OTHER Trip Report 09/19/2008

Peak(s):	Mt. Peale (UT) - 12721
Date Posted:	09/19/2008
Date Climbed:	09/14/2008
Author:	Matt

Getting Some Air Near Moab
Mt. Peale, UT 12,721 ft San Juan County (UT) Highpoint, highest peak in the La Sal Range 5 miles r/t, 2600' gain After a summer of "gallivanting around the mountains," as one 'management recruiter' put it, I'm back working in the Navajo Nation for a few months"back to the drudgery of the M-F schedule & all its constraints, etc. However, staying in the Four Corners area has its advantages... I'm back within a single hour's drive to the San Juans and La Platas. Santa Fe & Taos are not far, and once again, the desert splendor of Moab is only two hours from my workplace; Sedona or the Grand Canyon--4.5 hours' drive each. My plan for the first weekend included an ascent of nearby Hesperus Mountain, followed by a two-hour trek through Cortez to La Sal Pass (between Monticello and Moab) for a hike up Mt. Peale, the highest peak in the La Sal Mountains. Mt. Peale from La Sal Pass I'd been eyeing the La Sals on every trip to Moab or the Needles District over the last few years. However, southern Utah is best served at temps below 100 degrees, and I'm usually there in winter or early spring, trying to escape snow, not climb it. I arrived atop La Sal Pass under a full moon, and found a splendid campsite just across the road from my putative starting point for the hike, seen above. Someone had left a pile of firewood, and the temp was a chilly 47 degrees, so I cracked a Stone IPA, sat outside, and alternated between reading the beta I'd brought and simply enjoying the moonlight and fresh air and being grateful to be in such a place. Knowing the weather forecast was golden, I slept until 7:30 a.m. Another review of the COHP trip reports I'd brought led me to follow not the route described by Roach & Roach (sacrilege, I know), but to backtrack down the pass and park about � mile up a 4x4 road that allowed for less bushwhacking. I parked among dense aspens and walked about � mile up the road into an open meadow poopulated by grazing cattle. Here's the route in a nutshell: from this meadow, follow the road westward toward your target gully; head uphill and north through either thick trees or up talus to treeline; find the biggest gully, and then head to the ridgeline and subsequent summit. You're shooting for a huge gully that leads to the ridgeline between Peale and Mt. Tukuhnikivatz (12,482 ft). If you choose to take this route instead of leaving from the nearby sign atop La Sal Pass, it's helpful to look at Peale from the pass first (as seen above), because the gully is obvious from that vantage point. On the map, this road ends at 10,243 ft., and I could see a truck parked just ahead of me, so it was time to get climbing, but the La Sals just demand that you take pictures. After busting through a steep, densely treed 100 ft slope, I found myself at this talus slope. It looks much looser than it is. After Hesperus the day before, it seemed almost like a sidewalk with steps in comparison. The westward trek to the main gully was fairly trivial"ascend talus, bushwhack through trees to next talus gully, repeat. There were a few scattered trail segments, but I ignored them. Once I got over to the main gully, I could see a group of four hikers above me. Here's a shot from the lower portion. I hear it's stocked with flowers earlier in the summer. Eventually, the gully curves to the left, and a use trail departs in the direction of Mt. Peale, affording the choice of grassy talus, or just plain loose scree/talus. For me, the path of least resistance involved maximizing my time on the grassy parts of this slope, heading toward the line of grass you can see undercutting the ridge bump pictured above. At this point, I spied the family that I'd seen earlier. Apparently, they preferred more resistance, and were struggling and slipping while taking the most direct (but crappy) path to our goal on the ridge. Once there, the views opened up, and I realized how much I was enjoying the change of scenery. The La Sals are beautiful, and an apparent favorite of swarming birds. Once on the ridge, the remainder of the ascent involves walking on more loose talus, then crossing either over or just under a single ridge bump toward the summit. The well-worn pathway toward the summit (seen in the background) Almost there... The summit is topped by the usual ring of stacked rocks, but there's no register to look through. With nothing to distract me, I took in the view. Mt. Peale has considerable prominence (6,181 ft), towering over the Needles District of Canyonlands, the oasis of Moab, and verdant, watercolor farmlands adjoining the desert southward to Monticello & Dove Creek. From the summit, I could look out at the Colorado River carving its red rock labyrinth through the desert, and turn to see the distant, snow-capped Sneffels range and Wilson group. This peak offers a variety of vistas that reflects the diversity of landscapes and terrain in the Four Corners. Northern San Juan Mountains seen through the haze Looking down at Moab La Sal greenery with canyons beyond I had the summit to myself for 45 minutes before the family I'd passed earlier reached the top. After a short trading of "where are you from" etceteras, they continued on to a subpeak and I headed back down. Looking down the main gully After hopping in the truck, I was struck by the sheer density of aspens on the La Sal Pass road. It's reminiscent of driving the road toward Huerfano Basin in the Sangres. Fall colors here must be off the hook! The drive back to Durango takes about two hours, and reaffirmed the feeling I'd had that a change of scenery can really remind me how much lies beyond the alpine regions of Colorado. I slowed down and feasted my eyes on the scenery... Only one more San Juan county HP left in the Four Corners states, and I work with a gal whose family's sheep graze on and around its slope. Life is good. Bucolic Utah More snowy San Juans La Sals from US 191, north of Monticello La Platas from US 491, north of Dove Creek Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Getting Some Air Near Moab

