outdoors – Wild Wanderer

West Tellurium – 13,078

RT Length: 3 miles (from just below Ptarmigan Lake)

Elevation Gain: 1200’ (from just below Ptarmigan Lake)

This was my second attempt at this peak. In my quest to finish the 13ers slowly and enjoyably I planned to drive up to Ptarmigan Lake, set up a tent, and climb the next morning. Of course, this plan failed (kind of). Having attempted this peak before I knew I’d need to take a side by side up to Ptarmigan Lake, so I drove 6.23 miles up the worst 4WD road I’d ever driven in a side by side: 584/ Tellurium Creek .

There are signs as you enter saying no trucks, and there’s no way my Tacoma could have driven up the road. However, at the base of the road there are several large dispersed campsites, so feel free to park there.

Here are some pictures of the 4WD road. I think the hardest part was about 2.5 miles in, but it doesn’t let up the entire time. It started out driving up a wet and rocky creek bed, there were at least 4 stream crossings, there were large rocks (bigger than microwaves), narrow passages, and steep climbs.

I made it up to about 11880’, about .7 miles below Ptarmigan Lake, when I came to a road closure sign. Obviously the road had previously gone all the way to the lake, but it hadn’t for quite some time. So I set up camp near the road closure and was on the trail early the next morning.

There was a class 1 trail that started to the left of the closed gate. It looked like it went to Ptarmigan Lake, and indeed it did. I followed it through a couple of old mines until the trail ended, then saw the old road in the distance and followed that to the lake.

Ptarmigan lake is a great place to find a camping spot if you’re making this a backpacking trip. If not, to the left (west) of the lake is a strong game trail. I noticed it when I was hiking in and saw a herd of elk using the trail. This trail goes all the way to the ridge.

I followed the trail to the ridge

Once on the ridge I turned right and followed the class 2 ridge northeast.

At the top I turned left and continued to follow the ridge to the summit.

I summited West Tellurium Peak at 7am

West Tellurium:

In keeping with enjoying my hikes this was an out and back hike for me, so I turned around and descended the ridge the way I’d summited.

Back on the trail, I took it east towards Ptarmigan Lake

I then found the old 4WD road, and followed that back to the trail that led me to the closed gate/parking area

I made it back to the side by side at 7:45am, making this a 3 mile hike with 1200’ of elevation gain in just under 2 hours.

Here’s the entire route topo. The most difficult part about this hike was by far the drive up/down Tellurium Creek Road, which I’m coming back to hike in again very soon. I wouldn’t drive it again.

And just the hike from the parking area

On to the next trailhead!

Italian Mountain – 13,385

RT Length (from Stewart Mine): 3.2 miles

Elevation Gain (from Stewart Mine): 1500’

This was my second attempt at Italian Mountain. Earlier this month (August) I hiked in from Spring Creek Reservoir and got turned around at Stewart Mine due to a summer snowstorm. Actually, it was the thunder that turned me around. If you do take the route from Spring Creek Reservoir you take 880 until it becomes a dirt road. If you have a 2WD vehicle leave it there in the parking/camping area. If you have a capable 4WD vehicle and competent driver you can take it another mile to the trailhead (at the end of the narrow road). There is one large campsite just before the trailhead on the left-hand side. You can then take the Italian Connector Trail to treeline, turn left at the only junction (the one with 4WD road 759), and follow it to Stewart Mine. It’s about 3.5 miles and 1500’ of elevation gain to Stewart Mine on a class 1 trail that starts with a creek crossing and is very easy to follow. I don’t have a lot of pictures of this part of the route because I either hiked it in the early morning dark or in whiteout conditions from the snow. Here are a few pictures of the route to treeline:

When I got to Stewart Mine a dark cloud descended from the ridge of Italian Mountain and within minutes I was in a minor blizzard. I hunkered down for 15 minutes waiting for it to pass, but when the thunder started I headed back down to treeline. Half an hour later I realized this summer storm was going to last a while and descended back to the trailhead to try again another time. It rained/hailed/sleeted/snowed the entire way back to the trailhead.

