Little Bear Peak Trip Report 10/25/2017

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Little Bear Peak - 14,041 feet
Date Posted	10/25/2017
Modified	08/13/2018
Date Climbed	10/22/2017
Author	JQDivide
Additional Members	bmcqueen, FoodieHiker

The Bear in October
Little Bear Peak and Lake Como when we arrived. THE PLAN So Brad is working on his "seasonal grid" for the 14ers. Staci and I are working on the 58. The weather was supposed to be nice. He asked if we wanted to go for Little Bear. I asked about conditions... favorable, but potentially not...possible snow in the gully and Hour Glass. He offered to bring rope. We said, let's go for it. We'd take the chance. Though the peaks had gotten several snow storms this fall, there wasn't much snow in the southern Sangres. We missed out on Little Bear at least once this year due to weather. And we screwed up a chance on El Diente. We were stuck on 49 14ers... chasing that list can be a pain in the ass. (I'll be glad when we're done, and the pressure is off.) We thought if we could hit 50 this year, getting the remaining eight would be doable next year without too much hassle and some extra weekends in case of bad weather. We'll see. (As a side note. I'm not just chasing the list. I have more than 110 14er summits. I decided it's about time I did them all.) Brad went up Como on Friday to hit Ellingwood and Blanca (fall grid) on Saturday. We arrived Saturday evening. He said that Blanca had good snow and was cautiously optimistic about Little Bear. Little Bear Peak and Lake Como as the sun was setting. THE ROAD At the bottom of the road Let me go back a few hours... we drove up that damn road Saturday afternoon. The lower section was awful... a bone rattling ride on rocks. My Jeep has a stiff suspension, so that didn't help. Once we got higher up to the switchbacks, the road smoothed outâ¦ gravel/dirt and some rocks. Much nicer ride. We drove up to the right-turning switchback at 10,000 feet, one of the last with a clear view of the San Luis Valley. Until here the road didn't have much in the way of obstacles, a few large rocks that most 4x4s can handle easily. Just up the road from where we stopped, much steeper here, there were a few large rocks, small boulders, that would be the first major obstacle. I could have gone over them. But as someone has said on this site... "diminishing returns" the higher up you go. We settled for an easy drive, rather than a technical drive. (If I had to guess, I would say this obstacle was recently made worse by erosion or another vehicle. Just looked fresh.) Parking at 10,000 At the 10,000 foot switchback there is parking for three vehicles, more if you're part of a group and can block each other. Jaws 1 is near 10,500 and less than a mile away. Took us about 30 minutes to hike it. Took us about an hour and half total to get to the lake. THE HUT *{EDIT: The hut no longer exists. It was torn down in August 2018: Thread in the Forum.}* Wolfe Hut We passed 17 people hiking out of Lake Como on our way up. We wondered why they were hiking out so late, it was getting close to 5 p.m. We made it to the camping area at the lake and there was only one tent, Brad's. The basin was empty. I dumped my gear in a tent spot. Brad suggested we sleep in the Lake Como hotel... now named "Wolfe Hut," according to the sign above the door. Bunks for three Staci went from unsure, to optimistic, to ecstatic... there was a wood stove in the hut. Staci's biggest concern for the weekend, even more so than the Hour Glass... the cold. Temps weren't supposed to be that bad, but she brought about a dozen "hot hands" and some of the large body versions. Staci loved the fire... heat! Someone made some upgrades to the cabin... three bunks, a door, and a wood stove. There were sleeping pads on the bunks, but we added our own... comfy. The hut also had tools, like a shovel and an ax/maul for splitting wood. Someone had cut, split and stacked wood. Lots of gear has been left in the hut, enough that you could show up empty handed and survive. Besides tents, tarps, candles, dry goods and a sleeping bag, at least two people graciously left marijuana. We refrained. We settled in the hut, cut some wood for a fire and got dinner ready. We brought real food for all three of us, steak wraps and few other things, not 'Mountain House.' With the fire going in the hut, we had a warm lazy dinner and talked about the climb. Brad decided to stay in his tent, with his zero-degree bag and winter gear, since he was already set up from the night before. So...Staci and I took advantage of the privacy in the hut. With no one in the basin, meaning no one there to kick rocks on us in the Hour Glass, we decided on a "late" start... 