Castle Peak Trip Report 08/14/2014

Peak(s):	Castle Peak - 14,274 feet Conundrum Peak - 14,037 feet
Date Posted:	08/14/2014
Date Climbed:	08/11/2014
Author:	SolarAlex

Castle+Conundrum
After having a great day out on Pyramid a few weeks ago, I have been extremely eager to get back to the Elks...On Pyramid, I went into it expecting the worst...a crumbling pile of overhanging rocks, where every single hold breaks off while dozens of goats are raining car sized boulders down on you. That wasn't the case at all as it turned out, so I was expecting the looseness of Castle and Conundrum to be overstated as well. I was wrong. I think the smartest way to do these peaks is to climb them while they are covered in snow. Chase, Cecilia and I set out from Breckenridge around 245am, arriving in Aspen around 5. Last time I woke up at 2am and went to Aspen, I was driving solo, which was really no fun. We found the turn off for Ashcroft/Castle Creek and drove the paved road to the trailhead. I was a little nervous about the 4wd road, as I had read mixed things about it. The road is actually pretty good, except for the spots where it isn't. The creek crossing is challenging, not because of the water level, but because of the steep entrance and exit. On one side, its a fairly steep dip into the creek, and coming out there are some decent sized rocks blocking the exit. I made it across fine in a stock tacoma, and I would say there was no more than 6 inches of water. Once across the creek, there were some rougher spots but overall the road was decent. I ended up stopping about 150' below the pearl pass turn off, not wanting to negotiate a large rock/rut combo in the dark. Later in the day, I realized I could have easily gotten past it but I didn't want to risk damaging my truck, as its still pretty new. On the way down, there was a RAV4 at the Pearl Pass junction, which I found shocking. Certainly a better/more confident driver than me. We began the slog up the 4wd road, staying right at the pearl pass junction. It's extremely easy hiking up the road and its very easy to follow. You gradually gain some elevation as you hike up into Montezuma Basin. The views of the Elks are impressive. There are some mining ruins along the road, which are always cool to see. There are also lots of wildflowers. Finally, the road came to an end and we began hiking up into the basin. There is a trail through the basin, although it crosses snow a few times. We managed with no snow gear, even though we brought it. I think most of the snow can be bypassed if you aren't interested in walking on snow. There was one sort of somewhat steep snow crossing that was firm in the morning, but with careful steps it was no big deal. The trail through the rocks was a mess of small talus and scree, which made for tedious hiking. Still, it was relatively easy and soon enough we were heading up to the ridge. Chase had made a point of telling us that when he did it with his dad about 18 years ago, there was no trail whatsoever up to the ridge, and it was a giant pain in the ass getting up there. So, needless to say that when I saw a pretty good trail I was very happy. It was an easy hike up to the ridge, and once on the ridge the fun factor went way up. The views all around you are incredible and the ridge is fun. Its a little bit airy, which adds to the experience. There is a clear trail for all of it, but there are a few spots where some optional easy scrambling presents itself. Be careful though, as there is some very loose rock on the ridge. I feel like this ridge would be a great intro to exposure for a beginner, as the trail is plenty wide and is pretty much just walking if you stay on it. The view down into Montezuma basin is spectacular. After a few bumps along the ridge, the final slope up to the summit presents itself. Its a short stroll to the summit from here, and we topped out about 9:15, about 3 hours after starting. The weather was perfect, and we enjoyed the summit for a while before heading down to Conundrum. I will say that the descent off of Castle was very loose at the top. Probably the loosest rock I've experienced thus far. There is a trail, but its covered with loose crap. There is one rock outcrop that you have to climb down near the top, and while stepping off of it, I set a pretty large rock in motion. Luckily it stopped before plunging off the North face of Castle, but it was a good reminder that even on class 2 hikes you have to be aware of loose rock. We picked our way down to the saddle, and continued onwards towards Conundrum. We reached the false summit and began the final push to the top. The little notch between the 2 summits was really fun...I'm pretty sure I got off route, but there was a couple of fun moves on climbers right to the summit. We topped out about 35 minutes after leaving castle. Great views from the summit. We stopped again to enjoy the scenery and have a snack/photos etc, and then it was time to head down. There were some clouds building, so I didn't want to hang around too long. We had been debating about re summiting castle instead of hiking down from the saddle, which was melted out about ~200 feet below the saddle. I had read horror stories about descending this way without snow cover, but in the end laziness won the day. I will say that, to me, the descent down from the saddle was sketchier than anything on pyramid. It wasn't that it was technical, it was just so loose, and on steep enough that falling would have sucked big time. I think Roach says it best "When the snow melts below this saddle, the final climb to the saddle becomes an insulting effort tantamount to ascending a slope of ball bearings." There are also some small cliffs on your left if you are facing down the slope. One by one, we picked our way down trying to stay out of the way of the unavoidable rockfall. It was really an unpleasant experience. Once we all reached the bottom without issue I was relieved to say the least. That lake is absolutely amazing to see close up. The water is bright green...just awesome. We hiked out around to the left of the lake and out of the basin...there was a fun glissade down the basin...well it started out as a boot ski, but I'm a snowboarder, so it turned into a glissade pretty fast. We ran into a few other groups of people , including a family of 4 enjoying a ride down the snow...the father was boot skiing with 2 jack russell terriers pulling him along...an impressive show of balance. We ran into a few people in Jeeps who had driven to the end of the road as well. The hike down the road was hot and I was exhausted from the 2am wakeup. It was nice seeing all the wildflowers that I hadn't noticed in the morning. I was ready to get back to my truck and put my sandals on...I can't decide whats better...summitting the mountain, or putting sandals on at the end of the day. Seeing about 5 pounds of gravel pour out of my boots answered the question on this day. Like a true dunce, I left my hat and sunglasses on the roof of my truck when we started driving down...I realized this when we got back to the pavement. I pulled over and looked to see if by some miracle they were still there...shockingly, the hat had gotten wedged under my roof rack and was still there! No such luck for the shades, so if you happen to find a pair of ray ban aviators on the road, I will buy a 6 pack of choice if you grab them. Im sure by now they have been crushed to dust though. Oh well, sometimes you have to pay the cost of admission. I really enjoyed this hike in spite of the loose rock and lost shades...great views, fun hiking and friends always make for a fun day out. Really looking forward to seeing the rest of the elks! Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Castle+Conundrum