However, I hadn’t been expecting to see that 4WD road, so it got me thinking… could I drive up it? The short answer is no. My Tacoma could not drive this road, but my side by side could. So I drove the side by side from 742, turned left onto 759. There are a bunch of campsites along 742 and 759, but at the junction or near it is a great place to leave your 2WD vehicle. It’s where I left my 4WD Tacoma and started out on the side by side. From the junction it’s about 10 miles and 2300’ of elevation gain on a difficult 4WD road to Stewart Mine that follows Italian Creek and goes around private property (there are signs directing you on the road where you can legally drive). My Tacoma could not have made it to the mine. I’d strongly suggest either hiking in from Spring Creek Reservoir to the mine or taking a truly off road capable vehicle to the mine. Here are some pictures of the road in. Notice I don’t have many, because I was white-knuckling it the entire way.

I was on the trail at 6am. The trail starts directly behind Stewart Mine at 10230’, and is fairly obvious.

I followed the trail west and then northeast as it gained the ridge. The trail was very easy to follow the entire way, with no junctions. Here’s the basic route:

And some pictures of the route to the ridge:

Once on the ridge I followed the trail west. Here’s the overall route:

There was one time the trail kind of disappeared, but it was easy to see where it picked up along the ridge in the distance.

I continued following the ridge (staying just to the left of the ridge) on this class 1 trail until I made it to 13180’. Then I made the hike class 2 by leaving the trail and climbing straight up the ridge. When I hit the top turned right and hiked a short way to the summit. Alternatly you could follow the trail the entire way to the summit (something I didn’t know until I was on my descent).

The last 20 yards or so was class 2 terrain, but easy tundra as I headed northwest.

I summited Italian Mountain at 7:10am. It was a rather gloomy day, but I was glad the weather held out this time.

Italian Mountain:

This was an out and back hike for me, so I headed south, then took the ridge back to the trail.

Here’s an overall view of my route back down to the mine

Here’s that spot where the trail vanishes for a bit

And then it picks up again and led me right back to the mine

I made it back to my campsite at 8am, making this a 3.2 mile hike with 1500’ of elevation gain in 2 hours.

The black line is my drive in from Spring Creek Reservoir, the purple line is my drive in on 759, and the red line is my hike.

On to the next trailhead!

13039

RT Length: 7.81 miles

Elevation Gain: 2560’

While the Williams Group is a serious class 3 scramble, PT 13039 is an easy climb. I just had a few hours this morning, so I decided to take a hike to the top to get a look at the terrain. If you’re looking for a great class 2 13er in the Sawatch Range that’s straightforward and not crowded, try this one out!

I started from the Lost Man Trailhead at 5am. This trailhead has plenty of parking (but it fills up on weekends), and is the one located directly across from Lost Man Campground. I just found out there’s a lower and upper Lost Man Trailhead. This is the Lower Lost Man Trailhead.

At the trailhead sign I went left and followed Midway Trail. It started out with willows that quickly changed to pine trees, then back to willows around treeline. If it’s been raining in the past day or so, you’re going to get wet walking through those willows, but the trail is easy to follow. There was also an abundance of wildflowers and I could hear the traffic from 82 below as I ascended.

Midway Trail is an easy-to-follow class 1 trail. I followed it over a bridge.

And then turned left at this junction to stay on the Midway Trail for as long as I was on a trail.

The trail switchbacked up to 11500’ and then continued along the south side of the slope.

Just at about treeline I came to a small pond (11990’), and skirted it on the trail that goes to the right, following the trail up to 12100’

At 12100’ of elevation, just as the trail was starting to level out and after about 3 miles of hiking from the trailhead, I turned right and headed northeast up to the ridge of 13039. This is choose your own adventure, and all class 2. I did my best to avoid the willows and pine trees and aimed straight up the ridge, gaining about 850’ of elevation. Most of the rocky terrain can be avoided until you get to the top.

Once on the ridge it was a short, rocky, class 2 climb following the ridge west and then north to the summit.

I summited 13039 at 7:30am

13039:

Due to time constraints this was my only peak of the day, but here’s a view of some of the other peaks you can link with this climb to make it a long and challenging class 3+ day:

I turned and made this an out and back hike. I followed the ridge back down the way I’d ascended.

Then I headed south/southwest down the slope back to the Midway Trail.

Back on Midway Trail I followed it around 3 miles back to the trailhead.

I made it back to my truck at 9am, making this a 7.81 mile hike with 2560’ of elevation gain in 4 hours.

On to the Western Slope to volunteer at a Girl Scout camp for a week!

