Castle Peak Trip Report 06/26/2017

Peak(s):	Castle Peak - 14,274 feet Conundrum Peak - 14,037 feet
Date Posted:	06/26/2017
Modified:	06/11/2020
Date Climbed:	06/24/2017
Author:	Chagster1

Castle and Conundrum's Beauty
Castle & Conundrum Peaks-June, 2017 My first climb for the 2017 season was a great one. Our hiking party (myself, James, and Michael) left Temple, Texas at 8:00 pm on Thursday night bound for Aspen, Colorado. After an all-night drive, we arrived in Aspen at around 12:30 pm on Friday afternoon. We were tired but otherwise anxious for the next day. After spending some time in Aspen and eating at the 520 Grill we decided to head to the Trailhead for Castle to meet the remaining part of our hiking party, Ryan and Rob. After driving the 12.5 miles along Castle Creek Road, we quickly found Forest Road 102. Castle Creek Road essentially dead ends at Forest Road 102 and you have no other option but to take Forest Road 102; It is to the right once the road ends. The 14'er route description is right on point where it says you can drive about a mile up the road. It is as far as we made it before we took the last campsite on the right. We met Ryan and Rob and then went on a little recon mission to check the remaining part of the road. The creek just passed our campsite was running high and it makes a hairpin turn to the left. I was not going to chance it with my long wheel base truck, but others did and made it. If you decide to go for it, just know to expect a little abuse to your vehicle. I wouldn't chance it due to the condition of the road further up the trail. It is in very rough condition where there is still debris from an avalanche. There is no way any vehicle can make it passed that. It was a smart decision to stop where we did. A couple of hours later, Matt and Mark, the final remaining members of our hiking party, finally arrived. They had driven from Col. Springs. After a light meal, we set up our simple campsite and then hit the sleeping bags when the sun finally went down. We decided for an early start of 4:00 am so we set our alarms for 3:30 am. 3:30 am on Saturday came really fast and we were up an eager for the day. After a light breakfast and final adjustments to our packs, we hit the trail/road at 4:00 am sharp. Although the road is in rough condition for vehicles, it makes for an excellent trail for hikers. We soon hit the junction and saw the sign for Pearl Pass. It goes to the left so we knew to stay to the right. The sign is a blessing as it clearly defines the junction. After some more hiking we quickly realized we must have drifted off the trail as we encountered a snowfield that did not look right. It's easy to do this when in the dark, and we were not going to backtrack. After navigating through the snowfield and climbing a vertical we eventually found the trail and realized later coming down that we had saved ourselves a ton of switchbacks by actually losing the trail. Soon we found ourselves going past the mine area and entering into the upper basin. We could easily see both Castle and Conundrum in the basin where Castle was to the left. At this point, our party was well dispersed. Matt and Mark were in the rear. James and Michael were in the middle, and Rob, Ryan, and myself were in the front well on our way to the ridge leading up to Castle. James and Mark decided to save this peak for another day as the altitude finally got to them. Coming from sea level makes any 14'er difficult and Castle and Conundrum were not any different. Once on the ridge, the fun began. I have to say, you must take your time and be very careful. The site says that this is difficult Class 2, but I would venture out to say that it definitely could be in the Class 3 area. There is exposure on both sides and one slip could be your last. Just pay attention and make sure you have 3 to 4 points of contact on the mountain at all times and you will be okay. Although sketchy, the ridge was conquered rather quickly and we found ourselves on top of Castle in no time. The summit actually startles you when you realize you are there. We made it to Castle's summit at around 8:30 am. It was picture perfect conditions for a summit. No wind, clear blue skies, and relatively warm. You can easily see Maroon Bells, Pyramid, and Capitol Peaks to the north. After a light snack and some quick pictures we proceeded to the saddle to Conundrum. Although loose with rock, the saddle was not difficult at all. There is one section going down however, where I would recommend going to the left. It's a large rock with steep drop off. I went to the right and found myself in an awkward position by having to be very careful. If you go to the left of the large rock, you will be okay. About 20 minutes later after a quick ascent, we found ourselves on top of Conundrum at around 9:30 am. Again, picture perfect conditions. We then took some great photos and headed to Conundrum's couloir. The 14'ers website says to just slide down if there is snow and navigate down if there is loose scree and rock. I had my doubts as it looks very steep. Fortunately for us, it still had tons of snow on it and we easily slid down it on our behinds and used our trekking poles as a brake. I can easily see this becoming a bit sketchier without any snow. I guess hiking in mid-June was a great idea. After the slide, we checked our watches and saw it was 10:30 am and quickly started our descent to our campsite. At 12:45 pm, we finally reached our campsite feeling accomplished. We met James and Mark who had turned around and then waited for Matt for another hour before he reached the bottom. Overall, this was a great hike. Castle and Conundrum offered it all: beautiful sunshine, snow, a rare June sled ride, a bit of exposure, little wind, cool temps, and specular views. It is one I will definitely remember for a long time. I just have to say be careful on Castle's ridge as I can easily see an accident occurring if someone was to get into a rush. I also have to say, I have no clue how a vehicle can make it up the road in its current state. There is still a ton of snow on it and the debris field from the avalanche makes the road completely impassable. Save your vehicle and stay on this side of the creek for now. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Castle and Conundrum's Beauty

Castle & Conundrum Peaks-June, 2017

My first climb for the 2017 season was a great one. Our hiking party (myself, James, and Michael) left Temple, Texas at 8:00 pm on Thursday night bound for Aspen, Colorado. After an all-night drive, we arrived in Aspen at around 12:30 pm on Friday afternoon. We were tired but otherwise anxious for the next day. After spending some time in Aspen and eating at the 520 Grill we decided to head to the Trailhead for Castle to meet the remaining part of our hiking party, Ryan and Rob.

