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Memorable...err, memories...from this trip:
- We'd driven out after work on Friday, and at around 10pm in Carbondale Kimmy realized she had forgotten her hiking boots (first time for everything!). We knew the only place open in that part of the state that late was the Wal-Mart in Glenwood Springs, where we bought the most appropriate pair of shoes that fit her: some super-white tennis shoes. They wouldn't be the best, but they would do.
- We had initially planned to leave Saturday morning, backpack in to Capitol Lake and hike Cap on Sunday, but there was a high chance of a snowstorm for Sunday. Therefore, we changed our plans such that we drive in Friday after work, sleep barely over two hours and hike all 17 miles the next day and drive out.
Both the shoes and the plan worked out fine. Met our friends Brandon and Meg up there, and the four of us had a blast on this gorgeous mountain in the gorgeous Elks. I hope this video could be a real help for those on the edge (pun intended) in trying to determine whether they would be comfortable with the exposure aspects of it.
Key things to know for those considering it: 1) Most of the rock on the "knifey" sections is solid. But please don't rely on that - test everything.
2) You've got a solid 3-4 hours of hiking after the knife edge to get to the summit and back across the knife edge before you can cross K2 and begin your descent down the boulder field. This means that you are exposed for a long time - several hours! So be smart with weather and whatnot.
3) Do not let your guard down after the knife edge, as the rock afterward is loose despite being big, and that anything can give way on you (or someone above you) without due diligence. Since exposure isn't a big deal for us, we found this looseness to be the most dangerous part of the mountain. Especially if you get off the trip description's recommended route.
4) Pay attention to the way you are ascending to the summit and look behind you to see what it should look like coming back. I had initially gone too far down too soon, and the rock quickly got really crappy and required an otherwise unnecessary level of skill to get out of it. Not the most fun thing to do.
5) Everyone knows this, but please don't think there is a safer way down the mountain than the standard route - you will kill yourself.
Here's a little earth porn from the trip:
Happy climbing, peeps!
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Good report and good times. I'll never forget first you stealthily trying to sneak up on us toward the saddle, and then Kimmy showing me her shoes. LOL. I still maintain she is part mountain goat.
the whole fisheye thing the gopro does makes this look a bit more extreme than I'm sure the exposure actually is, but good god that is a terrifying video! And yes, the slip at 3:51 doesn't help! She is clearly part mountain goat. Thanks for sharing!
Meg, I would've felt like a much better ”sneaker” if Brandon weren't watching me the whole time! It was an interesting day.
cpb145, yes, the fisheye surely does make it look scarier than reality. Although it's still tough to explain to our families back home who don't climb mountains Even the slip wasn't as bad as it looked - you'll see immediately afterward in the video that she's looking at me for a second. That's when she smiled and said, ”Nothing like a little excitement.”
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Even the slip wasn't as bad as it looked - you'll see immediately afterward in the video that she's looking at me for a second. That's when she smiled and said, ”Nothing like a little excitement.” 