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Report Type 
Full
Peak(s)  Capitol Peak  -  14,138 feet
Date Posted  10/12/2022
Modified  10/27/2024
Date Climbed   09/03/2022
Author  The_Ramp
Additional Members   Checkers_hello
 Capitol Preparation   

DISCLAIMER:

My climbing partner and I climbed Capitol Peak the same day as the tragic September 2022 fatality. I do NOT address the accident in this TR. I provided what information I could on the forum thread immediately following the incident and I won't rehash it here. I am still processing what happened that day as I'm sure are many who were on the mountain with us. And even though my buddy and I were successful in our summit bid, the memory of it will likely always carry a black cloud.

The purpose of this TR is to address some of my thoughts on the climbing aspect of that September day that I think are worthwhile for folks considering Capitol Peak and to help with overall climber preparation. I have found so much incredible information on this site and from this community, but I don’t normally bother documenting my own experiences or engaging beyond taking what I need for the next adventure. After the incident on Capitol, I've been reflecting on that approach. How wonderful would it be if, by contributing just a little of our time and knowledge, more climbers could safely return from the peaks to their homes? To their friends and spouses? To their kids? And what if, by opening up about our experiences with the intent of improving overall safety associated with mountaineering, we are also in some way honoring those who can never return? I am starting to believe these notions to be true.

I apologize if anything about this report is disrespectful or insensitive, especially to the loved ones of the fallen climber. Please reach out if I can help in anyway. Thanks for reading.

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OVERVIEW:

My climbing partner and I successfully summited Capitol Peak on Saturday, 3 September 2022. The purpose of this report is to provide some insight and feedback on the climb based on our experience, including a few key sections of the route that I feel don't receive enough attention. First of all, this is a VERY serious mountain - something that has been iterated over and over on this site. I encourage climbers only attempt this peak if they have significant experience on Class 4 terrain, with an emphasis less on climbing mechanics (which are very helpful, don't get me wrong) but more on route-finding and comfortability with loose and extremely exposed terrain. Ensuring a good weather window is also a no-brainer: expect to be on airy rock with no escape or obvious shelter for upwards of 8 hours.

And finally, and what I attempt to emphasize most in this report: preparation, preparation, preparation! In addition to my experience base and maintaining a general fitness level, I spent hours studying the route and other TRs on this website, even printing and bringing along some of the images and descriptions I found most helpful. I strongly recommend climbers do the same. In talking with some other groups around Capitol Lake the night before our climb, I was surprised by the lack of knowledge about the route. Focus seemed to be centered on the Knife Edge, which, while epic and airy, represents <1% of the entire route and is arguably the most straight-forward bit of climbing after the Mt. Daly saddle. Please utilize those that have gone before; this website is an absolute treasure in helping prepare climbers for a successful day on Capitol.

I've linked what I found to be the most helpful Capitol Peak TRs and user photos throughout my report below. I also included all the raw links along with some other useful information at the end of the report. Reach out with questions. Thanks for reading.

APPROACH & THOUGHTS ON DITCH VS CREEK TRAIL

My climbing partner and I left Denver early Friday morning of Labor Day weekend, 2 September 2022, and made great time to the Capitol Creek TH. The rough section of the road to the TH is short and straight-forward in a 4WD vehicle (I drive a stock Xterra) and likely doable in an AWD, high-clearance vehicle. There are some big humps that could be tricky with a longer, low-clearance vehicle. There were a handful of parking spots at the TH when we arrived which I'm sure filled quickly given how many people we saw in the basin that evening.

