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East Gully snow climb via Cottonwood Creek (a.k.a The Royal Boning)
Crestone Needle has both intrigued and intimidated me since I began my mountain climbing journey, so why not climb it in the winter? Abe and I had been planning an attempt on Saturday the 11th but because the forecast for the state of Colorado was WIND for the rest of eternity we (well I) pulled out of our climb. There are few things in life that terrify me: wasps, techno music, physics problems, and....... wind. It makes everything confusing and cold. After canceling what might have been my last trip into the mountains before school picks back up I was rather depressed BUT somehow I convinced Abe that the weather window on Thursday was too good to pass up and he took a day off work (way to be awesome!).
Wednesday night we made our way down 285 toward the town of Saguache (pronounced Sawatch) where we stayed in the Sagauche Inn about 30 minutes from the trailhead. If ever on the Crestone side of the Crestone group of mountains and looking for a cheap/clean place to say I highly recommend the Sagauche Inn. With the alarm set for 2:20 a.m. we organized gear, shared a cold burrito, and closed our eyes at 9:30 p.m. It was an incredibly restless night of sleep and I was very nervous come Thursday morning.
The Needle from CC is a death march. Most approaches are slightly irritating slogs up to where the fun begins. Not this one, it has it all: icy snow boulders, steep slabs, willows, ups and downs, loose talus, grass, and endless tree branch bitch slaps to the face. There was a solid trench and very little snow for the first part of the hike. However, this all changed once we arrived at the random boulder field in the middle of the forest. It was still dark as we navigated through deep snow and every size rock known to man in snowshoes. This is a difficult and extremely frustrating process. Finally we took our snowshoes off and it became a scramble upwards to a section of slab where we traversed across. But then the snow shoes had to go back on. It was a hot mess of gear all day long. Snowshoes on, snowshoes off, microspikes on, microspikes off, poles in use, ice axe in use, thick gloves on, climbing gloves on....by the end of the day I wanted to have a gear bonfire. Oh, and I learned I am a bumbling idiot if I try to use snowshoes on rock or anything other than snow. I took two ridiculously embarrassing falls both of which left baseball size bruises on my legs and bum.
After the boulder field we kept tradition alive and headed towards the wrong basin in very deep snow. Upon realizing our error we punched a couple of trees and meandered back towards more snowy loose rock above the main boulder field. This approach consists of very variable terrain. In correcting our mistake we stumbled upon a gorge with dangerous cliffs on either side. Be careful in the winter, it is not mindless.
Trenchin'
With the boulder field behind us we topped out on a grassy slice of heaven and flirted with tree line. The terrain between here and Cottonwood Lake did not relent. The snow got deeper and the rock got steeper.
A look back to where we popped out.
First look at the Needle.
Next we crossed a steep snowfield in order to gain some cliffy slabs which we negotiated into some willows.
Navigating cliffs. Snowfield can be seen behind me and to the left.
Willow time! Next obstacle. We went up towards the center right of photo.
Choose your fate.
Faced with one more band of snowrockwillowtrees I traveled (more like got sucked) into a cave as Abe decided on the more logical less energy route up a rock rib. Yes, I had to admit I was wrong. Finally the Peak and Needle were in clear view and we were rounding the bend to Cottonwood Lake.
Cottonwood Lake bound.
The snow en-route to Cottonwood Lake was very wind scoured, the wind was light, and I was beginning to over heat. I was excited when we reached a rock outcrop above the lake where we took a food/water break, de-layered, and decided on a summit/turnaround time (1 p.m. once again). Gerry Roach's stats say 2.1 miles round trip and 1,887' total gain to the summit from this point. I was a ball of excitement and nerves as we prepared to negotiate the difficult terrain of the Needle.
"Crestolita"
The next step was to attain Broken Hand Pass and gain the South Face of the Needle. We decided against the summer route and headed directly up from where we were breaking. It was not because of avalanche danger but because the route staring us in the face was right there and much more efficient albeit steep with variable snow conditions (some bullet proof, some slip slidey). We climbed to the far west or left of Broken Hand Pass.