7:15 a.m. About 10:30, I heard a bear sniffing very loudly at the gap near the bottom of the door threshold. I went from kind of asleep to wide awake. Was that really what I heard? The bear sniffed again, sounded like a dog sniffing something, only louder, deeper. I heard the bear outside, moving around. Would that flimsy door hold? I couldn't get back to sleep. Then I heard something in the wood pile. Small critters sound much larger at night. Then the wind picked up roaring through the basin and trees. I couldn't sleep. There were a few gusts that sucked the heat right out of the porous hut. At times I wondered if the roof would stay on. I didn't remember seeing a forecast like this. What did that mean for the hike in the morning? I was up at 1:30 stoking the fire. That's the issue with a fire, you have to keep adding wood to stay warm. I hadn't dressed for a cold night like I would have if I had slept in my tent. And Staci had to go pee... so I did the husbandly thing and took a shovel outside to defend her against a bear if one was around. Grabbed some firewood while I was outside. Stoked that fire... got so hot it melted the rims of our Nalgene bottles that were close by. They were still water tight, but the lid/bottle connectors were melted beyond use. I finally feel asleep and woke about 5 a.m. to see Staci sitting in her sleeping bag next to the stove trying to get the fire going again. She didn't want to go outside to get more wood... the bear had just been back sniffing at the door. We got the fire going again and went back to bed and waited for the alarm to go off. THE HIKE Bottom of the gully With a warm hut it is so much easier to get out of a sleeping bag. No cold boots. No chilly morning air. We took a slow go at getting ready. Brad came in to eat his breakfast. And we hit the trail before 7:30. In the gully As suspected we encountered snow in the gully. We didn't go far before putting on traction. I went with microspikes, but should have used crampons, just to make it easier. The lower section of the gully held harder consolidated snow. But as we moved up, the snow had a hard crust with sugary snow beneath. The crust could hold some weight, but not in every spot. There were numerous times I followed Brad's and Staci's steps where the snow held, but I broke through. And the snow didn't hold the rocks in place. (It was much worse on the way down.) In the upper gully The wind blew most of the day, 10-20 mph, with some gusts that pushed you around. It wore on us as the day progressed. The ridge was dry and clear. There are several cairned routes... high, middle and low... go figure. Pick your path. On the Ridge On the Ridge, with LB in view On the Ridge, with LB in view On the Ridge getting closer to LB THE HOUR GLASS As everyone knows, the crux of the route is the Hour Glass. It's even more difficult with wet conditions. We suspected snow, which would have been nice if it was consolidated like parts of the gully. But it only had ice. Brad had brought a rope. We decided to use it. We harnessed up. He found a few cracks for cams and began climbing with me belaying him. Bottom of Hour Glass Ice in the Hour Glass near anchor Ice in the lower Hour Glass Brad on the anchor People commonly ask why ropes and climbing gear aren't used much on 14ers. The usual answer is 'time' is your enemy due to afternoon storms, and using climbing gear takes time to set up and use. I saw that first hand on Sunday. Going up and down with a rope easily added two hours to the day. Brad made it to the anchor rock and made an interesting observation. Staci was supposed to go second, Brad belaying her, and clean the cams on the way. I was to go third. The issue...he wasn't going to be able to throw the rope back down to the bottom. So Staci and I went up together on the rope about 15 feet apart. It was my first time to use crampons on ice...makes a big difference. This was Staci's first experience with any climbing gear (ropes, harness, and crampons) which added a bit of stress to her day. But she did great. The only thing I wish I did, was pay more attention to the climb up. I always tell people to take the time on things like the Kelso Ridge knife edge, it goes by too fast. That happened here. I was focused on sticking my crampons in the ice, which I thought was great--a cool experience. I