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Starting Point: McNasser Gulch: ~10,970'
Peaks Climbed in order of ascent: Grizzly Peak A (13,998'), Garfield Peak (13,780')
Route: East ridge ascent of Grizzly, ridge traverse to Garfield, north slope descent
RT Distance: ~8.8 miles
Elevation Gain/Loss: ~3,500 feet (per Google Maps)
Group: Solo
Grizzlies abound in Colorado; no, not the ursine kind, but the mountainous ones. Of the six peaks named Grizzly reaching above 13,000', Grizzly Peak A is the highest not just among those but also among all of the state 13ers, less than four meters short of the "magical" (per the FPS unit system, anyway) 14,000' mark.
Surrounded by peaks and far enough away from Independence Pass, Grizzly Peak A is not easy to spot from anywhere except from neighboring high peaks. The last time I had a good look at Grizzly was from atop Lackawanna on a fun outing from two years ago.
Grizzly and Garfield from Lackawanna - June 2014
Grizzly's neighbor, Garfield Peak is harder yet to spot and even in that photo, I'd mistakenly identified an unnamed unranked point (Pt. 13,740) as the Garfield summit (correct peak marked with a red arrow).
My goal today was to climb Grizzly via its east ridge and then continue over to Garfield. I parked at the second switchback on Forest Service Road 394, almost a mile short of the upper trailhead and gate; after a three hour drive, I figured the extra mileage on my legs would be an equitable trade-off for the pucker factor of navigating the rough, rocky road by car.
Starting out on FS 394, a mile before the upper TH
As I entered McNasser gulch, I was still unsure of the real Garfield. The twin "horned" peak which I'd mistaken for Garfield, is only forty feet shorter but hides Garfield from view.
Entering McNasser gulch
I would have two descent options - descend the steep loose north slopes of Garfield down to the gulch to rejoin the trail, or return via the same ridge route by re-ascending Grizzly. I eyed the ridge rising steeply out of the valley to my left; the north slopes were carrying enough snow to question the sanity of any descent attempt.
North slopes are starting to fill out with snow
The road petered out a little over a mile past the gate but a faint cairned trail continued into the basin. Following this path would lead the hiker directly below Garfield's north face but this wasn't my plan so I veered right toward Grizzly's east ridge.
Trail leads to Garfield's north slope
Looking at Grizzly from the valley floor
Ascending the slopes to gain Grizzly's east ridge was the next order of business. The east ridge is guarded by three gendarmes which are visible in the shot below.
Spotting the gendarmes on Grizzly's east ridge
But first things first. Getting to the ridge involves climbing up a steep scree-filled slope. Staying closer to the cliffs to climber's right offered some relief from the loose terrain.
An easy rock wall
I took a breather after scrambling up the rocks. This was a good vantage point to study the north slopes of Garfield and plot my descent. But no matter how I thought I could dice it, it did not look promising, what with loose scree covered by patchy snow.
Mapping a possible descent route from Garfield
I had the same feeling I did a couple of years ago when trying to look for a viable gully to descend from McClellan Mountain to complete the loop after climbing Mount Edwards. Setting those unsettling thoughts aside, I decided to focus on the immediate challenge ahead: gaining the ridge.
Aiming for the ridge
Nearing the ridge
Approaching the ridge at 13,500', I got a good look at Grizzly and the route to its summit along the jagged north ridge.
Eyeing Grizzly's summit
The gendarmes didn't have enough snow on them to pose any difficulty in crossing them along the ledges. Under different circumstances, they would have to be climbed directly.
Skirting the gendarmes along ledges
Staying too far below meant having to contend with loose terrain, so I angled up on the solid rock as I crossed them.
Loose scree is avoided by staying up on the solid rock
Approaching the last gendarme
Crossing the last gendarme
With most of the snow being relegated to the north facing aspects of these mountains, I had not had the need to use my microspikes thus far in the hike. Past the gendarmes, I decided it was time to change that. There was just enough snow on the remaining route to the ridge that the traction enhancers would serve better on my feet than in the backpack.
Microspikes came in handy at this point
The next shot looks back at the east ridge and the steep slopes leading to it.
Looking back at the east ridge
Gerry Roach describes Grizzly's east ridge ascent as a, "...rough route to a remarkable summit". No argument here.
