El Camino Royale to Hammerhead

Sunday M wanted to go for a motorcycle ride in the afternoon, so I could not head for the mountains. I fell back on my contingency plan: Hammerhead Flatiron. With a whole Sunday morning I figured I would see if I could go from El Camino Royale to the Royal Arch, then Hammerhead, the Last Flatiron, and finally Fern Alley.

I started from the National Atmospheric trail, but left the Mesa Trail too early. I had to bushwhack through a small canyon to reach ECR. I started on the south part of the rock with some Class 4 climbing and less than ideal holds. This lead to the crux. I had to cross climb then usurp a ledge. The route from here looked familiar and I was directly across from the escape. I headed up to the top, so that all the people at the arch could have a look at me.

I climbed the arch, but escaped at bottom of the hole. I needed to let the adrenaline dissipate. There were a ton of people on the arch trail.

I started the Hammerhead and decided to not climb the arch this time. The natural line takes you over the arch, so it was a bit tricky getting over to the north half. The climbing is about the same once you get there and I made good time to the top. Still no yodeling moves but I think I spotted a better line farther to the left.

I circumvented the last flatiron since I was running out of time and wanted to find my ring. I went up the south side and down the north. No luck. I skipped fern alley all together. At the top of Hammerhead you can follow the trail along the ridge down to xx pass. A much easier hike than down to the base of it.

M and I went on a 70 mile ride down to Elizabeth and back. A scenic drive and I seen three bucks still in the velvet.

Holy Cross Mountain Bike Trail

Larry and I biked Holy Cross. I almost cleaned the crux... he did.

quad burner

holy cross trail's namesake

lunch loop area

nice views from grand junctions lunch loop

larry biking

lemon squeeze

boulders

kokopelli

Crestone Traverse

Dalton and I set out to do the Crestone Traverse from Peak to Needle. Took off after work on Friday drove straight through and arrived at midnight and slept in the parking lot at the trail head. Up at 6 am we started hiking.
Above South Colony Lakes we encountered a herd of big horn sheep including a couple of lambs. There are a couple of snow fields you must cross, but they are well traveled enough to not need an ice ax for safety. A crew is working on the trail at Broken Hand Pass, which is good because the loose rock and dirt is annoying to climb.
After reaching the pass I took a wrong turn and headed straight for the Crestone Needle. We planned to climb the Crestone Peak first so we had to backtrack about a half mile. You head down into the very beautiful valley to approach Cottonwood lake.
As we started the ascent of the Peak we could see that the Red Couloir still had a lot of snow. There were climbers kicking steps and making slow progress. We decided to climb the rocks to the left of the couloir since Dalton did not bring an axe. The climbing here is excellent and fun. The route finding is fairly straightforward, but you can venture into Class 4 or better moves.
On top of the Peak there was only one other gentleman. We had a sandwich and enjoyed the views of the San Luis Valley and the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
You must descend quite a ways in order to find the exit ramp to engage the traverse to the Needle. Using Cooper's way points we found the exit and made our way across following cairns. We found the second way point to be at N37 57.961 W10534.648 of the traverse.
We encountered a steep snow field we had to cross and Dalton slipped into an ice crack. Luckily he made a nice self arrest using his knees and hands. I slipped in the same place and nearly pulled out the knob I was holding on to.
From here Dalton and I got separated for a bit as I was angling for the third way point and he was following his own line. The way gives up even more altitude as you make your way across.
To make matters worse my satellite coverage was cutting out. In the end, the picture Dave has in his book would have been worth more than the way point.
We had traversed too far around to the South and ended up climbing the south face. Rather than ending the climb with the steep Class 4 of the SW face, we encountered some low Class 5 pitch 300 feet lower (N37 57.823 W105 34.648, 13,855ft.). The rock was steep but solid and we finished the route with easier climbing to the summit.
We left the Needle summit at 6:30 PM. Our climbing was far from over. The descent down the eastern couloir was more difficult than I remembered it. This even required a few facing-inward downclimbs for me.
The hour was getting late as we made our way down Broken Hand Pass. I removed my ice axe to help in crossing the snow fields which felt less secure going down than up. As it grew dark we still had a quarter of a mile to the camp sites by the lake. We lost the trail and thrashed about for over an hour before finding it again. Again we lost the trail, but this time knew better than to try and make it by bushwacking. The bushes here are much too thick with many gullies to trap you.
To make things surreal we witnessed some very strange flashlights that seemed to hover and dash much too quickly across the valley floor. It must have been my tired mind playing tricks on me, but Dalton seen them too.
Finally we made it to the campsites and the trail was easier to follow. We trudged in the dark back to the parking lot arriving at midnight. No campfire for us tonight either after an 18 hour day!

The Lost Ring of Hammerhead Part 2

After losing my wedding ring during a hike/ascent of Hammerhead's Yodeling Moves, I needed to get back up on the rock as soon as possible. I took off from work early on a Tuesday to make my way to Boulder. This time I started at NCAR and did a trail run approach sans backpack. My new Scarpa approach shoes are perfect for a run/scramble combo. The photo above is me at the bottom of Hammerhead. This photo shows the nice holds this rock has.