After having a great day out on Pyramid a few weeks ago, I have been extremely eager to get back to the Elks...On Pyramid, I went into it expecting the worst...a crumbling pile of overhanging rocks, where every single hold breaks off while dozens of goats are raining car sized boulders down on you. That wasn't the case at all as it turned out, so I was expecting the looseness of Castle and Conundrum to be overstated as well. I was wrong. I think the smartest way to do these peaks is to climb them while they are covered in snow.

Chase, Cecilia and I set out from Breckenridge around 245am, arriving in Aspen around 5. Last time I woke up at 2am and went to Aspen, I was driving solo, which was really no fun. We found the turn off for Ashcroft/Castle Creek and drove the paved road to the trailhead. I was a little nervous about the 4wd road, as I had read mixed things about it. The road is actually pretty good, except for the spots where it isn't. The creek crossing is challenging, not because of the water level, but because of the steep entrance and exit. On one side, its a fairly steep dip into the creek, and coming out there are some decent sized rocks blocking the exit. I made it across fine in a stock tacoma, and I would say there was no more than 6 inches of water. Once across the creek, there were some rougher spots but overall the road was decent. I ended up stopping about 150' below the pearl pass turn off, not wanting to negotiate a large rock/rut combo in the dark. Later in the day, I realized I could have easily gotten past it but I didn't want to risk damaging my truck, as its still pretty new. On the way down, there was a RAV4 at the Pearl Pass junction, which I found shocking. Certainly a better/more confident driver than me.

We began the slog up the 4wd road, staying right at the pearl pass junction. It's extremely easy hiking up the road and its very easy to follow. You gradually gain some elevation as you hike up into Montezuma Basin. The views of the Elks are impressive. There are some mining ruins along the road, which are always cool to see. There are also lots of wildflowers. Finally, the road came to an end and we began hiking up into the basin.

There is a trail through the basin, although it crosses snow a few times. We managed with no snow gear, even though we brought it. I think most of the snow can be bypassed if you aren't interested in walking on snow. There was one sort of somewhat steep snow crossing that was firm in the morning, but with careful steps it was no big deal. The trail through the rocks was a mess of small talus and scree, which made for tedious hiking. Still, it was relatively easy and soon enough we were heading up to the ridge.

Chase had made a point of telling us that when he did it with his dad about 18 years ago, there was no trail whatsoever up to the ridge, and it was a giant pain in the ass getting up there. So, needless to say that when I saw a pretty good trail I was very happy. It was an easy hike up to the ridge, and once on the ridge the fun factor went way up.

The views all around you are incredible and the ridge is fun. Its a little bit airy, which adds to the experience. There is a clear trail for all of it, but there are a few spots where some optional easy scrambling presents itself. Be careful though, as there is some very loose rock on the ridge. I feel like this ridge would be a great intro to exposure for a beginner, as the trail is plenty wide and is pretty much just walking if you stay on it. The view down into Montezuma basin is spectacular.

