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 Peak:  Wetterhorn Peak
 Route:  Southeast Ridge
 Range:  San Juan
 Posted By:  B_2
 Date of Info:  6/30/2015
 Date Posted:  7/1/2015
Details

Route is close to summer conditions with some scattered mud and snow. We read the report from last week and we were hoping for a snow climb but the hard freeze is over and snow too soft and wet - there was plenty of wet slough activity in the high basin. High alpine meadows are starting to bloom and are really beautiful. I am not sure which flower it is that is so fragrant, but this route really smells great too! Met Mindy and Chris up there, as well as several aggro marmots. The summit scramble wall is solid and fun, but as all this just thawed out in the past few weeks, take care on the entire class 3 section below. We found several loose boulders and rocks. We actually had a close call with a boulder about the size of a cooler - all my husband did was touch it with his hand as he passed by. He injured his hand trying to deflect it to keep it from running him over, which luckily gave me a second to jump to the side and take cover as I was directly below. We also witnessed a massive rock slide from a distance on one of the lesser area peaks the next day while climbing Uncompagre. The 2 mile 4WD trail to the TH does require 4WD, but is not anything out of the ordinary if you have that available.


Comments or Questions
r_grizz
User
Loop conditions?
7/2/2015 10:43am
Did you notice how much snow was in the basin between Wetterhorn and Unc? I’m heading up this evening and looking at hiking the loop from Matterhorn Creek tomorrow morning. Wondering if I should have snowshoes.


Steve Gio
User
+1 loop conditions
7/2/2015 2:56pm
grizz
I am planning a backpack loop in that area next weekend. Would like to hear what you find on your loop for conditions. Would be starting from West fork of the Cimmeron a over Coxcomb.


B_2
User
loop conditions
7/2/2015 4:22pm
We did run into a few gentlemen on Wetterhorn 6/30 that had hiked Uncompagre on 6/29 from the Matterhorn TH and said they did a lot of post–holing in snow and wished they had gaiters, but I do remember being up on Unc the next day and wondering WTH because the snow is pretty scant and avoidable in general. FYI, for some reason there was much more snow in the Nellie creek drainage than on the Wetterhorn std route draining down to the Matterhorn TH. Snow was avoidable on both hikes and is so soft that you will want to avoid it for the most part. Snowshoes are unnecessary, IMO.



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