The second time up Yodeling Moves and the East Face of the Last Flatiron was just as enjoyable as the first. I hope to find my ring, but if not it will make a good excuses to keep returning to these nice climbs. This time I added on Fern Alley. This Class 3 scramble starts just as the Last Flatiron ends and is aptly named: A rock canyon with lots of ferns. Check out this photo of Hammerhead... this rock so much nicer to climb than the brittle sandstone around where I grew up in western Colorado.

I think one could combine the Casino Royale, Yodeling Moves, Last Flatiron, and Fern Alley for an awesome day of climbing. I didn't find my ring, so maybe that's what I will try next time. This photo shows the last pitch on the Last Flatiron. You can see the huge dead tree poking out at the top.

The Lost Ring of Hammerhead

Scouring my Flatiron Classics book for a new scrambling route I happened upon a climb called Yodeling Moves. This route is on a rock called Hammerhead which is in the area of the fourth flatiron on Green Mountain. I took the Royal Arch trail from Chattaqua Park.

The bottom of Hammerhead just down from Sentinel Pass to the west of the trail about 50 feet. I forgot my GPS... but I will get coordinates next time. Half the fun is finding it for yourself anyway.

The climbing on Hammerhead is very enjoyable as you travel over a long arch. The holds are plentiful and secure, but if you look down too long you may feel a bit nervous without a rope. This is Class 4 territory and climbing this free solo without a partner always makes me pay close attention (photo 1). This second photo shows the route to the summit of Hammerhead on the west side that gives Yodeling Moves its name.

I continued on up to the Last Flatiron's East Face. This is more Class 4 climbing (photo 3) and is very enjoyable as well. The angle of the rocks in the flatirons makes climbing easy on the muscles. As you reach the summit, the downclimb would look a bit dubious were it not for the dead tree that is positioned perfectly. I can't imagine anyone placing this large tree here, so it is was awfully lucky for it to land so fortuitously.

What was not so fortuitous was my lost ring. I had taken off my wedding ring and put it in my pocket. Somewhere along the way it came out. I'm making it my mission to keep climbing these rocks until I find the damned thing.

Sweet Missouri

My buddy Brian said he was going to attempt Missouri Mountain so I decided to join him along with another fellow named Don. Dalton and I had climbed Belford and Oxford last year and I remember it as a very enjoyable hike (photo 1). I wanted to camp, but I was at work Friday until 7:30 PM, so instead I left house at 3:30 AM. As we started up the steep switchbacks at the beginning of the trail the other Don was moving slow, so he sent us on ahead.

We were making good progress, but kept an eye on the approaching weather. Brian decided to turn around at 13,000 due to building clouds. I have many other goals this year, so I wanted to punch this ticket. I pressed on. The snow field just below the ridge caused me to put on the crampons. I was worried about my tiring quads, but it turned out to be quite a fun snow climb. Once on the ridge the trail was an alternate of bare and snow sections (photo 2), so I finally had to remove the crampons. At the crux just before the summit I wishing I had them on again. You must traverse a very steep snow slope below some pinnacles. To elevate the challenge, now there was thunder rolling along the next ridge.

I touched the top (photo 3) and got the hell off there. Oops! I forgot to mark the way point so back up I went. The clouds were rolling in fast. I contemplated a plunge step or glissade down the first couloir. I remembered from the guide book that the couloirs are easier farther down. So I crossed the crux again and found glissade trails down the next couloir. I really wanted off the ridge so I decided to go down (photo 4).

The glissade was by far one of the most fun in my experience. Although I didn't want to risk too much speed I still got up to 10mph according to the GPS. The snow was just soft enough to counteract the steepness. Once down the long couloir, there were two other chances for shorter glissades (last photo).

The walk back down the trail was sublime. It was raining, but I was waterproof. The wetness really brought out the colors of the rocks, shrubs, quakies, and pines. Seeing silouhettes of climbers on Belford was dramatic with the low hanging clouds.

Sweet misery. Brian and I grabbed some lunch at Doc Holiday's in Leadville before heading our separate ways.

Parry Peak Descent

I was trying to decide whether to try Quandary or Parry Peak. The book says that Quandary is in shape until early June, Parry until mid June. After the great descent of Eva last year, Parry was chosen.

This time I made it all the way to the reservoir in my Dodge pickup. The open field to south of the dam is fairly steep, but gives way to a long and slowly ascending meadow deep into the valley. I crossed a couple of snowfields on the way up that required some deliberate stepping.

Three other skiers were making their way to Parry as well. I followed the skiers up the east most couloir as seen in photo 2. They were kicking steps in their AT boots, but I donned my crampons since I was in my mountaineering boots. The snow was good for kicking steps. I decided to leave my board at the saddle because a full descent was getting a bit dicey this late in the year. I did head up unencumbered and bag the peak. At this point I noticed two other skiers making their way up the slope. A final talley for the day was 3 telly, 1 AT, and me the lone splitboard.

