Near the western end of Willow Lake, follow the trail to the left and hike out of the trees to reach a boulder field (
1). Cross a slope and arrive at the flat area above the waterfall at the eastern end of the lake, where you can see most of the remaining route (
2,
3). Kirk Couloir is a narrow gully that divides the cliffs between Kit Carson Peak and Challenger Point.
Cross the stream and follow trail segments and small cairns through the flat area. Above 11,800', angle left through willows and bushes to reach the base of Challenger's north slopes near 11,900'. As the terrain opens up near this point, continue south across gentle terrain toward Kirk Couloir (
4). After passing a flat area around 12,200', the climb becomes steeper (
5,
6), and it grows significantly steeper past 12,900' as you approach the entrance to Kirk (
7,
8,
9).
This is where the fun begins! Turn right and enter the couloir (
10), which starts with a slope angle of approximately 45 degrees. Climb more than 200 feet up the narrow, nearly 50-degree couloir (
11) until the exit comes into view (
12). Once you leave the couloir (
13,
14), continue toward the Kit Carson-Challenger saddle (
15). From the saddle (
16), turn right and ascend 300 feet to reach the summit of Challenger Point (
17,
18,
19).
Kirk Couloir
GPX Track File
