Ostwand and Ridge. From Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast….a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.” — Edward Abbey.
Finally, the stars…er, the Moon, actually, aligned with the weather and trail/snow conditions to make Mt. Yale a great choice. I had hoped to get up there for calendar winter–alas, maybe next year.
There is nothing quite like crunching along alone at 3a.m. across rice crispy, hard-packed, snow fields in the tundra above treeline, with a huge pizza-pie Moon lighting your way to the summit…the high wintery peaks of Colorado your only world.
I don’t really like getting up early, but for such moments, I’ll gladly do it again and again and again. Gotta outlive the bastards, ya know!
Trip Report: Mt. Yale (14,196′)
Route:
The Southwest Slopes Route, which is roughly nine miles round trip and 4,300′ vertical from the Denny Creek Trailhead on County Road 306 west of Buena Vista (Bee-yuna Ves-tah, as the locals might say). This is a route folks often gravitate to in winter as the avy hazard can be minimal (or easily minimized by slight route deviations), the climb is not excessively long, and the trail head access/parking is paved and usually kept clear of snow–perfect for Aunt Maude’s low-ridin’ Cadillac Seville.
Timeline:
I left Boulder around 10:40p.m. yesterday, and was hiking by the light of the near full (99%), but waning, Moon by 1:50a.m.–yes, a very early start, but with the intention of getting both sunrise and moonset photos from Yale’s summit.
By 2:30a.m. I was at the Mt. Yale trail junction sign, and by 3:30a.m.-3:45a.m. I was starting to emerge from the trees onto the white, moonlit, wunderbarland of the still-winter tundra.
By 5:20a.m. or so I had gained the narrow summit ridge and was on top by 5:45a.m., well ahead of what I had anticipated, but in time to watch the entire show, sans commercials, from twilight through sunrise and moonset. (The tickets to such shows are free, but you definitely have to earn them!)
I spent over an hour and a half on the summit, hopping and jumping around like Jiminy Cricket to stay warm, and making pictures…and just simply admiring the universe.
Somewhat reluctantly, I departed Yale’s crown at 7:25a.m. and was back at the trailhead by 9:35a.m. (some walk/jogging at times), now populated by three or four more vehicles.
Weather Conditions:
At the start, there were some high, thin, clouds in the sky, 35 degrees of warmth, and almost no wind. Above treeline, the breeze was notably stronger (and colder!)…maybe 15-25mph, but thankfully with fairly regular lulls. Once on the summit, you could escape the wind by sitting on the east side of a convenient rock. Looking back, though,I suspect the winds picked up considerably once I was off the mountain, judging by how the trees were swaying as I drove away from the trailhead. (Woe to those who started late!)
Trail Conditions:
I started out with bare boots, but eventually put on the microspikes about a mile up the trail when I slipped on a glazed ice area and crashed to my ass. Hate it when that happens.
All the way to near treeline, the trail was nicely boot-packed and Styrofoamy frozen. I did occasionally notice some knee-deep postholes to the side of the track…so follow those footsteps! I only used my headlamp for fifteen minutes or so in this treeline zone due to the many braided trails and tracks I was trying to sort out.
As the trees thinned near treeline, I chose some tracks going left. It would have been better to stay right (as I later discovered) as those tracks led to a good, deep, trench and the summer trail switchbacks up the moraine. I ended up doing some straight, very steep, uphill grunting and then continued farther up the valley, emerging from the trees on gradual terrain below a drainage (snow couloir) that was well left of the summer trail.
I elected to continue up this left variation (more western, that is) as the snow was perfect for the spikes and I could also find the odd bare stretches of tundra, small rock, and scree to give me security when the snow got a bit too steep. The snow was well-consolidated, so I don’t think avy danger was significant anywhere on the slope, even the steeper areas.
Higher in the tundra, and somewhere below Point 13,605′, I angled right and up for a good quarter mile or so until I eventually started seeing footprints again as well as small snow and ice-covered sections of the switchbacks leading to the main Yale ridge.
For those doing this in spring snow conditions, FYI…this “left variation” had pretty good walking and I suspect it took no more time than the more standard line. So, don’t worry if you end up over there by following someone’s floundering tracks.
The summit ridge had a well-packed trail weaving in and out of the boulders–it was fun and airy with spectacular views of the moonlit Sawatch Range. I could see where a fresh and heavy snowfall might make one or two sections a bit more difficult and scary (long way down that east slope!), but no more than easy Class 3 for a move or two over the top of the rocks. As it was, I found it secure and enjoyable today.
There were some convenient small boulders on the summit itself that were most excellent for hiding from the incessant and freezing southwest wind…ah, nothing like a comfy and windless throne!