A short ways up we decided to ditch the snowshoes and used some rock to scramble the rest of the way. We fumbled and traversed around the north side of the southeast ridge ending up right back where we started. We laughed and continued on through some grass-rock-snow before reaching a short and steep down climb into the east gully.
Look up our route. Black dot is where we left our snowshoes.
Some snow.
Some scrambling.
Some Humboldt.
"Crestolita" again.
A look at the terrain before the east gully.
The drop into the east gully was exposed but short. I chose to traverse it and then take a minor jump over a gap in the ridge. Abe followed. Finally it was east gully time No photo tricks in this TR, the east gully really was that steep. We used a mix of good rock and snow until we found the crossover into the west gully. Here we opted to remain in the east and follow it directly up as a snow climb with knowledge that we could use the class 4 rock to our right side if need be. Let me tell you a story about what Abe called my most difficult alpine experience thus far...... it was sensational. All fear and anxiety melted away as I ice axed my way up a 60 degree snow slope (in spots) full of icy steps and stemming moves galore. I LOVED it There were a few sections where I could hear the concern in Abe's voice as he was uncertain if I could navigate a few linked moves correctly but I had no issues at all. The snow was good and although the gully narrowed down to one body width we made quick but exhausting progress towards the summit. When the gully opened back up Abe jumped on the class 4 rock and I stayed in the snow because honestly I was having too much fun.
And the pictures..........
Finally Abe shows up in a picture. (initial section of east gully)
Can you tell we really like "Crestolita"?
I like to pick my nose.
Near the crossover.
He is one fearless leader.
Don't look down.
Nearing the summit.
We reached the summit at 1:17 p.m. in some very gusty winds. I was not surprised with the amount of effort it took to get there and I found it to be more difficult than Wilson Peak. The Needle had exceeded my expectations as I soaked in the 360 degree Sangre views. Abe went for the summit register and upon popping it opened discovered we were actually on Crestone Peak No really, that is what the summit log said. Who is in charge of these things? I would be happy to contact them about the error. We were 450% certain we were on Crestone Needle but we signed anyway. With a fresh register we took spots number one and two.
Abe signing the register.
Kit Carson and Challenger. Stunning. My favorite photo of the day courtesy of Abe.
San Luis Valley
Looking towards Kit Carson and the Adams group.
Looking at The Great Sand Dunes towards the Little Bear group.
Humboldt (devoid of snow) and Colony Baldy.
Crestone Peak with KC in the background.
Marble Mountain, Milwaukee Peak, Pico Asilado, Music Mountain, Tijeras Peak, and Cleaveland Peak.
I could not decide on one so you get all three I want to hug you.
Steady steady steady.....
Now if you were not already enthralled by my latest tale of winter mountaineering prepare to be as I take you along on the terrifying ride that was our descent; Aptly named The Royal Boning. Abe and I had a few discussions about 1) whether or not to write this trip report 2) whether or not to include our descent and then 3) if we did include it how to portray it? In the end we decided honestly. Before I begin recollecting the details I would like to say that a few days after our Needle summit Abe sent me the link to Steve Gladbach's trip report on his winter finisher. I immerse myself in everything this man wrote and although I never met him he inspires me with his words and aids in my climbs with his detailed route descriptions. Steve is the definition of legacy and someone I truly admire. Enough with my rambling, these quotes from his winter finisher struck a chord with me.
"At first, I simply re-defined my paradigm about the length of a winter daytrip. I figured out that a winter climb can take longer than ten hours and it is OK to begin and end in the dark."
"The "what ifs" are often harder to deal with than the realities..................Forgive and forget (even yourself.)"
I hope you have enjoyed the pictures so far because they are going to be scarce for the next couple of paragraphs.
Courtesy of Abe:The mess we made..........