wasn't taking the time to be in the moment. I need to do better on that. I couldn't tell you where I put my hands, or what the rock looked like around me. On the way down I was having too much fun rappelling. I doubt I will ever be in the Hour Glass again, and so taking the time to enjoy the full experience has been missed. Staci above the ice near the anchor Brad scrambling up after the anchor From the anchor rock, we scrambled up to the left, which was dry and clear. We crossed back over to the right and to the summit ridge. The only issue we had here, the wind picked up and caused us to pause a few times to keep our balance. Scrambling in the upper Hour Glass Scrambling in the upper Hour Glass The upper Hour Glass... the rock base is mostly solid. I didn't have any concerns about stepping on something that wouldn't hold me. But the loose rocks on the base are LOOSE. There is nothing to hold rocks in place. I don't think I will ever be in the Hour Glass again, especially if I know people are above me. Even doing our best to be careful, we kicked rocks down. Rocks large enough to do some damage to another hiker. This route section is dangerous. Believe the hype. On the short summit ridge Brad just below the summit Staci nearing the summit of LB Staci nearing the summit of LB We hit the summit around noon, two hours beyond our guesstimate. We grabbed a few photos, took in the views, and headed down without much time spent up top. Staci and I on the summit Brad on LB... he's done w/ the Fall Grid for this view, Ellingwood, Blanca & Little Bear this weekend, and Lindsey ( We retraced our path to the anchor rock and rappelled down. Brad belayed Staci, who actually did her best to climb down. Not a traditional belay. She wanted to see if she could get down on her own power. My wife basically spider crawled down though she was roped up. She did well until it narrowed toward the bottom and the ice was an obstacle, but she made it without slipping. I belayed myself, haven't done that in years. (As a reminder double check your harness, and your partner's.) And this is when we discovered Brad's rope wasn't long enough for him to belay himself down and take the rope home. It was about 15-20 feet too short, which would have left him in the middle of the ice patch. He reworked the anchor point and made it down. (Which means there is no new rope up there. The old one is in poor shape, don't trust it.) Joel coming down Brad almost to the bottom of the icy section on the lower Hour Glass Don't trust the rope... On our way down the Hour Glass we saw a large rock fall coming out of the gully to the south/east of us. At least a dozen rocks the size of soccer balls and one as big as a microwave came crashing down. This place can be dangerous. THE RETURN The ridge on the return The ridge was a slog back... too much time in the wind and not enough food in my belly. The gully descent was a slow go. Brad found his groove and was down pretty quick. Staci wasn't comfortable in the crampons as she stepped and snow broke free and rocks moved. It took some time, but we made it down to the solid snow and moved faster. Staci claimed she'd never hike again with crampons after this experience. (We'll see if she holds true to this). She said the total trip was a great learning experience and was happy to have gained some new climbing knowledge. Nine hours after we left the hut, we returned and took a break for snacks and tea/coffee. This was three to four hours longer than we expected to be out. We packed up our gear and swept out the hut before we left. I wish we would have had time to split more wood for the next visitors. The hike down the road might have been the worst part of the day... No steady pace due to the rocks. Heavy packs on tired legs. Lack of sleep catching up to us. Needing some dinner. The sun was setting, and we wondered again why we had passed so many people coming out late the day before. The drive down the road wasn't bad, even in the dark. I kept it in 4-low and 1st gear, and only used the breaks on the steep parts. We said goodbye to Brad at the highway as he headed south then east toward Walsenburg and north on I25. We needed food, but there is nothing in the San Luis Valley. We didn't hit Salida until nearly 10 p.m. We found one bar open downtown and had burgers. We got home after midnight with number 50 in the books and a good chance to finish in 2018. Little Bear and Lake Como Sunday afternoon before we headed down. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

