1) Flight to Denver, mountain biking in Avon, and travel to Glenwood Springs
2) Biking on Glenwood Canyon Trail
3) Solo summit of Castle Peak via the North Face Couloir and rock climbing in Glenwood Springs
4) Rest day and mountain biking in New Castle
5) BLM river cleanup and float north of Vail, and Strawberry Days
6) Rock climb 2-pitch, 5.10a, 175 ft "Slabtastic" in East Elks and mountain biking in New Castle
7) Backpack to Snowmass Lake
8) Attempt to climb Snowmass Mountain via East Slopes but turned back and hiked out
9) River float down Glenwood Canyon and Glenwood Hot Springs
10) Travel to Denver and flight home
Sunrise over Snowmass Lake, viewed from the base of Snowmass Mountain. |
45 ft walls at Earth Treks Golden Climbing Gym. |
Bustang West Line at Vail Transportation Center. |
Mountain Biking in Avon - Wild Ridge Sample Trail (5.5 miles, 1000 ft elevation gain)
Alan and I biking on Wild Ridge Sample Trail. |
Sunset from the ridge - the haze is smoke from forest fires. |
Glenwood Canyon Trail - paved bike path in Glenwood Canyon
Glenwood Canyon Bike Trail. |
Castle Peak (14,265 ft) - day climb up North Face Couloir Route
View of the other mountains in the Elk Range (Maroon Bells, Pyramid, Snowmass, and Capitol) from the summit of Castle. |
The beginning of the hike to Castle Peak. |
Waterfall. |
The snowfield on the headwall. I ascended left of center. |
Looking up the North Face Couloir. |
Me climbing up the North Face Couloir. |
Looking down the couloir at the small lake in the bowl below. |
Solo summit of Castle Peak (14,265 ft)! |
Descending the standard Northeast Ridge route. |
The suspension and tires were unbelievable - the ride was smoother than it was walking over the jumbled boulders on this path. I looked over the steep mountainside to my right, as we cruised along bouncing over boulders at up to 8 mph, and it occurred to me that if we slipped off and rolled down the mountainside - my body would probably stay inside the vehicle, but I wasn't sure I would be alive! After a quick creek crossing and faster going on the less rugged terrain below the treeline, we were back at the trailhead. I thanked my new friends and exchanged numbers and pictures, and then started heading back towards Glenwood Springs. I was pretty happy about a successful first solo summit of a 14er! The round trip distance was 13 miles with 4,600 ft elevation gain. After posting a peak condition report on the 14ers.com, Bill Middlebrook commented to say he saw me climbing up and the going looked difficult. He is the founder of 14ers.com and an accomplished mountaineer, and apparently had climbed the Conundrum-Castle traverse while I was ascending. The climb wasn't free from unnecessary risks, however. I reflected on how I had ended up in a situation where going down was less preferable than going up, and how I could prevent ending up in such a predicament again. I think it would be wise in the future to study the standard route as a backup plan if planning on ascending by a non-standard route. I also learned my lesson about snow-only routes: They should only be climbed if they're completely covered in snow!
Puoux - single-pitch sport rock climbing area near Glenwood Springs, CO
Rock climbing. |
Alan and his friend Nate were headed to Glenwood Springs for some rock climbing, so I agreed to meet them there. We found a couple of routes in the Puoux area, and I top roped a 5.7. I was too tired to lead or do any more serious climbing, so I kept Nate's dog company and watched them get in another route before dark. We grabbed some ice cream at Kaleidoscoops for dinner and stopped by Nate's apartment, and then drove back to Alan's in New Castle. It had been a very long day and I was exhausted. The next day, I stopped by Alan's BLM office for a quick tour and continued on to the Walmart in Rifle to purchase a new SD card for my phone, a waterproof case for our upcoming kayak trip, and some rain pants which I had left at home in Austin. I then drove back to New Castle and Alan met up with me and we went mountain biking around his neighborhood. We took Medaris Ditch to Salty Dalty and made a loop of Pubview and Medaris Ridge. After a quick shower, we biked to a dinner party with some of Alan's work friends before turning in for the night.
Upper Colorado River - kayaking and trash cleanup from State Bridge to Two Bridges
Alan posting a fire warning notice at BLM campsite. |
The next day we planned on floating the Upper Colorado River. I went with Alan to the BLM office in Silt, and I registered as a volunteer and we picked up the inflatable kayaks and other gear. Alan and one of his younger coworkers took a BLM truck and I drove Alan's Prius, and we headed east on I-70 to Wolcott and then north on 131 for an hour and a half. This was officially a workday, and I was along as a volunteer - we were tasked with cleaning up some campsites in the area before floating the river, where we would pick up trash and monitor other outfitters operating on the river. When we arrived, we drove through the campsites and cleaned out the fire pits and collected trash into garbage bags. Alan posted a warning related to the fire danger, and then we headed to the State Bridge boat ramp where 131 crosses the Colorado River. We unloaded the kayaks and tasked Alan's coworker with inflating them. Alan and I then both drove to the Two Bridges boat ramp where we planned to pull out in order to leave his truck. We drove back in the Prius and prepared for our river float. Alan and his co-worker would share a double kayaks, while I had the second to myself. Garbage bags, tools, and a repair kit were stored in ammo boxes. We launched our kayaks and began our float.
