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Peak(s):  North Maroon Peak  -  14,022 feet
Date Posted:  08/03/2008
Date Climbed:   07/25/2008
Author:  paully
 North Maroon Peak - NW Ridge Route   

Since last year's foray into the Maroon Bells Wilderness, when Steve and I had gone after the Maroon Bells traverse and were turned back by weather after summitting South Maroon, I'd been thinking about getting back to this beautiful wilderness. We made plans to climb in late July, and Tom, a fellow 14ers.com member, decided to join us. We had not met Tom in person yet, but we made plans to meet up at the Maroon/Buckskin cutoff trail. I anticipated this trip with excitement, apprehension, and a tad bit of impatience. Finally, the day arrived.

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North Maroon's NE ridge looms overhead - taken from near Crater Lake

By the time I made the drive from Aurora and packed in to Crater Lake, there was still just enough daylight to set up my tent, filter water for the evening and for the next day's climb, and eat dinner. As darkness overtook the valley, the sun shed it's last beams over the high peaks around us, allowing them the privelege of seeing the day's last sunlight. I finished staging my gear for the next day's climb by the light of my headlamp. Steve had already retired to his tent for the night, so I sat alone outside, gazing at the shapeless mass before me that was tomorrow's looming challenge. 'My god, these peaks are awesome... majestic, but unforgiving...' I thought to myself as I took a pull from my flask. I found myself not wanting to let go of the dying evening, not wanting to see the last light of dusk get swallowed by the darkness. Finally (with a sigh, I'm sure) I capped the flask and prepared to hit the sack. As I made my way to the tent, an ominous rumbling caught my ear. I looked back up at the shapeless mass, to where I imagined the rumbling to be coming from, and listened to the sound of the not-too-distant rock fall. Rather than peter out after a few seconds, it seemed to gain in intensity as I stood frozen, wide-eyed. After several seconds (10? 20?), the spine-tingling sound dissolved into the light roar of the nearby creek. With a shake of my head, I called it a night. 'Could have gone without hearing that...'

The next morning, Steve and I met Tom at the Maroon/Buckskin cutoff at 6AM. We made our way up the trail, getting to know each other as we approached the day's challenge. I found myself marveling at the gorgeous interplay between the vibrant colors of the area and the early morning light. I'd been in this area a couple of times before, and it never ceases to amaze me. Alpenglow touched the high peaks surrounding us, snow still gracing their heights this late into the summer.

We quickly reached the North Maroon cutoff trail and were faced with the day's first challenge - crossing Minnehaha Creek. The creek was running high and there was no obvious crossing point. I think we all ended up choosing different methods of crossing, each of us getting wet to some extent. Apparently none of us went in over our ankles, miraculously, and we continued on up the trail with dry feet. From here, the trail climbs up toward the 'rock glacier'. After an initial push up a steep slope, the vertical gain relented a bit and led us steadily up into a large basin. A portion of the initial steeper section has been lovingly called 'class 3 mud' in other route descriptions. That's about right. Even though the previous day had seen no rain, this section was still a muddy mess. We fumbled our way up this section, using the occasional willow branch for support. Once we were up this steep section, we continued on our long approach up and into the basin.

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Tom and Steve work their way up the slope, steadily approaching the basin above

We reached the basin (11,800 ft), and North Maroon appeared before us in stark profile. The left skyline was formed from North Maroon's NE ridgeline in grim detail. I knew that we would be off the main ridge for the majority of the ascent, but damn...

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As we cross the basin toward the rock glacier, N Maroon looms before us in profile

We soon engaged the 'rock glacier' and aimed for the ledge that would lead us into the first gully. We hopped over and around boulders, keeping our eye out for cairns to lead us along some path of least resistance. The route was well marked and fairly obvious, but we lost sight of a cairned trail in a couple of spots. The important thing here is to aim for an obvious weakness in the NE ridgeline, providing access to the gully beyond. Just before reaching this weakness, we had to cross two short snow sections. I didn't feel that an axe was necessary here, but you definitely wouldn't want to slip. There were horizontal steps that had already been kicked in by previous hikers, and following these was an easy task. However, I remember thinking that I wouldn't want to be following these tracks in cooler conditions, where the foot might slip out from the pre-existing indentation... As it was, the snow was just soft enough to provide good, sticky footing. There was no need to kick our own steps. We made our way across the two snow sections, then dropped our packs and donned our helmets. From this point on, rock fall would be a danger.

