Tenmile Range - full traverse

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
    For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
pbakwin
Posts: 953
Joined: 6/10/2006
14ers: 56 
13ers: 64
Trip Reports (19)
 

Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by pbakwin »

I'm planning to try a traverse of the full Tenmile Range on Saturday, if the weather looks good enough. The range is from Frisco to Wheeler Mtn -- it is differentiated from the Mosquito Range by where the Continental Divide crosses the ridge (at Wheeler). I know many people have done Peaks 1-10, but this adds 6 more high 13ers (Wheeler, Drift, Fletcher, Atlantic, Pacific and Crystal). I'm curious if anyone has ever done this or heard of it being done?
Thanks! PB
User avatar
Doctor No
Posts: 759
Joined: 7/2/2009
14ers: 35  1 
13ers: 3
Trip Reports (13)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by Doctor No »

I never have, but this trip report will certainly interest you:
http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=7001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
Kevin Baker
Posts: 884
Joined: 5/19/2005
14ers: 58  53 
13ers: 674 32
Trip Reports (125)
 
Contact:

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by Kevin Baker »

Atlantic to Fletcher and Drift to Wheeler would be pretty gnarly. Lots of loose junk and towers. Are you planning on bivying? I think even a speed demon like yourself would run out of daylight quick in Sept. Maybe put yourself in position at daybreak where the scrambling starts. Good luck and post a report as I hope to do the 1-9 traverse next weekend weather permitting.
Always do what you are afraid to do. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
pbakwin
Posts: 953
Joined: 6/10/2006
14ers: 56 
13ers: 64
Trip Reports (19)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by pbakwin »

Actually I'm planning to start with Wheeler and go north.
We are definitely getting short on daylight, but in theory
I should be able to get to Peak 1 before dark. From there
down is easy. I have done everything from Wheeler to
Pacific, so have a reasonable idea how long it takes.
Not planning to bivy. I do need good weather, but the
report seems to be getting worse. We'll see....
P
User avatar
Neil
Posts: 733
Joined: 6/6/2006
14ers: 41 
13ers: 25
Trip Reports (2)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by Neil »

PB -- Sounds like an interesting journey. My partner and I were eying the Atlantic>Fletcher traverse with considerable interest a few weeks ago. The Fletcher>Drift traverse can go at Class 3 with good route finding.

An interesting note on your route, if I may. As you state, the demarcation between the otherwise interconnected Tenmile and Mosquito ranges is the Continental Divide. A full traverse of the Tenmile Range arguably includes Clinton Peak, since Clinton is also on the Continental Divide south of Wheeler. I just pulled out Roach's 13ers book and found this passage in support: "Because the Continental Divide separates the Tenmile and Mosqito Ranges, Clinton is in both ranges."

Some food for thought!! As if the rest of your proposed route wouldn't be amazing enough, Wheeler to Clinton seems very unique and novel. Please let us know how this turns out!
"On the edge of the porch in the warm evening night
Throwing the bone for the dog I see two passing lights
Well, I wonder where that driver's bound
Is there someone, somewhere, someway out there that I've not found"
-Driving Song
pbakwin
Posts: 953
Joined: 6/10/2006
14ers: 56 
13ers: 64
Trip Reports (19)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by pbakwin »

panicneil - Thanks for that thought on the Tenmile - Mosquito differentiation.
I have scratched my head over that a lot, but every resource I have found
puts the division at Wheeler. The CD briefly follows the Mos/Ten ridge
between Clinton & Wheeler, leaving it at Wheeler's summit to head east to
Hoosier Pass. So, its kind of arbitrary where you put the cut, but everybody
(except Roach) says its Wheeler. Well, I see now that the summitpost
page on Clinton says that it is in both, but that might well come from
Roach. Note that the summitpost page on the Tenmile range lists Wheeler
but not Clinton, though Clinton is higher. Wikipedea also lists Wheeler
but not Clinton. So, it is confusing. I suppose you could say that Wheeler
and Clinton are both in both ranges, but do mtn ranges really overlap?
It has to be one or the other, or, I suppose, the saddle. Hmmmm...
Adding Clinton definitely complicates things w.r.t. the daylight issue.
P
User avatar
ClimbandMine
Posts: 386
Joined: 4/3/2007
14ers: 57 
13ers: 47 1
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by ClimbandMine »