The Bear in October

Little Bear Peak and Lake Como when we arrived.

THE PLAN

So Brad is working on his "seasonal grid" for the 14ers. Staci and I are working on the 58. The weather was supposed to be nice. He asked if we wanted to go for Little Bear. I asked about conditions... favorable, but potentially not...possible snow in the gully and Hour Glass. He offered to bring rope. We said, let's go for it. We'd take the chance.

Though the peaks had gotten several snow storms this fall, there wasn't much snow in the southern Sangres. We missed out on Little Bear at least once this year due to weather. And we screwed up a chance on El Diente. We were stuck on 49 14ers... chasing that list can be a pain in the ass. (I'll be glad when we're done, and the pressure is off.) We thought if we could hit 50 this year, getting the remaining eight would be doable next year without too much hassle and some extra weekends in case of bad weather. We'll see. (As a side note. I'm not just chasing the list. I have more than 110 14er summits. I decided it's about time I did them all.)

Brad went up Como on Friday to hit Ellingwood and Blanca (fall grid) on Saturday. We arrived Saturday evening. He said that Blanca had good snow and was cautiously optimistic about Little Bear.

Little Bear Peak and Lake Como as the sun was setting.

THE ROAD

Let me go back a few hours... we drove up that damn road Saturday afternoon. The lower section was awful... a bone rattling ride on rocks. My Jeep has a stiff suspension, so that didn't help. Once we got higher up to the switchbacks, the road smoothed outâ¦ gravel/dirt and some rocks. Much nicer ride. We drove up to the right-turning switchback at 10,000 feet, one of the last with a clear view of the San Luis Valley. Until here the road didn't have much in the way of obstacles, a few large rocks that most 4x4s can handle easily. Just up the road from where we stopped, much steeper here, there were a few large rocks, small boulders, that would be the first major obstacle. I could have gone over them. But as someone has said on this site... "diminishing returns" the higher up you go. We settled for an easy drive, rather than a technical drive. (If I had to guess, I would say this obstacle was recently made worse by erosion or another vehicle. Just looked fresh.)

At the 10,000 foot switchback there is parking for three vehicles, more if you're part of a group and can block each other. Jaws 1 is near 10,500 and less than a mile away. Took us about 30 minutes to hike it. Took us about an hour and half total to get to the lake.

THE HUT
{EDIT: The hut no longer exists. It was torn down in August 2018: Thread in the Forum.}

We passed 17 people hiking out of Lake Como on our way up. We wondered why they were hiking out so late, it was getting close to 5 p.m. We made it to the camping area at the lake and there was only one tent, Brad's. The basin was empty. I dumped my gear in a tent spot. Brad suggested we sleep in the Lake Como hotel... now named "Wolfe Hut," according to the sign above the door.

Staci went from unsure, to optimistic, to ecstatic... there was a wood stove in the hut. Staci's biggest concern for the weekend, even more so than the Hour Glass... the cold. Temps weren't supposed to be that bad, but she brought about a dozen "hot hands" and some of the large body versions.

Someone made some upgrades to the cabin... three bunks, a door, and a wood stove. There were sleeping pads on the bunks, but we added our own... comfy. The hut also had tools, like a shovel and an ax/maul for splitting wood. Someone had cut, split and stacked wood. Lots of gear has been left in the hut, enough that you could show up empty handed and survive. Besides tents, tarps, candles, dry goods and a sleeping bag, at least two people graciously left marijuana. We refrained.

We settled in the hut, cut some wood for a fire and got dinner ready. We brought real food for all three of us, steak wraps and few other things, not 'Mountain House.' With the fire going in the hut, we had a warm lazy dinner and talked about the climb.

Brad decided to stay in his tent, with his zero-degree bag and winter gear, since he was already set up from the night before. So...Staci and I took advantage of the privacy in the hut.

With no one in the basin, meaning no one there to kick rocks on us in the Hour Glass, we decided on a "late" start... 7:15 a.m.

About 10:30, I heard a bear sniffing very loudly at the gap near the bottom of the door threshold. I went from kind of asleep to wide awake. Was that really what I heard? The bear sniffed again, sounded like a dog sniffing something, only louder, deeper. I heard the bear outside, moving around. Would that flimsy door hold? I couldn't get back to sleep. Then I heard something in the wood pile. Small critters sound much larger at night.

