Sunlight Peak Trip Report 07/08/2014

Peak(s):	Sunlight Peak - 14,061 feet Mt. Eolus - 14,087 feet North Eolus - 14,042 feet Windom Peak - 14,089 feet
Date Posted:	07/08/2014
Date Climbed:	07/04/2014
Author:	shearmodulus

Chicago Basin on the 4th
At the last minute, I got a message from a meetup that a group would be heading into the Chicago Basin on the 3rd in order to tag all of the fourteeners up there. After an aborted attempt to ski in there in 2012, I figured I'd give it another go. I made the preparations and packed my bags... Forecasts showed the typical summer weather - afternoon thundershowers, but nothing out of the range of the ordinary. 3 July: Arriving in Silverton on the 3rd, I met my climbing partner, discussed tactics and boarded the 2:30 train. Our third would join us on the evening of the 4th as she couldn't get off work to meet us on Thursday. The train ride was a fun trip back in time, with cinders blowing in the smoke, and the loud steam whistle. We took on water at the Needleton Tank and then disembarked at the Needleton Bridge. An Outward Bound group was departing at the same time and offloaded what looked to be weeks worth of supplies and equipment. Hitting the trail at around 3:45, we made the trek into the basin and finished at around 7:45 and set up camp on the far side of the river, at around 11,100 feet, trying to get as far in as we could to cut the distance off on each day's climb. Given that it was the Thursday before a long weekend, we expected to see a few folks, but the crowds would arrive the next day. Getting in early helped us secure a good spot without having to camp on top of someone else or right on the trail. The rangers were active and made more than a few groups move their sites due to proximity to water or to areas that had been closed for re-vegetation. 4 July: 3:45 came early. We got up, finished our final preparations and hit the trail by 4:30. Climbing efficiently under headlamps, we made the Twin Lakes by sunrise, and caught the first rays hitting Eolus from the shore as we refilled water and took a short break to refuel. Pushing on, we gained the notch between Eolus and North Eolus, and scrambled up the ridge. North Eolus, our first destination, had more exposure that you might expect in a few spots, but was a fairly straightforward climb. Descending the ridge, we crossed over the catwalk, which while exposed in places was not too terribly difficult. The route-finding after the catwalk took a keen eye to spot the cairns, and a willingness to make some interesting moves with mild to moderate exposure. Nothing too serious, but a fall would have hurt. Given that this was our second peak of the day, we met more people on the trail as we climbed, and shared the summit with a couple of small groups. Descending was a reverse of the climb, with a notable exception; we didn't make the cutoff to stay on the main trail once off of the ridge, and wound up at the top of a small snowfield. Ice axes at the ready, we were able to glissade down a fairly steep, but short area of snow. It was my partner's first time glissading, so we kept our speed in check considering the area of rocks at the bottom of the hill. Axes were otherwise not necessary to complete this climb. It was nice having the option to descend the snow field, but we could have back-tracked and found the standard route out. Arriving back at camp around 12-ish, we narrowly missed a short but sharp thunderstorm that dropped pea-sized hail on us. A group we met earlier reported getting caught in the weather on the mountain and that up high it snowed in addition to the hail. Glad we started early! The mosquitoes decided to make their appearance after the rain and were quite persistent. Our third member caught up to us that night, and we helped her establish camp, eat dinner, and then turned in for another early start. 5 July: 4:30 departure for Sunlight and Windom. Moving a little faster, we gained the lakes before sunup and proceeded around the lakes and into the Sunlight/Windom basin. We were the first to make the ascent, gaining the switchbacks below the summit pyramid before seeing any other climbers behind us. A little route-finding later, we sat at the base of the summit block, and plotted the final ascent of the summit block. I was satisfied with making the summit marker. I have an "exposure quota," that I felt like keeping some in reserve for the descent and Windom. My partners tagged the top (knees shaking) and we descended the summit. After getting slightly off-track and backtracking to our packs, the rest of the descent was straightforward. Crossing the basin, we followed the standard route as depicted on the peak page, with one variation. Instead of continuing all the way around (climbers right) to the saddle, we ascended a short snow field, me leading the way kicking steps (it pays to wear mountaineering boots and gaiters instead of low-top hikers, sometimes). Again, axes were not necessary for this climb. There are a few spots where you will cross some snowfields, but nothing serious. Having the snow gear just opens up additional options. That being said, there is a FANTASTIC snow route on Windom that I may come back to grab early in the season next year. It ascends the north face up to the notch just prior to the summit area. It looks like it would be a moderate to difficult snow climb with a sustained pitch of at least 50 percent. Gaining the summit ridge, we hiked the trail until it became a solid scramble. Beware the marmots. They will munch on your trek poles, as I discovered. After the notch, there is a short climbing move to get around a block or two, and then scramble up to the summit. Enjoying the views, we saw weather moving in from the northeast, and beat a hasty retreat. This time, the rain caught us just above the Twin Lakes, but thankfully no hail this time. A second storm moved in after dinner, so we all retired to our tents and hunkered for the rest of the night. Our third, Jessica, had to get an early start to grab Eolus and North Eolus to finish out the basin, so it paid to call it a night early. 6 July: Woke up at 5:30, broke camp, ate a small breakfast, and hit the trail by 6:30. Taking a leisurely descent to the river, we made the bridge at Needleton by 9:15 and took advantage of the extra time to wash up in the river, dry out some socks, and chat with the other hikers trickling in to catch the 11:15 train back to Silverton. The train arrived, we loaded, and headed back to civilization. A group of "locals" greeted us alongside the river with three "moons" a flying, to the cheers of the passengers on the train. Lunch in Silverton, and then drove back to Colorado Springs. Quite a trip; it was certainly one to remember. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Chicago Basin on the 4th

At the last minute, I got a message from a meetup that a group would be heading into the Chicago Basin on the 3rd in order to tag all of the fourteeners up there. After an aborted attempt to ski in there in 2012, I figured I'd give it another go. I made the preparations and packed my bags... Forecasts showed the typical summer weather - afternoon thundershowers, but nothing out of the range of the ordinary.

