Sunlight Peak Trip Report 08/08/2009

Peak(s):	Sunlight Peak - 14,061 feet Windom Peak - 14,089 feet Mt. Eolus - 14,087 feet North Eolus - 14,042 feet
Date Posted:	08/08/2009
Date Climbed:	08/04/2009
Author:	Brad152

Eolus group from Chicago Basin
My trip started on Monday, August 3rd with a hearty breakfast at Denny's in Durango with my wife, Jenny Lee. Jenny Lee dropped me at the train station and I caught the 9:00 train. I have ridden the train many times, and it is a bit expensive, but it has got to be the coolest way to get to a trail head and really adds to the whole experience. I got to Needleton stop at about 11:30am. About 20 people got off the train but as it turned out only a few of us where headed to Chicago Basin. I made the hike to the basin in about 3 hours and found a campsite with plenty of time to relax and prepare for the next day's climb. I got up at 5:30 Tuesday morning and was on the trail to Sunlight and Windom by 6. The weather was perfect, clear and calm. I made the climb to Twin Lakes in a little over an hour and ran into my first mountain goats. At Twin Lakes I meet up with two guys from Minnesota that were also headed to Sunlight and we climbed together up to the high basin between Sunlight and Windom and turned north-east up into the rock slide between Sunlight and Sunlight Spire. Climbing the rock slide Looking north from the ridge. This was the toughest part of the Sunlight climb, the rock is loose and there is no real defined trail to follow. I talked with a couple of people coming down who recommended that I stay more to the right side of the slide until near the top. The two guys from Minnesota understood the advice differently and headed way right around a rock face toward the spire and I never saw them again. I continued up the slide to the saddle and found the cairns that headed west along the ridge. After a quick chat with three folks who just came off the summit, I had some easy scrambling and made the summit. On the summit block! I then descended the rock slide, even harder than going up! Traversed around the high boulder field over to the saddle between Windom and peak 18 and found the trail up Windom. The route up Windom was pretty easy to follow, lots of cairns. I made the summit by around 12:00pm. The route up Windom. Sunlight from the summit of Windom. That was enough for one day and I made it back to camp by 2:30. Wednesday the 5th, started out the same as the morning before except that my legs were a little stiffer. I made Twin Lakes and found the trail to Mt. Eolus by 7:00am and stopped for a little breakfast. I made the climb to the basin below Mt. Eolus by about 8:00am. There I meet a group of climbers that I had talked with the day before on Sunlight and Windom. They had already been up to the "Catwalk" and the final scramble to the summit. A couple told me that they didn't try to cross the "Catwalk" and a couple said they crossed it but decided they did not feel comfortable trying the final climb because of the exposure. One said he made the summit; it was intimidating but could be done. He advised me to stay as far left on the accent as I could. Looking down from the south end of Catwalk. Mt. Eolus and the "Catwalk" This information gave me pause. I had done Sunlight first because it was supposed to be the most difficult. I decided to continue on and have a look for myself. I found the "Catwalk" to be a little menacing looking but was quite easily crossed once you got used to it. The final accent was far more exposed and physical then the guide books make it out to be. Staying to the left was good advice; I got off course at one point and had to down climb a nasty little section. There are a lot of cairns and I don't think they are all for the same route. Stay left and the route is fairly easy. I descended and crossed back across the "Catwalk" and made a quick scramble up North Eolus to finish my goal of reaching all four 14ers (I count N. Eolus) and returned to camp by 1:00pm. I relaxed the rest of the day and headed out to the train on Thursday. The weather was great the whole trip and Chicago Basin is beautiful. I had a great trip. To display your photos (uploaded below) in the final trip report, type the image number (i.e., 1, 2, 3), highlight it with your cursor, and click on the Image button on the right. Example: Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Eolus group from Chicago Basin

My trip started on Monday, August 3rd with a hearty breakfast at Denny's in Durango with my wife, Jenny Lee. Jenny Lee dropped me at the train station and I caught the 9:00 train. I have ridden the train many times, and it is a bit expensive, but it has got to be the coolest way to get to a trail head and really adds to the whole experience. I got to Needleton stop at about 11:30am. About 20 people got off the train but as it turned out only a few of us where headed to Chicago Basin. I made the hike to the basin in about 3 hours and found a campsite with plenty of time to relax and prepare for the next day's climb.

I got up at 5:30 Tuesday morning and was on the trail to Sunlight and Windom by 6. The weather was perfect, clear and calm. I made the climb to Twin Lakes in a little over an hour and ran into my first mountain goats.

At Twin Lakes I meet up with two guys from Minnesota that were also headed to Sunlight and we climbed together up to the high basin between Sunlight and Windom and turned north-east up into the rock slide between Sunlight and Sunlight Spire.

Climbing the rock slide

Looking north from the ridge.

This was the toughest part of the Sunlight climb, the rock is loose and there is no real defined trail to follow. I talked with a couple of people coming down who recommended that I stay more to the right side of the slide until near the top. The two guys from Minnesota understood the advice differently and headed way right around a rock face toward the spire and I never saw them again. I continued up the slide to the saddle and found the cairns that headed west along the ridge. After a quick chat with three folks who just came off the summit, I had some easy scrambling and made the summit.

On the summit block!

I then descended the rock slide, even harder than going up! Traversed around the high boulder field over to the saddle between Windom and peak 18 and found the trail up Windom. The route up Windom was pretty easy to follow, lots of cairns. I made the summit by around 12:00pm.

The route up Windom.

Sunlight from the summit of Windom.

That was enough for one day and I made it back to camp by 2:30.

Wednesday the 5th, started out the same as the morning before except that my legs were a little stiffer. I made Twin Lakes and found the trail to Mt. Eolus by 7:00am and stopped for a little breakfast. I made the climb to the basin below Mt. Eolus by about 8:00am. There I meet a group of climbers that I had talked with the day before on Sunlight and Windom. They had already been up to the "Catwalk" and the final scramble to the summit. A couple told me that they didn't try to cross the "Catwalk" and a couple said they crossed it but decided they did not feel comfortable trying the final climb because of the exposure. One said he made the summit; it was intimidating but could be done. He advised me to stay as far left on the accent as I could.

Looking down from the south end of Catwalk.

Mt. Eolus and the "Catwalk"

This information gave me pause. I had done Sunlight first because it was supposed to be the most difficult. I decided to continue on and have a look for myself. I found the "Catwalk" to be a little menacing looking but was quite easily crossed once you got used to it. The final accent was far more exposed and physical then the guide books make it out to be. Staying to the left was good advice; I got off course at one point and had to down climb a nasty little section. There are a lot of cairns and I don't think they are all for the same route. Stay left and the route is fairly easy.

I descended and crossed back across the "Catwalk" and made a quick scramble up North Eolus to finish my goal of reaching all four 14ers (I count N. Eolus) and returned to camp by 1:00pm.

I relaxed the rest of the day and headed out to the train on Thursday. The weather was great the whole trip and Chicago Basin is beautiful. I had a great trip.

To display your photos (uploaded below) in the final trip report, type the image number (i.e., 1, 2, 3), highlight it with your cursor, and click on the Image button on the right. Example:

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

The Android	Cool Pictures 8/9/2009 3:19am I‘m excited to get down there and try for those peaks!
Eagle eye 1	Your the man!! 2/16/2010 3:26am Congrats. on finishing all. Great pictures, and simple climbing style.

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