14er Report #19: Mt. Columbia (Winter, Southeast Ridge)

High Mountain Winter (View WNW toward the Elks Range–Can you spot the Maroon Peaks?). From Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

“I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don’t let anybody tell you different.”
– Kurt Vonnegut

And what better way to fart around than to hike over 14 miles and up 5,000 vertical feet, mostly off of any decent trail, much of it with snowshoes, in the winter (uphill both ways!). Yes, it is a looong, strenuous hike from the winter closure up Mt. Columbia via the Southeast Ridge. For a bit of an easier time, come back in the summer and try Columbia via the West Slopes route.

This was one trip I didn’t really want to commit myself to do alone due to the length and also the possible winter route finding difficulties in the early morning dark. A very early start was called for because I still wanted some sunrise photography from above treeline, and also because–and more critically–I had read trip reports of folks taking up to 15 hours to complete the round trip.

So, I posted on 14ers.com and found maybe a half dozen people who were interested in coming along. In the end, only DaveSwink and Annamigl came through. A big thanks to Dave for initial trail breaking through the snow and for helping us find the critical turnoff from the Colorado Trail that takes you up the SE Ridge. And thanks to Anna for trail breaking, route finding, and pace making from just below treeline up to the summit and back (and for not leaving me too far behind!).

The big tip o’ the day: plaster on the sunscreen, even in winter when you expect to have your cranium entirely covered with balaclava and goggles. On this day (Freddy’s Friday, the 13th!), the weather was better than you might ever see it on a 14er, even in summer–sunny with nary a burp of wind. It was so warm I couldn’t bear to keep my thick balaclava on my face for the solar protection I so desperately needed. At altitude, the sun really carves into you as if you were mere brisket on the spit. Call me tomato face now.

Although the morning start was cold, by midday we could have hiked down from Columbia’s summit in shorts and T-shirt. (Hmmm…does such an ascent really deserve the coveted 14ers.com snowflake…?)

Trip Report: Mt. Columbia (14,073′)

Route:

The Southeast Ridge Route from the Harvard Lakes Trailhead winter closure point. Stats: Roughly 14 miles and 5,000′ of elevation gain. Consider also that some four miles of the total is on snowshoes up/down steep, forested terrain, and that very little of the walking above treeline is on any kind of trail–a formula that makes for a strenuous and time-consuming undertaking.

Timeline:

I picked up Dave, an avid hiker of high mountains, climber and distance runner, in north Boulder at midnight. It was good to meet a guy roughly my age who was nearly as nuts about going to the mountains as me!

At 2:30a.m., in Buena Vista, we met Anna, a very accomplished ultra distance runner, hiker, climber, and skier.

From BV, we truck-pooled the few miles up to the winter closure trailhead. After a little organizing of gear, we were walking up the snow-packed road by headlamp at 3:20a.m., with a faint orange crescent Moon at our backs making us feel like we were being silently pursued by a Halloween phantom.

Somewhere just below tree line, and still in the dark of pre-dawn, Dave elected to turn around to avoid exacerbating a knee injury (a bit more on this later).

At sunrise (7:00a.m.), Anna and I were well above treeline and just past the field of dead trees. From there, it took another four hours along the long SE ridge to gain the summit. Yes, it is indeed a seemingly endless ridge.

Leaving the summit at 11:40a.m., we were back at the truck by 4:20p.m., exactly 13 hours after starting.

So…7+40 up, 4+40 down, for 13 hours total, which includes rest and photo stops, and 40 minutes or so on the summit. I think I have that about right…

Weather Conditions:

This day was so perfect it could hardly be classified a winter day in February. The skies were clear and the wind was almost completely dead calm–with the exception of a very rare and brief gust up to maybe 10mph. I didn’t wear most of the bulky clothes I hauled up the mountain in my pack, even hiking hatless and gloveless much of the time.

At the start, I saw 27 degrees on the thermometer and it was about 50 degrees when we made it back to the truck. If you haven’t experienced it, even 30 degrees on a dry, sunny, windless day at 10,000′ above sea level can feel like summer.

A 33% waning Moon rose around 2a.m. which helped a bit to see the outlines of the surrounding peaks, but headlamps were still necessary for route finding.

Trail Conditions:

We started walking up the road from the small winter parking pullout without traction, but put on our microspikes part way up the Colorado Trail switchbacks.

Upon leaving the Colorado Trail, and once on the beginning rib of the SE Ridge proper, the snow in the forest was deep enough to call for snowshoes. This was the way to go until well above treeline and beyond the “dead tree zone” of twisted, ghostly snags (old burn). Maneuvering around some of the rocky outcrops, through the brush, and over fallen tree trunks was a pain with big baskets on the feet, but better than the posthole purgatory that awaiting you without them. The snowfall and wind from a few days ago had pretty much eliminated the previous party’s trench, but it was faintly visible (very slight divots in the snow surface) so that’s what we tried to track and follow by headlamp.

Above treeline, and past the snag forest, Anna and I ditched the snowshoes and hiked to the summit and back on microspikes. There was a lot of rock and open, dry, tundra, but the spikes were very useful for crossing the many windswept snowdrifts–and the hard metal points do just fine climbing over the few, short, rocky scrambling sections and small boulders.

