Every year since 2013 I've taken a group of guys from my church backpacking for a three day weekend. Every time we camp near a 14er or 13er, and I've made a habit of getting these guys to hike "routes" that are not in any guidebook. This includes Mt. Yale from Kroenke Lake, Holy Cross from Lake Constantine, Tabeguache and Shavano from Browns Lake, or Kit Carson and Challenger from North Colony Lakes. My buddies have affectionately called these routes, "Krister Routes." Well, this year my crew was less interested in a remote route on a 13er which ended up with me climbing up the southwest ridge of Mt. Hope on my own from Willis Lake.

Prior to the trip, my research included a google search of the route which provided a single result from The Colorado Mountain Club website that described it as "the mostly-unexplored Southwest Ridge Route..." with no further information. All I could do was use satellite imagery to help me pick a route that I thought was doable.

As I understand it, there are two ways to do this route. As mentioned on the CMC website, one way would be to start at the Sheep Gulch Trailhead and traverse a ridge that starts well below Hope Pass that curves west then northwest before getting you onto the SW ridge between Ervin Peak and Mount Hope. As I was coming from camping below Willis Lake, I'd need a different approach.

I hiked up the Willis Gulch past the lake and straight towards Ervin Peak until I got past one of the largest rock glaciers I've ever seen on the western slopes of Hope. Here was a slope of cliffs and grass ledges I could zigzag around to make my way up to the ridge between Ervin and Hope. The last few hundred vertical feet before the ridge was full of loose rock, steep talus slopes, and scree that made me feel much better once I gained the ridge. Unfortunately, that wasn't the crux. It wasn't long before I gained the summit of a tower on the ridge. This is the point where two ridgelines intersect. The one I had been on that connects to Ervin Peak, and the one I mentioned earlier that would take you to the Sheep Gulch Trailhead. This was the point that I could tell would be the crux from my research.

I don't like to climb hard things solo. For one, if something bad were to happen, you don't have a second person that can call for help. And two, its better to share hard experiences with friends that you can talk about for years to come. I decided before I started the hike that I would either find no harder than secure 4th class passage on the ridge, find a way to hike around the difficulties, or go back down with my tail between my legs. Once I gained the first tower on the ridge, I realized it would be option two or three.

There are two large towers on the ridge and two smaller towers between them. Gaining the first tower was easy, but getting down with very loose rock wasn't the most fun. The next mini tower was gained by solid 3rd class slabs, but at the top was where my heart sank. Ahead of me was a nasty series of flakes and cracked slabs that made the knife ridge on Capital look like a cake walk (I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture that I could share with you). After traversing on some of the worst rock I've ever been on (which is really saying a lot!), plus knowing there probably hasn't been a single person to test these rocks in the last twenty years or more made me uneasy to move forward. Not only that, but I had no idea if there was a way down the backside of the second tower that wouldn't kill me, so the last thing I wanted to do was have to reverse this traverse if I got shut down at the tower.

I had invasive thoughts of one of the flakes pealing off while I was holding onto it and I decided I didn't want to die alone, leaving my family behind. I looked below to the west and saw a series of sheep trails (I earlier scared off four beautiful rams from the ridge) that looked to provide relatively easy access around the difficulties. It was not fun going down the talus slopes to gain the sheep trails, but, for me, it was the right decision.

Once around the difficulties past the second tower, a descent down the tower looked possible, but very loose and dangerous. I was happy to avoid it. Beyond the second tower, the ridge to the summit was easy. Lots of sheep trails that were in better condition than many human trails lead you to the summit of Mt. Hope. I ended up meeting my friend Eric at the summit. He came up the NE ridge, and we went down the NE ridge together.

I enjoyed my adventure, but at the end of the day, I wouldn't recommend this ridge unless you are highly experienced with loose rock. Coming from the Sheep Gulch Trailhead would only increase your exposure to highly loose and technical terrain. It is no wonder why this ridge is "mostly-unexplored."