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Plenty of snow left in the San Juans. Wetterhorn and Matterhorn definitely the most fun of the 5. Snowshoes nor crampons were needed but gators were useful for a few postholing snowfields. Skis or a snowboard would have been a plus. Although snow was unavoidable, it was packed and trails were in fair shape. Nellie Creek road was closed so we parked at Matterhorn Creek trailhead, which was accessable by a 2WD low clearance. Matterhorn Peak is definitely worth the 45 minute scramble and 10 minute descent - on the way back from Uncomp. - it lies right between Uncomp. Peak and Wetterhorn Peak - Don't miss it.
Some unlucky critter is wearing a face full of quills missing from this fellas backside
Early morning approach to Redcloud
Almost to Redcloud. Uncomp in background
A simple traverse from Redcloud to Sunshine with a fun glissade and screescramble down - Is Sunshine still a 14er if the Rockies are sinking?
Sunshine Peak
Camp 1 at the Wetterhorn/Uncompahgre trail junction. Wetterhorn in background
Curious little critters - Even came up and bit my pants
About half way to Wetterhorn. Uncomp/Matterhorn in Background
The last cornice before the scramble
Some loose rock but easy class 3. Oops no helmet - but care was taken obviously, hence the sunglasses protecting the soft cranium
Wetterhorn Peak. Matt/Uncomp in background
My little mtn goat
We spontaneously left from the Wetterhorn junction at 330 pm because of a break in the weather. Praise God the storms stayed high and we sat in a 3 hour window of blue surrounded by Hmmmm? What a beautiful creation!
Descending Wett. with Uncomp/Matt in background
Dawn on Wed. - the long soupy walk to Uncompahgre. Look at that Ridge scramble from Wetterhorn to Matterhorn - looks fun eh? I wish I weren't such a pansy =-) We took the long way but I sure hope to see someone post there acrobatics on this thing soon
Uncompahgre Peak
Ah freedom from the harsh winter
The Columbine are out
As well as the bears
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
a porcupine, 5 summits, a couple marmots, two bears and a dead elk, thats unreal. I, too would be interested to hear if you took that shot from your car and if mama bear was lurking.
One of the best shots I‘ve seen on the site. Please share with us if it was from a car. Hopefully it was. I would have been too scared to walk up! Great trip report.
If I ever come upon two cubs feasting on an elk carcass, you‘ll see nothing but traildust while I‘m getting the hell out of there! Excellent report, excellent pics. Looks like it was a memorable road trip.
I know that porcupine!!!(It wasn‘t an animal 6/27/2008 2:44am
So if I‘m correct which I think I am I tangled with this porcupine a few weeks ago right in between redcloud sunshine and handies. I climbed redcloud and sunshine on a saturday then decided to sleep in my car instead of a tent. I woke up at midnight(2 hours after going to sleep) with a terrible scratching sound on the outside of my car. I banged on my car from the inside and it would stop for a couple seconds. THen start up again. Finally I honked the horn and drove around for a minute then went back to sleep(this time in the driver seat). An hour later again there it was a terrible scratching sound(this time I was ready). I sat up, turned on the car and through it into reverse hit the animal and went forward spun in a circle and turned on my headlights. There it was a large porcupine running away(as fast as porcupines run... not fast). It left a large clump of quills right there in the parking lot on the redcloud sunshine side. I‘m pretty sure this is the same porcupine. I don‘t like to hurt animals but 2 hours of sleep is just not enough(and I knew I wasn‘t going to hurt it because of how low my car sits). The really funny part is this happened to a guy the night before in the same lot. It was chewing on the muffler of our cars two nights in a row.
That last photo of the two bears and elk (?) is very cool. Were you in a car? How‘d you get that shot? They look like cubs -- any sign of mama bear?
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