T5 – 13,437

RT Length: 10.6 miles

Elevation Gain: 4688’

First of all, parking in Telluride is challenging. I arrived the day before and when I got to the trailhead there weren’t any parking spaces available for any vehicles to park there at all, so I turned around and looked for a place to park in town. Nope. Nothing. There were signs everywhere stating it is illegal in Telluride to sleep in your vehicle (how can THAT be legal?), and all lots had 2am-6am “No Parking or you’ll get towed” restrictions. Street parking was limited to 2 hours unless you were a resident and had a pass. This was frustrating! I was glad I’d arrived a day early. Not sure of what to do, I called the Chamber of Commerce/Tourism and they told me I could park in the parking garage ($2 per hour, but $50 if I stayed overnight), or try the residential area off Galena and park in front of someone’s house. I couldn’t park there overnight, but it should be ok for day use. I found a dispersed campsite away from town and came back early in the morning to try Galena Street. I was able to find a spot in front of someone’s house, which I felt weird parking in, and I was on my way. With all of the crazy restrictions I hoped no one would tow my vehicle. I took Galena to Tomboy and hiked the road to the trailhead.

This was labeled on CalTopo as Liberty Bells Trail, but the trailhead called it the Jud Wiebe Trail. I’ve found a lot of inconsistencies with Telluride trail names. The gate was locked to vehicles so I walked under it and was on my way. The trail starts out heading northwest towards some water tanks and then continues heading northeast to treeline. The trail was very well maintained and easy to follow. The wildflowers were on point.

On CalTopo this trail is labeled as the Liberty Bell Trail, and it goes through Liberty Flats. Let me tell you, there was nothing flat about this trail. It kept climbing up, up, up, alternating from being a trail to being an old 4WD road.

After hiking for around 1.3 miles (from where I’d started) I came to a junction for the Jud Wiebe Trail. I continued straight on the Liberty Bells Trail.

I came to another unnamed junction, and not really knowing which way to go since it wasn’t on any of my maps I went right. This happened to be the correct choice.

I continued following the trail past an old mine and up to treeline.

At treeline I came to a junction with the Sheridan Crosscut Trail and turned left.

This trail was a bit fainter but still easy to follow. I headed northeast up the basin to a ridge. Here’s an overview of the route:

And some pictures to that ridge. Here is where I put on my microspikes and kept them on to the summit. The trail in many areas looks like it has been washed out due to rockslides/snow and some of the areas are sketchy. Unstable scree abounds.

At the top of this ridge the trail turned and started heading northeast, rounding down into the basin and then gaining the ridge.

Here’s an overall picture of where you’re headed. There’s a good trail to get you to the base of a gully in the distance (but still keep an eye out for loose rocks/scree).

And some pictures along the way to the small gully

It’s obvious where to ascend the gully, as the trail stops. I turned and headed north to the ridge. The gully isn’t very long, maybe 100 feet or so of elevation gain.

At the top of the gully is a wind break made out of rocks, and a sign that says “Krogers Canteen”. There were also beer bottles on the ground that hadn’t been opened (but were only halfway full).

I walked through the wind break and followed the ridge east

This is what I considered the “spiciest” part of the route. I’ve outlined the route up, but recent rockfall has made this area especially unstable. Scree-valanches will start from underneath you and rocks will fall like an hourglass from above and below. It looks like there used to be an easier way to ascend, but recent rockfall has changed the route. There are parts of what used to be a trail here.

Now on the ridge I followed it east towards 13337 (false summit). There was some unavoidable snow to traverse. I went both ways around the boulder in the middle, one on the ascent, the other on the descent. Both were class 2.

The toughest part was over, now it was a class 2 ridge hike following the ridge to the summit (after going over the false summit first).

From the top of the false summit it was an easy ridge hike to the summit of T5

I summited T5 at 9am

T5:

Now to head back down. This was an out and back hike for me, so I turned around and headed back the way I came.

I headed back towards the false summit

And then back down the snow to the gully

I then carefully navigated my way back down the to the gully and back to the trail below.

Once on the trail I followed it around 4 miles back to the trailhead.

I made it back to my truck at 11:45am, making this a 10.6 mile hike with 4688’ of elevation gain in 6 hours 30 minutes. Sorry about the poor topo. Something happened with Strava halfway through my hike and it pinged back near 145, then back up to me for the descent. Gotta love technology.

