Hassell Peak Trip Report 07/12/2014

Peak(s):	"Hassell Peak" - 13,223 feet
Date Posted:	07/12/2014
Modified:	07/13/2014
Date Climbed:	07/11/2014
Author:	rajz06

Weaving through the Madding Crowd
Starting Point: Herman Gulch (10,300') Peak Climbed: Hassell Peak (13,215') Route: South ridge RT Distance: 9.7 miles (including aborted foray on Pettingell's east ridge) Elevation Gain/Loss: 3,600 feet Group: Solo "The mountains make their own weather". Every time I hear that saying, I can't help but think to myself, "Is weather like tea or something, and are mountains expert brewers?" As clich�d as that saying sounds, this is the reason that an alpine start is recommended when hiking the high country during the monsoon season. Ask any veteran and they'll tell you to get off the mountain by noon. Good advice indeed and hence the need for that early start. I didn't start my hike today until the ripe mid-morning hour of 9:40 a.m. And I wanted to summit not one but two peaks! A frightfully fitful sleep had forced a fateful press of the "snooze" button on the alarm, the resultant 45 minute tardiness further exacerbated by a 50 minute delay on I-70 thanks to construction. Enough said. Herman gulch off exit 218 on I-70 feeds multiple high peaks in the area but is far more popular for providing access via the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) to Herman Lake, Jones Pass, Stanley Mountain, Berthoud Pass et al. Herman Gulch Trailhead The forecast called for a 40% chance of thunderstorms mainly after noon and by the rule of being off the mountain by that hour, I had two hours and 20 minutes to book two peaks, so I started running the trail. You won't find any people in these pictures because I took care not to accidentally feature anyone in this report but rest assured that they were there in full force. Continental Divide Trail Casual hikers have one of two reactions to trail runners: one is of general disgust that someone would "show them up" by blitzing the trail, and the other is of genuine admiration for the effort it takes. I wasn't looking for either of those today for I was only running because time was of the essence. The CDT incidentally is a great trail - well marked, gentle throughout, and, even with the multiple creek intersections, still a joy to hike - or run, for that matter. Raging waters Trail through the woods Clearing The trail goes all the way to Hassel's summit but is probably not the most expeditious way to get there, or so I reckoned after studying the top map. Fifty minutes after my lethargic start I reached a junction where the standard trail continued to the right, while I chose to head straight up the grassy hill toward the obvious saddle. The saddle I was aiming for was a point around 12,400'; the true saddle between Hassell and Pettingell is at 12,900' just under half a mile farther up another grassy slope that is not visible in this picture. Trail junction where I chose to go off-route Halfway up the grassy hill Ok, I lied about no people in these pictures - two hikers can be spotted on the trail in the next shot looking down the grassy hill. Looking back down the trail After gaining the first saddle, I started angling northwest aiming for the next ridge in sight. Next hill to climb I made an ascending traverse up the terrain that was a mix of grass and scree. Angling toward the saddle Looking back down the route The 1,100 vertical feet of off-trail climbing from the junction below treeline to the saddle had taken me nearly 40 minutes. Clearly I didn't run that stretch and I couldn't help wondering if I would not have made better time by staying on the longer but easier and gentler trail. Atop the saddle looking northeast at Hassell Atop the saddle looking southwest at Pettingell Clouds were now hovering over Pettingell but Hassel was up first as I still believed I had a legitimate shot at coming back for Pettingell. I stayed just below the ridge to reach the broad lower expanse of the saddle shortly before rejoining the trail. Lower saddle to Hassell The route to Hassell is gentle as can be and I only had to endure one false summit, but it couldn't come soon enough given my race against time. Rejoining the trail Needless to say, I didn't spend much time atop Hassell. The views to the south were expansive but my focus was on my nearest neighbor. Atop Hassell By the time I made it back to the saddle, I had already violated the rule of getting off the mountain by noon. The next picture showing the ridge to Pettingell was the last one I took with my camera before the battery decided to call it quits. An ominous sign, I thought to myself, as I looked at the darkening clouds looming overhead. Ridge to Pettingell "Do or do not, there is no try." So I proceeded to tackle the ridge. Starting up the first bump Atop first bump I stayed on the ridge and scrambled directly over the first wall. Scramble over first wall When I got to the next major obstacle, I decided to skirt this to climber's left to avoid climbing it directly. I quickly discovered that this wasn't the best strategy. At least, not on this particular tower as it put me under a wall that didn't look too promising. That's a no-go for me! I decided to scramble a little farther on somewhat tippy ledges before finding an easier option to gain the ridge. Scrambling to gain the ridge The next challenge looked no less intimidating. Next challenge As I weighed my options on scaling this, I felt the first drop of rain on my arm. There are times when one has to weigh the cost of sticking to the game plan versus calling it a day and this was certainly one. I was just getting into the zone of tackling this tricky ridge and was loathe to considering bailing but the mountains were starting to brew their tea. I looked down the south slope at the beautiful basin below. Looking down the south slope I then took one long last look at the tower in front and decided that the time had come to exercise caution. I knew I could negotiate the ridge but really didn't know how long the traverse would take, considering there were more such difficulties that lay ahead. Six hundred vertical feet remained between me and the summit and on a simpler Class 2 ridge, I could've dispatched that in well under 30 minutes. This traverse, however, was a different story and I knew it would take some route finding and negotiating, perhaps even backtracking given my limited skills at this exercise. There was also no option to bail down the steep south face if the weather got worse. As I retraced my steps back down the ridge, I had this strange yearning for the skies to open up and spew their pent-up moisture. After all, then my unceremonious retreat might be justified. Will the clouds deliver? I didn't have to wait long for my wish to be granted. The first clap of thunder hit before I'd even left the saddle. Just as I reached the trail, it started to drizzle and I thought to myself, "Be careful what you wish for!" Thar she blows! Fortunately, it was mostly a "son et lumiere" show and the real downpour didn't start until I'd reached the relative safety of my car. I'll live to climb another day. My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload): Login required to view this map... Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Weaving through the Madding Crowd

