Capitol Peak Advice

[bdloftin77]

A friend and I are planning on hiking Capitol later this August. Any advice you have to give would be very helpful.

I've looked at the route description, the TH info, and spent hours in the forum looking for posts on Capitol, but many of them were just about its conditions, the hardness level, which peaks to do to train for it, etc.

1) We might only be able to bring a 2wd car on the trip. Would we be able to make it to the TH, or would we have to park 2 miles back in the horse trailer parking lot? I saw on the TH description that one guy brought a Honda Accord up to the TH, but he was the only 2wd vehicle, and I'm not sure how risky that was.

2) We're planning on backpacking up the trail, spending the night, then hiking to the top the next day, and back to the car. How far up the trail from the TH/where would you suggest camping?

3) What time would you suggest leaving camp the next day? Early enough that we'll have a good chance of summiting, but late enough that it'll be light where the difficulties begin.

4) How many hours did it take you from K2 to the summit, and back to K2? In the route description, it says that it'll take longer than you'd think, but I'm not sure exactly how long that would be.

5) Capitol has the most exposure of all the 14ers. I was wondering if you could describe that in your own words maybe, to help give me a mental picture, to help prepare myself mentally for the climb.

6) How hard is the route finding? Are there many cairns? We'll print off the pictures in the route description, but they didn't seem to be very detailed after the Knife's Edge. From there, is it just personal route finding, what looks the easiest as you stay on the left side of the ridge? Or is there a cairned route that is good to find and stay on?

7) Any other advice you have would be helpful. We're both bringing helmets. Thanks!

[Rainier_Wolfcastle]

That's a lot of questions...I hope it is more based on excitement than based on nerves.

I think I remember the road having ruts towards the end, so a combo of careful driving and a little clearance (Honda Accord vs Honda Fit or Toyota Prius) should be more than "safe".

There are numbered campsites just before the lake...get there early to get one (the route description will be clear on how far of a hike it is to the lake). You cannot camp on much of the approach as it is where livestock is grazing (don't remember if it is considered private property). If you don't get a numbered campsite, I am not sure what you are supposed to do...but there are meadows all around before the lake.

Leave camp early, it is a long haul to get to K2...most average hikers would take more than 2 hours.

I would guess the average person takes 3 hours RT from K2.

Exposure? If you have to ask, than it is probably too much It comes and goes, its worst is probably on par with the Needle's worst (your hardest 14er to date)....but your foot placement and holds won't be nearly as comforting!

As with many 14ers, there are many cairned routes after the knife edge...you could go low, middle, high, ridge direct...they probably all have some cairns. Use your eyes to pick the line that looks comfortable for you. If you stay low you will have more traversing early on and more scrambling later (I did this and liked it), if you choose a high route than it will be vice-versa. Just try not to be directly below other climbers!

Keep in mind that many people turn back at K2 after getting a good look at the rest of the route (maybe 25 out of 100 on the day I did it)...don't feel bad if you end up being 1 of the 25...
Starting early will help you avoid getting behind a huge bottleneck at the knife edge. Having to wait can contribute to psyching you out.
Don't think you have a way of bypassing the knife-edge...it will be the worst and probably last decision you make.

[JChitwood]

My partner and I did Capital on July 15 of last year. I will give all these a shot.

1) When we arrived there was a Chevy Cobalt in the parking lot. While we were putting on our packs a young woman in a new Volkswagen Jetta drove up and started off on a trail run. Don't remember a lot of rocks but the road was steep dirt. My Suby Outback had no problems. If you are a decent off road driver your 2wd should make it unless the road is significantly worse than last year.

2) Pack in to the numbered campsites near Capital Lake. Making the summit day shorter is a good thing. Many folks chose to camp another night then hike out but we climbed and hiked out the same (long) day arriving back at the parking lot at 5:30 PM.

3) We left camp at 5 AM and were next to last of the 20 or so climbers that day. 4 AM would have been better. You can safely hike the trail to the Mt Daly-Capital saddle in the dark with a headlamp. I got up at 4:30 and when I emerged from my tent there were already headlamp lights on the saddle.

4) K2 to the summit and back was 4 hrs for me. I'm fit but at 6'3" and 215 lbs and 54 years old I don't move fast uphill. From K2 the summit looks close and only a few hundred feet higher, but it takes most of us awhile to get there. I went as fast up as down, as always pay even more attention descending.

5) For reasons I can't explain exposure has never bothered me much. My words to describe the exposure on Capital would be that from the time you go around the back of K2 and get on the northeast ridge to the summit then back to the relative safety on the front side of K2, pretty much any fall kills you. You really have to laser focus and watch every step and hold. It is a pretty intense few hours for sure, but maybe the best hours 14er climbing has to offer. Rise to the challenge and enjoy being a mountaineer.

6) For us the route finding was harder between the Mt Daly saddle and K2 than anywhere else. Once you get to K2 and engage the NE ridge, the route is evident. There are cairns but you will know where to go anyway, there are not many options. Some hardasses stay on the ridge straight to the summit but for me it was easier to follow the cairns across the face then up to the summit from the from the far left as you look at it from K2. In mid July last year we had a bunch of snowfields to cross going up to K2 which might still be there in August of this year.

7) Helmet for sure, and if you are a photographer bring your camera. The wildflowers at Capital Lake were incredible last year, maybe we hit them at peak. Also, if you chose to summit K2 go back the way you went up then around the right side of K2. From the summit of K2 you are looking down on the knife but that 100' downclimb is treacherous. Lastly, wet rock anywhere above K2 would be a deal breaker for me. Many climbers would be fine with it, but it sure makes a hard climb even harder.

