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I channeled my inner "DancesAtMoonrise" and started this hike a little before 10AM. For those of you who didn't ever hike or climb with Jim aka DancesAtMoonrise, he was ALWAYS a late starter. Having made a couple recent trips to the Indy Pass area (doing Champion and Lakawana), I had thought that Igloo looked pretty easy and would make for a nice walk when I made a late start - and it was. I guess it shouldn't have surprised me that there were no TR's on it as it really is just a walk-up, But it is a walk-up with fantastic views.
Weather was bluebird and surprisingly, the parking area only had a half dozen cars when I arrived.
You start out on the asphalt path and then cut off to the right on what I assume is the Continental Divide Trail - although it is not specifically marked as such. UN13198 (l) and Igloo Pk(r) Looking south from Indy Pass A better view from the CDT
No route finding required.
Looking at the map, it seemed to me that UN13198 would make a nice and easy add-on to Igloo. But I wasn't expecting the extremely loose rock on top of Igloo and the class 3/4 downclimb. Wish I could have channeled my inner DancesAtMoonrise climbing ability... UN13198
I assume this snow fence is to prevent snow buildup in what would be a pretty big avalanche chute below? Don't fence me in?
The trail continues south. And it doesn't ever get much steeper than this.
As you gain a little elevation, the views start opening up. CO82 below. Looking west.
Looking back down and the trail is visible. Indy Pass is in the shade top center.
Igloo on the left and some gnarly peak on the right. Zoom on gnarly mountain - Yikes! Who would climb that?
It didn't hit me for a little while that this was Grizzly Peak A and I had just climbed the North Couloir route just a few months back and even did a trip report on it here
Back to the task at hand. Getting closer/
And the trail stayed mellow.
And then some blockage? Maybe these were the petrified remnants of prehistoric igloos? Why DO they call it Igloo Peak? A nice path on the right of the big rocks.
The ground changed significantly on the last bit to the summit. Up to this point, it had been easy trail on either dirt or low vegetation but the last bit was on dinner plate talus. I took the upper trail to the summit and then when I realized that the downclimb from there wasn't in the cards, I came back and tried the other two trails. Same result. The three trails were pretty solid but when I stepped off the trail just a few feet, it got very, very loose. Summit in sight.
Around 6 weeks ago, as a warm up for the Williams Traverse, I did this hike with the addition of UN 13,198 (aka "Mountain Boy"). I connected them on the way up by following an extreme 2+ down climb following a bit of a trail off the right (grizzly) side, just past the summit of Igloo. After a slip/slide 150 ft drop, it was an easy walk up. I enjoyed that loose crap so much that I decided NOT to come back that way. I did a steep, but grassy down climb from a saddle (marked by a triangle of snow in your Pic #6). Crossed a bit of a grassy/mixed talus basin, bypassing Igloo, then did a steep grassy climb back up to the igloo trail just on the right edge and a bit cut off in your pic #7.
Thanks for the report! Hope to meet up with you again in the high country.
I looked some and I guess I missed the steep 2+ downclimb. It looked a lot more serious than that to me. I was thinking of taking on UN13198 from the valley at that last big turn on CO82. Looks to me like there are old mine roads and some other trails that would get a person pretty close to that snow triangle. And, it's a good excuse to go back up in a damn pretty area.
Thanks for your comments - And I do hope to run into you again.
I just missed you! I hiked the same peak/same day but what I call a TITS hike (totally in the shade b/c it was all at night...haaaa!)
How about those tree colors up the pass? Blindingly beautiful.
B-toes - You just totally crack me up - you do have a way with acronyms.. ! And the colors going up the last two weekends have been spectacular. Assuming you did it on a clear night, I bet the stars were something, too.
It does make for a nice short walk and a good way to stretch the legs before the drive back to Denver.
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! And the colors going up the last two weekends have been spectacular. Assuming you did it on a clear night, I bet the stars were something, too.