pbakwin wrote:Actually I'm planning to start with Wheeler and go north.
We are definitely getting short on daylight, but in theory
I should be able to get to Peak 1 before dark. From there
down is easy. I have done everything from Wheeler to
Pacific, so have a reasonable idea how long it takes.
Not planning to bivy. I do need good weather, but the
report seems to be getting worse. We'll see....
P

It sounds like you've done the Fletcher-Atlantic ridge before, so you know that it is s**t. I've climbed everything between Clinton and Peak 9 except the Wheeler-Drift traverse, and going south-north is definitely safer. You planning on carrying a rope the whole way? That sucks. If I was going to do it, I'd leave a rope on Atlantic and go north-south so I didn't have to hump it the whole way.
I don't care that you Tele.
pbakwin
Posts: 953
Joined: 6/10/2006
14ers: 56 
13ers: 64
Trip Reports (19)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by pbakwin »

No, I am not planning to carry a rope. I will drop
below the ridge between Fletcher & Atlantic - it
is way faster (for me) than dealing with the difficulties
on the ridge.
P
User avatar
TylerStorm
Posts: 204
Joined: 8/12/2008
14ers: 22 
13ers: 4
Trip Reports (5)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by TylerStorm »

What time are you planning to start?
Wisdom is the quality of being able to avoid situations where you need it. not sure

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. Henry David Thoreau
pbakwin
Posts: 953
Joined: 6/10/2006
14ers: 56 
13ers: 64
Trip Reports (19)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by pbakwin »

The CMC guide lists Wheeler in the Tenmile, but does not list Clinton.
Unfortunately, the books.google.com page on this
(http://tinyurl.com/meh4uw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) does not have the first couple pages on
the Mosquito Range, which presumably describe Clinton (p. 163-4).
Does anyone have a copy of the guide & can check that?
I would appreciate it. I take this as the definitive guide, though
I admit that I prefer to start with Wheeler. Clinton would add
some hours to an already long day, and would mean definitely
starting well before dawn. My plan is to start at Blue Lake Dam
at first light - can't really do that bushwhack through the willows
in the dark. Thanks for the comments and suggestions!
P
User avatar
Neil
Posts: 733
Joined: 6/6/2006
14ers: 41 
13ers: 25
Trip Reports (2)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by Neil »

PB -- I certainly agree that the Ormes guide is the definitive source and look forward to getting the verdict. The more I've thought about this over the past few hours, Clinton belongs aesthetically to the Mosquito range. It just seems more associated with the Lincoln group than the Fletcher group, even though the Divide does cross its summit. Regardless, I don't blame you for not wanting to start with Clinton! And I agree -- those willows around Blue Lake Dam are some of the worst around, especially at the end of a long day on Fletcher, Drift and Wheeler. I've cursed them more than once.

Anyway, let me know what you find out and thanks for the fun topic...
"On the edge of the porch in the warm evening night
Throwing the bone for the dog I see two passing lights
Well, I wonder where that driver's bound
Is there someone, somewhere, someway out there that I've not found"
-Driving Song
pbakwin
Posts: 953
Joined: 6/10/2006
14ers: 56 
13ers: 64
Trip Reports (19)
 

Re: Tenmile Range - full traverse

Post by pbakwin »

I checked the Ormes CMC guide at the library, and confirmed that
Clinton is listed in the Mosquitos there. I'm going with that.
That said, I'm probably not going to try the traverse tomorrow,
due to the deteriorated weather forecast. Unfortunate, since
this is the last chance I have to do it in the next couple weeks,
and after that I don't believe there would be enough daylight
for me to cover both scrambling sections (Wheeler - Atlantic,
Peak 4-1) in the light. So, probably have to wait for next
summer. If I do give it a go I'll report back. Thanks.
P
Post Reply