Also, I’d already attempted this peak the easier way, through Governor Basin, but there’s now a sign saying it’s a working mine and you need permission to hike through there, so I turned around and tried a different route.

On to the next trailhead!

13223 and 13144

RT Length: 11.58 miles

Elevation Gain: 4141’

I started this hike at 6:45am from just below Rustler Gulch Trailhead. Rustler Gulch Trailhead is located off a 4WD road, and while there is a trailhead, there’s really only enough room for one or two small vehicles to park there. I tried parking my truck near the gate, and it stuck out halfway into the narrow road, so I backtracked and parked a bit earlier along the road.

I’ve been to this area in the summer, and while the wildflowers are beautiful, I knew I wanted to do this hike in the fall. In the summer the entire road to the trailhead is packed with vehicles, there are biting black flies, and I’d be hiking with 2000 other hikers. Not to mention the flowers: they’re beautiful, but I’d need to navigate my way through them (and the bees) to reach the ridge, which I didn’t want to do.

I walked a little bit up the road, and then hiked the Rustler Gulch trail for 3 miles. This trail is easy to follow, starting out in the trees before crossing several streams and entering the gulch.

After hiking for about 3 miles, I could see the route I wanted to take to gain the ridge.

This was fairly easy to do. I left the trail, and started heading northeast up the tundra slope, avoiding the rock outcroppings and willows along the way.

As I continued northeast, aiming for the ridge, the terrain got steeper and it changed from tundra to talus.

Once on top of the ridge I turned right and followed it east. I could see 13144 in the distance.

There are a lot of ups and downs along the ridges in this hike, gaining and losing and gaining elevation. This part of the ridge is class 2. If you find yourself in class 3 territory, you’re making it too difficult. Look for game trails to the right to avoid any potential class 3. Here are some pictures of this part of the ridge.

From about halfway along the ridge I could clearly see 13144, but I wasn’t headed there first. Instead, I was headed here:

I continued following the ridge (now heading northeast) to that point, still in class 2 territory.

I could now see 13223 to the north/northeast.

From this point, the most difficult part of the ridge is class 3. It’s mainly class 2, with a couple of class 3 climbs thrown in, especially at the beginning of the ridge and the final climb to the summit. This part of the ridge starts out with an airy class 3 move. I went to the right on a narrow shelf of rocks. Now is also probably a good time to point out the rock here, like the rest of the Maroon Bells area, is unstable and chossy. Most rocks will move, so be sure of your holds before continuing.

After the initial airy class 3 around the rock outcropping I was back into class 2 territory for a while

Until I came here. I came to a point in the ridge that was narrow and had gullies on each side. While these gullies looked like they went at difficult class 2, they had kitty-litter scree on top of hard sand, steep drop offs, and a lot of exposure. The best (safest) way to traverse this is to downclimb to the narrow point at the top of both gullies, then climb straight up the rock. This was the crux of the climb, and had exposure, but it was no more than class 3 (and much easier to downclimb). There are plenty of holds to use, just make sure they’re stable before committing. This is much easier to do than pictures make it look, and indeed, than it looked at the time.

From here, the rest of the ridge is class 2/difficult class 2. If it looks more difficult than class 2, look for a game trail to the left or the right of the ridge.

There’s a bump in the ridge, which I went over on my way to Belleview

The last bit to the summit starts out as class 2, then becomes class 3. I aimed for the depression in the rocks. This area is filled with broken pieces of rock, but there are sections of scree. Aim for the sections of scree as you ascend. Getting over this piece brought me to the final push to the summit.

Now I could see the final push to the summit. This is class 3, and loose, but easy climbing. This is the overall route I took:

I summited 13223 at 11am

13223:

Now to head back towards PT 13144.

I descended back to the ridge, and followed it the way I hiked in.

For brevity, and because I’m assuming you already hiked the ridge on the way in, I’m just going to show a few pictures of the ridge back towards 13144

And the final exit off the ridge

From here, it was a quick class 2 hike southeast to the summit of 13144

I summited 13144 at 12:15pm

13144:

I descended much the same way I ascended initially to the ridge. I headed northwest along the ridge, and then followed the ridge southwest, back towards Rustler Gulch.

Instead of ascending to the high point on the ridge, this time I descended just below the talus and scree, heading southwest on the grassy slope towards the trail below.