3 July:

Arriving in Silverton on the 3rd, I met my climbing partner, discussed tactics and boarded the 2:30 train. Our third would join us on the evening of the 4th as she couldn't get off work to meet us on Thursday.

The train ride was a fun trip back in time, with cinders blowing in the smoke, and the loud steam whistle. We took on water at the Needleton Tank and then disembarked at the Needleton Bridge. An Outward Bound group was departing at the same time and offloaded what looked to be weeks worth of supplies and equipment.

Hitting the trail at around 3:45, we made the trek into the basin and finished at around 7:45 and set up camp on the far side of the river, at around 11,100 feet, trying to get as far in as we could to cut the distance off on each day's climb. Given that it was the Thursday before a long weekend, we expected to see a few folks, but the crowds would arrive the next day. Getting in early helped us secure a good spot without having to camp on top of someone else or right on the trail. The rangers were active and made more than a few groups move their sites due to proximity to water or to areas that had been closed for re-vegetation.

4 July:

3:45 came early. We got up, finished our final preparations and hit the trail by 4:30. Climbing efficiently under headlamps, we made the Twin Lakes by sunrise, and caught the first rays hitting Eolus from the shore as we refilled water and took a short break to refuel.

Pushing on, we gained the notch between Eolus and North Eolus, and scrambled up the ridge. North Eolus, our first destination, had more exposure that you might expect in a few spots, but was a fairly straightforward climb.

Descending the ridge, we crossed over the catwalk, which while exposed in places was not too terribly difficult. The route-finding after the catwalk took a keen eye to spot the cairns, and a willingness to make some interesting moves with mild to moderate exposure. Nothing too serious, but a fall would have hurt. Given that this was our second peak of the day, we met more people on the trail as we climbed, and shared the summit with a couple of small groups.

Descending was a reverse of the climb, with a notable exception; we didn't make the cutoff to stay on the main trail once off of the ridge, and wound up at the top of a small snowfield. Ice axes at the ready, we were able to glissade down a fairly steep, but short area of snow. It was my partner's first time glissading, so we kept our speed in check considering the area of rocks at the bottom of the hill. Axes were otherwise not necessary to complete this climb. It was nice having the option to descend the snow field, but we could have back-tracked and found the standard route out.

Arriving back at camp around 12-ish, we narrowly missed a short but sharp thunderstorm that dropped pea-sized hail on us. A group we met earlier reported getting caught in the weather on the mountain and that up high it snowed in addition to the hail. Glad we started early! The mosquitoes decided to make their appearance after the rain and were quite persistent. Our third member caught up to us that night, and we helped her establish camp, eat dinner, and then turned in for another early start.

5 July:

4:30 departure for Sunlight and Windom. Moving a little faster, we gained the lakes before sunup and proceeded around the lakes and into the Sunlight/Windom basin. We were the first to make the ascent, gaining the switchbacks below the summit pyramid before seeing any other climbers behind us. A little route-finding later, we sat at the base of the summit block, and plotted the final ascent of the summit block. I was satisfied with making the summit marker. I have an "exposure quota," that I felt like keeping some in reserve for the descent and Windom. My partners tagged the top (knees shaking) and we descended the summit. After getting slightly off-track and backtracking to our packs, the rest of the descent was straightforward.

Crossing the basin, we followed the standard route as depicted on the peak page, with one variation. Instead of continuing all the way around (climbers right) to the saddle, we ascended a short snow field, me leading the way kicking steps (it pays to wear mountaineering boots and gaiters instead of low-top hikers, sometimes). Again, axes were not necessary for this climb. There are a few spots where you will cross some snowfields, but nothing serious. Having the snow gear just opens up additional options. That being said, there is a FANTASTIC snow route on Windom that I may come back to grab early in the season next year. It ascends the north face up to the notch just prior to the summit area. It looks like it would be a moderate to difficult snow climb with a sustained pitch of at least 50 percent.

Gaining the summit ridge, we hiked the trail until it became a solid scramble. Beware the marmots. They will munch on your trek poles, as I discovered. After the notch, there is a short climbing move to get around a block or two, and then scramble up to the summit. Enjoying the views, we saw weather moving in from the northeast, and beat a hasty retreat. This time, the rain caught us just above the Twin Lakes, but thankfully no hail this time.

A second storm moved in after dinner, so we all retired to our tents and hunkered for the rest of the night. Our third, Jessica, had to get an early start to grab Eolus and North Eolus to finish out the basin, so it paid to call it a night early.

6 July:

Woke up at 5:30, broke camp, ate a small breakfast, and hit the trail by 6:30. Taking a leisurely descent to the river, we made the bridge at Needleton by 9:15 and took advantage of the extra time to wash up in the river, dry out some socks, and chat with the other hikers trickling in to catch the 11:15 train back to Silverton. The train arrived, we loaded, and headed back to civilization. A group of "locals" greeted us alongside the river with three "moons" a flying, to the cheers of the passengers on the train.

Lunch in Silverton, and then drove back to Colorado Springs. Quite a trip; it was certainly one to remember.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions
Not registered?

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.

14ers.com

Social

Mobile App