DESTINATION Ute Pass to Ute Peak 1 Photoset
2015-06-13 | |
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| Hiking | 8.33 Miles |
2,532 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.33 Miles | 4 Hrs 22 Mns | | 2.11 mph |
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| 2,532 ft AEG | 25 Mns Break | | |
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| no partners | | Lee likes to drive to PBR and doesn't seem to mind the distance, so I decided to one-up him and do a simple Colorado day trip. In retrospect, I should have attempted Ptarmigan Peak instead. It has a much more south-facing exposure and is above the treeline. Oh well, next time I guess!
This is a great trail with a solid grade. I obviously am not acclimated to the elevation, and I struggled mightily on the climb, taking countless breath-breaks along the way.
Snow began to appear above 10,000 feet and by 10,500, I was weaving around some deep drifts and post-holing through others. I had my new Solomon Quest boots and gaiters so I was dry and comfortable, but ultimately the snow got to be too deep. After a mile or so of that trudgery, I had had enough and decided to bail. I knew that the peak above had plenty of snow-free access above the treeline but I was not prepared for the amount of snow still in the trees. There was just no way I was going to make it the extra 600 feet or so to get out of the trees and back on bare ground.
I had really hoped to get the stunning views over the Gore Range and Summit and Grand counties from the peak, but had to settle for some views from lower down. The spring snows in Colorado left the snowpack at over 200% normal in May, so there is still a lot at the higher elevations this year. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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| Tonya Harding's triple lutz |
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