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Base Camp
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: July 25, 2004
- Miles Hiked: 8.2
- Elevation Gain: 3,782'
- Hiking Partner(s): Brandon Michaels
- Description:
- An unexpected out-of-state trip foiled my plans
to attempt the Crestones with some co-workers of mine last weekend.
I wanted to get out again, but because of the questionable
forecast for the weekend, I didn’t want to waste a drive up the South
Colony Lakes road without better odds of tagging the Peak and Needle.
So instead I opted for Mount Lindsey.
Mount Lindsey sits near the southern end of the Sangre De Cristo
Range mountain range in south central Colorado.
To my surprise, this peak turned out to be more than I
anticipated. Based solely
on the guidebook statistics, I wasn’t expecting too much in terms of
difficulty, but the route, trail profile, and weather made this trip an
enjoyable challenge that was rewarding.
- After checking the forecast for one last time on
Saturday afternoon, Brandon and I decided to head down to Red Wing,
CO and make the most of the weekend.
Although Colorado has been receiving a lot of precipitation as of
late, it appeared as though there was a window of opportunity on Sunday
morning that might allow us to climb Mount Lindsey.
As we approached the Huerfano Trailhead our optimism faded. It rained heavily much of the way from Walsenburg to Gardner,
and at 10,000’ there was a fresh dusting of snow in the trees and high
on the surrounding mountains. Nevertheless,
we organized our packs and went to bed hoping that the weatherman was
right about the break in the rain.
- The alarms sounded at 4:00 am and it was easy to
get up after our less than satisfactory sleep.
The sky was full of stars and the hike was on. We grabbed a small bite to eat, turned on our headlamps, and
started up the Lily Lake Trail. As
previously mentioned, the statistics of the hike and the trail profile
are deceiving. You only
gain approximately 100’ in the first 1.3 miles which leaves 3,300’
for the final 2.6 miles to the top of Lindsey.
After reaching the junction for Lily Lake, it is a short distance
before you cross the Huerfano River.
We hiked along the east side of the river for a while before
leaving the valley floor and starting our ascent up the north side of an
unnamed creek. Even though
we lost some time due to route finding near the river crossing in the
dark, I was impressed by the quality of the climber’s trail and feel
as though with daylight, this area would be easy to navigate.
- We started gaining elevation and got into a good
rhythm next to the rushing creek. The
sun was starting to rise and the views of the clouds drifting over
California Peak and the mountains to the west were amazing. We made it to the basin below the Sierra Blanca and the Iron
Nipple where we took our first extended break at 12,000’.
After refueling and taking a few photos, we started the stroll
across the basin to a small rib leading to the 13,160’ saddle between
Mount Lindsey and the Iron Nipple. At the base of the rib, the route became steep again as we
gained the saddle and felt the warming sun for the first time of the
day.
- Although the low clouds to the east were
beautiful to observe, the daunting north face couloir and northwest
ridge of Lindsey maintained our attention.
We cached our trekking poles and some water while contemplating
our ascent route. It
wasn’t the small amount of old snow in the north couloir that
concerned us, it was the new dusting that made the rocks icy and
slippery which we debated about. We
followed the climber’s trail to the southeast and reached the base of
the couloir. Although the
couloir looked passable, I suggested we gain the northwest ridge and try
the solid dry rock above us on the class 3 route.
Brandon agreed and we worked our way up a small rib to reach the exposed northwest ridge of Lindsey.
- Although I have done a couple of steep class 3-4
routes in Colorado, they have all been snow climbs. This route provided me the opportunity to compare a Colorado class 3
rock climb/scramble to what I have experienced in the past.
(Kit Carson's west ridge route was snow free and is rated class 3,
but I thought it was an extremely easy scramble and I am not sure why it
is class 3. In my opinion, it in no way compares to the northwest
ridge of Mount Lindsey.) After reaching the summit, it became very obvious that some of
the class 3 ratings on my prior climbs have been liberal.
Lindsey’s northwest ridge was extremely fun, but it certainly
tested our skills and tolerance for exposure. A couple of moves
easily approached class 4 in my opinion.
- After gaining the ridge, the guidebooks
recommended staying directly on the crest, so that is what we did.
The rock was solid and there were two sections I would consider
the “crux” which provided relatively high exposure with limited
holds. The fact that it was
slightly cold and windy (at least for July 25th) may have
made these sections more difficult than they actually are.
We worked closely together and provided assistance to one another
getting through the harder areas.
In addition to going slowly and carefully on this ridge I will
offer another word of caution. By taking this route instead of going up the couloir and
completing an ascending traverse to Lindsey, there are a couple of false
summits. I generally expect
one or two small false summits, but when we gained the third larger one,
we were a bit demoralized. Regardless
of our temporary setback, it probably only took another 5 - 10 minutes
to get to the actual summit.
- The weather was holding and it was an
extraordinary day. We
rested in the rock shelter, ate some more, drank some water, and took
the traditional summit photos. After
spending 30 minutes on top taking in the views of Blanca, Little Bear,
Ellingwood, the Spanish Peaks, and the Crestones, we decided it was time
to head down. We noticed
another party of two at the saddle when we approached Lindsey’s south
summit on the way up, so we were thinking we may be able to gain some
beta on the couloir if we passed them on the way down.
Our logic proved correct, and they informed us that the couloir
didn't pose any serious threats. Not
wanting to down climb the ridge, we hiked off the northeast side of the
mountain and picked our way to the top of the snow filled gully.
- We actually ran into another couple just as they
were coming out the top of the gully which was perfect timing.
We double checked to ensure there wasn’t anyone else below us
and started our descent down the couloir.
Before we knew it, we were back at the saddle picking up our
cached gear. At this point,
I asked Brandon how he felt to see if he was interested in tagging the
Iron Nipple and/or Huerfano Peak. Although
fatigued, we decided to climb Iron Nipple since it was so close and then
see how we felt once on top. The
340’ to the Iron Nipple was draining. I wish we could say weather chased us out of the mountains or
we had an obligation to return to, but we were simply tired and decided
to pass on Huerfano Peak.
- Once back in the basin, we took another extended
break, stripped down to our shorts, and prepared for the hike out.
We made good time back to the Trooper where we celebrated with a
couple of cold beers. Up a
mountain, down a beer!
- Additional Statistics: We didn't break any records, but were
satisfied with our time given the conditions, our route, and also
climbing the Iron Nipple. We hiked from 4:30 am to 12:30 pm for a
total trail time of 8 hours.
| Leg |
Description |
Start |
End |
G (L) |
Grade |
Miles |
| 1. |
Huerfano Trailhead - Mount Lindsey |
10,600' |
14,042' |
3,442' |
16.7% |
3.9 |
| 2. |
Mount Lindsey - Mount Lindsey/Iron Nipple Saddle |
14,042' |
13,160' |
(882') |
|
0.4 |
| 3. |
Mount Lindsey/Iron Nipple Saddle - Iron Nipple |
13,160' |
13,500' |
340' |
32.2% |
0.2 |
| 4. |
Iron Nipple - Huerfano Trailhead |
13,500' |
10,600' |
(2,900') |
|
3.7 |
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Cumulative Elevation Gain/Grade/Miles |
|
3,782' |
17.5% |
8.2 |
- Maps:
- Click here
to view a 2D
map of the area where this hike is located.
- Photographs:
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www.
just
hiking
.com
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