And the story:
Abe and I did not stay up on the summit for very long, maybe 7-10 minutes tops. We were both rather worn out as the approach and ascent of this mountain from Cottonwood Creek as a day trip in the winter pushes on the higher end of physically demanding. We both knew we had a very tedious descent ahead of us. We got ourselves off of the direct summit and out of the wind to discuss our options. There were two choices: retrace our steps back to the east gully and down climb the class 4 rock or find the west gully and downclimb the class 3 rock to the crossover. We had spotted the crossover from the east gully but had not attempted it nor located the west gully. We had both studied TR's on 14ers.com, Roach's book, and Abe had even printed out Bill's route description with pictures and carried it in his pocket (something I had never seen him do). My vote was to go back to the east gully and carefully down climb the class 4 rock. I did not trust finding the west gully because well they all look the same and I knew how dangerous the surrounding terrain was. Abe was not too keen on going back down the east gully. It was at this moment that he spotted two cairns on a ridge that jutted out from the summit. We went to check it out and they led to a large cliff that was next to a gully. Hesitantly I agreed it was the west gully and we should descend.
Initial drop in to the not so west gully.
At first it was the expected class 3 but the cairns had stopped. I had a very sick feeling in my stomach as the terrain became narrower and steeper. I remembered reading Danielle's (LadyMcClimbsalot) summer TR and her mentioning several times that the west gully was very well cairned and easy to follow. This was not the right gully. We descended down to 13,555' knowing that the crossover was at 13,600'. The problem was we were surrounded by rock and Abe's GPS was on the fritz. Abe went to check out a possible crossover, not "the crossover" but one that would hopefully safely lead us back to the east gully or even the actual west gully. I did not want to be alone so instead of waiting for him to return I followed. I followed, right on to some highly exposed mid class 5 rock.
Moving down the gully as the terrain narrows and steepens.
It is here we should have turned around, re-ascended the mystery gully, and retraced our steps back to the east gully. But we did not. There is no way to sugar coat it, we made a mistake. We traversed and down climbed 60 degree class 5 slabs with mind numbing exposure for what seemed to be an eternity. However, and this is a big however, the rock was so solid and although crimpy there were enough features to get by. It did not matter though the exposure was nauseating. In my entire life I have never been so fear stricken and it was not the climbing or the exposure, I fully understood the severity of the terrain we were neck deep in. When I was calling around the Crestone area looking for a hotel I spoke to a SARS gentlemen who also ran the hot springs lodge in the area. Although the rooms were too expensive he and I chatted about mountain and rock climbing for quite some time. I told him our plans and he told me stories of the Crestone group (not in any detail of course). He was involved in rescues and body recovery on the Saguache Co side (the side we were on) not the Custer Co side (South Colony Lake approach) and his final words kept eerily ringing in my ear, "Just be careful out there, those mountains chew people up."
This is a small portion of what we traversed and down climbed. Taken from the rock spine before we descended into the Y gully.
After traversing and down climbing for some time we ended up on a small spine of rock with a snow gully to our left. We both knew we were far below the east gully but descended the snow in hopes of finding another way out. Options were limited as there was nothing but slabby cliffs surrounding us. Abe halted me (we were using hand signals not even talking anymore) about 50 feet above him as he came to the end of the gully. He peered over a giant cliff, looked at me, and gave me the we are going back up sign. My heart sank into my stomach. Evening was approaching. Were we going to be spending the night on the side of the Needle? There was no way we could negotiate this terrain in the dark. How cold would it get? How lost were we? What role was the fatigue playing in our decision making process? We could NOT go back the way we just came, where would we go? How did this happen? How did I LET THIS HAPPEN! The cold mountain cliff walls that surrounded us started closing in as all of those fleeting thoughts raced through my head and then boom I looked up. It took me all but one second to decide, NO you are not going to spend the night out here, YES you are going to get yourself off this mountain.
The gully was split into a "Y" shape by the cliffs we decided to play in and I noticed that the section we did not come in on had a grassy area at the top. I immediately flipped on the beast mode switch and despite the dizziness, exhaustion, lack of water and calories, and fear I powered up toward the top of what everything in my body screamed was the way out. Abe followed suit and of course passed me but neither of us stopped or talked, we just moved. Abe was probably 40 feet above me when he topped out and face planted down in the grass. Honestly I thought he passed out and I stopped and started screaming at him. He did not respond so I ran towards him and shook him as he pointed towards our foot prints across a steep snow slope, "That is the entrance to the east gully" he mumbled.
