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Southeast Face/Southwest Ridge via Cross Mountain TH. The tale of my first winter climb.
Ahhhhhhhhh winter. Finally! It was time to see what all the buzz was about. Why does 14ers.com suddenly simmer down when the snow starts to fly??? Now I know. Climbing mountains in winter is ridiculously difficult and only crazy people (in a good way) do it. I have never been down to the San Juans or the Telluride area so Abe and I decided we would drive down Saturday December 21st and try to get Wilson Peak as my first winter ascent on the 22nd. This four day trip taught me more about myself than all of the life lessons I have accumulated over the years. But this is why I climb mountains, to find those little pockets of strength when I have nothing left to give.
Coors tap the Rockies....
The weather reports were having mixed emotions about Sunday and how much snow was actually going to fall. One thing was certain: It was going to be cold and windy. The CAIC reported moderate avalanche danger for northwest through northeast to east facing slopes, persistent slabs that could trigger larger avalanches being the biggest concern. We decided to stick to our plan but go with the flow and Abe made it VERY clear that a summit was not a given. We arrived at the Cross Mountain TH (10,060') around 7 pm. I have seen a trailhead or two in my day and I was imagining a quaint dirt lot nestled in the comfort of some large lodge pole pines. Jokes on me! The "trailhead" was a plowed pull off about 15 feet wide on the side of CO 145, a busy, and fully exposed mountain road. This is where we slept, semi trucks racing by, in a cold blizzard, winds whipping so hard the truck shook all night. I did not sleep a wink but 3:00 a.m. came and getting dressed and on the trail was one of the most unpleasant experiences I have ever had. No excuses, I am a total pansy in the cold. I do not have thick skin and would always prefer it to be 100 degrees and sunny out. Then why climb this mountain in the winter you ask? Because I wanted to see if I could join the ranks of crazy.
When we emerged from the back of the truck to our surprise it was crystal clear, we could see every star in the sky, and the moon lit the way. At first there was an established trench but it went away very quickly leaving us with deep deep deep snow to break. From the start I did not feel like myself. I had been working out three times a day (trail running, rock climbing, yoga) for nearly two weeks and I did not heed Abe's warnings to take it easy before our trip. This combined with nerves about avalanche danger plus lack of good sleep for several nights in a row left me feeling mentally and physically weak.
Our first goal was to gain the 11,979 foot saddle between Lizard Head and Cross Mountain. We got to about 11,400 feet where we made a mess of our day. In the dark we mistaken a 12,000 foot unnamed jagged hump to be Cross mountain and contoured right (southeast) around it taking us in the exact opposite direction we needed to go. As the sun came up Abe realized it was not Cross mountain but the damage was already done. A lot of unnecessary energy was expanded and I was already exhausted. We got back on track but decided we would spend the rest of our day building a solid trench for the approach and try again the next day. We continued on to Lizard Head but as soon as we were out of the trees the wind hit hard and I was completely demoralized, freezing cold, my hips were burning from breaking trail, and I was really questioning if this would be my first and only attempt at a winter 14er. It was this moment I saw pure weakness in myself and I was so happy when Abe said we were turning around. I did not have that fire I usually carry with me and as mad as I was we were calling it so early hind sight is 20/20...I never would have made the summit of Wilson Peak on this day even if we had stayed on track.
Only photo from failed attempt day.
We spent the next few hours building ourselves a direct trench back to the truck, a trench we dubbed I-70. We flagged the proper turn offs with pine branches and laughed at what a drunken mess our snowshoe prints would look like to someone else hiking in. About a half mile from the TH we ran into 14ers member Mad Mike. We stopped and chatted for a little while. He was alone hauling in a sled and headed for the Mt. Wilson ---> El Diente traverse. Very cool badass dude. Hope you got it man!! We talked about Wilson Peak (he has done it in the winter) and he told us how Willy smiles at you as you approach. I thought it looked more like a frown, you decide:
We decided to go into Telluride, get lunch, check out Bridal Veil Falls, and then find a cheap hotel room somewhere near the TH. I was slightly beaten down and disgusted with myself but my attitude was "don't be afraid to fail, be afraid not to try" and I planned on giving Wilson Peak everything I had the next day.