We were hiking by 1000 MT, taking the Capitol Ditch Trail. This is a great approach trail with minimal elevation gain and amazing views of Capitol Peak starting right at the TH. This mountain is IMPRESSIVE and is looming over you the entire approach. After ~3.5 miles, the Capitol Ditch Trail merges with the Capitol Creek Trail (more on that in a sec) and then it's another 3 to 3.5 miles to Capitol Lake. We arrived at Capitol Lake around 1330 MT to find most of the campsites available, which was a pleasant surprise considering it was a Friday before a holiday weekend. After scouting a few of them, we opted for Campsite #2 which was a bit of a trek up from the lake trail but had an awesome view of Capitol Peak. I should note we had amazing weather: hardly a cloud in the sky the entire afternoon and very little wind. I suppose if the forecast called for afternoon storms, some of the other, less-exposed campsites in the trees might be better. And sure enough, the campsites were all spoken for by 1600 MT, but there is a lot of places to pitch a tent and folks were respectfully spreading out throughout the evening.

May 2023 Update: Starting in 2023, back-country overnight permits are required to camp at Capitol Lake. Permits are reserved through Recreation.gov. The permits are released on a rolling schedule but must be purchased in advance. More information available on the website.

Following our successful summit bid the following day (3 September 2022), we packed out via the Capitol Creek Trail for no other reason than a change of scenery. Both the Ditch and Creek trails converge at the TH and the Creek trail does involve more elevation loss than the Ditch trail, which means on our way out we had a ~400ft climb right before reaching the TH. But I think we were both happy with this variation. Don't get me wrong, hiking ~7 miles after an 8 hour day of epic climbing is a major grind. But because the Creek trail was new to us, we weren't playing the mental game of "I remember this rock; we have to be close." And the aspen groves along this trail are SO beautiful, much more so than along the Ditch trail. My buddy's Garmin also indicated the Creek trail to be about 0.25 miles shorter so take that for what it's worth.

21913_01
Capitol Peak from the Capitol Creek TH. The Capitol Creek Trail drops down steeply from the TH ridge and then winds its way inside the aspen groves on the left (east) side of the valley. The Capitol Ditch Trail stays high on the right (west) side of the valley with minimal elevation change. The Ditch trail converges with the Creek trail following a creek crossing ~3.5 miles in. Capitol Lake is approximately 7 miles from the TH.
21913_10
A mile or so in on the Capitol Ditch Trail. Pictures don't do it justice; Capitol Peak absolutely LOOMS over you the entire approach.
21913_14
Campsite #2 at Capitol Lake. Ignore the back sweat.

GULLIES & TALUS

Our alarms were beeping at 0330 MT Saturday, 3 September 2022, and we were moving by 0400 MT, making quick work of the switchbacks to the Mt Daly saddle. According to the Capitol Peak route description on this site, the top of the saddle marks "the end of easy, trail hiking." This is a true statement. From here, the trail continues for a bit on the east side of the ridge, crossing the first of 3 gullies, which I’ll call Gully #1. PHOTO #16 of bdloftin77's excellent TR shows a great view of this initial Gully #1 traverse on a trail.

After Gully #1 is where the trail seemingly disappears, or at least splits into multiple trails across the top of and down into a second gully: Gully #2. This is the first puzzle of route-finding and where pre-climb research really paid off. Based on our preparation, we elected to descend a series of steep but short switchbacks on the climber's right of Gully #2. Eventually these switchbacks disappear into the crummy, washed-out rock of the gully proper, basically at a point where Gully #3, which was unseen until this point, converges with Gully #2 into a "Y" shape. This is where I think a lot of folks make a mistake and decide to climb Gully #3, which is just trash and exhausting to even look at. Instead, we traversed the combined Gully #2/#3 to a beautiful crack in the far wall. With a few quick moves up the crack, we found ourselves back on a trail that leads you directly to the talus field beyond the gullies. The crack is obvious if you know to look for it, even in the dark. It was also relatively straight-forward to find on our descent, especially once you come into sight of the gullies (it's basically right where Gully #2 and #3 converge). And there is a trail leading to it from the talus field; just don't go too high as you cross the last bit of talus on your descent.