I circled where we cliffed out.
It was 3:30 p.m. and I was so overjoyed I started hugging Abe and jumping up and down but he was not having it. He was so mad at himself. We regrouped and I said something along the lines of, "It happened, it is no ones fault, there is our way out, let's get a move on, and get safely back to the truck." As Steve said, "Forgive and forget (even yourself)."
There is a reason I love mountain climbing. On the way home I told Abe I love to climb mountains because it is the only thing that really makes me appreciate living. Not feel alive, but appreciate life. Most people mundanely trudge on taking for granted all the surrounding white noise and lavish luxuries, complaining about work, money, school, kids, relationship troubles... But when you go out into the back country and strip yourself down at mercy of a tall proud mountain (especially in winter) you really appreciate a bed, heat, a couch, a warm meal, a cell phone, your friends, your family, your car etc. etc. and this makes every day even the hardest ones worth living. Life just like mountain climbing sometimes deals a crappy hand. You either buckle or you step up, learn something, and come out stronger. The metaphor between mountain climbing and life could not have been more clear on this random January afternoon as I realized how much this sport has positively impacted my life. I did not stand on that grassy knoll thinking, "What the F just happened, why am I out here risking my life?" Instead I thought, "That just happened and I am here with this other awesome person and we had the tenacity and strength to overcome a serious mistake together."
Well now that I have bared my soul and our flop we traversed across a steep snow slope to reach the base of the east gully. You can imagine the adventure was far from over. I don't know if I cashed in all my adrenaline or I simply bonked hard but right before the last steep up climb I zoned out hard and started slurring my speech. Abe immediately stopped me and we had some food and drink and I was back to normal. We made a pact to stay with our footsteps and then our trench, including the mistake we had made earlier that morning. We would be doing mostly the entire hike out in the dark and it was imperative no more mistakes were made.
Sick of "Crestolita" yet?
We glissaded down the final snow slope to our snow shoes as the sun went down. It was sooooooooo much funnnnnnnn.
Top of the glissade.
The hike out was dark, trying, and required complete vigilance. We worked together to safely and efficiently overcome slabs, cliffs, the snowy boulder field, ups, downs, and steep grass/talus until finally we arrived back at the solid trench and it was a simple but long snowshoe out. We both had commitments on Friday morning so Abe drove us back to Lakewood (thank you again for driving). We got to my apartment at 1 a.m..... nearly a 24 hour endeavor.
I hope our ordeal will come as a reminder that mistakes can be made by anyone and safety, caution, and patience are key in the mountains. The summit will always be there and there is nothing wrong with turning around if you feel you have gone the wrong way. It was not dumb luck we ended up being okay. We worked together; slowly, methodically, and carefully to right our wrongs. As of right now the snow in the Crestone group is solid and the wind has blown most of the snow off of the rock. However, gullies are completely filled. The road to get to the Cottonwood Creek TH could be driven by any kind of vehicle and we never saw another person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Bonus*
On Saturday January 18th I had the honor alongside an amazing group of people to accompany Sarah (SarahT) up Mt. Elbert and witness her final winter 14er summit making her the first female in history to complete all of the 58 14ers in calender winter. It was an incredibly powerful experience and a day I will never forget. Sarah is not only kind, funny, and well spoken, she is also remarkably humble. It was a privilege to get to know her and be there for the end of her journey. I am blown away by her level of athleticism, dedication, intelligence, patience, and attention to safe practice. Simply put she is a role model and exemplifies the fact that women are just as strong as men (if not stronger ) I can't believe I was so nervous to tag along, everyone made me feel so welcome and it was a joy getting to know each and every person along the sunny trek up to the highest point in Colorado. Speaks volumes of the community this website has created. Congratulations Sarah and thank you again for letting me join.
