14er Report #28: Pyramid Peak (Summer, Northeast Ridge)

Half Moon and Sunset Over the Maroon Bells. Near Aspen, Colorado, 2015

The Deadly Bells

The beautiful Maroon Bells, and their neighbor, Pyramid Peak, have claimed many lives in the past few years. They are not extremely technical climbs, but they are unbelievably deceptive. The rock is downsloping, rotten, loose, and unstable. It kills quickly and without warning. The snowfields are treacherous, poorly consolidated, and no place for a novice climber. The gullies are death traps. Expert climbers who did not know the proper routes have died on these peaks. Don’t repeat their mistakes, for only rarely have these mountains given a second chance.

–U.S. Forest Service sign near Maroon Lake, Colorado

That is pretty dramatic prose for a government agency. Well done, Barry Ocracy.

Ah, yes, the crumbling, steep, peaks of the “murderous” Elk Range! I had ventured up Castle and Conundrum on a previous adventure, but the slopes of the harder Elks summits were still an unknown to me. Pyramid seemed like an appropriate introduction to this type of scary scrambling on scrappy-crappy scree–and it was.

Given the more difficult nature of Pyramid, I changed up my usual 14er tactics a bit. One, I decided to lighten my photo gear load by some eight pounds and, two, I decided to forgo my usual M.O. of summiting as close to sunrise as possible. The latter change would also make it much easier to meet up with fellow 14er climbers who would leave the trailhead on a more typical alpine schedule–an important safety consideration for Pyramid Peak. (Details in the full report below.)

And what a spectacular climb it was! Yes, this somewhat arbitrary and bogus “14er list quest” is really just an artificial framework for the pursuit of wild beauty and high mountain adventure.

Trip Report: Pyramid Peak (14,018′)

[NOTE: For even more beta/intel, there is an excellent trip report with pics from 2010 by emcee smith on 14ers.com that is also worth consulting if you plan on doing this route in summer conditions.]

Route:

The Class 4 Northeast Ridge starting from the Maroon Lake Trailhead which is at 9,600′ just above the low rent ski and mansion community of Aspen. This route is roughly 7 to 8 miles round trip and 4500′ vertical.

Timeline:

I left Boulder the day prior, timing it so I would be able to drive up Maroon Road after the shuttle hours (private vehicle access has some restrictions from 8a.m. to 5p.m. during the summer). I spent some sunset time at Maroon Lake photographing what has already been photographed a billion times before–but the iconic scene compels and spells you into doing it anyway.

I eventually parked in the Overnight lot and slept in the back of the truck with no issues or hassle. This was a Thursday night, though–not sure if a Friday or Saturday night would be similar.

At about 3:30a.m. I reparked in the upper Day Use lot closest to Maroon Lake. (Don’t forget to hang or display your access pass.) There were two vehicles already there with three folks obviously prepping for one of the 14er hikes, and–the Maroon gods were smiling–they were headed for Pyramid. Yes! It’s always safer and more enjoyable in a group. (Thanks for adopting me, Patrick, Mindy, and Jonathan!)

We were headed up the trail past Maroon Lake at about 4:25a.m. and, by first light, were well up the switchbacks leading to the basin below Pyramid’s north face.

By about 8a.m. we were up the steep scree slope and were standing on the northeast ridge of Pyramid, admiring (nervously gaping at?) the last thousand vertical feet of rock.

With weather (slowly incoming cloud bank) looking like a possible factor, Jonathan and Mindy turned back at the shoulder while Patrick and I tried to move as quickly as we safely could to the summit. We arrived just after 9a.m., greeting a mama goat and her kid at the summit survey marker.

We spent maybe a half hour doing the photo dance on Pyramid’s airy perch and “diving board”, then headed down around 9:30a.m. with the cloud bank thickening. The descent back to the northeast shoulder took just slightly less time than the ascent–roughly an hour.

We were back at the parking lot at 1:20p.m.

Total time: Just a hairball under nine hours, which includes all our stops and merry photo-making up and down. About 4+30 up and about 4+00 down.

Weather Conditions:

I left Boulder with a forecast of “mostly sunny” and a very slight chance of thunderstorms–it looked ideal! Ah, the plans of mice, men, morons, and the Maroons…

We did indeed start our hike under a mostly clear, starlit sky, but at first light it was obvious something was slowly creeping in from the south and the west. A flat, grey, cloud layer oozed its way toward us throughout the morning, ever-so-slowly thickening and showing tendrils of rain off in the western distance. It looked at first like we would simply be on the edge of this phenomena, but it wasn’t to be.

It was mostly overcast as we left the summit and we felt the first misty raindrops as we were headed down the steep scree slope from the northeast ridge. By the time we dropped out of the basin and down the switchbacks, the rain was fairly steady. Never, though, did we hear thunder or see any lightning. It felt more like a typical Oregon drizzle-rainy day.

Temps for the entire ascent and descent probably never varied much from the 40 and 50 degree range–very comfortable for strenuous hiking.

From the switchbacks all the way back to the trailhead, and during nearly the entire drive back to Boulder, it rained steadily and sometimes quite hard, with low clouds and fog writhing around the high mountains along the way. Weirdly, the rain stopped just south of Boulder and the last few minutes of my trip were on dry roads and under scattered clouds.