Then the wind picked up roaring through the basin and trees. I couldn't sleep. There were a few gusts that sucked the heat right out of the porous hut. At times I wondered if the roof would stay on. I didn't remember seeing a forecast like this. What did that mean for the hike in the morning? I was up at 1:30 stoking the fire. That's the issue with a fire, you have to keep adding wood to stay warm. I hadn't dressed for a cold night like I would have if I had slept in my tent. And Staci had to go pee... so I did the husbandly thing and took a shovel outside to defend her against a bear if one was around. Grabbed some firewood while I was outside.

Stoked that fire... got so hot it melted the rims of our Nalgene bottles that were close by. They were still water tight, but the lid/bottle connectors were melted beyond use. I finally feel asleep and woke about 5 a.m. to see Staci sitting in her sleeping bag next to the stove trying to get the fire going again. She didn't want to go outside to get more wood... the bear had just been back sniffing at the door. We got the fire going again and went back to bed and waited for the alarm to go off.

THE HIKE

With a warm hut it is so much easier to get out of a sleeping bag. No cold boots. No chilly morning air. We took a slow go at getting ready. Brad came in to eat his breakfast. And we hit the trail before 7:30.

As suspected we encountered snow in the gully. We didn't go far before putting on traction. I went with microspikes, but should have used crampons, just to make it easier. The lower section of the gully held harder consolidated snow. But as we moved up, the snow had a hard crust with sugary snow beneath. The crust could hold some weight, but not in every spot. There were numerous times I followed Brad's and Staci's steps where the snow held, but I broke through. And the snow didn't hold the rocks in place. (It was much worse on the way down.)

The wind blew most of the day, 10-20 mph, with some gusts that pushed you around. It wore on us as the day progressed.
The ridge was dry and clear. There are several cairned routes... high, middle and low... go figure. Pick your path.

THE HOUR GLASS

As everyone knows, the crux of the route is the Hour Glass. It's even more difficult with wet conditions. We suspected snow, which would have been nice if it was consolidated like parts of the gully. But it only had ice. Brad had brought a rope. We decided to use it. We harnessed up. He found a few cracks for cams and began climbing with me belaying him.

People commonly ask why ropes and climbing gear aren't used much on 14ers. The usual answer is 'time' is your enemy due to afternoon storms, and using climbing gear takes time to set up and use. I saw that first hand on Sunday. Going up and down with a rope easily added two hours to the day.
Brad made it to the anchor rock and made an interesting observation. Staci was supposed to go second, Brad belaying her, and clean the cams on the way. I was to go third. The issue...he wasn't going to be able to throw the rope back down to the bottom. So Staci and I went up together on the rope about 15 feet apart. It was my first time to use crampons on ice...makes a big difference. This was Staci's first experience with any climbing gear (ropes, harness, and crampons) which added a bit of stress to her day. But she did great.

The only thing I wish I did, was pay more attention to the climb up. I always tell people to take the time on things like the Kelso Ridge knife edge, it goes by too fast. That happened here. I was focused on sticking my crampons in the ice, which I thought was great--a cool experience. I wasn't taking the time to be in the moment. I need to do better on that. I couldn't tell you where I put my hands, or what the rock looked like around me. On the way down I was having too much fun rappelling. I doubt I will ever be in the Hour Glass again, and so taking the time to enjoy the full experience has been missed.

From the anchor rock, we scrambled up to the left, which was dry and clear. We crossed back over to the right and to the summit ridge. The only issue we had here, the wind picked up and caused us to pause a few times to keep our balance.

The upper Hour Glass... the rock base is mostly solid. I didn't have any concerns about stepping on something that wouldn't hold me. But the loose rocks on the base are LOOSE. There is nothing to hold rocks in place. I don't think I will ever be in the Hour Glass again, especially if I know people are above me. Even doing our best to be careful, we kicked rocks down. Rocks large enough to do some damage to another hiker. This route section is dangerous. Believe the hype.

We hit the summit around noon, two hours beyond our guesstimate. We grabbed a few photos, took in the views, and headed down without much time spent up top.