A few pictures: Abe and Greg (FireOnTheMountain and Summit Lounger)
Crestone Needle was amazing in more ways than one but Mt. Elbert was one of my favorite days in the hills. What a journey I have been on since last June. I cannot wait to see where it takes me. Until next time thank you for reading!
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." ~Helen Keller
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Glad to see a happy ending to your explorations. Hopefully I can use your lessons learned later this winter and avoid the off route decent. Tough trip for a single day, I was tired hiking up Cottonwood Cr in the summer.
Again, I am SO proud of you dude! My knee is almost healed up... then we can continue snowboarding and climbing amazing mountains!!! :D It's so crazy how different this mountain looks in the snow. It was hard for me to recognize much. So nuts! I am beyond jealous ;) My experience up the Crestones was so miserably tainted due to the awful company I had *cough*cough* but I did manage to have good memories up there thanks to the OTHER people I met. I can't can't can't wait to be back out there!!! It will be like a breath of fresh air to actually have FUN on the mountains now, huh? It's like a burden has been lifted!! :lol:
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! Can't wait to see you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :P
Thanks for sharing the whole story, I've been off route up there in perfect summer weather and that was terrifying. Being lost on a Crestone above 13,000 in Winter and getting back safe is proof of your prowess.
I like that quote ”Just be careful out there, those mountains chew people up.”
It's true...
Glad you two made it out with a immense life experience.
:D
I'm glad you made it down okay. From my experience with the Needle, I remember thinking how easy it would be to get into a wrong gully on the downclimb, if going down another route...Love the lighting on the pictures.
Thanks for writing up your incredible adventure, Kay! Loved the read and the pictures are great. I got way too nervous just sitting here reading this, as well as the one for Wilson Peak.
...you thought Elbert was easy on Saturday :lol:
Quite an adventure, thanks for sharing it with us!
Nice meeting you on Saturday hopefully we will get to climb together again, or ski/ride at Beaver Creek :D
I did the exact same thing, only it was in summer so stakes weren't so high. We missed crossover on way up - this was before detailed route description of 14ers.com. So we thought we'd take West gulley on way down. I'm fairly sure we clifted out in exact same spot - there is only one large, visible grassy level area on that face. I had spot picked out for helicopter to land. From that spot we climbed up and over two or three ribs and were amazed - there was our gear marking the start of east gulley.
We ALL make mistakes - the only difference is that not all of us will admit to them, learn from them, and share the information in hopes that others won't make the same mistake. I applaud you both for keeping your cool, pushing thru the suck, and getting off the mountain safely.
I saw the title ”the royal boning” and my dirty mind was thinking of a different kind of boning. :lol: One that's a little more enjoyable.
Thank you for the comments everyone. 1/21/2014 11:44pm
Abe ~ I literally spit water all over my computer when I read your comment...notice I conveniently left out the part about the water drinking picture resulting in 36 of my 48 ounces of water spilling out. Good thing we only need 12 ounces between the two of us to successfully day trip the needle :D
mtgirl~ I was very hesitant to share this mistake for I know there are judgers out there. But my hopes are someone can learn from our error.
BKS and jesse ~ I was thinking about it and wondering how many others had made this mistake.
Everyone else~ thanks for reading, I know it is long, I do appreciate the comments.
Nose pickers sometimes lose sight of the path. I'm glad you extracted your finger to get serious and come off the mountain. :)
Now, about these judges on the dot com. I'm judging that boning tr involving the love relationship between McLady and Going(somewhere) would attract a lot of attention. Please, please, don't leave out details. We all want to judge that one. Please forgive me if I'm out of line with these comments, but someone had to write it.
Besides, MtGirl brought up the bone....err...uhhh....well something like that.
At work today I just opened your report and saw this picture. I knew even before I started skimming it that you must be climbing with Abe. It should be his new avatar.
Finally now after getting home I had time to read through the entire thing. Glad to hear you're both safe and sound! Quite an (dare I say it?) epic adventure! Have gotten in a few situations like that myself (maybe a lot of us have?) and it is an eye opener for putting your life values in order. Yes, don't take any part of life for granted. And Steve still gives us all good advice!