Alan and coworker kayaking on the Upper Colorado River. |
There were a number of rapids, but nothing more than Class 2. The scenery was beautiful. It was fun to be out on the water, especially as I had not yet been kayaking or rafting in Colorado before. We made several stops to collect trash along the riverbank. Just short of 2 hours later (the float was only about 5 miles long), we reached the Two Bridges pullout. Alan's coworker and I packed up the kayaks while he met with some of the outfitters who were also operating there. We then drove back to Silt along the Colorado River Road, which was a very scenic route.
Alan slacklining. |
That evening, Alan and I went in to Glenwood Springs and found a neighborhood park to set up his slackline. After trying for a little while, I started to get the hang of it. Alan's friend Nate showed up, and all 3 of us took turns slacklining before we walked over to Sayre Park for the Glenwood Springs Strawberry Days festival. Alan and Nate met up with some of their friends, and we grabbed some food from the vendors.
Strawberry Days festival. |
Slabtastic - 2-pitch, 5.10a, 175 ft sport rock climb in East Elk Creek near New Castle, CO
Hiking along the creek to Slabtastic. |
Alan climbing up P1 of Slabtastic. |
Nate met us early the next morning and the three of us and his dog drove together up to the approach to Slabtastic. Directions for the trailhead can be found on Mountain Project here. The actual approach to the climb is described here, and took us about an hour although that was partly because we were unfamiliar with the terrain and walking with a dog.
My view up the East Elk Creek Valley from P2 of Slabtastic. |
Nate topping out P2 of Slabtastic. |
I then lead the second pitch. This is the 5.10a, and it was long (100 ft) and steep. It is protected by 11 bolts. While climbing, I dislodged a rock and yelled to alert Alan and Nate, but they were safe under an overhang on the belay ledge. The rock tumbled to the ground, where Nate's dog Bella was laying, and as a dog, she didn't know what was happening or react to my yell. The rock landed very nearby to her, much to her surprise. Leaving Bella unattended while we were on the wall made me realize that its not the best idea to bring a dog along on a multi-pitch climb if no one on the ground can tend to her.
Alan, Nate, and I on top of Slabtastic (5.10a). |
Several of the moves were pretty difficult. I actually skipped two bolts as I was so uncomfortable with my stance I didn't dare risk clipping. I did use a sling over a protruding rock at one point as a natural anchor to replace one of my skipped bolts as a potential fall could have been huge - maybe 80 ft. As I climbed above the sling, it came loose, but I was able to clip into the next bolt. I cleaned the sling then and there. When I got to the top, I anchored in, and called Alan on the radio to tell him to come off belay. He cleaned my gear on his way up and saw the two skipped bolts. Without any evidence of the natural anchor I'd placed, he thought the potential fall would have been even larger, as there was a long section that appeared unprotected. I'd warned him that if I fell during that section it was going to big, but as he remarked at the top, "I didn't realize how big." We then belayed Nate up to us and we took a few moments on the summit before rappelling down.
Alan looking over New Castle from the mountain bike trail. |
When we got back to New Castle, we said goodbye to Nate before Alan and I did an evening mountain bike ride. We rode Stairway to Heaven, Colorow Trail East, and Colorow Trail Connector. Once back at the house, we grilled up some homemade mushroom and swiss cheeseburgers and packed our gear for an overnight trip to attempt to summit Snowmass Mountain.
Snowmass Lake - backpacking to Snowmass Lake and summit attempt of Snowmass Mountain
Snowmass Mountain and Snowmass Peak obscured in cloud when we arrived at Snowmass Lake. |
Alan and I at the Snowmass Creek Trailhead. |
Alan and I planned on making our third attempt to summit Snowmass Mountain (14,092 ft). We had first visited the area in 2013 during our backpacking trip on 4-Pass Loop in the Maroon Bells and so we were quite familiar with the area. We drove down to Snowmass Village and parked at the Snowmass Creek Trailhead. We hiked the 8 miles and 2,500 ft elevation gain to Snowmass Lake on Snowmass Creek Trail without too much difficulty.
