Peak(s):	Pikes Peak - 14,109 feet
Date Posted:	12/23/2016
Date Climbed:	12/21/2016
Author:	Stratosfearsome

Early worm catches the Pike!
Solstice Solitaire I run on. Back in the Twentieth Century, a much younger me grew up in San Diego, and lived for those few weeks every summer when we packed the Volvo and headed up to Mineral King Valley, a beautiful corner of Sequoia National Park, where my family has had a primitive cabin since 1911. I wanted to climb 'all the mountains' back then, and I still do. I am lucky in life. In 2005, age nineteen, I set foot in Colorado for the first time to work at a summer camp by Woodland Park. I returned there for nine consecutive years. Finally, I moved here for good. Pikes Peak holds a magic place in my soul with its mixture of wilderness and civilization, rocky fortress walls laced with snow, and long, serpentine summit ridges. Its many moods and faces live like paintings in my mind. I have summited this mountain three times in summer / fall. Last year, I attempted Pike's twice in calendar winter. The first time, the winds were ferocious and my partner and I decided not to risk frostbite. The second time, solo, I became mired in waist deep snow drifts without floatation below tree line and made it to the center of nowhere. Now I'm back. I have the technology. I have the food and liquids. I have warm things to wear! But... I only have one day of winter before returning to L.A. for the holidays. Avalanche forecast looks pretty good for the NW route. Moderate on CAIC for the 21st. Time to test some new gear (Camera, Lightning Ascent snow shoes, santa hat, and don some old favorites.) An aside: Crags is open (for now.) Thank you "geoffirons" for the heads up about the up coming closure. Otherwise I would have waited on this adventure and probably missed my chance. I emailed the Pike National Forest Ranger District a few days ago and they echoed your words. Probably in January, Crags TH and the road from HW 67 will close to all access. Updates will be posted on their website before it happens. For now, the road to Mennonite camp is plowed from 67 and smooth sailing (quite literally.) The last 1.6 miles to the actual TH went easily in my 4x4 Cherokee. The parking lot is more or less plowed, and I never saw another car after 67 between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. Yesterday... Palace of the aforementioned worm. 6AM Rockstar parking. Tracks end at the Crags / Devil's Fork Frosted Forest. Eighteen inches of pow some places! I always assume snowshoes are hover-shoes. Nope! Breathtaking slog. Staying north of the standard route. Rounding the corner. Mountain Minotaur? Waves of frozen wind. Power of wind scour. Shoulder around 12,900ft. So pretty. Pike's Peek? Most dangerous creature: this big guy will truck you up. Indeed, the road is open. Surreality. Avoiding the road. A snow slope to question. Deep drifts between the rocks. (I checked with my measuring leg!) Reeling it in. Yay, a sign, a donut shop, cars and chicken-sized crows. Rob is whelmed. Ebert and Robert's real review. Return. Love this place. Wind is finally picking up ~25mph. 3pm. Sun is sinking. These are the days I live for. Cruisin' with CCR in my ears! PineConeHenge. The end is nigh. Pegasus, let's fly. Today, I glide back to L.A. Au revoir! Reflection: About 8 hours total. Less wind than forecast, until two when it picked up. 2nd winter 14er. I need to leave earlier (left Jeep around 7:50am.) I need to eat more protein and drink more fluids through-out the day. Glove liners. Need to layer better. Puffy is too warm for ascent. Two layers of socks verses expedition weight woolies. Consider stashing snowshoes. All in all, I was fortunate with conditions. During the trip, I wondered if people driving up the mountain lessened my own adventure. This idea always seems to collect in my mind on Pikes. It is a beautiful yet wildly popular mountain. A road, a train, and a shop at the top certainly change the feel of the place, but ultimately I think solitude is something I can find whenever I want it. I chose this route because it is a viable winter warm-up for me. I knew conditions were good enough to plow the road. Perhaps its just my collective frustration with humanity's 'touristification' of nature shining through. Yada yada yada. Probably, I should just shut up and be thankful for days like this. Anyways, stay safe out there and I'll see you in the sky. Cheers, Rob Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Early worm catches the Pike!