Back on the trail, I followed it west and then south through Rustler Gulch, back to the trailhead.

I made it back to my truck at 2:45pm, making this an 11.58 mile hike with 4141’ of elevation gain in 8 hours.

On to the next trailhead!

Chicago Peak – 13,391 and Tomboy Peak – 13,101

RT Length: 6.16 miles

Elevation Gain: 1975’

The drive to Imogene Pass is not for the faint of heart. You need a 4WD vehicle and a competent driver. Be prepared for narrow roads and large rock slabs with steep drop offs. The worst part is the very beginning (at the separation from Yankee Boy Basin) and at the very end. I drove in from the Ouray side. I didn’t drive all the way to the pass, but parked about a mile below at a wide turnout. I was on the trail at 6:30am, following the road south towards Imogene Pass.

Just before the final switchback to Imogene Pass I bypassed the road and took a game trail to the right, which led me back to the road and Imogene Pass.

The Telluride side was closed

From Imogene Pass I followed the road/ridge north

Maps show a trail here, but if there is one, it’s faint/has been destroyed by rockfall. This hike is class 2, but difficult class 2. Everything is loose. The talus and shale are not secure, and there’s exposure, so be mentally ready for more than a normal class 2 hike. Watch your step, as there are large metal wires strewn all about the ground on this ridge. There’s a trail until you hit this point, then you get to route find. From here I could see Chicago Peak. This is the route I took:

I then rounded the ridge, following the ridge proper

This is where the fun begins. You want to stay high, but not on top of the ridge. I pretty much followed the bottom of the rock outcroppings, traversing on shale. I started out staying to the right, then in the middle switched to the left to go around a large rock, and then took the ridge proper to the slope. Here’s an overall view of my route:

And some pictures:

From here it was an easy ridge hike on shale game trails to the summit. I followed the ridge north.

I summited Chicago Peak at 7:45am

Chicago Peak:

My next peak was Tomboy Peak, which I could see to the northwest. It looked too small to be a 13er from here, but that’s just because Chicago Peak is taller.

This is the overall route I took to get there

First, I continued hiking down the ridge until I came to a small saddle at 13220’. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the game trail to the right that will circle you back to the saddle.

I then turned left, and headed west towards Tomboy Peak, losing 400’ of elevation on very loose shale (no trails here, watch your step).

At the saddle, I headed straight up the ridge to the summit (also on very loose shale).

I summited Tomboy Peak at 8:40am

Tomboy Peak:

This was an out and back hike for me, so I turned around and headed back towards Chicago Peak. The pictures heading back are probably more useful than the ones coming in, due to the angle of the sun. First, I descended to the Chicago/Tomboy Saddle

And then to re-ascend to the ridge

Then to re-ascend Chicago Peak. I followed the ridge south.

After re-ascending Chicago Peak I continued following the ridge.

Here’s an overall view of my hike through the rest of the ridge.

After making it to the top of the ridge, I followed it south back to Imogene Pass

Once back at the pass I followed the road to my access trail, then the trail back to the road, and the road back to my truck.

I made it back to my truck at 10:30am, making this a 6.16 mile hike with 1975’ of elevation gain in 4 hours.

Canby Mountain – 13,487 and Galena Mountain – 13,307

RT Length: 6.65 miles

Elevation Gain: 2084’

From my parking spot at Stony Pass I was on the trail at 6:30am, following the 4WD road west until the tundra met the rocks, and I was able to find a game trail that picked up on the other side. This trail starts out difficult to find, then becomes a solid trail for most of the hike. Here’s what the route looks like from below:

I followed this trail for .85 miles, until I made it to the ridge

At about 13085’ I hit a saddle, turned right, and followed the ridge to the summit. This was class 2, but there are a few social trails in the area. I just kept following the ridge southeast.

Eventually the ridge became filled with scree, but the angle wasn’t difficult, and it all remained class 2

I summited Canby Mountain at 7:10am

Canby Mountain:

From the summit of Canby Mountain I could see Galena Mountain to the north/northwest.

It was a ridge hike on tundra to get there, and all class 2. I headed back down to the small saddle, and picked up the trail that follows the ridge.