Starting Point: Herman Gulch (10,300')
Peak Climbed: Hassell Peak (13,215')
Route: South ridge
RT Distance: 9.7 miles (including aborted foray on Pettingell's east ridge)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 3,600 feet
Group: Solo

"The mountains make their own weather". Every time I hear that saying, I can't help but think to myself, "Is weather like tea or something, and are mountains expert brewers?" As clich�d as that saying sounds, this is the reason that an alpine start is recommended when hiking the high country during the monsoon season. Ask any veteran and they'll tell you to get off the mountain by noon. Good advice indeed and hence the need for that early start.

I didn't start my hike today until the ripe mid-morning hour of 9:40 a.m. And I wanted to summit not one but two peaks! A frightfully fitful sleep had forced a fateful press of the "snooze" button on the alarm, the resultant 45 minute tardiness further exacerbated by a 50 minute delay on I-70 thanks to construction. Enough said.

Herman gulch off exit 218 on I-70 feeds multiple high peaks in the area but is far more popular for providing access via the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) to Herman Lake, Jones Pass, Stanley Mountain, Berthoud Pass et al.

The forecast called for a 40% chance of thunderstorms mainly after noon and by the rule of being off the mountain by that hour, I had two hours and 20 minutes to book two peaks, so I started running the trail.

You won't find any people in these pictures because I took care not to accidentally feature anyone in this report but rest assured that they were there in full force.

Casual hikers have one of two reactions to trail runners: one is of general disgust that someone would "show them up" by blitzing the trail, and the other is of genuine admiration for the effort it takes. I wasn't looking for either of those today for I was only running because time was of the essence.

The CDT incidentally is a great trail - well marked, gentle throughout, and, even with the multiple creek intersections, still a joy to hike - or run, for that matter.

The trail goes all the way to Hassel's summit but is probably not the most expeditious way to get there, or so I reckoned after studying the top map. Fifty minutes after my lethargic start I reached a junction where the standard trail continued to the right, while I chose to head straight up the grassy hill toward the obvious saddle. The saddle I was aiming for was a point around 12,400'; the true saddle between Hassell and Pettingell is at 12,900' just under half a mile farther up another grassy slope that is not visible in this picture.

