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Base Camp
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: September 27,
2008
- Miles Hiked: 7.0
- Elevation Gain: 4,050'
- Hiking Partner(s): Kevin
Smith
- Description:
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Kevin wanted to get out of town for part of the
weekend, and I hadn't been out in the mountains for a while so I told
him I was in. After contemplating a couple of options, we decided
to try North Maroon Peak in the Elk Range. We figured the colors
would be turning and Kevin might be able to knock out another 14er.
We left Denver Friday afternoon, had dinner in Aspen, and car camped at
the Maroon Bells Trailhead.
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There was a lot of activity in the parking lot
Saturday morning, but most people were photographers. In fact we
only saw a couple other parties hiking all day along with some people on
the summit of South Maroon Peak. We didn't get an alpine start,
and weren't hiking until shortly after 6:00 am. The forecast was
reasonable, so we weren't too worried about our later start. We
hiked next to the Minnehaha Gulch and easily found the creek crossing.
After a bit more scrambling, we took a break before working our way over
to the first gully on North Maroon's Northeast Ridge Route. My
blood glucose was in good shape, but I needed to continue to eat to keep it
up at a reasonable level.
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We worked our way up the first gully on a climber's
trail to the point where you cross over to the second higher gully.
Things were going well and we were making good time. Once we saw
up the second gully, there were 3 other parties above us. We took
another break and slowly worked our way up the second gully to the
actual northeast ridge passing two of the other parties along the way.
We gained the ridge, crossed over to the north face of North Maroon
Peak, and ran into a fair amount of snow. The Class 4 crux was
iced up and the optional Class 3 route wasn't any better. We
didn't have crampons, a rope, or any gear. We probably could have
made the climb, but didn't feel like pressing our luck, so we turned
back at 13,600'.
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The last time I down climbed the Northeast Ridge
Route on North Maroon Peak was last year after climbing the Bell Chord.
I didn't particularly enjoy the descent; however, I was more tired, was
carrying more gear, and hadn't ascended the route. I didn't think
the down climb this year was bad at all as long as you stick to the
climber's trail. We made it back to the trailhead, had a couple of
beers, and I ate a caramel apple. Unfortunately, we fell short of
the summit by 400' and should have been more prepared from a gear
perspective.
- Maps:
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Click here to view a
2D map of
the area where this hike is located.
- Photographs:
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www.
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