Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
My husband and I have been wanting to climb Sneffels for a while and since I had a little more than 20 easy 14ers under my belt and him 15 we felt it was time!! We made a weekend out of it, Climbing Massive on the 29th. (It's hard to get away with a 3yr old who wants mommy and daddy all the time) So grandma took the little one and we were off. Mt. Massive was long, but super easy and I will write that trip report some day after I go back and add more of Massive's peaks to my list.
So onto Ouray- We arrived in Ouray on Sat and played around at the hot springs, let our legs rest from the long 13.6 mile hike the day before. Met up with our friends Lou and Tina and headed up to Wright's lake in the evening. We wanted to do the Blue Lakes side, but just found it a little more convienent this way this time. We headed up the 4 wheel drive road in our Expedition and them in their Dodge pick up. The trucks did fine and we actually made it past the trailhead with them- a little rough, but nothing like the road to south Colony Lakes. I hate going that far, but on this trip we didn't pack light and the concensus was to get as close as we could to where we were going to sleep. We then headed a mile up the road/trail to wright's Lake and camped on the other side at about 12,200ft. It was raining, but figured it was okay- storms usually die down at night. WELL, WERE WE WRONG!!!!!! At about 11pm after having been asleep for a good hour or more I was awokened by flashes of light. I hit my husband hard and said did you see that and right about then there was thunder- I said "SHIT It's lightning!!!!!" I don't know about everyone else, but regardless of being in a valley somewhat- the fact that we were above treeline and it was lightning scared the crap out of me!!! We ended up 4 of us huddled in our friends 3 man tent, me shivering with fear the rest of the night. It poured on us all night and our friend Lou's shoes were soaking wet by the morning from the water some how leaking in.
After 4 hours of broken sleep (at least me anyway) we all got up to an absolutely beautiful morning.
You wouldn't have even thought it was storming all night.
So we started up the first part of the easy trail to about 12,800 just before it turns to a talus and scree field. This was my first hard hike up a 14er so I looked at the slope and thought I might have been in over my head. But once you get to it you can see there is a nice trail that leads up the rocks and it isn't that bad.
It took a while, there were several local ouray folks just practically running up it, so I felt slow. Once at the saddle I took some pics and looked up at Scree Col or "Lavender Col" and realized it probably wasn't much worse than what we had just did.
Although again it did seem to take a while, we headed up nice and easy- I put my hands down a lot just to make myself feel more stable. I have crappy balance. Once at the exit crack that I had been waiting all morning for, we climbed through rather easily with the most spectacular view of the San Juans and Telluride on the other side that I have ever seen.
This is the view next to the crack. If you watch your footing you will be fine.
The rest was a fun class 2+ scramble to the top which I had no problems with and found it easier than the loose scree in the two previous sections of the hike.
The top had def. some of the best views in Colorado. Looking down on Wright's Lake and then over to Blue Lakes.
On the descent we didn't mark our way and ended up coming down a section that could probably get passed off as class 3. I was on my butt at one point scooting down to lower sections, using my hands to hold on. We did quickly catch back up with the route and over the crack that takes you back to the Colouir down. Coming back through the crack we faced in to down climb and had someone tell us where to place our hands and feet- It was only about 3 to 4 moves total and then back on the othe side and down the colouir.
The down sliding (as I like to put it) wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I stayed on my butt most of the time just cause I felt more comfortable that way. The scree on the last part was pretty fast cause you can really just ski it if you stay on the dirt and smaller rocks.
I want to go do this one again even though my husband said I seemed scared the whole time I was hiking it. I imagine that it just seems easier once you've done it once. I am looking forward to an easy class 3 climb- any suggestions anyone??????
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
I really get a sense of what the notch is like with your attached photos. I‘ve wanted to hit Sneffels for a while but it always seems to be snowy and stormy when we‘ve wanted to climb it. Congrats on making it through the nightime storm and on getting the summit!
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