See THIS PHOTO and THIS PHOTO from arianna2's TR and PHOTO #17 and PHOTO #18 from bdloftin77's TR for great views of the Gully #2 switchbacks and the crack in the side of Gully #2/#3 that leads to easier terrain. DeTour's TR also provides good description and photos of the gully area, though note their group elected to ascend Gully #3 which I do not recommend. I had some of these key images printed and with us during our climb.

Once on the trail following the gullies, we entered the amazing talus field. There are some awesome boulders in here, some that are bigger than a minivan, and also some large boulders that will move. Talus scrambling is some of my favorite climbing so we had fun choosing our own adventure. In retrospect, we might have stayed too high initially, perhaps in an attempt to avoid too much elevation loss. But since the northwest side of the talus basin is undulating, we probably ended up ascending/descending as much elevation versus if we had stayed lower and in the "middle" of the area. There are quite a few cairns in the basin which were helpful at times, some of which seemed to point to easier terrain in the lower/middle areas, but we knew our general heading and stuck to lines that were most comfortable and enjoyable for us. It's also worth noting too that we heard a few rockfalls while in this area so staying too high against the ridge face runs the risk of being hit by a slide.

After quite a bit of fun scrambling, we finally reached “the corner” of the talus basin where we turned right (west) and could observe our next target: K2. It was still dark at this point in our ascent and Jupiter was shining brightly almost directly above K2. It was awesome. We scampered up the rest of the talus to the base of K2 and then elected for the Class 3/Class 4 direct ascent of K2 versus what is shown on the site route description. We were the first group to summit K2 that morning at approximately 0630 MT, 2.5 hours after leaving camp. We were finally able to retire the headlamps as the alpenglow spread around us and had a snack while enjoying the amazing scene of Snowmass, Pierre Lakes, and the southern Elks glowing in the morning light. But dominant in our minds was the epic view of Capitol and the job in front of us.

21913_06
The talus field on descent. K2 is about 20 min behind us in this photo and we are about to turn left (north) towards the gullies and Mt Daly saddle. This area is a blast if you like talus scrambling. On our dark ascent, we tended to stay higher up to climbers right (west and north), but the easier terrain is lower, in the "middle" of the basin. Beware that some of these large rocks do move. (Photo taken on descent.)
21913_17
Tackling K2 via the direct ridge ascent. This line is Class 3 with maybe one easy Class 4 move. Notice Jupiter faintly shining right above the summit.
21913_11
Pierre Lakes, Snowmass massif, and the Bells basking in the morning sun. Photo taken from K2 summit.
21913_15
Gulp.

K2 DESCENT & CROSSING THE NORTHEAST RIDGE

There is an amazing view of the remaining route up Capitol Peak from K2. THIS PHOTO and associated caption description from arianna2's TR gives a good overview of the major obstacles on the climb from the K2 summit vantage point, including the Northeast Ridge as well as the East Face, especially the target notch to exit the face to the final summit ridge (more on that later).

We descended K2 on the north side down some steep slabs. This line involved a handful of Class 3 moves and one big Class 4 move. My climbing partner, who is a little taller than me, was able to make the Class 4 move without too much difficulty, but it took me a couple tries (and some help) to find a blind ledge for my footing. When we re-ascended K2 later in the day, the move was much easier. We also saw some folks having success following a rocky ridge a little more east/climber's left from the slabby line we took; that way could be easier if the big Class 4 move gives you pause. As emphasized in other TRs for Capitol Peak, I strongly recommend re-ascending K2 on your descent from the mountain; the bypass route looked extremely loose and exposed, and, from what I've read, is not a good alternative.

PHOTO #42 of JQDivide's TR gives a good view of the slab route on the north side of K2, including the big Class 4 move. PHOTO #38 of bdloftin77's TR shows the alternative ridge route to descend (and re-ascend) K2 that we observed other climbers having success taking.

After descending down and around K2, it was onto the Northeast Ridge proper. In addition to the Knife Edge, there are a lot airy slabs and towers along the ridge that require careful maneuvering and line selection. At a couple instances we felt traversing slightly below the ridge along some amazing crack lines was preferable and safer, even if the exposure was notched up a bit. Overall, this whole section of the climb was a blast!

