The Pursuit of Rarefied Air

Sunday, June 19, 2011

It's easy to miss, but if you remember to look south as you buzz along past Exit 221 on I-70 west of Denver you'll catch a dramatic view of a rugged mountain ridge that guards a high peak beyond.  This neck-bender is the northeast ridge of Torreys Peak, the Kelso Ridge, rising more than 4000 feet and only 3 miles distant from the highway.  For me, the years of accumulated two-second views of this tantalizing ridge caught my interest and imagination and it was about time to get a closer look.

When Ben suggested that I head out to Denver for a June weekend to climb a high peak I didn't need to be convinced.  I don't think of myself as a 14er junkie, but over the years my fascination with Colorado's highest peaks has been undeniable and I usually jump at the chance for a summit attempt.  Ben introduced me to this sport back in 2002 when we climbed La Plata Peak together.

We firmed up our plans to climb Kelso Ridge the evening before, stopping to inspect the ridge from afar and size up the snow cover.  After an unusually high snowfall this season, the mountain routes are holding their snow late in the year.  This can present some travel difficulties, as normal daily warming creates a cycle of firm snow in the morning and soft snow in the afternoon, requiring spikes early and snowshoes later.  Knowing this we brought microspikes, crampons, snowshoes, poles, shovel, probe, and beacon, in addition to the usual gear.

The snow had receded on the access road, and we were excited to drive up to the Stevens Gulch Trailhead in our rental rig, avoiding any road-walking.  Gearing up and shouldering our rucksacks, we were on the trail by 6:15AM, potentially a new record for us, but we wanted to leave plenty of time to negotiate the ridge and minimize our time on soft snow later in the day.

The route starts above treeline at 11,200' and it's fairly wide open.  Slow and steady we made our way up the Grays Peak North Slopes route on sections alternating between bare trail and snowfields.  This section gradually picks up elevation as the trail winds its way around the base of Kelso Mountain and into the basin below Grays and Torreys Peaks.  Following their standard routes, Grays and Torreys are a couple of the easiest 14ers to climb and Roach jokes in his guidebook that the greatest hazard on this route may be a playful dog!

Early light on Mt. Edwards & Grays Peak

It's mostly cloudy with clouds streaming in from the west, but it doesn't look too threatening.  There must be enough upper level motion to shear the clouds and prevent any buildup.  When the low-angle sun peeks out through the clouds we're treated to a quick taste of alpenglow, as the flanks of Mt. Edwards and Grays Peak are lit up.  And looking up Mt. Edwards we take note of the incredible lines to ski and sure enough, there are a couple of skiers beginning a descent down the main gully.  We're both staring at the line, wishing we had our skis.

Torreys Peak and Kelso Ridge come into view

The trail continues on around Kelso Mountain, revealing Torreys Peak and Kelso Ridge.  About two miles into the hike a climbers trail diverges right toward the saddle between Kelso and Torreys and we hike up past an abandoned miners cabin to where the ridge begins.  This is a good place to leave your acrophobia.  Roach refers to this route as a "sporting alternative" to the standard trail and advises to treat it as a climb, not a hike.  It's about 1800 vertical feet from here to the summit.

Ready for the climbing to begin

A small trail leads up over the first knoll where a couple of gendarmes come into view.  There are some false trails up here and I quickly find one, following it to an exposed dead-end.  We continue on the north side of the ridge around the outcroppings and drop into a notch where we encounter our first class 3 climb, a 30 foot pitch up stable rock.  At the top we meet a solo climber who is descending.  It sounds like he was not keen on ascending the snow slopes above and decided to bail out.  We press forward, mildly concerned about what lies ahead.

Crossing the snow gully

Climbing the class 3 rock

The route is mostly snow-free, but we cross a few patches of snow where we use our ice axes to self-belay and then stash them when we rejoin the rock.  We test the snow carefully, knowing it could be rotten in the spring heat, but rock holds are also susceptible in these conditions as they can loosen when the frozen soil matrix locking them in place begins to melt.