Do 5 year olds have an imagination that it takes to conjure up a bone? I hope not. :oops:
Royal Boning.
Could have been Royal Needling. Imagine that one.....
Thanks for being honest about mistakes that were made, Kay. It takes humility to do that, but it benefits others and reminds us to be diligent in the mountains. Glad you guys were sensible and kept your wits about you in a tough spot. Huge day from Cottonwood as a day hike! At least you didn't drop all your water on the traverse like I did! :shock:
It was Abe's idea to name this TR ”The Royal Boning.” I simply had it named by our route and he told me it was and I quote ”boring.” My dad reads these Abe....but he got a kick out of the title :D
I suppose my ”Two Girls One Ridge” TR with my Lady love was far more provocative.
Kevin~ I didn't lose the whole bottle but I spilled most of it when we got to Cottonwood Lake
Darin~ The royal needling ...ooooooooo now that is dirtyyyyyyyyyyy
Speaking about mistakes....and losing your water.......here's one of my many mistakes.
Several years ago I was exploring Blue John Canyon in Utah. We made a rappel in and were committed. Five minutes later, while stemming over some skanky water, I pinched my bite valve on my bladder and all my water leaked out (yeah, every drop). It was already going to be a long day, but everything looks the same down there (much like the descent off the Needle), and we couldn't locate the correct exit canyon. Climbed up two possible exits in the brutal heat, only to find out they weren't the correct ones and wouldn't lead us to our vehicle. Naturally, my water purification drops did no good, as there wasn't a lick of water to be found. LONG DAY ! You'd think I'd learn quickly, but did the EXACT same thing the following day - luckily in a shorter canyon with no exit difficulties. :roll:
However, I came for the funny water mistake stories and to talk about myself. Naturally. Last year, I was experimenting with wide mouth collapsible nalgenes as a lighter and reusable alternative to plastic bottles. I had the right smart idea of throwing my pack down a 40 ft elevator so I could down climb easier. The bottles exploded and I was left with 2L of red, sweaty, gritty muck at the bottom of my pack. Fortunately, it was Salvageable
how about the time you dropped your 2L on Partner's traverse last december? at least you weren't wearing sweat pants cause you forgot your snowpants! It was only december...
I'm starting to really enjoy reading people's f*ck ups (sorry little billy) :lol:
Thank you for telling your story. The entire 14er community eventually reads every TR as they ascend the 14er ladder of difficulty. The telling of your climb will assuredly save someone's life in the future. If not about a Crestone, about another risk being taken.
Very well written and photographed. You make a great team and that teamwork saved your lives for another romp in the mountains...
So happy you two are ok. What an incredible adventure.
I know what it's like to get lost on that side of the mountain. I got off route when I was doing the traverse a couple of years ago. But nothing like your ordeal. It's a maze of spires and gullies. It all looks the same. Then you take a step back and look at the face from a distance and it seems so simple.
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No photo tricks in this TR, the east gully really was that steep. We used a mix of good rock and snow until we found the crossover into the west gully. Here we opted to remain in the east and follow it directly up as a snow climb with knowledge that we could use the class 4 rock to our right side if need be. Let me tell you a story about what Abe called my most difficult alpine experience thus far...... it was sensational. All fear and anxiety melted away as I ice axed my way up a 60 degree snow slope (in spots) full of icy steps and stemming moves galore. I LOVED it 
There were a few sections where I could hear the concern in Abe's voice as he was uncertain if I could navigate a few linked moves correctly but I had no issues at all. The snow was good and although the gully narrowed down to one body width we made quick but exhausting progress towards the summit. When the gully opened back up Abe jumped on the class 4 rock and I stayed in the snow because honestly I was having too much fun. 
No really, that is what the summit log said. Who is in charge of these things? I would be happy to contact them about the error. We were 450% certain we were on Crestone Needle but we signed anyway. With a fresh register we took spots number one and two.
