up to attempt the Castle and Conundrum Peaks no matter what. Squeezing into our Subaru Outback, we set out from Denver at 1:30 in the morning. We made it over a mile up the Forest Road 102 before stopping because of a stream which crosses the road about 1.3 miles from the lower parking. It was raining lightly, but the sky was pretty clear overall and we took off up the road in good spirits.
From our parking spot on the road
The road winds up a beautiful valley...
Cloud cover conceals the sunrise
A beautiful waterfall
...and then turns right and climbs up a rocky basin...
Winding up the basin above treeline
The view gets better the higher you go!
...and eventually culminates at the end of the basin.
Approaching the upper trailhead
As usual, the climb from the upper trailhead to the basin below Castle and Conundrum was mostly covered in snow - an excellent opportunity to pull out my new axe!
Up the snow we go...
First time using the axe!
It gets pretty steep near the top
Once in the upper basin, there is a defined trail all the way to the ridge, and a broken trail to the summit of Castle from there. The weather was so nice, we could hardly believe it! Just shows that the forecast is not always right...
Gaining the ridge
On the ridge crest - not far to go!
The ridge provides some great scrambling opportunities, although the route can be kept to Difficult Class 2.
Scrambling along the route
Conundrum with more Elk fourteeners peeking out
Fun scrambling on the crest with the trail off to the left
Very soon, we were on the summit!
Conundrum and a very blue alpine pool
With plenty of morning left, we decided to go for Conundrum.
At the saddle
As we traversed, dark clouds quickly spread across the sky. We would have to be fast! Fortunately, Conundrum is a very short (albeit loose) scramble from the saddle.
Climbing up Conundrum
Traversing across the ridge to the summit
Not long after the saddle, we topped out on Conundrum - my 40th fourteener! After a quick break, we started the descent, hoping to get as far down as we could before those storms hit.
Back down Conundrum
From the saddle, the snow has melted out and doesn't start until about 75 feet below. This 75 feet of downclimbing was some of the loosest rock I've ever been on.
Looks like a good glissading opportunity!
Climbing down horrible rock from the saddle
The glissade starts out steep - I was glad to have my axe along!
Down I go...
Success!
More glissading...
Looking back at Castle from above the pool
We walked for a bit, but glissaded just about all of the descent to the road.
Glissading back to the road
From here, all that was left was a brisk walk down the road to our car. Everybody had fun on this trip, and we all want to do it again sometime!
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
We must have seen you from (very) far on Capitol yesterday.
Nice job and great way to learn the ice axe!
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
