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Point 13,786 via South Face and Whitney Peak - Report
Climbing the south face of Point 13,786 isn’t overly difficult, but it is not simple: expect steep talus, loose scree, and broken ledges with cliffs that offer various route options, which can make navigation tricky.
Roach’s Colorado’s Thirteeners (Route 8.5 under Holy Cross Ridge) describes ascending Point 13,786 from the highest of the Seven Sisters Lakes. It involves steep talus to a ridge, followed by an easy scramble to the summit. Useful GPX file by Chipmunk, found on this website, follows Roach’s route up. See also WildWanderer report for lots of pictures.
The trailhead is accessible by most vehicles—definitely a Subaru—from Fancy-French Road, located just under 2 miles northeast of the Missouri Lakes Trailhead, which is about 2 miles from Homestake Reservoir Road. The route begins on the Holy Cross 4WD Road and then transitions to the Fall Creek Trail.
I followed a GPX route by Justiner (found on his Slowlans page), which aims to avoid some of the looser terrain on the south face. This route skirts the penultimate Seven Sisters Lake to the right, then climbs steeply up to a grassy ramp that leads above the last lake. After a short descent, you ascend stable boulders to a gully between cliffs, where you can use the walls for support before merging with the main trail for the final 500 feet to the summit. On the descent, I followed Chipmunk’s GPX file, cutting across at around 13,000 feet on stable terrain, avoiding regaining the altitude. I descended the ramp and contoured around 12,700 feet toward the saddle with Whitney Peak, following Chipmunk’s GPX again—although this section was tedious.
After summiting Whitney Peak, I descended its south slope straight down, which was steep but stable with plenty of grassy patches. Be cautious near the lower sections, as there are cliffs at the base. I navigated down a dry creek drainage through some steep willows, eventually reaching a flat, slightly swampy area. A short, easy walk through the forest brought me back to the Holy Cross 4WD Road at around 11,000 feet.
Stats:
Mileage: 10 miles
Elevation Gain: 4,250 feet
Time: 8 hours, 15 minutes
At 11,100 on Holy Cross 4WD Rd looking up Whitney Peak - option to descent with minimal bushwhack
Penultimate Seven Sisters Lake with the summit in the center
This picture shows the convoluted terrain of the south face (the summit is not visible)
Holy Cross Ridge and Mount of the Holy Cross from the summit
Whitney Peak boulder
My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Comments or Questions
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