Crestone Needle Trip Report 07/29/2009

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Crestone Needle - 14,196 feet
Date Posted	07/29/2009
Date Climbed	07/19/2009
Author	MUni Rider

Crestone Needle - 19 JULY 2009
I climbed the Needle over a week ago so yeah, I'm a little slow in posting this trip report. The pics show dry snow free conditions so until the snow flys again, you should get a pretty good feel for what the route as to offer in the way of steep, solid rock with consistant hand and footholds. Gotta love the conglomerate rock on this peak! The afternoon prior to my climb, as I'm dropping out of the Wet Mountain range, I'm greeted with this silouette of the Crestones in their homerange, the Sangres. Fast forward to the next morning. I've car camped at the top of the road after the 4th creek crossing. I hit the trail at 7:00 a.m. Beautiful clear day with perfect weather that would last me through the duration of the climb. As I leave the lower South Colony Lake behind and start up the trail toward Broken Hand Pass, I'm greeted with a very photogenic view of Crestone Needle, my goal for the day. Headed up Broken Hand Pass. The Colorado Fourteener Institute has an elaborate rock moving rig set up here. They are building retaining walls along the route and have long since used up all the available rock in the gully, so they now have to ship stone down from the top of the pass. Much better than trying to carry it down by hand. There are lots of wild flowers along the trail on the upper part of the pass. Meet Tim, whom I met along the trail. We were both solo hiking the needle so decided to more or less stick together for the trip. I didn't get a close up picture of Tim, whom I met while hiking in the mountains, so this visual approximation will have to do: "There are some who call me... Tim?" If you are not laughing right now, then you are not a Monty Python fan. Anyway, here's the view from the top of Broken Hand Pass looking back at the two snow fields as you near the steep part. Easy to pass without the aid of axe or crampons. Dirt seems to have been spread over the well trodden footsteps so traction is not an issue in the morning, however will become a bit slippery in the afternoon on the way down, but by then the snow has softened and you can stomp down into the snow for a better grip. Once again, no need for crampons or axe. The angle of the hillside is not all that steep nor is the snow that far across the 3 parts. 5 or 6 footsteps onthe first, 20-25 on the second, and 70-75 on the third. The 1st was all; but melted out a week later when I returned for Crestone Peak. After reaching the top of Broken hand Pass, you can see the full rise of Crestone Needle towering above on the immediate right. The trail does not stay high on the ridge but moves along the face as you slowly gain elevation as you move in and out and over and around a variety of rocky terrain. The trail leads up up and over a rocky steep rib and after dropping down the other side, you are greeted with the beginning of the steep stuff. You continue up, up and up. Eventually you have to make a decision. Continue up the gully you are in, or switch to a 2nd gully on the left after climbing over another rocky rib. The break-off location is marked with rock cairns, so it's easy to find. The 2nd gully is said to be better, so that is what we did. The next series of photos depict the view upward along that part of the route. It's been a week+ so my memory is a bit fuzzy as to which pics show which gully, but they are in the correct order. Most of the climb up was after switching to the 2nd gully (on the left as we we climbing. View overlooking the surrounding mountains. interestingly shaped rock feature that we hiked up past. It is around here that me and Tim took seperate paths. He liked the rock to the left (climbers left) of this rock feature, I chose the rock to the right. We wouldn't see each other until near the top as our routes slowly drifted away from each other. Mine took me closer to the 1st gully that we had left behind long ago. There really are a lot of options to get yourself up the hill. The horizon seems to be getting closer. I top out, over looking The South Colony basin on the other side. (Sorry, no pic yet). I move up the ridge to my left and very quickly rise up and see a bunch of fellow hikers all sitting and standing around on what must be the summit. Tim is only a few minutes behind me. As I arrive to the summit proper, a group of 5 climbers is just leaving. View of Crestone Peak just over there...... Close up of the neighboring peak. View of Blanca Group and San Dunes National Park to the South. Me on the Summit of Crestone Needle enjoying a well earned turkey sandwich. View on the North side of Needle. Challanger and Kit Carson on the far left, and Humbolt on the far right. After spending about 30 minutes on the summit, it's time to go. The waether is still great, but you never know how long that can ever last. On my way down, did miss the turn off toward the 1st gully. After about ten minutes of ever increasing steepness, I turned around and up climbed for about 3 minutes to get back to familiar ground. I scrambled up a rock rib to see what was on the other side, andlow and behold, the group of 5 hikers that had left the summit as I had arrived! That quickly calmed my nerves and confirmed that I had re-found the correct route. We all stuck together on our way back to Broken hand Pass. There seem to be rock cairn trails leading all over the place and it was helpfull to have 6 heads dealing with the route finding. The trail crew hard at work on Broken Hand Pass. View of the Needle after the hike. Still a perfect day. Panoramic of the basin. I really enjoyed the Crestone Needle. I have always maintained that I will finish all the 14ers before I start repeats, but after climbing the Needle, I could very well hit this one again before I finish them all a first time. 14er #39 success! Next up, Crestone Peak! That trip report can be found here: http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=6700&parmuser=MUni+Rider&cpgm=tripuser Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Crestone Needle - 19 JULY 2009

I climbed the Needle over a week ago so yeah, I'm a little slow in posting this trip report. The pics show dry snow free conditions so until the snow flys again, you should get a pretty good feel for what the route as to offer in the way of steep, solid rock with consistant hand and footholds. Gotta love the conglomerate rock on this peak!