Bridal Veil Falls
12/23/13
The hotel room made all the difference and when the alarm went off at 3:00 a.m. on Monday morning I popped out of bed, got ready in the most pleasant of conditions and we headed back to the Cross Mountain pull off to try again. It was 1 degree without windchill and still hard to emerge from the truck and take those first strides across the wind blown tundra into the trees.
We did not talk much but moved quickly as we followed our trench to gain the ridge that would lead us to the saddle in-between Cross Mountain and Lizard Head. I later came to find out that Abe was actually sleep walking. He told me he was dozing off and napping as he slogged in. Now that's a professional!! It was so cold even the trees creaked in pain, what a sobering noise. I took the trees for granted until we reached our give up point from the previous day and the wind whipped some appreciation in to me. Crossing up and over this saddle into Bilk Basin was a mental battle as a strong sustained wind beat directly in our faces for about an hour and a half. "Just keep moving, wiggle your toes, breath through your nose, keep your face covered" I repeated to myself over and over again until we had descended back down to 11,400 feet where the wind let up.
First light near the saddle of Lizard Head/Cross Mountain
Cross Mountain and Gladstone Peak
Lizard Head
Take me to your leader.
Abe's artistic wind shot.
We dropped down into Bilk Basin and skirted Gladstone Peak's east ridge staying high. Other than some old wind swept skin tracks there were no signs of human life. From this point until we gained the southwest ridge of Wilson Peak we did nothing but break trail uphill in deep snow. I am still laughing, there was SO MUCH SNOW. Being my first winter 14er I had no idea what to expect but Abe who has climbed a gaggle of mountains in calender winter made comments all day long. "This is serious trail breaking." "This is mountaineering." "This reminds me of Peru." Point being there is a lot of snow in Wilson group right now.
Bilk Basin
Abe breakin' away.
Lizard Head still creepin'
As we rounded the bend of Gladstone's east ridge things got more serious. In fact I have never seen Abe so serious. I am fully aware of the responsibility those with more experience take on by bringing someone with less experience onto difficult terrain with hazards like avalanches which are ticking time bombs. I accept full responsibility for myself and like to believe I have some common sense but Abe is the one with the experience and it is truly appreciated that he not only believes in me but takes the time to teach me whenever we head in to the back country. We needed to get to the base of the southeast face of Wilson Peak and every route presented some avalanche risk. That being said the snowpack was in good shape. We made our way around Gladstone's east and northeast slopes moving quickly, using benches and rock ribs whenever we could until we arrived safely at our destination. There was no whomping, no shooters, no cracks, and Abe said the snowpack did not feel like it had a weak layer.
Rough sketch of the remaining route to gain the southwest ridge.
One of Abe's favorite photos of all times.
My favorite photo: earning it.
Looking east.
Gladstone Peak
When we arrived at the base of the southeast face there was still enough snow to warrant snowshoes. We climbed up the steepness for a bit until the snowshoes became bothersome and we stashed them. I was elated to have made it to this point. Abe and I sat down on some small rocks to set a turn around time, refuel, and discuss the remaining route up to the southwest ridge. It was beautiful out. Aside from spurts of strong wind the day was perfect. Abe said he wanted to be on the summit latest one p.m. He became even more serious. I could tell he was worried, not for himself but he had never seen me on a 45 degree slope or on a ridge as serious as Wilson's in the winter. I assured him it was my decision to continue on. I was tired and my nerves were a little shot but I felt strong. The fire was burning.
Right before we ditched the snowshoes.
I was not wearing rigid boots but Abe had brought strap on crampons for me. I was wearing the leather, insulated, waterproof vasques that Steve Gladbach had recommended in an old thread (they perform like champs). After taking the snowshoes off and trying to take a few steps in just the boots I knew I needed some extra traction. The snow was not hard packed and as I went up in Abe's tracks it was a nightmarish slip and slide. So I made my own tracks and it was still frustrating. Abe decided we would try the crampons. As he basically attached them to my boots he explained the real possibility that we were not going to make the summit and I should get used to that idea. Things became more bleak when I stood up and the crampons did not fit correctly. I had only one other option, microspikes. They would give me the small amount of traction I needed and they definitely fit my boots properly. I wondered if I was being "stupid" climbing this mountain in the winter in waterproof hikers and microspikes. I told Abe I would go a small distance and if I looked unstable we would head out. I took off running. It was on.