Cold and rainy weather throughout the day. |
It was chilly and rain showers occasionally swept through the area, but I was fairly comfortable under my rain gear. The creek was high and flowing very fast, and the log jam was almost completely submerged. Remembering how I slipped and fell on the logs in rainy weather in 2014, and with the higher water levels, we opted to ford the creek instead. We stripped down to our underwear, changed into sandals, and held our packs above our heads. We crossed the swift-flowing creek, and the water was icy cold. It was so cold it felt as if it was burning and took my breath away. Reaching chest-deep at its deepest, it was a relief to get to the other side to dry off and put my clothes back on.
Alan crossing the logs to the campsite at Snowmass Lake. |
Along the way I saw several very wet looking marmots observing me. They all looked like they could use a warm towel. It is definitely a rough life for the wild animals out here. When we arrived at Snowmass Lake in the evening, everything was still cold and damp and the summit of Snowmass Mountain was obscured in cloud. We set up camp and stored our food in a bear container and went to bed. Unfortunately, sleeping at 10,980 ft, I struggled with altitude sickness. This confounded me as I had been to this place multiple times before, and I had already been in Colorado for a week and I had hoped to have acclimatized. I could not sleep, and my heart was racing. I measured my heart rate multiple times during the night, and it was consistently 150 BPM. I also had a very strong headache that would not go away.
Snowmass Peak glowing in the sunrise. |
In the morning, I told Alan that I had trouble sleeping and that my heart rate was elevated. I still wanted to attempt the East Slopes route though, so we packed our summit bags and hiked around the lake. The brush was still soaking wet from rain and dew, so we wore our rain gear. Halfway from the campsite to the base of the mountain, the first glints of sunrise illuminated the upper slope of Snowmass Mountain and Snowmass Peak in a brilliant orange glow. The summit itself was still obscured by thick cloud and a slight wind disturbed the lake.
Where we turned around on Snowmass Mountain. |
We reached the base of Snowmass just as the sun rose over the mountains behind us. The weather had not improved. We started scrambling and reached just below the waterfall section of the headwall (a gain of about 800 ft) before we stopped again to discuss our situation. The clouds were dark and covered more than 60% of the sky, and the summit was still obscured. My heart rate had still not improved and I was moving slowly. We decided to turn around as my altitude sickness and the weather were not conducive to a summit attempt. Once again we descended Snowmass Mountain having not reached the summit.
Alan crossing the logjam. |
We hiked back to the campsite and struck the tent. We stopped in the lower valley where Snowmass Creek meanders through the meadows and Alan did a little fly fishing. When we reached the logjam, we discovered the water level had gone done a bit and the drier weather made crossing the logs a safe option. It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, punctuated by thick, white, puffy clouds. The solitude during the walk back through the beautiful aspen forest was some consolation for our missed summit.
Kayaking Glenwood Canyon - 6 mile float on Colorado River from Grizzly Creek to Two Rivers
Alan, Nate, and I launching at Grizzly Creek. |
On my last full day in Colorado I packed up my stuff while Alan was work. In the evening, we packed up his roommate's ducky (inflatable kayak) and drove to Glenwood Springs to meet Nate. We left Alan's truck at the Two Rivers boat ramp and piled all our gear in Nate's truck and drove up to Grizzly Creek rest area. Here we put in, with Nate in his own single-person ducky and Alan and I in the double-kayak. This run is 6 miles long and Class 3, and a guide can be found on American Whitewater here. The rapids were fun and it took us about 2 hours to complete. I've biked and driven through Glenwood Canyon several times before, but this was my first time floating the river. In the evening, the sunset made the canyon walls glow in the orange light and it was a beautiful end to my trip. Once we reached the pullout, Alan and Nate went back to Grizzly Creek to get his truck while I deflated the kayaks. I had left my shirt in the truck and the temperature was dropping, so I was pretty cold by the time they arrived.
Alan paddling through Glenwood Canyon. |
We packed up the kayaks and drove to Glenwood Hot Springs Resort. We got there a little after 9 pm, and the last hour the pools are open for a reduced price of $10. The pools were packed with people, and Alan and Nate ran into several people they knew. But I was able to warm back up, and it was an enjoyable way to end the trip. We said goodbye to Nate and drove back to Alan's in New Castle.
Alan, Nate, and I kayaking Glenwood Canyon. |
The next day Alan dropped me off bright and early at the bus station in Glenwood Springs, and I rode the Bustang back to Union Station in Denver. There I was able to take the train to the airport, and flew back home to Austin. It had been a great trip overall. I am thankful to my friend Alan for being such an awesome adventure partner and letting me crash at his place (and borrow his Prius!), and it was fun adventuring with Nate again as well. In the following 2 years, Alan climbed Capitol Peak in the fall of 2018, and finally summited Snowmass Mountain during the summer of 2019, as well as Pyramid Peak. I look forwards to returning to Snowmass Mountain again someday.
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