I'll be in Santa Fe for Christmas this year and was thinking about hitting up Wheeler Peak. Does anyone have any familiarity with the area, more specifically the Bull of the Woods trail? Is this a popular hike, as in, will there be any bootpack or should I expect to trench the whole way to the summit? Makes a difference between planning for a long day or an overnighter.
Also, on the subject of Wheeler, I found this trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/united- ... r-peak.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I really feel like this is a made-up story for a mountaineering open-response test question to identify everything that this guy did wrong...yikes.
Thanks for any input.
Wheeler Peak (NM) in Winter
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Re: Wheeler Peak (NM) in Winter
I live in Santa Fe, and have climbed Wheeler quite a few times in the winter, but only by the Williams Lake route. My guess is Bull of the Woods will not have boot pack, so it would be a big undertaking. I have done Bull of Woods in the spring and several sections hold a lot of snow. Williams Lake, while not far, is avy prone, so you need to be careful on that route.
A couple other fun winter climbs close to Santa Fe include Santa Fe Baldy and Lake Peak. Neither have too much avy danger.
You can PM if you have more questions.
Have fun in NM!
Richard
A couple other fun winter climbs close to Santa Fe include Santa Fe Baldy and Lake Peak. Neither have too much avy danger.
You can PM if you have more questions.
Have fun in NM!
Richard
Last edited by desertdog on Thu Nov 12, 2015 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The summit is a source of power. The long view gives one knowledge and time to prepare. The summit, by virtue of the dizzying exposure, leaves one vulnerable. A bit of confidence and a dash of humility is all we get for our work. Yet to share these moments with friends is to be human. C. Anker
Re: Wheeler Peak (NM) in Winter
Cool, thanks for the recommendations. I was counting Williams Lake out due to avy concern, I'll have to see what the snow conditions look like closer to.
Re: Wheeler Peak (NM) in Winter
^ This is good advice. Wheeler is a very pretty hike and if weather permits, you'll really enjoy the area.desertdog wrote:I live in Santa Fe, and have climbed Wheeler quite a few times in the winter, but only by the Williams Lake route. My guess is Bull of the Woods will not have boot pack, so it would be a big undertaking. I have done Bull of Woods in the spring and several sections hold a lot of snow. Williams Lake, while not far, is avy prone, so you need to be careful on that route.
A couple other fun climbs fun winter climbs close to Santa Fe include Santa Fe Baldy and Lake Peak. Neither have too much avy danger.
You can PM if you have more questions.
Have fun in NM!
Richard
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Gabriel
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Re: Wheeler Peak (NM) in Winter
There will most likely be boot pack to the wilderness boundary.
Re: Wheeler Peak (NM) in Winter
Since there is a yurt at Bull of the Woods, the trail to there would be well packed most of the time. Since quite a few people climb Wheeler from the yurt, there would be at least a fairly good chance that the trail would be packed if you are using that route. It is considered to be a much safer route than the one from Williams Lake.
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.
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woody8742
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Re: Wheeler Peak (NM) in Winter
"I was in shock but still alive.
After I caught my breath I made my way to another snowfield and stupidly tried to glissade this one in a similar manner while holding a sharp rock for use as an impromptu ice ax"
I lost it right there. Thank you for posting that trip report.
It can't be real?
After I caught my breath I made my way to another snowfield and stupidly tried to glissade this one in a similar manner while holding a sharp rock for use as an impromptu ice ax"
I lost it right there. Thank you for posting that trip report.
It can't be real?
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sheller
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Re: Wheeler Peak (NM) in Winter
No way, must be a joke.