I have no pictures from the ascent but we used all sorts of rock ribs to aid us in safely gaining the ridge. Rocks + snow + steep slope = a nightmarish combo but if it helped to alleviate some of the avy danger I was all in. There was an unreal amount of snow. At one point I was trying to get up a section and I know it is partly because of the steepness of the slope but I was eye level deep in snow. There were ascending traverse sections where I was hip deep post-holing away. It was the most draining, exhausting, exhilarating, frustrating, horribly, wonderful experience of my life and the crux of this route for me.
You know what that means though? Gaining the ridge for the summit push to Wilson was a fabulously glorious moment in my small girl life. I felt like I could wrestle a bear, end world hunger, cure cancer, knock out Mike Tyson, and play drums for AC/DC at a sold out show all in one instant. And of course Abe caught it on camera because he is amazing. This is one of those photos I will look back on for the rest of my life and remember exactly how I felt in that moment.
Waa pow!!
It was a magical rush of happy juice but short lived as the alleged "notch crux" still lay between team gravy train and the summit of this mountain I was falling in love with.
I'm not through with you. Wilson taunting me.
We gained the southwest ridge shortly before the notch. The wind immediately picked up. Abe had his serious boxers on, then he put on his serious thermals, and now his serious snow pants. The analogy here, he was layered in seriousness. We made a few creepy moves towards the beginning of the crux all the while communicating that I only go as far as I feel confident. There was wind loaded snow build ups, the start of some nice cornices, ice, and wind galore. And then it began. This section of ridge is a serious endeavor in the winter so I do not mean to make light of it but for me this is what I live for so it was not my crux, it was my favorite.
This was the first move to drop to the North side of Wilson in order to bypass the notch. It was somewhat frightening, very exposed, and highly committal. Taken on the way back, you can see our footprints.
The approximate line on the first down climb. Get down with the gnar!
There was some scrambling on rock which I was very comfortable with.
There were several steep snow traverses which I was less comfortable with. It was also a learning experience in keeping the ice axe attached to me and in the correct hand while also trying to scramble class 3/4 rock.
There were not many pictures snapped during the sections we all understand to be fatal if a fall occurs. It is also worth noting I was amazed how the wind and cold fell way side as my full concentration zoomed in to the mountain side. By Abe's orders I led most of the final section of ridge. He later told me he was very pleased with how gracefully I moved and if I had stumbled at all he would have immediately turned me around. Before I knew it I was poking up out of the notch and the summit was only 92 feet away. Remember that feeling when I gained the ridge well this feeling was 100 billion times stronger. Baby unicorns were crying rainbow tears as I carefully ice axed my way to the top of this proud beast.
I was a total mess of emotions but mostly I could not believe we were both standing on the summit at 1:03 p.m. I knew I would put in my best efforts but I was uncertain all day if Wilson Peak would allow me to grace its remote and rugged summit. Simply put: It was the best feeling.
Freak YA!!!
And of course, the free sandwich.
Looking west.
From left to right: Gladstone Peak, Mt. Wilson, El Diente Peak
Favorite summit photo.
Once again the euphoria faded as the reality of what still lay ahead set in. It was a long way back to the truck and we were far from out of the woods (literally). We began to carefully re-traverse the notch.
It wasn't long before we were back on the southeast face heading towards our snowshoe stash.
Abe began to de-layer his serious pants as we arrived 50 feet below the snowshoes. He beast-moded up to grab them and then employed the newly coined snowshoe disc golf method to get them down to the base of the slope.
Creature of the mountain.
Good form.
We were not ready to celebrate quite yet. We still had to navigate through dangerous avalanche terrain back into Bilk Basin. We deployed a different descent route per Abe's request. Once again the snowpack was good.
