Solo summit day on Sneffels. A little cool to start before sunrise coming up from the lower parking area at the road junction for Pearl Pass. All straightforward hiking until the base of the gully and then it’s find the line of least resistance, or in this case, least slippage. Lots of scree if you try to go up the middle and it’s not pleasant, especially with the dry conditions. I chose a line up the edge of the larger rocks and boulders; overall felt more secure but watch for some loose and wobbly rocks. I stuck to the right side going up the collier and never felt unsafe. The vertical wall gave me so good handholds in a few spots when I wanted to challenge myself with a few pulls upward - lots of fun! My experience with the V-notch was not bad going up; look at where your footholds are and be sure of your grip when you need the upper body assist to pull yourself through it. Take a minute to make a note of how you’ll climb through it and that should help with any uneasy feelings. I thought it was easier coming back down (and I’m not tall, only 5’8”) but I reminded myself where the footholds were and made sure I had a good handholds before starting to downclimb. Conversely, I saw a guy butt-scoot down and he said it was less scary for him. If a spotter is available, whether a friend or just another climber, ask for help. Nobody is going to say no in that situation. The rest is a quick, easy scramble to the top and while the summit is smallish, there’s enough room that we had about 12 people up there at one point and we weren’t on top of each other. Coming down, I took a similar line to my ascent and particularly in the gully, it was much more secure footing sticking to boulder hopping.

Note: About a third of the way up the gully, someone dislodged a beach ball sized rock just below the saddle and a handful of us had a couple of breathless moments watching it bounce halfway down the slope before wedging itself between two bigger rocks. No harm in the end and a reminder to be cautious pushing off rocks even if they feel secure.