By sticking to the ridge, following it northeast, eventually the trail ends. You can continue to follow the ridge, however, when I came to the scree area (it’s obvious), I stayed at about 13000’ and skirted the ridge. There’s an obvious dirt road in the distance you can aim for, and some game trails here. I aimed for the highest point of the dirt road, and then followed it along the ridge until it ended.

It ended in a roundabout circle, and from there I left the road and continued following the ridge northwest. This is all tundra, and there are a lot of elevation gains and losses along the way. Every once in a while I’d pick up a game trail, and follow it to make the route finding easier.

The final trek to the summit was all on tundra and included a faint game trail for part of the way.

I summited Galena Mountain at 8:35am

Galena Mountain:

From Galena Mountain, I could see Canby Mountain, and that long ridge, to the south/southwest.

I needed to get back to Stony Pass, so I descended Galena and followed the ridge back the way I’d summited, aiming for the Canby saddle.

Back on the road, I followed it a short distance, and then aimed for the ridge once again.

This time, when I was on the ridge, I noticed there was a “y” in the trail. Go left here, towards Canby Mountain

Following this path led me back to the saddle with Canby Mountain

At the saddle I turned right, and followed the trail back down to the dirt road.

I then followed the dirt road back to my truck.

I made it back to my truck at 9:45am, making this a 6.64 mile hike with 2084’ of elevation gain in 3 hours, 15 minutes.

PT 13076

RT Length: 9.64 miles

Elevation Gain: 2129’

I woke up nice and cozy in the bed of my truck and sat there in the dark waiting for my alarm to go off. After waiting quite a while, I looked at my phone and noticed it was 8:15am! My alarm hadn’t gone off, and I was late getting on the trail. I was ready 15 minutes later, following the 4WD southeast towards the CDT trailhead. Doing this meant I lost 160’ of elevation in .3 miles, which I would need to regain at the end of my hike. There is one parking space near this trailhead, but when I got there the day before there was an ATV parked there, taking up the entire spot.

Once at the CDT trailhead, I followed the CDT north for a total of about 3.5 miles, gaining and losing elevation as I went.

At the top of a small pass I came to a junction for the CDT and Moose Gulch, and turned right, continuing on the CDT.

I continued on the CDT until I made it to 13000’

I then turned left, and walked across the tundra northwest, following the gently sloping tundra on the ridge.

Eventually, the peak came into view. This looks harder than it is. By sticking to the ridge, this is all class 2.

Here are some pictures of the class 2 ridge to the summit.

I summited PT 13076 at 10:15am

PT 13076:

This was an out and back hike for me, so I turned around and followed the ridge southeast back to the CDT.

Once back to the CDT I turned right, and followed it south as it wound back to the 4WD dirt road.

I then followed the dirt road back to my truck, parked at Stony Pass.

I made it back to Stony Pass at 12:30pm, making this a 9.64 mile hike with 2129’ of elevation gain in 4 hours.

I was exhausted, and decided to take a lunch break at my truck.

PT 13171

Route Length: 13.85 miles

Elevation Gain: 3207’

To see the approach, view my previous post of Mt Nebo from Beartown, as this was the second day of my trip. Or, if you’re only doing this peak, the hike in from Beartown to the Nebo Creek Trail is easy to follow, and described on my descent.

I was up and on the trail at 6:30am, startling a small herd of elk as I opened up my tent. I continued following the CDT east, down towards West Ute Lake. I lost about 700’ of elevation as I headed back down to treeline. This is an easy to follow, class 1 trail.

From West Ute Lake, I could see PT 13171, and I followed the trail up to the saddle. From this vantage point, you can see 3 notches in the ridge to the peak. The first notch is class 2, the second is class 3 or 4 (depending on the route you choose), and the third is class 2.

At around 12250’ of elevation I left the trail, and headed for the ridge, doing my best to avoid the willows. The route here is all class 2, and you can pretty much pick any line of tundra and it will get you to the ridge. This is the route I took:

Once on the ridge, I turned right and followed it west. The ridge was rocky, but went at class 2 (except for the second notch). The first notch was an easy class 2 walkaround.

