Peak(s): |
Mt. Princeton - 14,200 feet "Tigger Peak" - 13,272 feet |
Date Posted: | 06/04/2012 |
Modified: | 06/05/2012 |
Date Climbed: | 05/28/2012 |
Author: | GreenHorn |
Peak(s): |
Mt. Princeton - 14,200 feet "Tigger Peak" - 13,272 feet |
Date Posted: | 06/04/2012 |
Modified: | 06/05/2012 |
Date Climbed: | 05/28/2012 |
Author: | GreenHorn |
Maxwell Smart? |
---|
Princeton via Maxwell Gulch My wife, son, and I had rented a cabin at Rainbow Lake, near the Avalanche Gulch trailhead, for the week. So, I decided to take a look at one of the lesser used routes up Princeton. My plan was to be out the door early and finish at the standard trailhead by mid-day. I got out of the cabin by around 5:15 and started the short run (about 1.5 miles) down the road (CR306 & CR344) to the South Cottonwood TH9,000' on the Colorado Trail. It was already bright enough to see without a headlamp, so I put it away once I left the road. After about a mile along the creek, the trail begins climbing south and east for about a mile to about 10,000 feet. There are a fair number of downed trees in this area from the wind storms, but all have been cleared from the trail. I continued south along this runnable stretch of trail for few more miles until reaching Maxwell Gulch at my 6 mile mark. After reaching Maxwell Gulch, I kept my eyes open for an old mining road I have seen described by some previous Nolan's 14 runners. I left the CT and followed what appeared to be an old road southwest into the lower part of the gulch. This lasted for maybe 100 yards before turning into a bushwhack. I then saw another area that appeared that it could have been an old road. Again, that turned into a bushwhack rather quickly. At this point I gave up on finding any kind of trail, crossed Maxwell Creek, and continued southwest, climbing gradually. At about 10,600', I crossed a clearing that lead south and up a steep slope leading directly to the lower part of Princeton's NE ridge. I had intended to go further into Maxwell Gulch before climbing to the ridge, but the clearing was too good to pass up. I hit the ridge around 8:00 a.m. and found myself in some waist-high scrub trees until reaching tree-line. I would classify those as a mild annoyance at worst, as they only lasted for about 400 yards. There was some scrambling required in this area as well. From this point, the hike became a long, slow trudge up the ridge. The talus walking was mixed with several stretches of scrambling. Above 13,000' the wind started to become a factor, and combined with the fact that this was only my second full day at altitude, my pace felt like a crawl. There were a few patches of snow on the final stretch to the summit, but with a little route-finding I was able to avoid the snow, as well as most of the exposure. After being a little apprehensive about the narrowest part of the ridge, the wind turned out to be the only thing making me uncomfortable. I reached the summit at 10:45 to find three others on top already. All had hiked the standard route from the radio towers. I spent about 15 minutes on top chatting with the other hikers and taking some pictures before starting down the standard route. The descent down the ridge went pretty quickly and I decided I may as well grab "Tigger" peak while I was so close. So, I climbed the additional 300 ft from the saddle and reached its summit at 12:00. Just as I summited Tigger, I heard Erica calling in loud and clear on the FRS radio. She was on CR321 just outside BV and en-route to pick me up at the standard trailhead. A lot of radios advertise a ridiculous range in unobstructed conditions and don't deliver, but I was pretty impressed with the clarity of these from 6-8 miles. I told her I would be at least an hour coming down and knew I would have to get moving to do that. After shedding some layers, I began descending NW on the talus toward the chalet at the end of the road. Once the slope eased a bit, I cut directly down to the road - about halfway between the Princeton trail turn-off and the end of the road. From there, the run down was pretty fast and uneventful. I reached the 2wd trailhead at 1:10 pm to find Erica and GreenHorn Jr. waiting for me. I should have taken a picture, but I was relieved to be finished and I forgot. In all, I covered 15+ miles and about 5,500' verticle in just under 8 hours. My initial thoughts after finishing were that I could never recommend this route and that I would not even plan to repeat this route the next time I attempt Nolan's 14 (opting instead to take the CT to the runnable standard route). As usual, my thoughts have softened a bit with time. I think a few extra days at altitude would have allowed me to cut at least an hour off my ascent time, which really wouldn't make this such a bad climb. As a descent route, I think it would actually be reasonably fast, and by holding to the ridge longer than some others have I think one can avoid the worst of the bushwhacking near Maxwell creek. If someone is interested in adding some extra mileage and scrambling to their Princeton climb, this may be a fun one for them. |
Comments or Questions | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.