I guess weather in the Colorado mountains is like Gump’s box o’ chocolates–ya never know what yer gunna get.

Trail Conditions:

The road to the trailhead can actually be a bit problematic. From 8a.m. to 5p.m., during the summer months, you will have to take a shuttle bus–unless you fall in to one of the “exception” categories. Best to review the Visit Maroon Bells website for specifics, then call to confirm if you have unusual camping plans. Twice now I have chosen to drive in after hours on a weekday and I have been able to sleep in the back of my truck in the Overnight parking lot–although I’m not sure how this would work on a busy weekend. Be sure to display or hang your federal lands pass.

The entire trail up and back was in full up summer conditions. Any snow along the way could be easily avoided. However, there is a long strip of snow in the basin/amphitheater below Pyramid’s north face that you will probably want to walk upon (and boot-glissade down)–it is easier than hopping the boulders and you don’t really need microspikes once it is consolidated (as it was on this day). We did also cross a slightly sketchy 10-foot patch of snow a few feet below the very summit, but that could also be avoided.

I would divide the route like this:

—A Freeway-like Trail past Maroon Lake and up toward Crater Lake – This is easy to follow even at night by headlamp. On your return, though, this section will be packed with tourists dressed for the beach in Cancun or a basketball game at the local Y.

–The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) Pyramid Peak Trail – This splits off at a level, open area well prior to Crater Lake and is marked by a big cairn. Here, the Pyramid Trail goes hard left–almost a 180-degree turn. The path is small but distinct and has some awesome CFI “Inca stonework” on the lower switchbacks. This trail ends at the entrance to the basin/amphitheater by some mammoth cairns. You can do this section by headlamp as well–just take care not to miss the turn off of the Crater Lake Freeway.

—The Basin – This is the amphitheater below Pyramid Peak’s north face. You will be doing plenty of boulder hopping here (and the boulders themselves are actually quite beautiful works of art). Use whatever snow might be there, as long as you aren’t postholing, and this will ease your effort. There are bits of trail on the right (east) side of this drainage that will take you higher into the basin. From here, follow a few cairns across the low boulder ridges to the base of the…

—Nasty Scree Slope – It actually wasn’t quite as nasty as advertised–just very steep Class 2 stuff. Poles were very helpful both ways, especially down. I have even heard of folks using microspikes for dirt traction to aid the descent, but not necessary at all.

—Northeast Ridge Shoulder – Great rest stop. From here you can see the rest of the route and decide whether you want to/ought to/should continue. The goats will hang around here and wait for you to pee so they can lick it up (it’s the salt, Peter).

—The Last Thousand Feet – This includes the “Leap o’ Faith”, the narrow ledge, the Green Wall or Gully, the general scrambling, and so on, mentioned and described elsewhere. I thought the Leap o’ Faith was not nearly as bad as Go Pro distortion will have you believe. There is actually a narrow section just a few yards beyond the Leap that I thought required a bit more care.

Hint for going up and coming down the last 200-300 vertical feet below the summit: Ascending, once you are out of and slightly above the Green Wall/Gully, it seemed to be steeper and more exposed to the south, in the main drainage to the summit (left, as you look up), and this is how Patrick and I climbed up. It was most definitely Class 4 for sections. Farther left is even more exposed and pushing Class 5.

On the way down, though, we discovered an easier alternative (thanks to a young woman who came up that way, and emcee smith’s trip report). From the summit, rather than dropping back down the obvious drainage, walk north along the summit ridge and start down the narrow northeast ridge. It looks like it will cliff out and throw you into space at any moment, but it is actually quite ledge-y and maybe Class 3+ with maybe an occasional Class 4- move. I liked this option much better than what we came up.

Photography Issues:

–My idea to lighten my photo equipment load was a partial failure. I elected to take my D800 with just one lens attached–the 70-200 f/4. I also carried my Fuji x100s with a fixed 35mm equivalent lens (a great street photography machine). I did not carry a tripod at all. This dropped my usual photo load from somewhere above 12 pounds to around four pounds. What I didn’t like, though, was not having high-quality extra wide angle capability. I also forgot to bring an extra battery for the Fuji and the juice ran out even before we made the summit. That meant that for the remainder of the trip, I had to shoot everything with the 70-200 on the Nikon.

–I DID like the lighter load, however.

–The Fuji images can be decent, but they are nothing like the files I get from the D800. When you get used to D800 files, it’s hard to compromise.

–Now that I am familiar with this route on Pyramid, I would consider carrying all my usual camera gear next time–except maybe changing out my big tripod for something smaller. I would also plan on being on the northeast shoulder at the first indication of light, which would get me to the summit by dawn. If you aren’t familiar with the route, though, best to have daylight (or a full Moon) to help you across the basin and up the scree to the shoulder.

–On future routes of similar difficulty, I think I’ll go with the D800, the 14-24 f/2.8, the 70-200 f/4, and a very small, hand-sized, tripod.