(Bonus points if you can find this epic hole from arianna2's TR at the bottom of K2. We accidentally found it when my buddy absent-mindedly leaned against the adjacent rock - yeesh!)

21913_07
The Knife Edge in all its glory. You can see a couple climbers that passed us working their way further along the ridge.
21913_03
We found the Knife Edge to be as-advertised: incredibly sustained exposure on super solid rock. There are three climbers in this picture.

EAST FACE, SUMMIT RIDGE, & DESCENT

Based on our preparation and research, the part of the climb that made me the most anxious wasn't the Northeast Ridge and Knife Edge, but the East Face and the myriad of reports and photos I had seen showing a near vertical wall of granite with tiny ledges, crumbling rock, and confusing cairns. My anxiety was not wrong: this was hands-down the most challenging section of mountain climbing I've ever done. The route-finding in this area is particularly puzzling as there appeared multiple cairns across all areas of the face, some of which led to areas lower on the face and others leading almost to the face ridge proper. Throw into that some very loose rock and slip-and-its-your-last fall risk and we had to be on our A-game the entire time.

In reviewing others climber TRs, we knew the most promising route was to angle high during the initial part of the East Face because it allows for a better avenue across a final, steep gulley right before exiting the East Face. Again, there are cairns that take you lower, but we either ignored those or didn't bother looking for them, knowing that aiming high from the beginning would help with the subsequent areas on the face. SpringsDuke's TR from their successful summit bid gives an excellent overview of how to aim high initially in the area, as well as discussion on a previous failed attempt where they took a lower line. Their photos were invaluable to have printed for comparison as we worked our way along the East Face.

Once we crossed the final, steep gully on some exposed, narrow dirt ledges, it was onto the crux of the route: the scramble to the notch to exit the East Face and make the summit ridge. arianna2's TR has some great photos of this area, especially THIS PHOTO, that helped keep the exit notch goal in our sights at all times. We followed her path to the notch almost exactly. Again, I felt the final set of moves past the steep gulley and to the notch were the crux of the route. Some of the rock up this steep section was extremely precarious and the whole area required focused route-finding to keep the moves at Class 4. As stated frequently, other user TR photos were very helpful to have on-hand during our ascent.

Once we made it through the East Face exit notch, part of me was under the impression the summit was just a quick scramble away. I was wrong. The climbing actually amps up on the ridge, enhanced mainly by the amazing exposure. We first ascended a steep area headed northwest, basically following the ridge line to the top of the East Face summit, which is also a bit of a false summit, before traversing west until we hit the true summit. We stayed mostly on the ridge proper the entire way to the summit after the East Face exit notch, though there are a couple areas where you can actually drop lower on the Pierre Lakes (south and west) side. This entire section of rock is pretty solid and is mostly Class 3, but holy-moly is the exposure awesome: Capitol Lake felt directly below us and 2000ft away. I was reminded of the science-fiction novel “Ringworld” where the characters are struggling to maintain their mental composure amidst an unbelievably mind-blowing landscape, it was that epic of an experience. My buddy and I agreed that the final traverse on the summit ridge was the true pucker test of the peak, potentially surpassing the Knife Edge if for no other reason than it was somewhat unexpected, more sustained, and following 1.5 hours of already brain-breaking climbing.

We summited Capitol Peak at approximately 0800 MT, 4 hours after leaving camp and 1.5 hours from K2. We didn't linger longer than 20 minutes and after a few celebratory fist bumps, photos, and Justin's peanut butter cups, we started our descent. The climb down the summit ridge and onto the East Face was very slow going, with ample time spent checking each hold and ensuring we didn't stray too far from our ascent line. And descending the East Face itself was an absolute challenge. The route-finding in particular was a serious puzzle. Trying to remember our ascent route and ensuring each move made sense was mentally exhausting. It took us the same amount of time to descend the summit ridge and the East Face as it did to ascend and our focus and attention never let up.