After a few bumps along the ridge, the final slope up to the summit presents itself.

Its a short stroll to the summit from here, and we topped out about 9:15, about 3 hours after starting. The weather was perfect, and we enjoyed the summit for a while before heading down to Conundrum.

I will say that the descent off of Castle was very loose at the top. Probably the loosest rock I've experienced thus far. There is a trail, but its covered with loose crap. There is one rock outcrop that you have to climb down near the top, and while stepping off of it, I set a pretty large rock in motion. Luckily it stopped before plunging off the North face of Castle, but it was a good reminder that even on class 2 hikes you have to be aware of loose rock. We picked our way down to the saddle, and continued onwards towards Conundrum. We reached the false summit and began the final push to the top.

The little notch between the 2 summits was really fun...I'm pretty sure I got off route, but there was a couple of fun moves on climbers right to the summit. We topped out about 35 minutes after leaving castle. Great views from the summit.

We stopped again to enjoy the scenery and have a snack/photos etc, and then it was time to head down. There were some clouds building, so I didn't want to hang around too long. We had been debating about re summiting castle instead of hiking down from the saddle, which was melted out about ~200 feet below the saddle. I had read horror stories about descending this way without snow cover, but in the end laziness won the day. I will say that, to me, the descent down from the saddle was sketchier than anything on pyramid. It wasn't that it was technical, it was just so loose, and on steep enough that falling would have sucked big time. I think Roach says it best "When the snow melts below this saddle, the final climb to the saddle becomes an insulting effort tantamount to ascending a slope of ball bearings." There are also some small cliffs on your left if you are facing down the slope. One by one, we picked our way down trying to stay out of the way of the unavoidable rockfall. It was really an unpleasant experience.

Once we all reached the bottom without issue I was relieved to say the least. That lake is absolutely amazing to see close up. The water is bright green...just awesome.

We hiked out around to the left of the lake and out of the basin...there was a fun glissade down the basin...well it started out as a boot ski, but I'm a snowboarder, so it turned into a glissade pretty fast. We ran into a few other groups of people , including a family of 4 enjoying a ride down the snow...the father was boot skiing with 2 jack russell terriers pulling him along...an impressive show of balance.

We ran into a few people in Jeeps who had driven to the end of the road as well. The hike down the road was hot and I was exhausted from the 2am wakeup. It was nice seeing all the wildflowers that I hadn't noticed in the morning.

I was ready to get back to my truck and put my sandals on...I can't decide whats better...summitting the mountain, or putting sandals on at the end of the day. Seeing about 5 pounds of gravel pour out of my boots answered the question on this day. Like a true dunce, I left my hat and sunglasses on the roof of my truck when we started driving down...I realized this when we got back to the pavement. I pulled over and looked to see if by some miracle they were still there...shockingly, the hat had gotten wedged under my roof rack and was still there! No such luck for the shades, so if you happen to find a pair of ray ban aviators on the road, I will buy a 6 pack of choice if you grab them. Im sure by now they have been crushed to dust though. Oh well, sometimes you have to pay the cost of admission.

I really enjoyed this hike in spite of the loose rock and lost shades...great views, fun hiking and friends always make for a fun day out. Really looking forward to seeing the rest of the elks!

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Tornadoman	Love your final picture! 8/14/2014 9:03pm That's a great shot on the way out. If you enjoyed Pyramid, I think you will enjoy North Maroon as well. As long as you stay on route it is no tougher than Pyramid and it isn't really too loose.
Deathmarch Queen	Great pics! 8/14/2014 9:26pm Great info and pictures. Heading out to conquer these two this weekend and the info you posted was helpful. Thanks!
buckeyejes	Nice Pictures! 8/18/2014 3:54pm I plan on hiking these in a few weeks! My first ones in the elks! Thanks for the information and trip report!
claybonnyman	And.... 8/19/2014 9:39pm I should say that I didn't find Capitol scary in the least. In fact, the worst part, for me, was the sketchy/loose passage beneath K2.
claybonnyman	Hear, hear! 8/19/2014 9:40pm Great report and nice photos. I'm absolutely with you on this ”Castle/Conundrum are the easiest Elks,” etc. etc. I did Capitol on Aug. 8 and absolutely loved it. The next day I did C/C, completely expecting a cakewalk. But honestly, I think the NE ridge of Castle is as slippery and sketchy - if not as steep - as just about anywhere on Capitol. I love reading the classic 14er books, but I've learned over time that perceptions of easy/difficult, scary/cakewalk and so on are seriously subjective. I'm excited for Pyramid next summer and hopefully Snowmass and the Maroons.

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