After driving the 12.5 miles along Castle Creek Road, we quickly found Forest Road 102. Castle Creek Road essentially dead ends at Forest Road 102 and you have no other option but to take Forest Road 102; It is to the right once the road ends. The 14'er route description is right on point where it says you can drive about a mile up the road. It is as far as we made it before we took the last campsite on the right. We met Ryan and Rob and then went on a little recon mission to check the remaining part of the road. The creek just passed our campsite was running high and it makes a hairpin turn to the left. I was not going to chance it with my long wheel base truck, but others did and made it. If you decide to go for it, just know to expect a little abuse to your vehicle. I wouldn't chance it due to the condition of the road further up the trail. It is in very rough condition where there is still debris from an avalanche. There is no way any vehicle can make it passed that. It was a smart decision to stop where we did.

A couple of hours later, Matt and Mark, the final remaining members of our hiking party, finally arrived. They had driven from Col. Springs. After a light meal, we set up our simple campsite and then hit the sleeping bags when the sun finally went down. We decided for an early start of 4:00 am so we set our alarms for 3:30 am.

3:30 am on Saturday came really fast and we were up an eager for the day. After a light breakfast and final adjustments to our packs, we hit the trail/road at 4:00 am sharp. Although the road is in rough condition for vehicles, it makes for an excellent trail for hikers. We soon hit the junction and saw the sign for Pearl Pass. It goes to the left so we knew to stay to the right. The sign is a blessing as it clearly defines the junction. After some more hiking we quickly realized we must have drifted off the trail as we encountered a snowfield that did not look right. It's easy to do this when in the dark, and we were not going to backtrack. After navigating through the snowfield and climbing a vertical we eventually found the trail and realized later coming down that we had saved ourselves a ton of switchbacks by actually losing the trail. Soon we found ourselves going past the mine area and entering into the upper basin. We could easily see both Castle and Conundrum in the basin where Castle was to the left.

At this point, our party was well dispersed. Matt and Mark were in the rear. James and Michael were in the middle, and Rob, Ryan, and myself were in the front well on our way to the ridge leading up to Castle. James and Mark decided to save this peak for another day as the altitude finally got to them. Coming from sea level makes any 14'er difficult and Castle and Conundrum were not any different. Once on the ridge, the fun began. I have to say, you must take your time and be very careful. The site says that this is difficult Class 2, but I would venture out to say that it definitely could be in the Class 3 area. There is exposure on both sides and one slip could be your last. Just pay attention and make sure you have 3 to 4 points of contact on the mountain at all times and you will be okay. Although sketchy, the ridge was conquered rather quickly and we found ourselves on top of Castle in no time. The summit actually startles you when you realize you are there.

We made it to Castle's summit at around 8:30 am. It was picture perfect conditions for a summit. No wind, clear blue skies, and relatively warm. You can easily see Maroon Bells, Pyramid, and Capitol Peaks to the north. After a light snack and some quick pictures we proceeded to the saddle to Conundrum. Although loose with rock, the saddle was not difficult at all. There is one section going down however, where I would recommend going to the left. It's a large rock with steep drop off. I went to the right and found myself in an awkward position by having to be very careful. If you go to the left of the large rock, you will be okay. About 20 minutes later after a quick ascent, we found ourselves on top of Conundrum at around 9:30 am. Again, picture perfect conditions. We then took some great photos and headed to Conundrum's couloir.
The 14'ers website says to just slide down if there is snow and navigate down if there is loose scree and rock. I had my doubts as it looks very steep. Fortunately for us, it still had tons of snow on it and we easily slid down it on our behinds and used our trekking poles as a brake. I can easily see this becoming a bit sketchier without any snow. I guess hiking in mid-June was a great idea. After the slide, we checked our watches and saw it was 10:30 am and quickly started our descent to our campsite. At 12:45 pm, we finally reached our campsite feeling accomplished. We met James and Mark who had turned around and then waited for Matt for another hour before he reached the bottom.

Overall, this was a great hike. Castle and Conundrum offered it all: beautiful sunshine, snow, a rare June sled ride, a bit of exposure, little wind, cool temps, and specular views. It is one I will definitely remember for a long time. I just have to say be careful on Castle's ridge as I can easily see an accident occurring if someone was to get into a rush. I also have to say, I have no clue how a vehicle can make it up the road in its current state. There is still a ton of snow on it and the debris field from the avalanche makes the road completely impassable. Save your vehicle and stay on this side of the creek for now.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Cide

3 Yrs Later...
5/2/2020 8:34pm

Here I am planning a June ascent this year and this report and pics helped me plan. Thanks, hope you are still getting it in!

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