On Grizzly's north ridge
Final pitch to Colorado's highest 13er
As promised, the weather had played nice, almost too nice for this time of year. Bluebird skies made for endless views and I decided to bask for a bit.
The Apostles are framed by two majestic Sawacth 14ers, Yale and Princeton...
Three Apostles with Yale and Princeton in the backdrop
To the southwest, Anderson Lake lies nestled at the bottom of a beautiful cirque formed by Anderson Peak...
Anderson Lake and Peak
I still had another peak on the agenda and worse yet, I wasn't sure if I'd have a viable descent other than retracing my path. I scanned Garfield's north slopes fervently trying to map out the best descent...
Garfield from Grizzly
The ridge route to Garfield is not immediately obvious. I dropped west from the ridge and skirted the tower on a rocky ledge.
Skirting a tower on the ridge
And voila! The route to the saddle and beyond was all mine but for the taking.
That looks easy!
This section of the ridge is almost out of character with the rest of the route; broad grassy slope and gentle terrain devoid of all spice: spurs, gendarmes, or outcroppings. Where the heck was I?
The hike to the saddle was a breeze; I looked back at the easy descent from Grizzly's false summit and hoped I wouldn't have to climb those six hundred vertical feet later.
Looking back at Grizzly's false summit
Then the ridge picks up a notch or two (no pun intended) in character. Pt. 13,620 can be skirted to the right but it looked inviting so I chose to climb it.
Approaching Pt. 13,620
It turned out to be a good vantage point to enjoy more of the views on this amazing fall day. Castle Peak towering above the rest of the Elk range in the distance...
Castle among the Elks
Much closer, Petroleum Lake...
Petroleum Lake
This station presented another opportunity to study Garfield's north face. Yes, Plan B (returning via the same route) was looking more and more like the sane choice...
One more look at Garfield's north slope
But that decision could wait. In the meantime, I decided to enjoy everything the remaining ridge traverse could throw my way. The tower in the next shot could be solved many ways; solid rock made the scrambling all the more enjoyable.
Scrambling opportunities abound
More outcroppings presented themselves as I made my way up the ridge.
More rocky towers
Easy scrambling
Just over an hour after leaving Grizzly's summit, I was atop the second peak of the day. Ruby Lake to the southwest...
Ruby Lake from Garfield's summit
I didn't spend too long on Garfield's summit. I needed to know which option I was going to pursue for the descent since each would have a very different nature to it. Descending the north slope to complete a loop was the the most appealing choice on paper but...
Looking down the north slope
This slope would be a good option in late summer; loose scree would still present difficulties but the descent would be manageable. Today, the terrain looked treacherous...
Yowza!
I dropped off the summit on the south side of the ridge and skirted around to start my descent. I was just over a hundred feet below the ridge when I looked back up for one last time. If I was going to bail on this descent, it was now or never!
It's decision time: Plan A or Plan B?
I was feeling strong enough to retrace my ridge route and reclimb Grizzly, but that would be so much less gratifying. The heart wants what it wants, and come loose scree or steep snow, I wanted the loop.
Hugging the cliffs
Tricky terrain
Looking back at the route off the ridge
It came at a price; the terrain was unpredictable due to the mix of talus and snow, and I slipped and slid more times than I care to remember. Any attempts to glissade were futile as the snow cover was inadequate for that. But aside from a few "mere flesh wounds", I made it down that slope in one piece. In the safety of the gentle, grassy terra firma at the bottom of the rough north slopes, I leaned back to ponder that escape.
Some descent that was...
I mapped out my descent route and it still boggles my mind: starting with a descending traverse from the ridge to get below the saddle between Garfield and Pt. 13,740, followed by a steep drop down the chute in the middle, a flop down the belly of the couloir, another steep drop down a scree-filled slope, and finally a sidehill maneuver to eventually reach easier terrain. This could be a delightful ski line in a few weeks!
Mapping my descent on Garfield's north slope
For now, I was just thrilled to feast my eyes on the Grizzly-Garfield ridge and revel in the moment.
You were all mine, today!
May all your adventures in the mountains be so blessed!
Yours Truly
My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):
Great TR. When we did it in Sept, our descent off Garfield was similar, but we were targeting the small lake in the basin. Then, a hard right. If I were to do it again, I might try to go all the way to the saddle, then descend. We side traversed also, and that sucked.
...Rob! On the map, it does look like descending down the middle of the saddle would be the best option. It just didn't look any more inviting in reality.
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