[painless4u2]

Here's a few things I learned:

Leave early, i.e., 4 am would be good, from a camp just below the lake.

Descend a gully off the backside of Daly saddle to the basin floor. It's easier and safer than trying to stay high on the ridge, even though you lose some elevation.

Take lots of water, more than you think. One of our climbers ran out and had to miss the summit due to insufficient water.

Go ahead and summit K2, rather than working around it to climbers right, but don't continue down the ridge toward the knife edge. Drop to climbers right and continue around to gain the start of the edge. It's a great little summit!

The exposure is difficult to personalize, as it affects people differently. There is no reason to think you'll suddenly fly off the side, as the rock is solid (on the knife edge) and if you take your time and focus on getting across, avoiding doing something silly, you should have no problem. Straddling the edge sort of hurts the legs (mine anyway) as it's an odd position for sustained time.

We aimed for the upper notch visible on the far climbers left ridge, after the knife edge. But there are several options as mentioned. Once around the "back" side of Capital, it seemed to get looser and have trickier footing. Don't expect to return the exact way you came.

Be sure to have fun, it's a great summit. Take some photos while on the ridge (just don't drop your camera). And don't lose your focus when descending.

[MtnHigh]

Quit fretting so much - just get out there and enjoy the challenge of the unknown. If you are in good shape and are not rushed by time or weather, you will have a great experience on that peak, no matter what happens.

And the exposure leaves you scared sh**less, then you really have good stories to tell!

[myfeetrock]

Don't think about the obstacles. Focus on the opportunity you have to climb one of Colorado's greatest mountains. There is enough exposure to go around for all, and anyone can turn the camera just right way to glorify the view. I did Capitol as a day hike. We started at 3am I think and made it back to the car by 6pm. Loooooong day. If you like to camp then make go for it. Day one you hike to the lake. Day two summit then rest. Day three hike out. When you return over K-2 remember to not go to low.

[--bb--]

Our group summited last Thursday so this is fresh on the mind. Some similar to what's already been posted, some a little different. All responses will help you make your decisions. Mine tend to be similar to JChitwood's.

1) I would recommend a 4wd. 2wd might be okay if the road was dry. I would consider a 2wd risky.

2) There are 6 to 8 designated camping spots before the lake. The first set is a little lower, the second set right across from the trail up Daly/Capitol saddle. I'd suggest the second group of sites. They are closer to the trail and water. The view from all is breathtakingly beautiful.

3) We woke up at 4 and left at 430 am. The trail up to the saddle is straightforward and can be seen easily in the dark with headlamps. The weather report wasn't the best so if it's not a factor, then you may be good w/430 or 5. Either way, I'd rather be the first ones up than following.

4) 3.5 - 4 hours. It took us longer than it probably should have because there was fog on the summit. It was hard to see exactly where the summit was so we dropped down too low on the ridge to the left. There are many cairns that lead you to believe you are on track. We thought we had arrived to the summit (think fog) but went over a bit more and found the true summit. The return trip to K2 was about 1/2 the time as the ascent. We stuck to the ridge and dropped slightly down at some points - no more than 20 feet. We had no problems and the rock on the ridge is solid and fun.

5) There's no more exposure on Capitol than any other class 4 route in my opinion. I walked across most of the knife edge without even thinking "this is the knife's edge" - i did scoot for a couple feet.

6) See #4. I didn't find the photos/description to be exactly the most helpful as other route descriptions. The point here is not to be too tied to the photos. It can take valuable time to match a location to a photo. After the Knife's Edge, stick to the left of the ridge as much as possible. And I mean on the ridge or within spitting distance.

7) Definitely bring helmets. I would also suggest wearing long pants. This may seem funny/crazy, but the rocks on Capitol seem sharper than the rest. My legs got scraped so bad it looks like I was in a fight with a bunch of cats. May be attributed to traversing too low on the ridge during our ascent - don't let the cairns lead you down!

There are marmots as high as K2. Don't leave your hiking poles to be eaten!

On the descent from K2 to Daly saddle, either stick to the ridge (class 4) or stick to the route. Traveling in between the ridge and the standard route to save elevation is time consuming.

Depending on how late in August, I recommend microspikes. We used them and they saved us time on the snow fields. May be irrelevant in 3 weeks, but I would take them the next couple weeks.

Be prepared to step in cow patties and mud or a combination of the two if you plan on taking the ditch trail and it has been raining or is raining.

One last suggestion - this area is amazingly beautiful. If you have the time to hike in on Day 1, summit Day 2, and hike out Day 3, then I would highly recommend it over hiking out summit day / Day 2. You are in for a treat regardless!

[hunna03]

How long from the TH to the Lake/Camping?

[FCSquid]

How long from the TH to the Lake/Camping?

My partner and I (who were reasonably strong hikers at the time) did this in about 3 hours. It's a slower hike than you'd think for only 6 miles. You're going up about 2,000 vertical feet, probably hiking pretty heavy since you're setting up camp at the lake, etc. 3 hours is a pretty realistic pace from the TH -> Capitol Lake.

[hunna03]

Perfect. Thanks, FCSquid!

[DeTour]

Read FCSquid's trip report, titled "Capitol Punishment." Very detailed and informative. It provides information on negotiating K2 and on the route beyond the knife edge that you don't get from the route description.

[bdloftin77]

Thanks for the help, guys! I'll probably post a trip report if it all works out.