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Tom prepares to cross the second snowfield, approaching the traverse into the first gully

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Me and Steve cross the second of two short snowfields as we get ready to round the corner and traverse into the first gully

We crossed over the weakness in the NE ridge, and followed the route as it traversed its way up and around into the first gully. The route was well-marked and the traverse ledges were sufficiently wide, but I still couldn't help but notice the startling exposure as everything beneath us dropped away. As I'd read in other TRs, one would not want to take a fall here (or anywhere from this point on, for that matter), but the possibility seemed unlikely. Just don't trip over your shoelaces...

We traversed into the first gully with confidence, enjoying the reassuring stability of these wide, stable ledges.

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Steve making intial traverse into the first gully

I will mention here that I have at least one route description that describes THREE gullies along this route. If you follow any such route description, the first gully is a part of the aforementioned traverse into gully number 1 of this TR. Gully 2 is one and the same with the first gully described in this TR, and of course gully 3 is equivalent to the second gully described in this TR.

The steepness persisted through the ascent of the first gully, but never got intense enough to give us any pause. We worked our way up the gully on a well-beaten trail, making great time. About halfway up the gully, we stopped and pulled out our route descriptions, wanting to make sure that we exited the gully at the right spot. Had we continued up the gully another 100 feet or so, we would have seen that the gully exit was well marked and obvious. At around 12,600 ft, we exited left, following cairns onto an obvious ledge. (note that Roach's route description doesn't describe this as the exit from the first gully; his description has you continue up the first gully over a cleft at 12,800 ft (50 feet of class 4), and exit the gully at 12,900 ft, on a second ledge)

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Tom follows the well-marked trail up the first gully

Our ledge led us around a prominent corner...

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... offering us our first view of the south bell.

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Both Bells appear as we round the corner. The remainder of our traverse and the second gully are visible from this point

The view was startling, both from the sudden appearance of our peak's twin and from the unobstructed view over to our next challenge. From this corner, the second gully looked dangerously steep. 'Relax' I thought to myself... I knew from experience that these things always looked worse than they really were. Ledges that look narrow and impassable from afar would unfold into broad boardwalks (well, not quite) as we drew closer to them. With confidence, we rounded the corner and made the rest of the traverse into the second gully (12,700 ft).

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Tom and Steve approach the second gully

I marked the point of entry into the second gully on my GPS as our exit point for the descent, but this wasn't really necessary because of how easy the route was to follow. I couldn't imagine being drawn farther down into the second gully than this exit point, but I won't recommend against using caution and making sure that one marks this point for the descent. Knowing that the mind can get tired and complacent on the descent, I went ahead and marked it. As we entered the second gully, it was pretty apparent that this gully WAS indeed steeper than the first, the exposure even more awesome. But the route was still easy to follow, and ledges were still more than sufficient. As we made our way up the gully, we tended toward the left hand side. By the time we were about halfway up the gully, we were on the left side, ascending an obvious crease. In doing this we encountered a couple of class 4 moves on somewhat loose rock. We would end up avoiding this crease on the descent, choosing instead to traverse back and forth on descending class 2 and class 3 ledges (these ledges are to climbers left of the crease on the descent).

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The second gully drops away beneath Steve's heels. I've marked in blue the two access points for traversing into this gully. The lower mark was our point of entry. The upper mark is the point of entry for Roach's route

During this looser section of our ascent, cairns were spotty at best. I think we went awhile without seeing one, and were probably not quite on-route for this brief time. Looking back down from high in the gully, we could easily see our exit point for the descent. There were two obvious clefts in the prominent ridge that separated this gully from the first. Our exit was the lower cleft, below which the gully seemed to drop into the abyss (which is why I say the exit point is fairly obvious... you wouldn't accidentally descend past it). The upper cleft would be the exit for anyone wishing to descend Roach's route.

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Tom ascends the upper portion of the second gully, scrambling toward the NE ridge

At about 13,100 ft, I dropped my poles, deciding that they were becoming more hindrance than help. As we started our ascent from this point, we noticed a large cairn, clear across on the NE ridge. It must have been at around 13,100 ft (dead even with my poles), and it made us wonder whether Roach's route has the climber reaching the ridge at a lower point than what we were aiming for. Nonetheless, we continued upward toward a point on the ridge much higher than this cairn. We were back on our own cairned trail, and our route seemed like the right one for where we were at. Apparently there are more than a couple of ways to skin a cat...

