Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
After climbing Mount Wilson the day before with Dave Keep, I decided to climb Wilson Peak the next day. The afternoon storms on the 17th gave me a great sleep and I was on the trail solo by 4am. I just went into the zone as I hiked up the same trail I had been the day before to the Upper Navajo Basin. At a tall pole where the trail to Mount Wilson and Wilson Peak splits, I headed up toward the rock of ages saddle. Mount Wilson at sunrise from the Rock of Ages saddle
From the rock of ages saddle, I followed a strong trail over to the saddle between Gladstone Peak and Wilson Peak. I couldn't help but to take time to admire Mount Wilson while a marmot took my photograph. Old Ickabod rests (Copyright Marmotphoto inc.)
I was greeted with an awesome sunrise and views of the San Juans from the saddle between Wilson Peak and Gladstone Peak. Wilson cairn at sunrise
Wilson Peak from Mount Wilson summit
As I began the traverse over and up to the ridge, I selected to go through the "difficult rocks" rather than descending the gully. Looking back on it, it was a lot of fun. However, at the time, I began to feel the solo anxiety. For good reason, I get this when I'm the only one on a peak. This just increased my concentration and I soon joined up with the cairned route shortly after. The trail from here to the false summit went rather quickly. But on the false summit, the solo anxiety began to kick in again. The route up to the summit looks a lot gnarlier than it is. Nevertheless, I took some time to carefully look at it before the downclimb. I took photos of this section from top and bottom, but they somehow got screwed up...sorry again.
After a careful downclimb, I found the rock just right of the gully to be real solid and lots of fun. After some quick scrambling staying on top of the ridge I was on the summit by 7:30am. Old Ickabod solo on Wilson Peaks summit
If you haven't been up there, it is a pretty eerie place. There's a plane propeller on the ridge and all kinds of personal items left from a plane crash along with a cross on the summit. After counting my blessings and saying a prayer for those that were lost in the crash, I headed down. I had thoughts of going for El Diente via an abandoned mining cart, however it had some mechanical issues and was not in condition to take me to the summit of El Diente. Old Ickabod attempts to conjure the mining cart to take him to the summit of El Diente (maybe I had hypoxia?).
Once again, rusty metal was smarter than me. By the time I reached the upper basin, the clouds were rolling in. At this time I decided to return for El Diente at a later time with friends. I made it back to camp at 10:30am, packed up and was back to the Jeep by 12:30. By this time the thunder was clapping and the rain was falling. Again, I would say that one needs to be up these peaks early and carefully evaluate weather that can come in very fast. Wilson Peak from Colorado 145 at 5 1/2 hours after summiting.
Rock on!
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
You can always count on the marmots for great photos! However, I was a little leary of the waiver and contract required in this case. He was a sharp one with a good eye for capturing the shot.
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.
It couldn't do any worse than that orange truck about halfway up.