Unusual Events/Comments:

–It was quite serendipitous to meet Patrick, Mindy and Jonathan in the upper Maroon Lake parking lot at oh-dark-thirty. I was glad to be in their company on this first foray into the serious Elk Range peaks. They had just climbed Capitol Peak the day prior–ah, the strength and resilience of youth!

–There were a total of about a dozen people on Pyramid Peak today. It helped a bit, especially on the upper section of the peak, to see what routes people chose and thus make better route-finding choices for ourselves.

–The flowers were out in full force–bring your macro lens and have a ball.

–Exceptional views of the Maroon Peaks, et al from the summit–one of the most spectacular 14ers I have been on so far.

–Don’t forget to step out onto the “diving board” for your summit hero shot! (You’ll find it.)

–On the ascent, the last thousand feet, when viewed from the shoulder, look pretty intimidating. Don’t despair, it isn’t quite as bad as it looks. And, as someone said, despite all the loose crap around, the rock is pretty good or good enough where you need it to be.

–There were incredible hordes of people on the trail to Crater Lake when we came back–some headed up in T-shirts and shorts despite the constant rain. One lady did have some sense: “Lets go back. This is miserable. It’s raining. Look..it’s all slick and muddy…”.

—Call to check on the current status of camping at Crater Lake if that’s your plan. Bear canisters are currently required, I believe, but even if they weren’t it would be a dern good idea, Yogi.

—Colorado 14er Senior Challenge summit count: 35 of the basic list of 58 (p. xxiii in Gerry Roach’s 14er “Bible”, Colorado Fourteeners, 3rd Ed.); 41 of the long list of 73 (pp. 347-348, with South Wilson added, also in Roach’s “Bible”.

Selected Images:

The evening before the Pyramid Peak climb–a different take on the standard iconic reflection image…

Maroon Bells Abstract. Near Aspen, Colorado, 2015

Maroon Bells Abstract. Maroon Lake, Colorado, 2015

As the sun set the evening prior, the weather was looking just right…

Half Moon Over the Elk Range. Maroon Lake, Colorado, 2015

The day of the climb…As sunrise approached, we entered the Giant Cairn Gates leading to the amphitheater below Pyramid Peak’s massive north face…

Giant Cairn. Pyramid Peak Trail, Colorado, 2015

At this moment, I am wondering what it would have been like to be on the summit at sunrise rather than merely at treeline…

Sunrise View, the Amphitheater. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Patrick, Mindy, and Jonathan cross the snow field in the amphitheater as beautiful light plays across the background slopes…

The Amphitheater Snowfield. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

The first rays of the sun hit the upper north face of Pyramid Peak…

First Light. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Patrick and Mindy on the boulders in the basin. Below, a party of two has just started across the snow field…

Climbing into the Basin. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Steep, but not too terrible. For the most part, good footing could be found along the track. Snowmass and Capitol look on from a distance…

The Scree Slope. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Almost to the nice rest stop on the shoulder of the northeast ridge…

High on the Scree Slope. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Our greeting committee as we arrived on the top of the northeast ridge. They are waiting, with great goatly anticipation, for us to “drop trow” and pee (for the salt)…

Goat Trio. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

No fear…

When ya gunna pee, Mister? Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Patrick points the way. That innocent bank of clouds in the background would, in a couple more hours, become a major player in the day’s drama…

Onward and Upward. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

The Maroon Peaks (South and North, L to R) peaking around the corner…

Layers, Maroon Peaks. From Pyramid Peak’s Northeast Ridge, Colorado, 2015

Two spectacular peaks, eh? Hopefully, I’ll get there later this summer. And to think Jonathan, Mindy and Patrick were on top of Capitol Peak just the day before!…

Snowmass and Capitol, Portraits. From Pyramid Peak’s Northeast Ridge, Colorado, 2015

No, the last thousand vertical feet aren’t as hairy-scary as they look, although this section is certainly to be taken seriously and with caution…

Pyramid Peak Portrait, #3. From the Northeast Ridge, 2015

Patrick is on the narrow part of the ledge. Just go slow–there are some good hand holds above you for security. The “Leap o’ Faith” is about 20 feet behind him (it is maybe 36 inches across the gap)…

Leap of Faith Ledge, #2. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Working our way up the various ledges…and trying to avoid knocking off loose rocks. Someone has been doing some creative cairn-building along the way…

Patrick on the Ledges. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Summit! Two mountaineers on the top o’ the rock…

Patrick and Friend, Pyramid Peak Summit, Colorado, 2015

The view across a whole lot of empty space to the two famous Maroon Peaks…

Maroon Peaks, Portrait #3. From Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Some abstract photography…

Elk Range Textures. From Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

And one more, this time a macro-abstract…

Stone Abstract. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Like The Blob oozing out of the southwestern corner of the universe, the slowly approaching cloud bank encourages us to start back down with controlled urgency…

Approaching Rain. From Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

One last “hero shot” (photo by Patrick)…

Summit. Pyramid Peak, Colorado, 2015

Back down on the “shoulder”, we look back up at various groups on the descent. The middle group is starting down the Green Gully. Check the photos on the 14ers.com website for where the route goes–I am finding it hard to follow it in this photo so have refrained from drawing any arrows…