Mt. Peale, UT
12,721 ft
San Juan County (UT) Highpoint, highest peak in the La Sal Range
5 miles r/t, 2600' gain

After a summer of "gallivanting around the mountains," as one 'management recruiter' put it, I'm back working in the Navajo Nation for a few months"back to the drudgery of the M-F schedule & all its constraints, etc. However, staying in the Four Corners area has its advantages... I'm back within a single hour's drive to the San Juans and La Platas. Santa Fe & Taos are not far, and once again, the desert splendor of Moab is only two hours from my workplace; Sedona or the Grand Canyon--4.5 hours' drive each.
My plan for the first weekend included an ascent of nearby Hesperus Mountain, followed by a two-hour trek through Cortez to La Sal Pass (between Monticello and Moab) for a hike up Mt. Peale, the highest peak in the La Sal Mountains.

Mt. Peale from La Sal Pass

I'd been eyeing the La Sals on every trip to Moab or the Needles District over the last few years. However, southern Utah is best served at temps below 100 degrees, and I'm usually there in winter or early spring, trying to escape snow, not climb it. I arrived atop La Sal Pass under a full moon, and found a splendid campsite just across the road from my putative starting point for the hike, seen above. Someone had left a pile of firewood, and the temp was a chilly 47 degrees, so I cracked a Stone IPA, sat outside, and alternated between reading the beta I'd brought and simply enjoying the moonlight and fresh air and being grateful to be in such a place.

Knowing the weather forecast was golden, I slept until 7:30 a.m. Another review of the COHP trip reports I'd brought led me to follow not the route described by Roach & Roach (sacrilege, I know), but to backtrack down the pass and park about � mile up a 4x4 road that allowed for less bushwhacking. I parked among dense aspens and walked about � mile up the road into an open meadow poopulated by grazing cattle.

Here's the route in a nutshell: from this meadow, follow the road westward toward your target gully; head uphill and north through either thick trees or up talus to treeline; find the biggest gully, and then head to the ridgeline and subsequent summit.
You're shooting for a huge gully that leads to the ridgeline between Peale and Mt. Tukuhnikivatz (12,482 ft). If you choose to take this route instead of leaving from the nearby sign atop La Sal Pass, it's helpful to look at Peale from the pass first (as seen above), because the gully is obvious from that vantage point.

On the map, this road ends at 10,243 ft., and I could see a truck parked just ahead of me, so it was time to get climbing, but the La Sals just demand that you take pictures.

After busting through a steep, densely treed 100 ft slope, I found myself at this talus slope.

