Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

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HarknessHooligans
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Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by HarknessHooligans »

It seems there is alot of info about the traverse but not as much about hiking them separately in a day from Kilpacker. We are planning to do these peaks this weekend and I would love to get some advice about these routes specifically. The class 3 South slopes. Our plan is to backpack in Friday, climb both peaks Saturday (but seperately; coming back down to the junction), then pack out Sunday. Any advice? Thoughts, trip reports, conditions? How dangerous are they? What should we expect? How loose is it and how exposed are they near the summit? I dont want to push our luck this weekend if the conditions are not good or the route is not favorable. We only have 8 left and I would love to knock these 2 off. But, I am not in a position to do the traverse. Right now, it isn't an option as we are trying our best to mitigate risk (we have 3 kiddos at home). So I would love details on what to do to navigate these peaks and stay safe. Videos and pictures are welcome :) Thanks so much!
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by glenmiz »

I found El Diente via South Slopes route to be much more challenging than Wilson via SW Slopes route. El Diente is steep and loose and requires some route finding. I did it with snow cover so the trip up was fairly straightforward but coming down, the soft, mushy snow was tricky and I had to self-arrest twice after my crampons lost their bite. Wilson via SW Slopes was quite straightforward and not that difficult. Combining the two will make for quite a bit of elevation gain/loss.

Good luck.
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by peterkfes »

Thanks for this question, I too am interested in what you're asking. Last month I was chased east from the Wilson group by bad weather the day before attempting the trip you describe, doing both via their separate south routes in a day. Already planning next summer's trip and have another attempt at this trip on my list.
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by Bigfoot »

Took me a year to accomplish this. First Got rained off El Diente after gaining the ridge. Then succeeded on El Diente but got turn around by smoke attempting Mt. Wilson. Finally succeeded on Mt. Wilson.
Pictures and trip reports:
El Diente July 4 2020
El Diente Sept 6 2020
Mt Wilson Sept 7 2020
Mt Wilson July 4 2021
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by MichiganBrian »

My wife and I did both in a day from a high camp in Kilpacker labor day weekend 2020. On a good weather day it was pretty reasonable, El Diente was definitely the more difficult of the two (route finding was trickier, especially when tired). Long day, but compared to the stories of rockfall coming up El Diente from Navajo on the summit - I'm surprised that Kilpacker isn't the standard routes for most.

Downside of a massive amount of talus between El Diente and Wilson in the basin which was annoying - but I continue to think the best way to do both is from Kilpacker (with both traverse and doing both separate from a high camp being very reasonable).
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

1) Camp in Kilpacker
2) Climb ElD’s south slopes route
3) When you return to the upper basin, turn left and climb Mt. Wilson’s SW Slopes route
4) Return to Kilpacker/camp
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by hellmanm »

Did Mt. Wilson and El D. this year without the traverse. Wilson is definitely the easier of the two from Kilpacker. They're both loose, but with Wilson the scrambling isn't as sustained and the routefinding isn't as tricky. I cut across the talus around 13,000' between the two peaks, following the most logical path I could (and the occasional cairn). There's a TR about this way (I forget which), but if you choose to try this little shortcut just be ready to talus-hop on some trash for a while. It saves time but is definitely less safe.

Camping is available/abundant in Kilpacker Basin but not right next to the main trail. When the flowers were blooming it was hard to see where the campsites were -- my partner left a trekking pole where I had to turn off, but without it I may have had trouble. Still, it was worth it to camp up high, as I was able to do both peaks and pack out the next day (at a normal, non-runner pace -- still a big day though). If you don't like exposure, there are a couple places on each peak where you might get a little squeamish. But, if you've done 50 14ers, I don't think either route will have anything beyond some of the stuff you've inevitably had to face already. For example, nothing on either route compares to the summit block on Sunlight.

Hope this helps!
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by DeTour »

There are some real good campsites right at tree line in Kilpacker, 4 miles from the TH. (My GPS literally called out 4 miles as I was walking into the campsites.) A bit of a hike to the creek for filtering water, but otherwise absolutely excellent, especially the views. Phil Bergmaier (pbergmaier) graciously shared the spot’s GPS coordinates: 37.8315N, 108.0243W. Phil’s external link TR is also a great resource for researching the traverse if you consider that.
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by Wentzl »

The site administrator has outlined the very safest and conservative way to go. I do not detract from his advice.

BUT

The traverse between these is the easiest to sidestep anywhere along the way and therefore, the only one I suggest looking at all those horrible social trails leading nowhere and everywhere at the same time!

From Kilpacker, do Mt. Wilson first. If you succeed in reaching the summit, then you are more then prepared for anything you will encounter on the traverse.

Down and sidehill, down and sidehill. From Mt. Wilson, there are so many ways to get to El D and they will all be obvious once you get there.

Start on the ridge proper all the way to the Organ Pipes. Then just drop down until you are comfortable. You will eventually pick up the South Slopes trail in any case.

Knock out that hard move to gain Mt. Wilson summit and everything you come across after that will be cake! Take the traverse as high or as low as you are comfortable, then descend via the S Slope (which I have never done).
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by Matt Sloan »

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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by ScottLovesRMNP »

I did precisely what you are asking about a few years ago. One reason for this was to try and avoid the airy Class 4 side step near the summit of Mt. Wilson that must be crossed from the Navajo Lakes basin side. Unlike many other accounts here, I found El Diente was straightforward by following route pictures provided on this website. We then descended back to the upper basin and headed over to Mt. Wilson and proceeded to ascend the wrong gully. While it was do-able to ascend the gully we were in, we found ourselves still on the "wrong side" of the airy Class 4 move, and so we were forced to do it anyway. This is when we realized we had gone up the wrong gully. At the time a few years ago, there were not many pictures or reports about doing Mt. Wilson from Kilpacker, and that probably played into the challenges we found. I would assume there's more recent information available now, so hopefully that will help you. But I just wanted to share my perspective that Mt. Wilson gave my partner and I a lot of problems from Kilpacker, while El Diente seemed much easier.
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Re: Mt. Wilson and El D from Kilpacker (no traverse)

Post by nmjameswilson »

If you are doing both in one day I would camp at the creek. El Diente sucks honestly as it is so loose, steep and there is some route finding. Mt Wilson is better but be sure to follow the route description up the gully and across the rib. It is a long hike back over rock that seems like forever when you are tired. I wasn't my favorite day but it is a good way to get them both.
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