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Base Camp
Up
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: April 22, 2006
- Miles Hiked: 9.9
- Elevation Gain: 5,410'
- Hiking Partner(s): George Barnes,
Josh Jackson, Nate Stutzke, Jim Wise
- Description:
- Since I haven't been out much this year, I wanted to test my climbing
legs and try a moderate hike. Although I wouldn't generally consider
10 miles and 5,000' moderate, George had plans on heading up the Angel of
Shavano so I asked if I could join his party. The alarm went off at
1:30 am and I was on the road by ten to two. With little traffic
from Denver to Poncha Springs, the drive went fast and I quickly arrived
at the trailhead and found George. George and Nate were gearing up
while Jim and Josh also pulled in after a night in Buena Vista. We
hit the trail on schedule at 5:00 am.
- We got off to a bit of a rough start with Nate misplacing his
sunglasses and Jim throwing up. Fortunately, we quickly recovered
and continued up the trail. For the most part, snow on the trail
wasn't an issue and we started to make good progress. After some
bushwhacking, we reached tree line, applied sunscreen, and cached our
snowshoes which were essentially useless on the approach. We hiked
for approximately five minutes when the Angel of Shavano came into view.
Two individuals (Jamie Princo & Dave Hale) left the trailhead at 3:50 and
were about halfway up the Angel. We were at the base of the Angel
after two and a half hours of hiking where we stopped for a quick break to
put on our crampons.
- The snow climb was easy and uneventful. All of us were looking
forward to the glissade later in the day. We decided on the direct
route to Shavano and ascended to the Angel's head and halo. At the
top of the Angel, we cached our crampons and finished the hike to Shavano. The
weather was cooperating and everyone was feeling fairly good so most of us
continued to Tabeguache. This was actually Nate's first 14er, so he
decided to forego the traverse to Tabeguache and rest on Shavano.
- The traverse went well, although none of us spent much time on
Tabeguache. I wasn't interested in extending the day any longer than
necessary so I immediately turned around after a summit photo. I
pretty much bonked on the ascent back up Shavano and slowed considerably.
We all regrouped above the Angel's halo where our crampons were and
prepared for the glissade back down. After a fun and fast ride down,
we hiked back to our cache at tree line, reloaded our packs, and returned
to the trailhead. I can't speak for everyone, but I was spent at the
end of the day. Despite the fatigue and weariness, it was an
excellent day
in the mountains with a good group of people. We summitted Shavano
in 5 hours and our total round trip time was 9.5 hours.
- 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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