The second notch was an easy downclimb, then a choose your own adventure upclimb. I kept it class 3 by staying to the right of the white rock. The rock was solid, but there was also a lot of talus littering the solid rock. This is the route I took:

I made my way back to the ridge

Here’s a look at that third notch, another easy class 2 workaround by going left

Then it was a rocky, class 2 hike to the summit

I summited PT 13171 at 8:30am

PT 13171:

This was my only peak for the day, so I re-traced my steps back down the rocky ridge

Then I navigated my way down off the ridge, back to the CDT

Back on the trail, I followed it forth (then northwest as it curved)

There was one point where the trail intersected with the West Ute Trail, just after West Ute Lake. I didn’t notice it on my way in, but if you notice it here, go left.

I made it back to treeline, then gained 725’ of elevation back to my campsite at 12500’

I took down my tent, and continued hiking west on the CDT, towards Vallecito Trail.

Once I made it to the Vallecito Trail, I turned right, and followed it north to Hunchback Pass, gaining 955’ of elevation up to the pass

Then I continued following the trail back down to Beartown, and my truck.

I made it back to Beartown at 1:30pm, making this a 13.85 mile hike with 3207’ of elevation gain, including campsite tear down, in 7 hours.

On to the next trailhead!

Darley Mountain – 13,275, Engineer Mountain – 13,225, Seigal Mountain – 13,281

RT Length: 11.44 miles

Elevation Gain: 3236’

I decided to park off CR 20 just part MM 15 on the side of the road. I could have camped at Golconda Mining Complex, but since I only needed a parking spot, not a campsite, I decided to park here.

I was up and on the trail at 5:30am. I began by following the road towards Engineer Pass. This is a 4WD road, but easy to follow. From my parking spot, it was about 2.75 miles to Engineer Pass.

Just before reaching the pass, and just as the sun was rising, I came upon a herd of about 500 sheep.

They all moved and baa’d as I hiked past them, towards Engineer Pass.

My first peak of the day was Darley Mountain. From Engineer Pass, I turned right, and headed north along the ridge towards Darley. This was all class 2, but full of loose scree and choss. Oh, and several false summits. I stuck to the ridge. Here are some pictures of the ascent.

At the first false summit, I stuck to the right, following the ridge on game trails. There were game trails all the way to the summit.

From here, you can see the next false summit. I continued following the ridge.

And now, the next false summit. This was much the same as I’d encountered before, and I kept following the class 2 ridge. This is probably the biggest false summit of the peak.

This is where it gets interesting. This is all still class 2, but very loose scree and chossy. Microspikes helped here, especially on the way down. There are plenty of game trails to follow here. Also, this isn’t quite the summit yet. Here’s the route I took, following the ridge to get there.

You’re going to want to summit this blob, but it’s not the true summit. The true summit is to the left/northeast. There are game trails here to follow as well, mostly sticking to the ridge direct, but a few go to the right, and are obvious.

The last bit was rocky, but still class 2

I summited Darley Mountain at 7am

Darley Mountain:

I turned around, and headed back to the Darley/Engineer saddle, using the same route to descend as I had to ascend.

Safely back at Engineer Pass, now I wanted to summit Engineer Mountain. I continued following the 4WD road southwest, as it continued to ascend in elevation to a junction.

At 12970’ I turned left, and followed a very steep 4WD road (closed to 4WD vehicles) east towards the summit. The summit has a class 2 boulder, no more than 5 feet wide.

I summited Engineer Mountain at 8am

Engineer Mountain:

To the southeast is Seigal Mountain

I could see a dirt road in the distance, and headed south to this road. When on the road, I followed it east to the Engineer/Seigal saddle, descending about 460’ .

Once at the saddle, I followed the road southwest up the ridge, but eventually the road ended and a slight trail began that ended as well. It was a class 2 tundra walk to the summit, fairly straightforward. It got a bit rocky at the very end, still class two, with a tundra workaround to the right. Here are some pictures of the route to the summit of Seigal.

I summited Seigal Mountain at 9am

Seigal Mountain:

I was making this a kind of loop, so I headed back down to the Engineer/Seigal saddle.

At the saddle, I headed a little further north, and found this road that topo maps said would lead me east towards Schafer Gulch.

I followed this road, and yes, it led me in the correct direction, but what maps couldn’t tell me was this was an old mining road that hadn’t been used in years. So many years much of the road was destroyed due to avalanches or rockslides and due to the road being “closed” to vehicles, much of the road is now grass and flowers. However, enough of the road was intact for me to figure my way down. I headed east, following the road when I could, heading towards the obvious 4WD road in the distance paralleling Schafer Gulch when I couldn’t.