The afternoon prior to my climb, as I'm dropping out of the Wet Mountain range, I'm greeted with this silouette of the Crestones in their homerange, the Sangres.

Fast forward to the next morning. I've car camped at the top of the road after the 4th creek crossing. I hit the trail at 7:00 a.m. Beautiful clear day with perfect weather that would last me through the duration of the climb.

As I leave the lower South Colony Lake behind and start up the trail toward Broken Hand Pass, I'm greeted with a very photogenic view of Crestone Needle, my goal for the day.

Headed up Broken Hand Pass. The Colorado Fourteener Institute has an elaborate rock moving rig set up here. They are building retaining walls along the route and have long since used up all the available rock in the gully, so they now have to ship stone down from the top of the pass. Much better than trying to carry it down by hand.

There are lots of wild flowers along the trail on the upper part of the pass. Meet Tim, whom I met along the trail. We were both solo hiking the needle so decided to more or less stick together for the trip.

I didn't get a close up picture of Tim, whom I met while hiking in the mountains, so this visual approximation will have to do:

"There are some who call me... Tim?"

If you are not laughing right now, then you are not a Monty Python fan.

Anyway, here's the view from the top of Broken Hand Pass looking back at the two snow fields as you near the steep part. Easy to pass without the aid of axe or crampons. Dirt seems to have been spread over the well trodden footsteps so traction is not an issue in the morning, however will become a bit slippery in the afternoon on the way down, but by then the snow has softened and you can stomp down into the snow for a better grip. Once again, no need for crampons or axe. The angle of the hillside is not all that steep nor is the snow that far across the 3 parts. 5 or 6 footsteps onthe first, 20-25 on the second, and 70-75 on the third. The 1st was all; but melted out a week later when I returned for Crestone Peak.

After reaching the top of Broken hand Pass, you can see the full rise of Crestone Needle towering above on the immediate right. The trail does not stay high on the ridge but moves along the face as you slowly gain elevation as you move in and out and over and around a variety of rocky terrain.

The trail leads up up and over a rocky steep rib and after dropping down the other side, you are greeted with the beginning of the steep stuff. You continue up, up and up. Eventually you have to make a decision. Continue up the gully you are in, or switch to a 2nd gully on the left after climbing over another rocky rib. The break-off location is marked with rock cairns, so it's easy to find. The 2nd gully is said to be better, so that is what we did. The next series of photos depict the view upward along that part of the route. It's been a week+ so my memory is a bit fuzzy as to which pics show which gully, but they are in the correct order. Most of the climb up was after switching to the 2nd gully (on the left as we we climbing.

View overlooking the surrounding mountains.

interestingly shaped rock feature that we hiked up past. It is around here that me and Tim took seperate paths. He liked the rock to the left (climbers left) of this rock feature, I chose the rock to the right. We wouldn't see each other until near the top as our routes slowly drifted away from each other. Mine took me closer to the 1st gully that we had left behind long ago. There really are a lot of options to get yourself up the hill.

The horizon seems to be getting closer.

I top out, over looking The South Colony basin on the other side. (Sorry, no pic yet). I move up the ridge to my left and very quickly rise up and see a bunch of fellow hikers all sitting and standing around on what must be the summit.

Tim is only a few minutes behind me. As I arrive to the summit proper, a group of 5 climbers is just leaving.

View of Crestone Peak just over there......

Close up of the neighboring peak.

View of Blanca Group and San Dunes National Park to the South.

Me on the Summit of Crestone Needle enjoying a well earned turkey sandwich.

View on the North side of Needle. Challanger and Kit Carson on the far left, and Humbolt on the far right.

After spending about 30 minutes on the summit, it's time to go. The waether is still great, but you never know how long that can ever last. On my way down, did miss the turn off toward the 1st gully. After about ten minutes of ever increasing steepness, I turned around and up climbed for about 3 minutes to get back to familiar ground. I scrambled up a rock rib to see what was on the other side, andlow and behold, the group of 5 hikers that had left the summit as I had arrived! That quickly calmed my nerves and confirmed that I had re-found the correct route. We all stuck together on our way back to Broken hand Pass. There seem to be rock cairn trails leading all over the place and it was helpfull to have 6 heads dealing with the route finding.

The trail crew hard at work on Broken Hand Pass.

View of the Needle after the hike. Still a perfect day.

Panoramic of the basin.

I really enjoyed the Crestone Needle. I have always maintained that I will finish all the 14ers before I start repeats, but after climbing the Needle, I could very well hit this one again before I finish them all a first time.

14er #39 success! Next up, Crestone Peak! That trip report can be found here: http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=6700&parmuser=MUni+Rider&cpgm=tripuser

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

pocketmaces

Great Report
1/2/2010 7:24pm

This is next on my to do list this summer. Thanks for the great report. :D

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