Capitol Peak Trip Report 08/08/2017

Report Type	Mini
Peak(s)	Capitol Peak - 14,138 feet
Date Posted	08/08/2017
Date Climbed	07/31/2017
Author	Beekman

K2 and bears eating a cow
I have been planning a trip up Capitol for several months, unfortunately due to clouds forming we turned around shortly after K2. The video below has some good footage of what campsites 1-4 look like and the climb up the side of K2. The road up to the trail head has a couple real nasty spots, my F-150 was dragging the running boards in one spot. There were also many cars that tried to make it to the trail head and just parked on the side of the road, this had the land owner very upset, she said these places were made for vehicles to pass each other and people keep using them for parking. There is also some decent footage of the bears. If you are camping in hammocks site #2 has the best trees. Right after you drop out of the K2 - Daley saddle there is a small ledge you need to navigate across, this was one of the more difficult sections for me and I don't remember seeing it in any of the trip reports. The fish were hungry in Capitol lake too, my buddy caught over a dozen. I am glad this area is going to a permit system next year, there was a group with a fire in a designated spot, another group said they didn't know you had to camp in designated locations and they were camped on the side of Daley. I hope to go back and complete Capitol, but I am not near as excited about it as I was before. The crumbling rock of the Elks and the wobbly rocks in the boulder field was wearing on my nerves. I prefer the granite and quatrzite mountains where rocks are less likely to shift and crumble. Here is a link to the pictures we took on the hike: Pictures

K2 and bears eating a cow

I have been planning a trip up Capitol for several months, unfortunately due to clouds forming we turned around shortly after K2. The video below has some good footage of what campsites 1-4 look like and the climb up the side of K2.

The road up to the trail head has a couple real nasty spots, my F-150 was dragging the running boards in one spot. There were also many cars that tried to make it to the trail head and just parked on the side of the road, this had the land owner very upset, she said these places were made for vehicles to pass each other and people keep using them for parking.

There is also some decent footage of the bears.

If you are camping in hammocks site #2 has the best trees.

Right after you drop out of the K2 - Daley saddle there is a small ledge you need to navigate across, this was one of the more difficult sections for me and I don't remember seeing it in any of the trip reports.

The fish were hungry in Capitol lake too, my buddy caught over a dozen.

I am glad this area is going to a permit system next year, there was a group with a fire in a designated spot, another group said they didn't know you had to camp in designated locations and they were camped on the side of Daley.

I hope to go back and complete Capitol, but I am not near as excited about it as I was before. The crumbling rock of the Elks and the wobbly rocks in the boulder field was wearing on my nerves. I prefer the granite and quatrzite mountains where rocks are less likely to shift and crumble.

Here is a link to the pictures we took on the hike:

Pictures

Comments or Questions

crowdsurf	Holy Cap 8/8/2017 12:43pm Damn, its enough to try and plan for the persistent danger of K2, the Knife Edge and the final summit push. But bears attacking cows are another unpredictable factor. It was probably pretty nuts running into a cub knowing the momma is likely very close. Glad to see they were more interested in beef than you. Good attempt guys! -Todd S.
mikjik86	Running? 8/9/2017 12:39am I don't understand the running from the bear.... Not a good example of how to deal with this situation?
Beekman	Running 8/9/2017 6:33am I was wondering when someone would say something. We walked calmly past the bears never turning our back on them and they just ignored us. The clip of us running was made about a mile down the trail for fun. :lol:
glenmiz	Daly saddle to K2 8/9/2017 12:45pm Just wondering if your path was standard route or were you trying to stay above the snow?
gspup	@ 16:10 8/9/2017 1:34pm on the video...there is an easy bypass directly below that section. I did the same thing my first time up there in the dark, fun little spot though.
runner76	Video 8/10/2017 7:02am Thanks for posting !
nyker	Wow 8/15/2017 11:01pm Very entertaining beginning...more bear pics??

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