Rough sketch of the route back to Bilk Basin
Definition of slog:
As we once again rounded Gladstone's east ridge I hit the wall of delirium. Trees and rock began to take the shape of people and animals and I was fairly dizzy. We both knew we needed calories but chose to wait until we were at the base of the daunting elevation we needed to regain (ballpark of 800 feet) in order to attain the saddle of Cross Mountain and Lizard Head. I ate two peanut butter cups, a vega energy gel, a handful of almonds, and guzzled some water down but the damage was done, I was spenttttttt.
As we began going up I appropriately sang The Killers song, "When You Were Young." If you are unfamiliar it goes, "Can we climb this mountain? I don't know. Higher now than ever before, I know we can make it if we take it slow, that's takin' easy, easy now, watch it go....." The first half of the climb I wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep but then the food kicked in and it was all gravy. Abe paced me. We did about 40 steps and then a quick rest. The wind going up and over this pass made trippy waves in the hard packed snow (which was a total god send after a full day of breaking trail). The wind also created these huge snow cliffs that both Abe and I noted were the coolest things ever. However, in our successful summit blithe we needed to make sure we didn't go over one and fall into the abyss.
As we neared the top of the last obstacle we broke out of the shadows and into the remains of daylight. It was around 4:45 p.m and beautiful. We lingered on the ridge back to tree line until the sun set exactly where we had watched it rise about 10 hours earlier. Without getting too corny or mushy the next 30 minutes were some of the most coveted and appreciated minutes I have ever lived. The only way I can describe the feeling; everything was perfect. And the pictures......
We arrived back at I-70 (our trench) as night fell and donned our headlamps. It was a swift and easy hike out and I had a mega-ton of unwarranted energy (this would continue until 1 a.m. when I FINALLY fell asleep). On the way out we talked about Mad Mike and hoped he had snagged his traverse. He had told us he would be camping for two nights so we left him a smiley face where our trenches intersected.
Shortly after smiley face construction and with some minor detective work we realized that Mad Mike had already packed out, so if anyone stumbles upon a creepy smiley face in the woods near the Wilson group it was Abe and I, not a tribe of cannibals hunting for souls.
A few things I learned:
~ I am not ready and may never be ready to camp if it is below 15 degrees.
~ Do everything with gloves or mittens on.
~ Pack small easily accessible snacks and eat first thing in the morning.
~ There is so much gear to lug around in the winter and you probably will end up using it all at some point on your summit adventure.
~ Do not wear a hat that constantly falls over your eyes.
~ Hands, feet, nose, and digits will take turns being cold or numb.
~ If you are not the one leading the trail break than step where the leader has not, it makes for a fabulous compacted trail on the way out and passes time as a fun game.
~ The wind is the enemy, not only does it suck away positivity but it fills in broken trail like it was never there to begin with.
~ Do not give up when your quads turn to mush.
~ I have a new found respect for anyone who climbs mountains in the winter.
~ Summer climbs will never be the same. It is like two different sports in the same arena.
~ I have a new found respect for the mountains.
My father sent me a pair of amazing alpaca socks for Christmas. He loves reading these reports and every time we talk he expresses a genuine interest in my endeavors. He understands the risk and worries but relates to my need to push boundaries in order to feel alive. As he says, "there are two important things in life, adventure and romance." I could not ask for a better dad. Anyway, I wore the socks and it felt like I brought him to the summit with me.
All summits are earned but this one tasted sweeter. Amazing trip, amazing partner, amazing mountain, amazing mountain range..........winter has begun! Thanks for reading.
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
I only brought signs cuz Prick made me. I don't even own a printer. He wants to make a collage of himself. A collage of Prickness. Isn't that sweet? Man I miss him.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
The oracle's influence of wisdom is rubbing off on you. Funny he couldn't make it past the dihedral on the Needle, but he knew how to tell EVERYONE ELSE how to.
Way to go, felt friend. You are frighteningly ferocious and fierce on the mountain. And you hike with Fireonthemountain. Everything about this is awesome.
I NEED TO GET BETTER ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!! :shock: I'm like a squirrel on meth trapped in a small box. On crutches.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.....
:lol:
I DID bring a back pack full of red felt and marked up the whole route though, so that has to count for something.
I KNEW you were probably minutes in front of us. The sled tracks were so fresh. We stopped to watch the sun set otherwise we probably would have been able to hike out most of the way with you. Congrats on the traverse!!
