Vestal Peak Trip Report 04/23/2018

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Vestal Peak - 13,867 feet
Date Posted	04/23/2018
Date Climbed	12/28/2017
Author	Dad Mike
Additional Members	Monster5, FireOnTheMountain, blazintoes

This Partner Thing is Pretty Cool - Winter Wham
I've got a few tardy trip reports from this past winter that I wanted to share. These are ones from peaks that don't have much written from the winter perspective. Hopefully they provide some inspiration. Abe was supposed to write this one, but he got too busy promoting his bike adventures and trying to convince people to move to Idaho. Warning for those of you that like reports with a lot of narrative, whit and humor...I'm too busy and unmotivated for that. Vestal Peak Approach on Thursday: -Silverton to Elk Creek Camp -10 miles...7 on tracks, 3 on Elk Creek Trail -1487' of gain -9:30am - 2:30pm Summit and Return to Car on Friday: -Vestal Creek to Wham Ridge down Standard Route -18 miles...7 on tracks -5000' of gain -5:45am - 8:15pm Abe first approached me about doing Wham Ridge in winter earlier in the year. I was originally planning on some variation of the SE Ridge, but I liked the idea of doing Wham with some experienced people that had done it in the summer. After my bad day on Ice, I was convinced I was done with this winter thing. It's amazing what a week away from the mountains and a little encouragement from friends will do. I called Abe up, told him I wanted in and a plan was hatched. We got the gang together...Fire, Monster, Toes and me...and we set out down the tracks from Silverton. We chose the tracks over Molas Pass because we thought the tracks would be dry and to avoid the elevation loss and gain. I think we added about 8 miles to our round trip, but walking the tracks was easy and went by pretty fast with stimulating bridge and tunnel talk. We took a break at a dry Elk Creek train stop and then started the 3 mile hike to camp near the beaver ponds. To our surprise, there was very little snow on the trail...no snowshoes required. View from camp of Arrow and Vestal We got to camp a lot earlier than expected so we built a fire and got comfortable. "Since we hate each other" we all brought separate tents except for Abe and Ryan. They decided to get cozy. Which was smart because Ryan was still nursing a cold and Abe was looking to get sick around the holidays. We started the next day in embarrassing fashion. We separated into 2 groups and quickly found ourselves far enough apart that we couldn't talk to each other. It's a good thing no one was around to witness the 45 minutes or so of valley yelling that ensued. You know the feeling you get when you ski a line through the trees, you get to the bottom and your partner isn't there. Then you wait there thinking, did they fall in a tree well, did they hit a tree, should I go up and look for them or should I wait here...it was like that. Total chaos. We even considered turning around. Luckily there is treeline. We got up above it and reunited shortly after. Abe starting up the boulder field First view of Vestal and Arrow It felt good to know I was with people that had been on Wham ridge before. I think I would have been too intimidated by it to try it alone. The steepness never relents. I have heard it described as a wave and I agree. It's like you are riding a surfboard, trying to get over the top of the wave before it crashes down on you. It just keeps rearing up and getting steeper the higher you go. But in my opinion, I would say that it is easier than it looks. The route-finding is pretty straight forward...follow the right to left ramp until you find a weakness in the cliffs, then follow the left to right ramp until you reach the ridge, then follow the ridge to the summit. The climbing was fun and never so difficult that we felt the need for ropes. The dry conditions definitely helped. The first ramp The second ramp On the lower section of the ridge Abe on one of the more exposed cruxes Upper section of the ridge View of Arrow Abe and Ryan coming up over the false summit Amy capturing the feeling we all had as she walks up on the summit....heeeeey The Winter Wham Team...finally in the sun Brooke & Ben Cairns We opted for the standard route on the descent. This route follows a loose gully for a few hundred feet down the south side and then wraps around to the Arrow, Vestal saddle. It was pretty dry and the route has just the right amount of cairns. Descending from the saddle As great as our camp was, I started to get the itch to be home. I knew that Abe and Ryan were going to spend another night and that Amy had tentative plans to go after the Chicago Basin 14ers (which she would get 2 days later). I hauled ass back down to camp, packed up and started the long hike back to Silverton. This is the Elk Creek crossing. In May it took me an hour to figure out how to cross this creek and got soaked up to my chest. Today it was a non-issue. One last look at Vestal and Arrow I got back to the tracks around 6pm, ate a sandwich, changed to my comfortable shoes and started the hike back up the tracks. So happy to see the lights of Silverton. After crossing the last bridge, I dropped my pack off at the Mineral Creek TH and then hiked back to the train station where we left our cars. We thought about parking our cars at this TH, but the road was blocked with some safety cones. We could see that someone had driven it recently so I decided to give it a try. I quickly found out that the reason the road is closed is because there are multiple ice flows that pass over it in winter. I was able to get my jeep up and down the road, but not without losing control a couple times. I would stay clear of this road unless you have chains. Strava map from Thu Strava map from Fri Thanks to Abe, Ryan and Amy for this incredible trip and for helping me get back into things. I think the 4 of us would all agree that the only thing we would change were the conditions. It seems strange to say this, but we wanted Winter Wham to be harder. We had all the gear for it, we were prepared for it and I know we would have gotten it. But what can you do? Peace homies or as my daughter would say...2 homies Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

This Partner Thing is Pretty Cool - Winter Wham

I've got a few tardy trip reports from this past winter that I wanted to share. These are ones from peaks that don't have much written from the winter perspective. Hopefully they provide some inspiration. Abe was supposed to write this one, but he got too busy promoting his bike adventures and trying to convince people to move to Idaho. Warning for those of you that like reports with a lot of narrative, whit and humor...I'm too busy and unmotivated for that.

