| Peak(s): |
Mt. Yale - 14,200 feet |
| Date Posted: | 06/30/2014 |
| Date Climbed: | 06/29/2014 |
| Author: | lpeabbles |
| Steep hike on a windy day |
|---|
|
What a lovely Sunday for a hike in the Collegiates! We decided to drive down from Denver Saturday night and camp to get an early start, and after a bit of searching for a good campsite, we settled on a spot on a small pull out on the south side of Cottonwood Pass Rd. There is a lot of camping in this area, and while it took us a while to find something, that's mostly because it was 11pm on a Saturday in June and because we were being picky. PLENTY of places to pitch a tent in this area. It was a warm night and after a couple hours of fitful sleep, we decided to get our butts in gear and start hiking. We were on the trail at 4:30am, and we certainly weren't the only ones. We saw several other hikers starting out as early as us, and even ran into a couple people on their way down at 5:45am (crazy!). It was quite warm at Denny Creek Trailhead, and many people ended up misled by this starting temp and didn't bring the the proper layers. The first mile or so of the hike was pretty mellow. The bridge where you cross the stream isn't really in use anymore, there are 3 smaller bridges built just below the big one that are MUCH more sturdy in the high water! Shortly after the bridge we came across the trail sign where we had to turn right to continue up to Yale - this was very obvious and hard to miss. This completed the easy part of our hike! From here, it starts to gradually get steeper. I'll admit - it could have been that this was my first 14er of the season, but this one really felt like a grind for me. The only consolation was that this is truly a beautiful hike. The trail is very well done (I understand it's pretty new) and the views in the Collegiates are hard to beat! We continued to work our way through the trees, as much of this hike was below tree line. We had no problem finding the trail - with the exception of a marshy area about 2 miles in where we lost the trail for a few moments. Earlier trip reports had mentioned this area so I knew what to expect, but I somehow still got a bit off trail. On the way down we realized how obvious it was - you have to stay to hiker's right at the very beginning of the marshy area and the trail will be very clear. This was about the point in our hike where it started cooling off a bit - time to break out the hats and gloves! The trees started to thin a bit and we finally felt like we were really on a 14er. It's was a bit of a grind up through the basin to the wall of the saddle, but the wildflowers were in full bloom and the views were great (sometimes you have to remind yourself why you're up there when your trudging along in misery!). We ran into a big group of teenagers who seemed to be with some kind of Outward Bound group, who we continued to leap frog with almost up to the saddle. There is nothing quite as entertaining as listening to teenagers talk when they don't think adults are listening. As we got closer and closer to the saddle, the temps continued to drop as the wind picked up. The sun was still behind the ridge line, so shade+wind+low temps = chilly hike. We were reasonably prepared with warm layers, hats and gloves, but about 50% of the people we saw were in shorts and t-shirts. These people were pretty miserable. Remember - just because it's warm at the trail head doesn't mean it will be warm at the top! The ridge was short but fun. I've been rock climbing a lot lately, and I think my newly honed climbing skills helped make the ridge scramble a little more enjoyable. The trail was a little tricky though here, and it was hard to tell which side of the ridge you should stay on. Eventually we worked our way to the summit, which was really only identifiable by the wind shelter, seeing the summit is essentially just a ridge line. We were welcomed with BEAUTIFUL views and surprisingly little wind, considering how much we had on the way up. The low wind and warm sun felt pretty nice after the chilly ascent. The hike down warmed us quickly, and we were down to t-shirts by the time we were back in treeline. I remembered to bring my Colorado Wildflowers book, so we took our time identifying wildflowers on the way down. The hike below treeline was incredibly pleasant, complete with a babbling creek and no mosquitoes! Despite the steepness, this was a very enjoyable hike. The amazing views at the top (you have to check out the view of Harvard and Columbia, incredible!) coupled with a fantastically nice trail made the slog up completely worth it! Stats: Total time to ascend: 4 hrs 55 minutes (left at 4:30am, summited at 9:25am) Time on top: 40 minutes Time to the car: 2 hrs 35 minutes (left top at 10:05am, back at 12:40pm) Total time: 8 hrs 10 minutes Obviously we were setting no speed records here! :-) |
| 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.
