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| Challenger/Kit Carson. A new favorite. 9 of 10. |
I had a great time climbing Challenger/Kit Carson.
I got there around 6:30pm on Sunday and started hiking in. The sun was setting just as I was arriving at the area where I wanted to camp just below Willow Lake. The sunset was incredible as well as the alpenglow.
I found a campsite right near the creek which was nice save for the Mosquitoes. Word to the wise: bring bug spray or you will be miserable. There is no place safe from them on pretty much the whole Willow Creek approach.
There was light rain on and off all evening.
I woke up at 5am and it was still cloudy and moist so I was worried that I might not summit. But things cleared up pretty quickly and it turned into a beautiful day. The early morning light made for some fantastic views as the clouds/fog passed in and out of the valley.
Challenger was fine on the way up besides being loose and a little slippery.
I summited around 8am and headed on over to the Avenue.
I really feel the traverse did not exceed difficult class 2 save for the exposure. The hardest part of the whole hike was coming back down Challenger standard route. I slipped/tripped more times in the descent than any other 14er I've done.
This was easily one of, if not the most beautiful hikes I've eve been on.
I give this hike a 9/10 because of the excess moisture (-.5) and mosquitoes (-.5). If you haven't done this hike, go do it!
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