21913_05
The East Face shortly after leaving the Northeast Ridge. You can see how high of a line we took during this initial section, following the advice from other documented TRs, such as this one from SpringsDuke and this one from arianna2. There are multiple and confusing cairns throughout this area. Again, I recommend aiming high from the start of the East Face, staying close to and even sometimes on top of the ridge proper, so that you can traverse across the final, steep gulley (white rock area high up the face in this photo) directly to the crux climb to the East Face exit notch. Note the exit notch is a little hard to identify in this photo but was obvious during our climb. Also note the prominent point of the East Face is not the Capitol Peak summit; the true summit is actually further northwest - seen in the back upper right area of this photo. (Photo taken on descent.)
21913_04
A view of the steep, white rock gulley on the upper part of the East Face. We crossed some of the dirt-covered narrow ledges in the lower left of the photo and then headed towards the shadowed area in the center left of this photo. Our ascent line was just to the climber's right of the shadowed area and then directly to the very obvious East Face exit notch. In my opinion, the climb from this gully to the notch was the crux of the entire route, involving serious route-finding to keep the moves at Class 4 over some precariously balanced rock. There are two climbers visible in this photo. (Photo taken on descent.)
21913_12
Enjoying the exposure in the steep gulley on the upper part of the East Face. Because we took a high line during the initial part of the East Face, we were able to traverse this area versus climbing it. This gulley is what gave the SpringsDuke crew so much trouble in their failed attempt documented in this TR. Traversing it was a beast; I can't imagine trying to ascend it. There are two climbers in this photo. (Photo taken on descent.)
21913_18
On the summit ridge above the East Face exit notch with Pierre Lakes and Snowmass in the background. We stayed on the ridge proper pretty much the entire ascent after exiting the East Face, angling first northwest to the "false" summit and then west to the summit proper. The scrambling actually seems to amp up in this last section, mainly due to the steep climbing and absolutely insane exposure. (Photo taken on descent.)

EPILOGUE & FINAL THOUGHTS

After descending the East Face, we worked our way back across the Northeast Ridge, giving some climbers ahead of us ample space and time, while enjoying the views, exposure, and comparatively solid rock. We re-summited K2, sent "We're OK" texts to the wives, shed some layers, and began the talus and gully grind back to the Mt Daly saddle, arriving in view of our campsite at approximately 1200 MT, 8 hours from when we left our tent. We bombed down to the lake, broke camp, hefted our heavy packs, and started the long march back to the TH - taking the Capitol Creek variation as stated earlier in the report. After carefully driving down the humpy TH road, hitting a gas station in Carbondale for some peanut butter M&Ms and Cheetos, we motored home, making great time down I-70 back to Denver.

Climbing Capitol Peak was an absolute thrill. This was far and away the most challenging peak I've done, but because of our significant preparation, including studying a lot of the amazing resources on this site, I never really felt uncomfortable or surprised throughout the entire two-day adventure. And though I was beat by the time we got back the TH, the sense of accomplishment never left. It still hasn't. Every time I look back at the photos from our successful climb, I think, "Wow - I did that?!?!" Yes, yes I did.

I hope if nothing else, this report gives climbers encouragement that with the right preparation, Capitol Peak is within reach. Cheers.

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SPLITS:

Friday, 2 September 2022:

  • Depart TH via Capitol Ditch Trail: 1000 MT
  • Arrive at Capitol Lake Campsite #2: 1330 (3.5 Hours)

Saturday, 3 September 2022:

  • Depart camp at Capitol Lake: 0400 MT
  • Summit of K2: 0630 (2.5 Hours)
  • Summit of Capitol Peak: 0800 (4 Hours)
  • Return to Camp: 1200 (8 Hours)
  • Depart camp via Capitol Creek Trail: 1300
  • Arrive at TH: 1600 (3 Hours)