On the return trip, the temps had climbed high enough to turn the snow to mush, and even melt it off of sections of the trail below treeline which made things slightly muddy here and there. Still, we elected to wear snowshoes from treeline back down to where we intersected with the Colorado Trail (Dave’s Water Station–thanks for hiking back up there to hydrate us!).

Photography Issues:

–This hike, due to its length, was almost more about making the summit and back in a timely manner (and safely!) than the photography. I still carried all my photo gear–you never know what Mother Nature will offer up–but I didn’t come away with as many good images as I might on a shorter, solo hike, with more time spent on the tripod.

–I never used the 14-24 wide angle zoom–two extra pounds of dead weight. Slowly but surely the thought is creeping in to my reptilian brain to dump this heavy stuff and go mirrorless. Someday…

–The area just above treeline where you find that huge field of dead, dried out, and mostly still-standing trees on the south-southwest slope is a great photo op spot at sunrise. (Oh, dead trees…how cliché!) I would have liked to have spent more time there as the Sun spread its light up the valley.

Unusual Events/Comments:

–I ran about a liter short on water. I carried two liters, but this wasn’t nearly enough for such a hot day. Keep in mind that water loss through simply breathing at high, dry altitude is considerable…then, if you are a bit overdressed for the conditions, that is exacerbated. A huge thanks to Dave for meeting us at the Colorado Trail-SE Ridge junction with a big jug of the wet stuff–I know I was parched!

–I should have carried my sunglasses with nose protector and my fashionable (in some circles) French Foreign Legion shade hat instead of goggles and heavy pile balaclava. I also should have worn a lighter layer under my wind pants rather than my heavy pile. My takeaway: Pay attention to the weather forecast (temps and wind especially!), then make a judgment call at the trailhead about its accuracy vis-à-vis wardrobe o’ the day.

–Dave elected to turn back just as we were approaching treeline due to a knee problem. It didn’t seem to be too serious at the time, but he had the mature judgment to not push it as someone else [younger!?] might. The problem with pushing through a slight injury is that it could worsen higher up on the mountain, making things difficult for the team. Or, it could turn into a sustained injury that might make mincemeat out of long range hiking/climbing/running plans. So, kudos To Dave for giving me that lesson today.

–It was good to have company along that long upper ridge. A broken ankle up there, with the possible necessity of spending the night at altitude, could have easily turned a fun hike up Mt. Columbia into an unwanted epic. A wingman/woman makes things significantly safer–thanks, Anna!

–And speaking of safety…For future solo hikes in this kind of terrain, Dave has convinced me of something I had been pondering–the purchase of a Personal Locator Beacon for emergencies. It is probably a very good piece of insurance. Even if I never get into a jam that would require me to use it (knock on wood), I could easily come upon a scene where others may need Search and Rescue to fire up their recall roster.

–The wind was eerily absent today. You could hear your own heartbeat…you could hear the mountain breathing…you could hear a dog bark in downtown Buena Vista…or so it seemed.

–Thanks Dave and Anna for a great trip!

—Colorado 14er Senior Challenge summit count: 28 of the basic list of 58 (p. xxiii in Gerry Roach’s 14er “Bible”, Colorado Fourteeners, 3rd Ed.); 34 of the long list of 73 (pp. 347-348, with South Wilson added, also in Roach’s “Bible”.

Selected Images:

The first light of dawn falls on Mt. Yale’s summit, the next 14er to the south…

Portrait of Mt. Yale. From Mt. Columbia’s SE Ridge, Colorado, 2015

Looking down the lower SE Ridge, past the rocky outcrops and toward the trees from whence we came, as the sun also rises…

Sunrise, Lower SE Ridge. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

Flotation was necessary until well up on the ridge…

Snowshoeing up the SE Ridge. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

Just above this last short headwall of snow (Anna is just starting up it), we cached our snowshoes and walked on microspikes from there up and back…

Passing the Dead Tree Zone. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

Windblown drifts along the ridge…sometimes you could walk the crust, other times you would sink to ankles or even knees on rare occasions…

The SE Ridge. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

Sometimes it was easier walking if you contoured around some of the high points rather than going up and over…

Climbing Along the Ridge, #2. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

Finally, after five or so hours of hiking, the last mile and a half of the upper ridge reveals its distant self…

Last Half of the Ridge. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

Higher up, there were a couple of class 2-3 moves if you wanted them. These could easily be avoided with some extra walking through snowy boulders…

Scrambling on the Upper Ridge. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

An unusual snowy souvenir left behind by the vagaries of a mischievous Mariah…

Snow Sculpture. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

Up ahead, Anna approaches the final meters to the summit, the snowy Buffalo Peaks in the distance…

Approaching the Summit. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

And then she’s there!

Summit Hero Shot! Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

Massive landscape…tiny human…as we descend, ascend, but (thankfully) mostly descend the ridge back toward the trailhead…

Descending the SE Ridge. Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015

And back to the “dead tree zone” to pick up our snowshoes and roll on down the mountain…

The Dead Tree Zone and Princeton. From Mt. Columbia, Colorado, 2015