Once again, a Labor Day trip to the Tetons was diverted to Colorado. Unlike last year when we had a perfect forecast but I developed a pesky appendicitis, this year the Grand was graced with 8 inches of fresh snow the week before we were scheduled to fly out. So, Paul Young and I decided to change our plane tickets to Denver and spend the week in Colorado.
We landed late Friday night on August 29th, and spent the next two days acclimating by doing some easy cragging in 10 Mile Canyon on Saturday, and a fine mountain bike loop on Sunday.
8/30/14
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| 1st pitch Zig Zag (5.6) 10 Mile Canyon |
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| Paul finishing 2nd pitch of Zig Zag (5.6) |
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| Paul finishing the 2nd pitch of C'est la pied (5.6) 10 Mile Canyon |
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| Top of C'est la Pied (5.6) |
8/31/14
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| Dodging rocks and logs and thunderstorms |
9/1/2014
Our main reason for coming on this trip was alpine rock. After two days acclimating, we set off on our first objective: the Right Side Dihedral on the 2nd Apron, Mt. Evans. This is nominally a 5-6 pitch 5.5 following a broken dihedral, starting at 13,100' and ending at 14,150' above sea level. Mountain weather/conditions and altitude provide the challenges. We found great but challenging climbing, dodging ice and snow patches for 5 great pitches. One lead fall on my part (jammed finger, nothing big) and some numb toes were the price we paid for a fantastic day in the mountains.
We left the house at 4:00am and were hiking the approach just as the sun was coming up around 5:45am. We reached the base of the 2nd Apron around 7:15am, geared up and launched off.
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Approaching the 2nd Apron at sunrise |
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| Gearing up below the Right Side Dihedral |
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| Setting off up the 1st pitch |
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| Paul dealing with snow on the first pitch |
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| Paul finishing the 3rd pitch |
Unfortunately, cold fingers and brutal wind limited our picture taking for the last few pitches. On the 4th pitch, I stepped on a patch of verglas (very thin, clear layer of ice over rock) and peeled, falling maybe 6-8 feet. As with most alpine climbing, the route was more challenging than its grade would indicate. Large ice flows and snow patches limited our possible routes, and brutal wind and numb fingers and toes all contributed to make this one of the best alpine outings I've had in a while. We topped out around 1pm, and hiked the rest of the summit trail to join the tourists at the summit of Mt. Evans.
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| Myself belaying Paul up the last pitch |
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| Summit of the 2nd Apron |
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| Summit of Mt. Evans |
Despite the challenges, I think this will be one of my favorite days in the mountains for a long time. I've never been to the Summit Lake Cirque on Mt. Evans in the fall, and climbing rock instead of snow and ice gave me a refreshing perspective on an area in which I've spent a lot of time climbing. Now, we're lounging around in the house, preparing for a recovery ride and planning some more climbs!