Trail junction where I chose to go off-route

Ok, I lied about no people in these pictures - two hikers can be spotted on the trail in the next shot looking down the grassy hill.

After gaining the first saddle, I started angling northwest aiming for the next ridge in sight.

I made an ascending traverse up the terrain that was a mix of grass and scree.

The 1,100 vertical feet of off-trail climbing from the junction below treeline to the saddle had taken me nearly 40 minutes. Clearly I didn't run that stretch and I couldn't help wondering if I would not have made better time by staying on the longer but easier and gentler trail.

Atop the saddle looking northeast at Hassell

Atop the saddle looking southwest at Pettingell

Clouds were now hovering over Pettingell but Hassel was up first as I still believed I had a legitimate shot at coming back for Pettingell.

I stayed just below the ridge to reach the broad lower expanse of the saddle shortly before rejoining the trail.

The route to Hassell is gentle as can be and I only had to endure one false summit, but it couldn't come soon enough given my race against time.

Needless to say, I didn't spend much time atop Hassell. The views to the south were expansive but my focus was on my nearest neighbor.

By the time I made it back to the saddle, I had already violated the rule of getting off the mountain by noon.

The next picture showing the ridge to Pettingell was the last one I took with my camera before the battery decided to call it quits. An ominous sign, I thought to myself, as I looked at the darkening clouds looming overhead.

"Do or do not, there is no try." So I proceeded to tackle the ridge.

I stayed on the ridge and scrambled directly over the first wall.

When I got to the next major obstacle, I decided to skirt this to climber's left to avoid climbing it directly. I quickly discovered that this wasn't the best strategy. At least, not on this particular tower as it put me under a wall that didn't look too promising.

I decided to scramble a little farther on somewhat tippy ledges before finding an easier option to gain the ridge.

The next challenge looked no less intimidating.

As I weighed my options on scaling this, I felt the first drop of rain on my arm. There are times when one has to weigh the cost of sticking to the game plan versus calling it a day and this was certainly one. I was just getting into the zone of tackling this tricky ridge and was loathe to considering bailing but the mountains were starting to brew their tea. I looked down the south slope at the beautiful basin below.

I then took one long last look at the tower in front and decided that the time had come to exercise caution. I knew I could negotiate the ridge but really didn't know how long the traverse would take, considering there were more such difficulties that lay ahead. Six hundred vertical feet remained between me and the summit and on a simpler Class 2 ridge, I could've dispatched that in well under 30 minutes. This traverse, however, was a different story and I knew it would take some route finding and negotiating, perhaps even backtracking given my limited skills at this exercise. There was also no option to bail down the steep south face if the weather got worse.

As I retraced my steps back down the ridge, I had this strange yearning for the skies to open up and spew their pent-up moisture. After all, then my unceremonious retreat might be justified.

I didn't have to wait long for my wish to be granted. The first clap of thunder hit before I'd even left the saddle. Just as I reached the trail, it started to drizzle and I thought to myself, "Be careful what you wish for!"

Fortunately, it was mostly a "son et lumiere" show and the real downpour didn't start until I'd reached the relative safety of my car. I'll live to climb another day.

My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

goingup	I really respect your love for 13ers 7/12/2014 10:31pm Maybe we can go do one together sometime.
Jay521	Another nice one, Raj! 7/14/2014 5:03pm I went up Hassell the same way you did and then followed the standard trail back down - made for a nice loop and the valley the trail is in is pretty and has lots of wildflowers if you hit it right. And Pettingel's east ridge is fun, too - as I'm certain you figured out. You'll have to go back and get that one - makes a nice loop to go back down via the more standard route and come out atop Herman Lake. Nice pics and narrative as always.
rajz06	Thanks! 7/15/2014 2:10pm Kay: Let's make it happen. Jay: I was trying to emulate your route up Pettingell's east ridge. Let me know if you're up for an encore. Perhaps Kay can join us as well.

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.

14ers.com

Social

Mobile App