Testing the holds

We soon arrive at a crux of sorts, where a snow gully angles steeply from the north side of the ridge and a rock buttress ahead prevents further progress.  To the left, the snow gully continues to the base of some white rocks which appear to top out over a precipitous drop to the south side of the ridge, while another line of ascent appears to the right, across the gully.  We cross the gully one at a time and ascend the rocks  ahead past another short snow field to the right.  Ben attempts to ascend this snow field, but ends up backing down and instead climbs the class 4 rock up to an airy perch.

The class 4 climbing

We stop for a snack and some drink.  It can't be overstated how important it is to maintain focus and it's critical to keep our energy and spirits up.  There's probably no question that the ridge climb today is more difficult than in summer because we're avoiding the snow where possible and it's forcing us onto more difficult rock, but we're benefiting from working as a team with two sets of eyes to spot the best route and take care of one another.

Crossing another snowfield on the ridge line the trail now winds it's way up through the rocks to the point where the North ridge of Torreys intersects the Kelso Ridge.  I'm following Ben through this section and I'm feeling sluggish.  I think the combination of not getting into a rhythm due to the route challenges and not paying attention to breathing is affecting me.

Crossing a ridgeline snowfield

Torreys Peak

Kelso above the intersecting North Ridge

At the north ridge I think we're both relieved because if we needed to descend before the summit this would be the preferred route.  The summit lies ahead, a snow-covered dome, with the final rocky ramparts on the ridge.  Snow-filled gullies flank the peak's north side and we see some skiers in the distance who look ready to drop in.  On the south side of the ridge the snow is deep and the wind has created a cornice around much of this leeward mountain edge.

Final rock buttress and summit beyond

Negotiating the steep snow ramp

The trail is an easy walk for the next few minutes, gaining elevation as it approaches the final challenges on the ridge.  A rock buttress blocks the ridge and we scramble on snow around the left of the buttress to a point above the Dead Dog Couloir, a 1000' snow gully descending to the bottom of Steven's Gulch.  Rather than traversing on snow above the 50-degree couloir, we decide to rejoin the ridge by climbing a snowslope adjacent to large, smooth, angled rocks.  I quickly find that the snow is not firm and it takes quite a bit of leg to kick steps in the soft snow.  I find holds with my right hand on the rock and keep my axe in my left hand for a self-belay.

Knife Edge, White Rocks, & Summit Beyond

We clamber over the rocks on the ridge line before coming to the infamous 'knife edge' crux.  With snow  up to the south edge of the knife, we're able to walk on the edge of the snow and hold onto the knife, in case the snow gives way, to cross the 30 feet or so.  The next problem is the jumble of white rock ahead. I follow Ben around the right side of this rock which is remarkably solid.  Beyond the rock we're back on snow and with ice axes to assist, it's a steep 100 yard climb to the summit.

Torreys Peak Summit

I can't remember the last time I was this exuberant on a summit and I'm chirping like a kid as we congratulate each other and converse with some other hikers, Frank and Clete, before taking some pictures.  It's 11:00AM.

We descend from Torreys, enjoying the views and remarking on all of the people who are up here hiking, snowshoeing, or skiing.  It's really an amazing amount of different activities that people are enjoying on these mountains.  We stop for a snack in the Torreys-Grays col before ascending Grays.  It's only about 500 feet up, but it's a workout and I can tell how tired I am when we stop on Grays for another bite to eat.

Crevasse behind hanging cornice

Break at the Torreys-Grays col

Grays Peak Summit

One of the wooly natives

On to the descent and the conditions are perfect for glissading.  With the sun in and out of the clouds today the snow hasn't softened too much. A couple of switchbacks below the summit we start our descent and lose a good 500 feet.  Had we realized at the time that we could continue to the floor of the gulch we would have continued, but it appeared that we would have to ascend through untracked snow to the main route, so we elect to continue along the main trail, passing a number of folks still ascending.  We also pass a group of mountain goats who seem oblivious to the human traffic.

The rest of the hike is fairly uneventful except that we miss the main trail near the end and continue on the well worn boot track on the snowfield where it deposits us above a small shallow-angled gully.  We slide down on our shovels, but it is hardly steep enough.  Below that point we make our way through a tangle of willows and back to the main trail, only a few yards from the trailhead.

What can I say about this one?  This was one of the most fun climbs I have done.  Good weather and conditions.  Fun route.  Great partner.  I'm ready for another one...

SPOT Log for the day