The descent from the saddle was fairly steep at about 35 degrees with a narrow neck just below the ridge (photo 3). Once past the narrows, the middle section was superb riding. The bottom got slushy and flat as is the pattern. I made it most of the way across the flats saving me a bit of hike out. The skiers made it all the way across the flats, but I had to hike to the next drop off. This left one last piece of descent down to Fall River Reservoir. This section was steep and sticky with many obstacles (photo 4). I even lost my ice axe somehow and had to hike back up to find it lying in the narrow snow section in the middle of the photo.

I don't think this descent is going to last past next week so do it or don't. You can see most of the line in photo 5. The descent starts right of center in the photo on the prominent snow finger. It continues directly toward you in the photo thru the valley.

The descent ends just above the reservoir. It was a nice hike back along the foot trail next to the Fall River Reservoir shore. I made it back to the truck to find many vehicles where there was only three when I left! An old timer from Wyoming commented that his van and my truck were the only two American vehicles there. All in all it was an awesome day and I was very happy with the performance of my new BCA backpack.

Gray's Anatomy

Or "The Best Laid Plans of Kelso and Grays"

I missed all of May and the season is running out. I was trying to decide between Kelso Mountain and Parry Peak, but chose Kelso because of the short hike. So I set out to make a snowboard descent of Kelso Mountain as described in Front Range Descents. The road to the Gray's parking lot was clear. I was a little unsure about parking in private property, so I continued up. The face of Kelso looked a little barren anyway... it is a May recommendation.

I decided to go ahead and descend Grays. What the heck, my first 14er descent. The hike in was enjoyable despite the added weight of my Viole Mountain Gun snowboard. I forgot my sun glasses and left my ice axe and crampons in the car to save weight. Mistake. I talked with a couple of guys who were coming down with their skis on their back. Apparently the head wall was very hard packed and steep.

I ascended the Gray's trail with a slight shortcut that everyone was taking. I made it to about 13k and decided it was the best chance for the descent. I stashed the board and continued to the summit hoping the snow would soften. At least I would bag Gray's for the second time.

I was worried the snow was too hard packed and that there was no visible turns. I seen another skier making the descent so I decided to give it a try. Even though it was very hard packed you can make turns. The snow conditions made executing jump turns critical. The hike and the hard edge taxed my quads to the max. I fell once and slid for about a 100 yards. It made me kick myself for not bringing the ax.

I would advise descending right in order to follow the entire valley back to the parking lot. I hiked the trail not wanting to push my luck; I don't think it would have worked for my board. My legs cramped after a bit of hiking, but a short break and some cookies allowed a recovery.

I renew my promise not to leave the truck again without my ice axe. I believe crampons should always be in the pack too, be damned the extra weight. I think a glissade would be more fun than a ski or snowboard descent on Gray's for this June.

Waikiki 2009

Before my company was sold we had a sabbatical program which would give you six weeks off after six years of service. I had planned to use mine to go to Nepal for a climb. After the sale, the new owners simply paid out the sabbatical as cash. Michelle and I decided to use the cash to go to Hawaii. Neither of us had been, and although Nepal would have been more of an adventure it was a great vacation.

We spent three days on Oahu, three on Kaui, and four on Maui. I will write a post for each island. Today Oahu.

We arrived late on Saturday, checked in and got two upgrades by luck. Our room was on the 17th floor with an ocean view at Ohana East in Waikiki. We had a late dinner and brew at the pizza joint adjacent to the hotel.

On Sunday Michelle and I went our separate ways. She had always wanted to swim with the dolphins, but I had no interest in such things. Instead I made my way to Diamond Head for a hike. Diamond Head is a short hike with some steep sections at the end. There are a boat-load of tourists who take part, so beware. I was surprised that they had not improved the upper portion where you have to climb through a gun turret. No big deal for me, but difficult for some larger folks. The views from the top are well worth the trip. Nice views of Honolulu and the other islands like Maui in the distance.

I spent the afternoon at Waikiki Beach. Waikiki is very crowded and the water is full of long board surfers. Even though the beach is small and crowded it is beautiful.

That evening we took part in Germaine's Luau. The Mai Tai's were the best I had all week. The pork was delicious and the show was pretty good. I didn't know what to expect in a Luau, but it sure wasn't what we got. Nothing bad, but it is simply a bunch of picnic tables and buffet style serving. Our host who traveled with us on the bus was very entertaining and made the experience way fun.

On Monday we took a beach day. We spent a bit of time just hanging out on the beach. I snuck a few Big Swell IPAs in my bag. Big Swell is truly a Hawaiian IPA. Nice and bitter, but mellow like the islands. We rented a water tricycle and peddled our paddle tires around the bay.
We had dinner and drinks at the famous Duke's Waikiki. We got lucky and found a table overlooking the beach. A fun place and the food was okay.