Solstice Solitaire

I run on. Back in the Twentieth Century, a much younger me grew up in San Diego, and lived for those few weeks every summer when we packed the Volvo and headed up to Mineral King Valley, a beautiful corner of Sequoia National Park, where my family has had a primitive cabin since 1911. I wanted to climb 'all the mountains' back then, and I still do. I am lucky in life.
In 2005, age nineteen, I set foot in Colorado for the first time to work at a summer camp by Woodland Park. I returned there for nine consecutive years. Finally, I moved here for good. Pikes Peak holds a magic place in my soul with its mixture of wilderness and civilization, rocky fortress walls laced with snow, and long, serpentine summit ridges. Its many moods and faces live like paintings in my mind. I have summited this mountain three times in summer / fall. Last year, I attempted Pike's twice in calendar winter. The first time, the winds were ferocious and my partner and I decided not to risk frostbite. The second time, solo, I became mired in waist deep snow drifts without floatation below tree line and made it to the center of nowhere. Now I'm back. I have the technology. I have the food and liquids. I have warm things to wear! But... I only have one day of winter before returning to L.A. for the holidays. Avalanche forecast looks pretty good for the NW route. Moderate on CAIC for the 21st. Time to test some new gear (Camera, Lightning Ascent snow shoes, santa hat, and don some old favorites.)

An aside: Crags is open (for now.) Thank you "geoffirons" for the heads up about the up coming closure. Otherwise I would have waited on this adventure and probably missed my chance. I emailed the Pike National Forest Ranger District a few days ago and they echoed your words. Probably in January, Crags TH and the road from HW 67 will close to all access. Updates will be posted on their website before it happens. For now, the road to Mennonite camp is plowed from 67 and smooth sailing (quite literally.) The last 1.6 miles to the actual TH went easily in my 4x4 Cherokee. The parking lot is more or less plowed, and I never saw another car after 67 between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.

Yesterday...

I always assume snowshoes are hover-shoes. Nope!

Most dangerous creature: this big guy will truck you up.

Deep drifts between the rocks. (I checked with my measuring leg!)

Yay, a sign, a donut shop, cars and chicken-sized crows. Rob is whelmed.

Love this place. Wind is finally picking up ~25mph.

Reflection: About 8 hours total. Less wind than forecast, until two when it picked up. 2nd winter 14er. I need to leave earlier (left Jeep around 7:50am.) I need to eat more protein and drink more fluids through-out the day. Glove liners. Need to layer better. Puffy is too warm for ascent. Two layers of socks verses expedition weight woolies. Consider stashing snowshoes. All in all, I was fortunate with conditions. During the trip, I wondered if people driving up the mountain lessened my own adventure. This idea always seems to collect in my mind on Pikes. It is a beautiful yet wildly popular mountain. A road, a train, and a shop at the top certainly change the feel of the place, but ultimately I think solitude is something I can find whenever I want it. I chose this route because it is a viable winter warm-up for me. I knew conditions were good enough to plow the road. Perhaps its just my collective frustration with humanity's 'touristification' of nature shining through. Yada yada yada. Probably, I should just shut up and be thankful for days like this.
Anyways, stay safe out there and I'll see you in the sky.
Cheers,
Rob

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Jvinro	Great TR 12/26/2016 5:49pm Thank you for posting. So, how were the donuts?
Stratosfearsome	Thank you 12/26/2016 8:02pm I left my wallet in the Jeep! I imagine they were hot and delicious, though.
MtSherman2015	nice 1/11/2017 11:19pm The donuts, imo, are over-rated. But the stew and chili can be pretty good sometimes. And thanks for the heads-up on the closure, I was thinking about going there tomorrow. Did you need your snow shoes back on the 21st?
colorado yooper	Umm... shudda called... 7/2/2017 6:00pm Should have given me a shout! At least to let me know you were up there. SAR was slow that month! Mitch
Stratosfearsome	Next time, Mitch! 11/22/2018 3:57pm I'll let you know when I'm in your backyard. Rob

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