We reached the ridge at 13,250 ft, but didn't stick around for long. We were afforded a partially obscured view of Snowmass and Capitol. More importantly, we were able to look upon a previously unseen quadrant of the sky, boosting our confidence in the already encouraging weather. After resting and taking a few pics over this natural scenic overlook, we stepped onto a ledge that took us back below the complexities of the ridge.

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Steve poses on the NE ridge, enjoying the scenery of this natural overlook

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Me and Steve on the NE Ridge - Ensuing traverse can be seen in front of us, leading us back below the ridgeline

From this point on, the climb reminded me a lot of the upper portion of Pyramid Peak. We navigated around ledge systems, making the occasional class 4 move to get from one ledge to the next. I guess that I would describe this upper section as very fun scrambling on semi-stable rock. There were generally multiple options for ascending from one bench to the next. I definitely recommend checking all hand/foot holds before committing to them (we ARE talking about the Maroon Bells after all!), but I found the rock to be more trustworthy than what I remembered from my climb of South Maroon a year before.

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Tom surveys North Maroon's upper challenges - complex ledge systems are separated by steeper, class 3/class 4 sections

We stayed on or near the ridge crest from this point on. At some point, we must have crossed over to the North side of the ridge (the ridgeline wasn't always too well-defined, or so it seemed to me). The climbing continued as before, with a little less exposure, until we were finally faced with the crux of the route (13,600 ft).

We had heard that there was at least one way to avoid the class 4 crux chimney, but we saw nothing obvious. Tom checked around to climbers left as I headed up the chimney. Tom made his way back, reporting that the only way up to the left was loose and exposed (and steep too, I'm sure). We didn't see anything obvious to climber's right either, although we really didn't look too hard. I headed up the chimney first. This was gonna be fun! It was a pretty basic chimney, but it was still a fun challenge. The exposure to a fall wasn't bad at all. You'd have to fall, and then do quite a bit of nearly horizontal rolling in order to fall any appreciable distance. We didn't see any need for ropes on the ascent (or descent) of this chimney, but I won't recommend against it.

I'm of the opinion that it's easier to descend this crux chimney than ascend it, but I'm sure many would beg to differ. I used an outward facing stem technique (probably why I found descending to be easier) to finish the pitch. The first half can be ascended either facing inward or facing outward, after which you have a nice hefty slab to rest on. Above this break point, I recommend an outward facing posture. I seem to remember that the hand and footholds were conducive to this position. It was almost like doing a vertical crabwalk. On the descent, sit on the upper ledge and slide to the right until your feet are dangling over the chimney. Then proceed with the outward facing stem technique to lower yourself down. But remember, this is just what I found worked for me, so no guarantees on this technique.

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Steve engages the lower chimney as I negotiate the upper portion

Above the route crux, we continued up class 3 ledges to a large, prominent 'fin' of rock (13,750 ft). This is truly one of the more memorable features I've ever seen on a 14er, and was worth photographing. I believe it's actually a feature of the NE ridgeline itself.

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Steve and I strike a pose on the prominent fin of rock

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Tom strikes a pose of his own

From the fin, we pushed the final 250 vertical feet to the summit. We passed a couple of climbers at this point (the only other two on the mountain that day), and exchanged pleasantries. From this point, we had one more fun scramble to the summit. There was class 3 scrambling and one memorable class 4 move. We were just to the left of the ridge for this final section. We abruptly popped up onto the summit block, dropped our packs, and started into lunch.

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Steve and Tom push for the summit after chatting with other climbers on the route

The descent went smoothly for most of the way. We made very quick time down to the crux, and climbed down the chimney without incident. As I mentioned before, I found the descent of this chimney to be easier than the ascent. Below the crux, we had a brief encounter with a couple of goats. We saw them come over the NE ridge at the point where we had first reached the ridge on the ascent.

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A couple of Mountain Goats cross over the NE Ridge

We quickly descended the upper ridge and made our way into the second gully. Even from the very top of the gully, our exit point stood out. The view during the descent was something to live for. Everything around me just seemed to have an immensity to it that I can't put words to. The jagged ridge to our left with the prominent notches, the gully that seemed to drop into oblivion, the massive red blocks, the vibrant green background, the already rampant wildflowers... it was an epic feeling for sure. Up here, it was hard to believe that the world of cars and crowds and office cubicles even existed. Needless to say, I could see myself coming back here again in the near future, maybe for the traverse...