REFERENCED TRIP REPORTS:

ADDITIONAL HELPFUL TRIP REPORTS:

CLIMBING RESUME:

  • 14er summit #43, 14er total summit #55
    • 14er goal: Complete all 58 by age 40 (April 2028)
  • Favorite 14ers: Crestone Needle, Mt Yale, Wetterhorn Peak, Torreys Peak Kelso Ridge, Handies Peak, Mt Elbert, Missouri Mountain, Mt Wilson
  • Most challenging 14ers: Capitol Peak, El Diente North Buttress, Maroon Peak
  • Additional experience with lead climbing, mainly gym ratting before I had kids
  • Current fitness regimen: Nike Training Club, running, managing young children
    • My climbing partner swears by the "15-in-15" as a get-in-shape-fast-butt-kicker: 15 minutes on the treadmill at 15 (units?) incline for as far as you can go. I prefer a different variation of 10 min at 10 incline as a warm-up for whatever fitness or yoga exercise I have planned that day; it really gets the heart rate going. But also my treadmill doesn't go to 15 incline, "10-in-20" or something doesn't have the same poetic ring to it, and who wants to do that much work anyway.

OTHER 14ER TRIP REPORTS:




Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15


Comments or Questions
ndomke
User
Amazing Trip Report
10/12/2022 11:42am
This is a very valuable trip report and compilation of photos. I appreciate all of the beta on the upper East face. I was on the NE ridge of Capitol with a group of three about an hour behind you on 9/3. We turned around just before the East face when the accident was called in. Glad you made it up and down safely. This is my last remaining 14er and I am looking forward to coming back next year.


dtvigil
User
Thank you!
10/12/2022 3:39pm
Congrats on the summit and great trip report! I really appreciate all the information. I am planning on climbing Capitol in 2023, and will refer back to this thread several times between now and then.


Gulf_Coast_Hiker
User
Great Job!
10/12/2022 6:20pm
Congrats on your summit and wow, this is a great TR. Thanks for putting this all together.


SpringsDuke
User
Nice job and report!
10/12/2022 6:37pm
I am glad my reports helped and I know yours will also help future climbers of the peak, thanks!


Camden7
User
Brilliant TR
10/16/2022 9:30pm
Brilliant TR


The_Ramp
User
Thank you!
10/19/2022 4:57pm
Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement!

Camden7 - I read your Centennial Finisher TR, you are a STUD! Congrats on a massive achievement! I laughed at your description of your experience climbing Capitol: "We kept on waiting for it to get too hard. It never did." Geez - I'm wondering if I climbed the right peak!

A comment about climbing grades: I tend to be conservative in my own assessments, erring on a higher grade if a move or section of moves is questionable. There is a reasonable difficulty rating definition on this site, but the distinction between Class 3 and Class 4 is still somewhat subjective. To me, if your hands touch the rock, it's automatically Class 3. That leave a lot of room between the baseline Class 3 and technical climbing/Class 5 and where to draw the Class 4 line is hazy. I think that coupling in Class 3 elements with other dangers such as steepness, exposure, loose rock, and route-finding is a good way to arrive at a Class 4 rating. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts too: an individual move or set of moves by itself could be Class 3, or even Class 2, but if it's sustained over an extended period of time along with those other danger elements, I think an upgrade in rating is warranted.

All that being said, given the difficult route-finding and extreme exposure along with the sustained hands-and-feet moves over loose and tricky terrain, I put Capitol Peak solidly in the Class 4 realm.


Camden7
User
Totally Agree
10/20/2022 6:48am
Totally Agree


Old Hickory
User
Five Stars
11/5/2022 11:57am
I second Camden7's comment and those of others. This is one of the best TRs I've ever read. Thank you for taking the time and effort to embed the links and photos. You are a skilled writer as well as an impressive climber.

The TR also makes me realize I'll likely never be able to climb Capitol. Oh well. I'm happy with things like, e.g., a re-do of Tab's West Ridge.


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