Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

[Peak200]

Yes i agree a small sign on the top of the deathly gully
Would be good; too many problems occurring and its putting
The lives of SAR on the line.

[Wildernessjane]

People make decisions based on emotions not on facts presented to them and people get into trouble because of that all the time. You can’t avoid it. Ever have a trip where 5 miles up seems to go by quickly, but a half a mile back feels like forever? You get anxious that you’ll never get finished and then you start creating options out of thin air.

100%

A number of years back, I was out with a new partner doing a snowy scramble that was taking longer than we expected when a storm started to come in. Down climbing the ridge would’ve been very tedious and slow going. My partner wanted to bail down a steep, loose gully that looked absolutely awful to me. We were close to easier terrain at that point and I knew we’d be able to run down from the summit so I pushed for us to press on. She accused me of having summit fever and we almost parted ways. When we looked down that gully we each saw something very different and there was no way I was going to bail down that death trap. I think about that situation a lot when I hear about stuff like this.

[Chicago Transplant]

People make decisions based on emotions not on facts presented to them and people get into trouble because of that all the time. You can’t avoid it. Ever have a trip where 5 miles up seems to go by quickly, but a half a mile back feels like forever? You get anxious that you’ll never get finished and then you start creating options out of thin air.

100%

A number of years back, I was out with a new partner doing a snowy scramble that was taking longer than we expected when a storm started to come in. Down climbing the ridge would’ve been very tedious and slow going. My partner wanted to bail down a steep, loose gully that looked absolutely awful to me. We were close to easier terrain at that point and I knew we’d be able to run down from the summit so I pushed for us to press on. She accused me of having summit fever and we almost parted ways. When we looked down that gully we each saw something very different and there was no way I was going to bail down that death trap. I think about that situation a lot when I hear about stuff like this.

There is also such a thing as "trailhead fever", and Wildernessjane's account of her partner wanting to bail down a miserable slope seems to fit the bill. Sometimes people are exhausted or in over their heads or trying to escape a storm and "just want to get down", but that can lead to dangerous shortcuts down unknown terrain. A few areas on other 14ers that were former shortcuts that were closed and signed would be the saddle between Redcloud-Sunshine or the McCoy Creek canyon between Shav-Tab. A sign in Cap seems like a good idea (as much as I hate extra signs) to keep people from this gully.

[hellmanm]

I just don't understand how people make that mistake of taking what looks like an easy way down.

You're on the trail approaching the junction for the Cap-Daly saddle with the Northwest side of Capitol in view the entire time.
You're at the lake and you see that NW side of Capitol the whole time. While ascending the trail to the saddle, you see that whole NW face...the entire time.
How does someone assume there's an "easier" way down that side than retracing one's steps? I'm obviously missing something.
I'm happy to hear this fortunately had a good ending. But where's the disconnect?

Like Davies said, maybe it's high time to actually install a sign at the top of that gully. I mean, it certainly wouldn't be the worst thing to leave on a summit.

Lots of people go up the slope to the saddle in the dark, so it's definitely miss-able during that portion. It's true that from the lake (even in the dark, but especially if you're camping the night before) it's kinda impossible not to see the cliffs, though.

[sfreytag]

A few areas on other 14ers that were former shortcuts that were closed and signed would be the saddle between Redcloud-Sunshine or the McCoy Creek canyon between Shav-Tab. A sign in Cap seems like a good idea (as much as I hate extra signs) to keep people from this gully.

Also the warning sign above Kirk Couloir between Challenger and Kit Carson. The precedent has more or less been set so not sure what's different about Capitol. If any mountain could use a warning sign its Capitol.

[seannunn]

I just don't understand how people make that mistake of taking what looks like an easy way down.

You're on the trail approaching the junction for the Cap-Daly saddle with the Northwest side of Capitol in view the entire time.
You're at the lake and you see that NW side of Capitol the whole time. While ascending the trail to the saddle, you see that whole NW face...the entire time.
How does someone assume there's an "easier" way down that side than retracing one's steps? I'm obviously missing something.
I'm happy to hear this fortunately had a good ending. But where's the disconnect?

Like Davies said, maybe it's high time to actually install a sign at the top of that gully. I mean, it certainly wouldn't be the worst thing to leave on a summit.

My guess is that fatigue causes them to attempt to descend routes that at first glance might look easier.
I specifically remember climbing Cap, leaving FROM CAPITOL LAKE at 4am. We didn't get back to the vehicle until 8pm. No major breaks other than 30 minutes or so to pack up camp back at Cap. Lake around 4pm.
I am not going to say our group is exceptionally fit, but all of us have run sub 3:00 marathons. Still took us 16 hours and left us completely drained.
So it would be easy for me to believe that someone who was even a little less fit could be delusional by the time they got to the point of making a choice to ignore all the oft repeated wisdom.

+1 on a sign. I am a fan of leave no trace, but not when it comes to a choice between LNT and people's lives.
And don't say that if someone isn't ready for Capitol, then they shouldn't attempt it. How do you know unless you try? And as long as there are probably thousands of people (like me) pursuing the completion of the 14ers, they are going to attempt Capitol.

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO

[MidsizeAl]

Probably worth linking this thread from 2017 which had some pictures of the "Death Gully":

Death Gully.jpg

Still pretty chilling to see how inviting it looks from above. I think a sign is a good idea. People are going to climb Capitol unresearched and unprepared, especially because it's considered the toughest one. I've met many people like this. Nothing you are going to be able to do about that, but you could at least save the kind folks who volunteer with MRA a few risky rescues (or heartbreaking recoveries) by putting something there.

[Cygnus X1]

Glad to hear they got by unhurt! HAAT and MRA were busy Wednesday morning. In addition to this extraction on Capitol, at about 8:40 am that day, a younger male who was in bad shape with apparent AMS, was long-lined out from Snowmass Lake.

[Ptglhs]

As has been stated, the physiological effects on oir ability to think clearly are real. People hiking at elevation are tired, oxygen deprived, dehydrated, hungry, getting blasted with UV radiation and wind. It's easy enough for us to think clearly when we're not subjected to those hardships. When those hardships are combined with the anxiety of it advesperating and a desire to get down quickly from the dangerous part, smart people can make mistakes that later even they would consider stupid.

I think there's been a noticeable drop off in short cut calamities since everything in 2017. I won't wade into the sign /no sign debate. Just wanted to reinforce what others have said: a decision which seems so obvious at home can have 1/1000 people make a very bad choice. Given how many people climb capitol in a year I think we're at the 1 in a thousand level.

[seannunn]

Probably worth linking this thread from 2017 which had some pictures of the "Death Gully":


Death Gully.jpg


Still pretty chilling to see how inviting it looks from above. I think a sign is a good idea. People are going to climb Capitol unresearched and unprepared, especially because it's considered the toughest one. I've met many people like this. Nothing you are going to be able to do about that, but you could at least save the kind folks who volunteer with MRA a few risky rescues (or heartbreaking recoveries) by putting something there.

Looking at the picture, I can see how descending that gully would be very tempting if someone hasn't read up on the standard route and burned into their brain the mantra: "if there were as easier route (up or down), IT would be the standard route."

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO

[UltraDude]

Yes i agree a small sign on the top of the deathly gully
Would be good; too many problems occurring and its putting
The lives of SAR on the line.

Yep, it's needed a sign for years. A simple "this is not a shortcut. If you go this way, you will likely die."

[UltraDude]

Can someone explain how physically one can go down this path that looks like a shortcut, but are unable to go back up? I've never been on Capitol.