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| Mount Edwards |
I needed to get out on a climb, so once again I contacted
Brian and we decided on Mount Edwards.
Edwards is a high 13er measuring at 13,839ft and located close to home
in the Front Range. We didn’t want a
long drive, so with Edwards only about an hour and a half’s drive from home this
worked well for both of us. A few days
prior we both were able to see an Ed Viesturs presentation and I think that
gave us an added bug to get out into the mountains this week.
We met at the T-Rex lot off of I-70 at 5am and made it to
the Grays Peak TH around 6am. There were
two other cars in the parking lot; I was anticipating a lot more since the
weather was supposed to be clear today.
We stepped out of the car and it was brrrr cold. The wind was blowing pretty hard, so I was
already taking layers out of my pack and putting them on. The sky was dark black and littered with
stars. Unfortunately I was unable to
capture a picture of them with my point and shoot camera, but maybe someday I
will upgrade. By 6:20 we were all set
and started up the trail.
The TH we used is the same one used for hiking Grays and
Torreys Peaks so I had been here twice this year already. I knew what to expect till we hit the main
ridge heading towards Edwards, but that doesn’t mean I was looking forward to
it. It’s a good thing the views are so
amazing back here or the trail would get old fast. We were lucky enough to hike in the darkness
for the first 30-40 minutes; I always enjoy hiking in the dark for some reason. As light was coming into the valley we were
arriving at the large sign for Grays and Torreys; about 1.5miles in. The wind was still blowing pretty hard,
probably gusting in the mid 30’s but with light coming so does heat. From the sign the view of Torreys was
amazing. There was a gentle dusting of
snow that made all the contours and cracks really stand out. I then noticed something moving up on Mount Kelso
out of the corner of my eye; there were at least 10 mountain goats high on the
mountain. The day is getting better and
better and we are still in the flat land.
As the trail made its way towards the rib heading up Gray’s
north face we started seeing a lot more snow on the trail. We both packed micro spikes in but didn’t put
them on during the ascent since we were not slipping at all. In no time at all we passed the group of
three that we saw in the parking lot. I
must say it’s rare when I pass people out here, so I’d be lying if I didn’t say
I had a small smile on my face. As usual
Brian was about a football fields length ahead of me, maybe not that much but
that’s what it felt like. Now that we
were getting into some of the tight switchbacks we knew our cutoff to the main
ridge was near. There are all kinds of
trails heading in the direction we needed to go, so eventually we took one
following along the edge of the Lost Rat Couloir. Once on top of the main ridge we saw how much
work was still ahead of us. It looked
like miles to the summit all on a roller coaster ridge…lovely.
It was nice to see there was a faint trail heading in our
direction. I suspect this is from the
traffic of Continental Divide Hikers not people heading to Edwards, but who
knows maybe others like this punishment too.
We headed down our first descent along the ridge and all was going well
at first. I typically hang on the top of
ridges just so I can better scout trails and I think that is where the route
here is meant to be followed. Brian on
the other-hand dropped down on another trail too far down where it becomes more
side-hilling than anything. I definitely
recommend staying on the high part of the ridge, there is a visible route most
of the way, once you lose the ridge kiss your footing goodbye.
On the second hump we both were down way to far from the
ridge and I caught up to Brian sitting.
I could tell he wasn’t enjoying the traverse and he didn’t know where to
go. Looking back the easiest thing to do
would have been to climb back up to the crest and follow that, but I continued
to do the side hill traverse. It was
unpleasant to say the least. I just kept
moving till I made it to the low point before the final climb up to the summit. Brian was quite a ways behind me so I sat
there and had a fuel and water break till he arrived. Unfortunately when he arrived he was ready to
call it a day. It was disappointing, but
a smart choice. Those are the hard decisions
to make and everyone knows their own limits.
Brian said he would hang out while I went to top, so I ditched my pack
to speed up the process and I was off.
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| New Friends |
The last 300ft was the worst part of the whole climb. If you could stay on solid rock it never
lasted long. There was a route heading
up here, but I think it was more of a goat trail not a human one. I slowly made my way up to another false
summit and right when I was about to hang my head I noticed some white furballs
making their way up the mountain.
Mountain Goats! Immediately my
spirits were lifted as I raced to get my camera out and snap a couple
pictures. There were three goats; a papa,
a mama and a youngling. As they climbed
over the crest of the ridge I found myself in pursuit up the mountain. I got to the crest and was disappointed when
I realized I still had a couple hundred yards to go still before reaching the
summit. I gave up on the goats and got
back to business finding a nice trail that brought me to the summit at last.
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| Grays and Torreys and the Ridge |
The winds were calm and the sky was as blue as I have seen
it all year. This was a peaceful summit,
and I may be a rare visitor to this 13er.
As I looked over to Grays I could see a hoard of people on the top. This brought a smile to my face, since I got
to enjoy this summit by myself. I didn’t
stay up there for more than a few minutes.
I took in the views all around and took a bunch of pictures then I was
off down the ridge again. I was without
my pack and I never like doing that, but I’m sure it sped up the process of
getting up there. My goat friends were a
rib on the north side of the peak just chilaxin. There was five or six of them, I took another
picture then was on my way.
This next part was by far the worst part of the whole
day. I got too far off the ridge and
into some really loose rock that was awful trying to navigate through. My balance was that of a drunk man and I
really wished I had my trekking poles.
Every now and then a boulder would make its way sailing down the
mountain, not by choice. I was just glad
it was the rock and not me. It seemed
like hours since I had left the summit, but was probably about 20 to 30 minutes
till I made it back down to my pack. I
sat down and had a rest for a few minutes then made my way up the middle hump
where Brian was patiently waiting for me.
Brian led the way and we stuck to the ridge and the route
was much better on the descent across the ridge than the ascent was. It was slow going as my legs and energy were
on the decline. The roller coaster of
humps wasn’t helping but step by step I finally made it back to the Grays
trail. I was spent by the time we were
back on the solid trail so we had a nice long break to help recover. My feet were sore as hell in my tight leather
boots, and for a minute I thought about taking them off. I knew if I did that I would cry putting them
back on for the last three miles. We
decided once we hit snow on the trail the micro spikes were going on.
I was moving at a snail’s pace on the rocky trail, I saw the
snow and told Brian it’s time for the spikes.
Once I had my spikes on I gained a step.
I love spikes on the snow I was almost in a trot for a little bit. Just enough cushion that the bottoms of my
feet had some time to relax. It wasn’t
too long till the snow ran out…I almost cried when I saw the rock. We had about two miles left and most only
about one-thousand feet yet to descend.
Once we made it back to the Grays and Torreys sign from the way up we
had another break to shed some fleece layers since it was so hot. After draining the last of our water we took
off on the last mile and a half to the car.
It was a tedious process, but eventually me and my aching dogs made it
back to the car where Brian was waiting.
Today was one of those tough but rewarding climbs. We spent a lot more time out on the mountain than
we wanted, but that’s how it goes when you get off trails and onto routes
sometimes. Even though it was painful at
times I still enjoyed the day. I wish we
both could have summited, but things in the mountains don’t always go as we
want. It was a beautiful day and I love
the high mountains with a dusting of snow.
It won’t be long till we are bundled up in down and climbing in snow
shoes…and I can’t wait!
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| GPS Track |
Date: 10/21/2012
Starting Elevation: 11,243ft
Mount Edwards Summit: 13,839ft
Total Gained Elevation: 3,523ft
Distance: 8.53miles
Time: 6:29 moving, 2:30 stopped.
Climbing Partner: Brian
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