On the way down, by the light of day, I mostly followed the tracks of others who, in turn, were trying to follow the summer trail as best they could. With microspikes, the mostly very solid consistency of the snow fields made them perfect for a little quick downhill jogging from time to time.
Photography Issues:
–As I think I have mentioned before, I like the day after the full Moon for these kinds of photography adventures. The Moon is still slightly above the horizon as the Sun rises, so you don’t have that typical problem of excessive dynamic range between the lunar disc and the landscape below. Having said that, perhaps the best time to “shoot for the Moon” with your camera is just a few minutes prior to sunrise–the landscape is illuminated, you’ll have a nice purple-pink high altitude sky, and the Moon will often be glowing yellow-orange.
Unusual Events/Comments:
–Other than me, there were ten others on the Yale trail today. (Groups of 1-4-1-2-2.) I didn’t start to see them until I was back down to treeline. (You know, late starters, all!)
–So…Yet another pitch for leaving at an insanely early hour. You get the summit to yourself at a most spectacular moment: sunrise, high above mean sea level on Spaceship Earth. You also often get the best snow conditions (winter/spring), and you avoid thunderstorms (summer).
–Looks like I am running out of Sawatch 14ers. I have Holy Cross – Halo Ridge and La Plata – Ellingwood Ridge both reserved for late summer/fall, so that leaves Harvard and Antero as possibilities for this early spring season, both fairly long hikes. Hmmm…lets take another look at the weather forecast…
—Colorado 14er Senior Challenge summit count: 29 of the basic list of 58 (p. xxiii in Gerry Roach’s 14er “Bible”, Colorado Fourteeners, 3rd Ed.); 35 of the long list of 73 (pp. 347-348, with South Wilson added, also in Roach’s “Bible”.
Selected Images:
The 1a.m. view of today’s objective, from the Collegiate Peaks Overlook just west of Buena Vista. Note the Buena Vista Correctional Complex in the foreground. Freedom of the hills above…chains and shackles below…
View of Yale and Columbia. Near Buena Vista, Colorado, 2015
Plenty of light by which to navigate and contemplate, thanks to Lady Moon. Had these thin clouds stayed around for Mr. Sun’s arrival, the colors would have been maravillosos…
Moonlight on the Sawatch. Ascending Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
On the summit at first light. The brightest lights come from the Correctional Complex…Mt. Princeton is on the far right…
Buena Vista View. Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
There were two big shows, actually. The approaching sunrise in the east, and the eventual moonset in the west…with many smaller theatrical events occurring in-between…
Watching the Show. Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
Gorgeous orange on the eastern horizon…
Elevenmile Canyon Reservoir. From Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
Those must be the northern Sangre de Cristos in the background–the Hunts Peak area…
Mt. Princeton and Beyond. From Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
Southern Sawatch, with a few of the peaks labeled for your eyeballing convenience…
Southern Sawatch Range. From Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
At moments like this, there is no other place in the world I’d rather be. Well, maybe the summit of Cerro Torre, Nanga Parbat, or K-2. But, “a man’s gotta know his limitations…”
Yale Summit at Dawn. Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
Mt. Columbia is the pyramid point on the right, Mt. Harvard the high point on the left. The southeast ridge of Columbia, of which you only see the upper third extending off to the right, is quite a long and spectacular trek. For those pondering that other arduous sufferfest that is the Harvard-Columbia traverse, this view is for you…
Harvard to Columbia Traverse. From Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
Note Mt. Yale’s pyramid-like shadow flowing out to the west as the Sun rises…
Moon above Cottonwood Pass and Park Cone. From Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
How many more 14ers can you identify? They say you can see a total of some 30 14ers from Mt. Yale if you spin around a full 360 degrees. Apart from what peaks you can name, it’s simply an inspiring sight…
View North. From Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
Set up the tripod…set the time delay…then a breathless run to get into position and keep the eyes open. All to fake the ascent, as I was actually on the way down. This image shows a bit of Yale’s airy summit ridge with some of the packed trail visible…
The Northern Sawatch. From Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
For those contemplating a late spring ascent, here is an FYI photo of a section of boot-packed trail. In warm temperatures, wandering off of the packed area can have you post-holing to the knee or deeper…
Sample of Packed Trail. Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
Another FYI photo for future adventurers to this area…
The Trailhead Parking Lot. Mt. Yale, Colorado, 2015
Compare this daylight image to the one I made less than 12 hours before when I was inbound to Yale. From the valley floor, Yale is not very obvious, hidden as it is by the foothills…
Mt. Yale in Daylight. Collegiate Peaks Overlook, near Buena Vista, Colorado, 2015
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