Vestal Peak
Approach on Thursday:
-Silverton to Elk Creek Camp
-10 miles...7 on tracks, 3 on Elk Creek Trail
-1487' of gain
-9:30am - 2:30pm

Summit and Return to Car on Friday:
-Vestal Creek to Wham Ridge down Standard Route
-18 miles...7 on tracks
-5000' of gain
-5:45am - 8:15pm

Abe first approached me about doing Wham Ridge in winter earlier in the year. I was originally planning on some variation of the SE Ridge, but I liked the idea of doing Wham with some experienced people that had done it in the summer. After my bad day on Ice, I was convinced I was done with this winter thing. It's amazing what a week away from the mountains and a little encouragement from friends will do. I called Abe up, told him I wanted in and a plan was hatched. We got the gang together...Fire, Monster, Toes and me...and we set out down the tracks from Silverton.

We chose the tracks over Molas Pass because we thought the tracks would be dry and to avoid the elevation loss and gain. I think we added about 8 miles to our round trip, but walking the tracks was easy and went by pretty fast with stimulating bridge and tunnel talk.

We took a break at a dry Elk Creek train stop and then started the 3 mile hike to camp near the beaver ponds. To our surprise, there was very little snow on the trail...no snowshoes required.

View from camp of Arrow and Vestal

We got to camp a lot earlier than expected so we built a fire and got comfortable. "Since we hate each other" we all brought separate tents except for Abe and Ryan. They decided to get cozy. Which was smart because Ryan was still nursing a cold and Abe was looking to get sick around the holidays.

We started the next day in embarrassing fashion. We separated into 2 groups and quickly found ourselves far enough apart that we couldn't talk to each other. It's a good thing no one was around to witness the 45 minutes or so of valley yelling that ensued. You know the feeling you get when you ski a line through the trees, you get to the bottom and your partner isn't there. Then you wait there thinking, did they fall in a tree well, did they hit a tree, should I go up and look for them or should I wait here...it was like that. Total chaos. We even considered turning around. Luckily there is treeline. We got up above it and reunited shortly after.

Abe starting up the boulder field

First view of Vestal and Arrow

It felt good to know I was with people that had been on Wham ridge before. I think I would have been too intimidated by it to try it alone. The steepness never relents. I have heard it described as a wave and I agree. It's like you are riding a surfboard, trying to get over the top of the wave before it crashes down on you. It just keeps rearing up and getting steeper the higher you go. But in my opinion, I would say that it is easier than it looks. The route-finding is pretty straight forward...follow the right to left ramp until you find a weakness in the cliffs, then follow the left to right ramp until you reach the ridge, then follow the ridge to the summit. The climbing was fun and never so difficult that we felt the need for ropes. The dry conditions definitely helped.

The first ramp

The second ramp

On the lower section of the ridge

Abe on one of the more exposed cruxes

Upper section of the ridge

View of Arrow

Abe and Ryan coming up over the false summit

Amy capturing the feeling we all had as she walks up on the summit....heeeeey

The Winter Wham Team...finally in the sun

Brooke & Ben Cairns

We opted for the standard route on the descent. This route follows a loose gully for a few hundred feet down the south side and then wraps around to the Arrow, Vestal saddle. It was pretty dry and the route has just the right amount of cairns.

Descending from the saddle

As great as our camp was, I started to get the itch to be home. I knew that Abe and Ryan were going to spend another night and that Amy had tentative plans to go after the Chicago Basin 14ers (which she would get 2 days later). I hauled ass back down to camp, packed up and started the long hike back to Silverton.

This is the Elk Creek crossing. In May it took me an hour to figure out how to cross this creek and got soaked up to my chest. Today it was a non-issue.

One last look at Vestal and Arrow

I got back to the tracks around 6pm, ate a sandwich, changed to my comfortable shoes and started the hike back up the tracks.

So happy to see the lights of Silverton.

After crossing the last bridge, I dropped my pack off at the Mineral Creek TH and then hiked back to the train station where we left our cars. We thought about parking our cars at this TH, but the road was blocked with some safety cones. We could see that someone had driven it recently so I decided to give it a try. I quickly found out that the reason the road is closed is because there are multiple ice flows that pass over it in winter. I was able to get my jeep up and down the road, but not without losing control a couple times. I would stay clear of this road unless you have chains.

Strava map from Thu

Strava map from Fri

Thanks to Abe, Ryan and Amy for this incredible trip and for helping me get back into things. I think the 4 of us would all agree that the only thing we would change were the conditions. It seems strange to say this, but we wanted Winter Wham to be harder. We had all the gear for it, we were prepared for it and I know we would have gotten it. But what can you do?

Peace homies or as my daughter would say...2 homies

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Tornadoman	Awesome! 4/25/2018 8:30am Congrats on a Winter Wham! Perhaps not as wintry as most years, but you have to take what Mother Nature gives you. You continue to inspire with your ascents!
jmanner	Dallas Left? 4/25/2018 4:27pm Am I reading your peak list correctly? Are you only Dallas away from finishing the Centennials in winter? Thanks for the write up! It was a fun read!
Dad Mike	Dallas 4/25/2018 9:44pm Yeah. Just Dallas left. Tried a couple times this winter but no luck.
AndYouSeeMe	Awesome report 4/26/2018 6:45am Thanks for writing this up. Is that a helmet on Abe?!?!
FireOnTheMountain	Harder Winter Wham 4/26/2018 10:13am Would have indeed been nice, but such is the game we play. Super fun trip, glad we all got to hang! Just lastly gotta say that your drive is infectious dude. Hope the fam is doin good...poppa bear bout to go into summer hibernation.

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