Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
Peak: Taylor B(13,153ft)
Distance: 13miles
Vert: 4,000
When I started this report I was under the impression it had only been a month since I had been out in the hills. Imagine my shock when I checked the date on pictures from the last trip up Aetna and Taylor and it was back on November 18th! Despite reasonable excuses of exams, bad weather, work, a trip to Michigan, Christmas, 3 concerts around New Years Eve, and a horrible cold, 7.5 weeks off is not acceptable and will not be repeated in the future.
I have had my eye on Taylor Peak B in RMNP for awhile now and with the current weather window closing and the fact that I was feeling a little better I thought I would give it a go yesterday. My extended break, gluttony, and overindulgence in the past month and half had me not planning on setting any speed records and just hoping to get back to the car with a summit.
The drive from Broomfield was very quick with no traffic and I was pulling into the Glacier Gorge TH parking lot at 5:50. There was one other car in the lot whose owners I ran into at the end of the day, they had climbed the classic ice route, All Mixed Up. The weather was a balmy 22 degrees and calm when I set off under clear skies at 6:05.
Lost in my thoughts I forgot to count how many bridges I had crossed and was afraid of missing the shortcut to The Loch. Luckily the area I needed was all tracked out and there were a ton of different trails that all funneled into the official climbers shortcut/winter variation. Knowing this area would be well traveled I left the snow shoes in the car, hoping that I would not regret that decision past The Loch, fortunately I did not. Reaching the Loch right at sunrise was a real treat and it was nice to have microspikes and ice to make a beeline for the opposite shore.
A few minutes after The Loch the trail split again, with the left going towards Sky Pond and the right ascending Andrews Creek towards the Gash. To my relief it looked like a few people had been up that way since the last snow so my decision to leave the snowshoes wasn't going to ruin the day, just make it more slow-going. It was here that I threw on my gaiters and the postholing and random falls off to the side of the trail were the name of the game for the next hour or so as I worked my way up into the Gash and towards the headwall below Andrews tarn. My decision to head to the right side of the obvious clearing was horrible and I would take the other side on the descent and realized I wasted about 30 minutes sparring with the boulders and powder.
Eventually I reached the headwall that needs to be climbed to access Andrews Tarn and the glacier itself. Kicking steps was easy up the left side of the slope and before long I was at the tarn and looking up at the final climb up the glacier to Andrews Pass and the Continental Divide. Crampons would have been nice for the glacier, but microspikes did the job well enough. I ascended the steeper left side on some great snow in order to avoid the massive ice sheet that I had seen covering the entire middle of the glacier from down below.
Topping out on Andrews Pass was bittersweet as I was off the snow with only 1200 ft vert of tundra walking/talus hopping remaining until the summit, but the wind was a constant pain. This last grunt is when my extended hiatus from climbing began to rear its ugly head. The amount of times I had to remind myself that standing there resting was not in fact helping me get any closer to the goal at hand were endless and annoying. Eventually I pulled my lazy ass to the summit, arriving at 10:45. The views where great as to be expected and after some pics and snacks I bundled up and started to head down.
The descent was uneventful for the most part and I was surprised to see so many people from the Loch back to the car, at least 25 snowshoers/hikers. I made it back to the car at 1:45 feeling like a million bucks, albeit a little tired. My favorite part of the day was the season's first full on face-plant due to a surprise posthole. I came up with a face full of snow laughing out loud and swearing at the same time, ahhhhh winter The physical challenge of this hike was awesome and it felt great to finally be out in the mountains again. That said, the mental benefits of this hike far outweigh the physical. The Freedom of The Hills is most certainly NOT just the title of a book!
Thanks for reading!
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
You finally got out. Hey buddy, I've been wondering where you've been since you hadn't posted anything in quite a while. Thanks for some great conditions beta on some not so nearby peaks!
Glad you got Taylor, I remember you talking about it last time I saw you. I need to wander up there now that I live in the front range, it is my family's namesake after all.
Howdy Aaron. lad to see more TR from you, they are always very informative and your pictures are beautiful. Hope to get there next summer and meet you again. M
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.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.