All wonders aside, we made haste during the entire descent. What had been little puffs of nothing on the summit were now threatening rain clouds. We didn't want to be on anything wet that 'dropped into oblivion', so we made quick time down the upper gully, across to the lower gully, down, and out. By the time we stopped for a break, we had dropped back into the basin, crossed the two snow sections (softer now, but still no problem), crossed the 'rock glacier', and found a nice patch of flat, grassy, stable earth to sit on. We put away our helmets and grabbed a quick bite to eat.

We started getting sleet as we made our final descent to the creek. We still had quite a way to go, but we were in good spirits. After hours of intense concentration and heightened awareness, it was good to let go and breath a sigh of relief, even if only a small one. The sleet didn't bug me; it actually felt good. Unfortunately, it didn't take too long for the sleet to turn to rain, and for the rain to turn to cats and dogs. Tom was a bit ahead of Steve and me, had actually descended most of the steep slope and was approaching the creek. Steve and I were at the top of the 'class 3 mud' section. We had to escape into the trees for a quick minute to throw on our rain gear. We then 'contemplated our future'. I'm sure that if anyone were to see my face as I looked down upon the next part of our descent, they would have seen utter disgust and loathing. We made our way down, carefully but quickly. I would watch Steve take a digger on some steep, muddy portion, then I would proceed to bite it on the same patch of mud. We fumbled and bumbled and slipped our way down this nasty slope, the rain coming down harder by the minute. We grabbed at willow branches, trying to keep our balance as we slid down some of the steeper sections. I hated to use the branches with such blatant disregard, but injury was a major consideration here. After much of this, we reached the bottom of the steeper section and made our way (still moving quickly) to the creek. We didn't put nearly as much thought into the creek crossing this time around. We both crossed quickly and were soon back on the main trail. Somehow, after all of this, I was dry from neck to toe (not counting my rain gear, that is). I must have done a good job of waterproofing and lacing up, because I swear the water got over my ankles this time...

We made quick time back to our camp at Crater Lake and dove into our tents for three hours of rainstorm. The rain had actually quit by the time we arrived at camp, but soon picked up again, and didn't quit again for a long time. We managed to escape the area that evening, but I think my pack weighed more on the descent due to water weight. It couldn't crush my spirit though. I looked around me in wonder as we descended to the trailhead. I had finally climbed all three of these peaks... and I'll be back...

I hesitate to say that I overestimated this peak, but I was certainly prepared for something looser and less asthetically pleasing. I found the climbing to be very enjoyable. The gullies were far more pleasant than I expected them to be, and the climbing on the upper part of the route was fun and rewarding. If you come prepared, start early, stay on the route, and make good decisions, you'll have an awesome day. But I think it's very important to respect this peak for what it is. It has the potential to turn a good day into one of tragedy. Come prepared, test every hand and foothold before using it, stay on route, and wear a helmet. If you find yourself off-route, stop and look around. Find your route instead of blazing your own. The difference between the on-route portions of this mountain and the off-route ones are like night and day. I know of two separate, competent climbers who have gotten off-route in the Maroon Bells, and they both feared for their lives. Keep your eyes and ears open for falling rocks. This is not a good mountain on which to tune out the rest of the world with your headphones. Respect the mountain, and respect the weather. If you sense weather coming in, turn around! You do NOT want to get caught above the rock glacier in rainy weather...

Finally, keep in mind that everyone experiences mountains differently. I don't think this was the toughest 14er I've climbed, not by a long shot. Steve, who has climbed all but 9 of them, considers North Maroon the toughest one yet... So take my words/suggestions with a grain of salt, please. I've tried to be objective, but that's almost impossible when discussing things like exposure, technical difficulty, and overall comfort and frame of mind.

Having said all that, have fun! This is an epic adventure!



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
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Comments or Questions
CODave
Awesome!
8/4/2008 12:15am
Very good TR. I liked reading about your perpsective of the mountain. I hope to give it a try sometime soon.

Dave


Kevin Baker
User
nice detail
8/4/2008 5:30am
This is one of the most concise TR‘s I have seen of N. Maroon. Kudos on a safe and rewarding climb. I didn‘t get the experience of going up N. Maroon, only down, so I look forward to a repeat.


ossie322
User
Excellent...
8/4/2008 2:39pm
I am planning on being up there tomorrow and really appreciate the TR! Great route info and well written. Thanks a bunch!


CAVUfool
User
Great TR!
8/4/2008 7:21pm
You give the reader a great vision of the route. Thanks!



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