Brad on LB... he's done w/ the Fall Grid for this view, Ellingwood, Blanca & Little Bear this weekend, and Lindsey (

We retraced our path to the anchor rock and rappelled down. Brad belayed Staci, who actually did her best to climb down. Not a traditional belay. She wanted to see if she could get down on her own power. My wife basically spider crawled down though she was roped up. She did well until it narrowed toward the bottom and the ice was an obstacle, but she made it without slipping. I belayed myself, haven't done that in years. (As a reminder double check your harness, and your partner's.) And this is when we discovered Brad's rope wasn't long enough for him to belay himself down and take the rope home. It was about 15-20 feet too short, which would have left him in the middle of the ice patch. He reworked the anchor point and made it down. (Which means there is no new rope up there. The old one is in poor shape, don't trust it.)

Brad almost to the bottom of the icy section on the lower Hour Glass

On our way down the Hour Glass we saw a large rock fall coming out of the gully to the south/east of us. At least a dozen rocks the size of soccer balls and one as big as a microwave came crashing down. This place can be dangerous.

THE RETURN

The ridge was a slog back... too much time in the wind and not enough food in my belly. The gully descent was a slow go. Brad found his groove and was down pretty quick. Staci wasn't comfortable in the crampons as she stepped and snow broke free and rocks moved. It took some time, but we made it down to the solid snow and moved faster. Staci claimed she'd never hike again with crampons after this experience. (We'll see if she holds true to this). She said the total trip was a great learning experience and was happy to have gained some new climbing knowledge.

Nine hours after we left the hut, we returned and took a break for snacks and tea/coffee. This was three to four hours longer than we expected to be out. We packed up our gear and swept out the hut before we left. I wish we would have had time to split more wood for the next visitors. The hike down the road might have been the worst part of the day... No steady pace due to the rocks. Heavy packs on tired legs. Lack of sleep catching up to us. Needing some dinner. The sun was setting, and we wondered again why we had passed so many people coming out late the day before.

The drive down the road wasn't bad, even in the dark. I kept it in 4-low and 1st gear, and only used the breaks on the steep parts. We said goodbye to Brad at the highway as he headed south then east toward Walsenburg and north on I25. We needed food, but there is nothing in the San Luis Valley. We didn't hit Salida until nearly 10 p.m. We found one bar open downtown and had burgers. We got home after midnight with number 50 in the books and a good chance to finish in 2018.

Little Bear and Lake Como Sunday afternoon before we headed down.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

thebeave7	Congrats 10/25/2017 11:53am Nice work guys/gals and thanks for sharing the trip. Looking forward to taking a crack at these three this weekend. Eric
Stratosfearsome	That yellow and green rope 10/25/2017 1:31pm is a nightmare. Quality report and loved the photos.
mojah	Burgers? 10/25/2017 10:29pm So I'm guessing microwaved vegetarian lasagna at a steakhouse with only one other option didn't sound appetizing?
Trotter	hut 10/25/2017 10:34pm wow, someone really made that nice. I was there last year and it was more like an outhouse.
JQDivide	lasagna 10/26/2017 10:51am Jomah, We would have gone back for the lasagna, but it was a bit out of the way, like two blocks.
nsaladin	Nice work! 10/26/2017 10:54am Nice work crew!
ScreeSurfer	Nice report 10/27/2017 5:47pm and congrats for getting #50. Brad, excellent work getting 3 more Fall grid spots!
BillMiddlebrook	Nice! 10/29/2017 7:07am Great report, Joel. Congrats!
STIBungy	Congrats! 11/9/2017 6:33am Great work guys! Travis Wolf has been making upgrades to the hotel whenever he heads up there.
glenmiz	Go back to the Hourglass? 11/15/2017 9:19pm Agree with you that I'm not anxious to be there again. Nice report.
toddimming	Boots on the ground 1/9/2018 4:13pm Excellent report. Thank you. Has anyone considered a lighter weight pair of shoes for the lower sections, and crampon compatible boots for the upper sections? Just a thought - thinking of heading there in March and not so keen on hiking the entire road in a heavier pair of sportivas... Thanks.
SophieClaire	Rope length 7/31/2018 8:15am Hi! Excellent post. Thanks! So how long was your rope, that was a little too short? Thanks, Claire

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