It looks much looser than it is. After Hesperus the day before, it seemed almost like a sidewalk with steps in comparison. The westward trek to the main gully was fairly trivial"ascend talus, bushwhack through trees to next talus gully, repeat. There were a few scattered trail segments, but I ignored them.

Once I got over to the main gully, I could see a group of four hikers above me.

Here's a shot from the lower portion. I hear it's stocked with flowers earlier in the summer.

Eventually, the gully curves to the left, and a use trail departs in the direction of Mt. Peale, affording the choice of grassy talus, or just plain loose scree/talus.

For me, the path of least resistance involved maximizing my time on the grassy parts of this slope, heading toward the line of grass you can see undercutting the ridge bump pictured above. At this point, I spied the family that I'd seen earlier. Apparently, they preferred more resistance, and were struggling and slipping while taking the most direct (but crappy) path to our goal on the ridge. Once there, the views opened up, and I realized how much I was enjoying the change of scenery. The La Sals are beautiful, and an apparent favorite of swarming birds.

Once on the ridge, the remainder of the ascent involves walking on more loose talus, then crossing either over or just under a single ridge bump toward the summit.

The well-worn pathway toward the summit (seen in the background)

Almost there...

The summit is topped by the usual ring of stacked rocks, but there's no register to look through. With nothing to distract me, I took in the view. Mt. Peale has considerable prominence (6,181 ft), towering over the Needles District of Canyonlands, the oasis of Moab, and verdant, watercolor farmlands adjoining the desert southward to Monticello & Dove Creek. From the summit, I could look out at the Colorado River carving its red rock labyrinth through the desert, and turn to see the distant, snow-capped Sneffels range and Wilson group. This peak offers a variety of vistas that reflects the diversity of landscapes and terrain in the Four Corners.

Northern San Juan Mountains seen through the haze

Looking down at Moab

La Sal greenery with canyons beyond

I had the summit to myself for 45 minutes before the family I'd passed earlier reached the top. After a short trading of "where are you from" etceteras, they continued on to a subpeak and I headed back down.

Looking down the main gully

After hopping in the truck, I was struck by the sheer density of aspens on the La Sal Pass road. It's reminiscent of driving the road toward Huerfano Basin in the Sangres. Fall colors here must be off the hook! The drive back to Durango takes about two hours, and reaffirmed the feeling I'd had that a change of scenery can really remind me how much lies beyond the alpine regions of Colorado.
I slowed down and feasted my eyes on the scenery...
Only one more San Juan county HP left in the Four Corners states, and I work with a gal whose family's sheep graze on and around its slope.
Life is good.

Bucolic Utah

More snowy San Juans

La Sals from US 191, north of Monticello

La Platas from US 491, north of Dove Creek

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

scotthsu	I know what you mean 9/20/2008 12:19am about eyeing these mountains every time driving by. I still have yet to get out and explore them, hoping to do it on skis in the spring. Thanks for the report, and have fun being in your well-situated new ”base”!
Aubrey	rich obscurity 9/20/2008 3:17am Very cool write-up on an interesting, lesser-known / written-about peak. Makes me wish I was there. I‘ve also wondered and lamented about the La Sals, when in the Moab region. I gotta get there one day.
susanjoypaul	Life is good indeed 9/20/2008 3:34am Nice views! And 6K‘ of prominence - very impressive, for a 12er - or any peak for that matter. Thanks for posting this for the rest of us to enjoy, Matt.
jeffro	Sounds like a great day! 9/20/2008 11:51pm Nice report, Matt. Thanks for making me feel silly for never doing more than simply gazing ”longingly” up at the La Sals in all my trips to the area.
Steve Knapp	That‘s a bunch of talus! 9/22/2008 3:52am Interesting report Matt. I climbed it in mid-May and it is a great climb. We had the benefit of a 1200 vert foot snow climb in that talus gully. I too enjoy Moab mainly in the spring, but a fall visit is worthwhile too. Then you can bike the canyons and the LaSals!

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