I sent you a pm with my email. Can't wait to see the pictures!
You are a beast! That mountain is not easy in the summer and you rocked it in some pretty tough conditions. Sounds like you had a fantastic guide as well. I think you were able to triumph over the most important obstacle - yourself. You've joined the ranks of the badass mountain climbers and the only thing that could have been better is a video with your dance moves! Well done!
Most people do Quandary, Bierstadt, etc. as a first winter peak. Kay? Nope, screw that, Wilson Peak. That final scramble was a beast in spring, can't even imagine it in full-on winter. Congrats!
Way to go for your first winter 14er!! Super trek! I get tired just looking at your plowing through all that snow! And I would certainly agree with you about not camping below 15 degrees! Not my cup of tea. Give me a good bed and shower any day! Super job in getting the climb done! Thanks for your report! :D
First winter climb?? WOW. I think Wilson Peak is firmly in the so called ”Dirty Dozen” and without a doubt one of the hardest winter 14ers that I have done. It is long, the SE Face can be intimidating even with good snow due to avy danger and the down climb off the false summit is just downright unfair!
Nice work. Really enjoyed your report. Lucky you have such a good partner....a good partner that owes me some winter climbs this year :D
Looking forward to see what else you guys have in you this season.
Very impressive tale. Did the Wilsons and El D on a long SUMMER weekend! Your reward had to be unmatched. Not easy when you fight your inner self and push harder than you think possible.
I hoped this TR would surface and it did not disappoint. Looks like an incredible few days full of highs and lows and most importantly learning about the mountains and yourselves.
Look forward to getting out with you two as soon as possible :)
Mad Mike's handle is appropriate. Dude does climbs in the winter that people don't survive in the summer.
Winter camping is no joke. Years ago I rode a chairlift with a couple guys at A-Basin and they joked about winter camping in the mountains. Here's a synopsis: ”Hey Bob, remember that time we were winter camping and we almost died?” ”Yeah, Charlie, I do. We literally almost died. That's not really funny, Charlie. Not even now. Not even after all these years.”
In the photo of your butt (I don't know what else it's a photo of), it actually looks like you're wearing jeans in a snowfield.
That photo of my butt is me surviving the southeast face and cresting the southwest ridge, one of the happiest moments of my life!
And I would like to crack some sort of joke about texas and their uncontrollable urge to wear jeans while skiing at the resorts in summit county but that is actually a pair of volcom snowboard pants :D
Nice trip report, great beta, which I hope to use whenever I get the nerve to attempt such a badass winter ascent! Great photos too! Those lines in the snow were so trippy :)
Amazing trip report! I am so impressed with the hard earned victory but being so true to your ”in the moment” mental and physical challenges. Where do you go from here?
d_baker ~ you had some impressive times in the San Juans over Christmas break too
High_On_Thin_Air ~ glad it may be of service some day. It was a wonderful outing.
zephyr ~ NEVER getting married, I'm a freeeeee bird.... :D :D :D :D
forbins_mtn ~ Where do I go from here? I would LOVE more then anything in the world to make it a night camping in the back country without complaining about how cold I am. That is my #1 goal for the winter. I'll let you know if I snag it :wink:
I remember doing this general route in mid October several years ago and thought I was somebody then! This trip you just took was way tougher. Thanks for such an excellent report.
I haven't been able to read most of the reports lately but noticed all the 'likes' so thought I'd check it out. Very enjoyable read and you two got some really nice pics as well. Congrats!
Sorry it took me so long to let you know in public that you have nice pants, even after I saw them in person. :oops: Congratulations to the two of you for a fine winter ascent. We will have to do some more hikes together. Welcome to the winter thing. Did I say nice pants?
Way to start your winter 14er list in style. Beautiful mountain, amazing effort, and stellar report. Nicely done.
It was such a great start to my trip to run into you and Abe. I can't believe we missed each other by 15 minutes at the parking lot on Monday night. That would have been fun. I have a couple pictures of you two from the summit of El Diente. If I could just figure out how to attach them. What's a ”web URL”?
I look forward to more of these reports from you.
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I could not ask for a better dad. Anyway, I wore the socks and it felt like I brought him to the summit with me.
