The Traverse

August 17, 2011

El Diente and the North Buttress from Wilson Peak

When Dan and I laid out an itinerary for climbing, I knew that Capitol Peak should be high on the list of objectives, but I also wanted to return to the San Juan Range.  We decided to make attempts on all of the Wilson Group 14ers, including Wilson Peak, Mt. Wilson, and El Diente Peak, planning to tackle the last two peaks together using the rugged and exposed connecting ridge, sometimes referred to as one of the 'four great fourteener traverses.'

early light, low on the North Butt with distant Navajo Lake

In the days leading up to the trip I was mostly focused on the Capitol Peak climb, but once we completed this climb, my thoughts were immediately refocused on the El Diente - Mt. Wilson climb, and they circled with some mild anxiety in my subconscious.  It's not so much that I felt I couldn't handle the challenge, but there were a few concerns I had, including route-finding, condition of the route, looseness of the rock, the descent, and weather.  I read plenty of trip reports over the years and lived vicariously through successful climbs, but I was also gripped by the accounts of objective dangers, accidents, tragedies, and rescues that befell climbers on these mountains.  I tried to learn all I could beforehand to prepare myself for this day.

We picked a day with no chance for thunderstorms to go for it.  One less thing to worry about.  Starting before 5:30AM we are back on the talus slope, tracking up Navajo Basin.  Where the trail rejoins the creek, we cross to the other side and gaze up at the North Buttress.  We've both read about this route on 14ers.com and I've brought along a printout of the route to help with route-finding.  This isn't the 'standard' route on El Diente, but it's gained popularity recently due to the more solid rock it climbs.  By comparison, the loose rock on the north and south slopes routes make them look like shooting galleries.

The El Diente - Mt. Wilson Ridge above us

The route starts in a boulder field that is easily crossed as we hike up to the base of the buttress.  We then move toward the right hand side of the buttress and gain ground on slabs that offer good climbing.  After a little while our progress is blocked and we re-ascend to the ridge and a wide bench, which offers a view of the coming challenges.

The next section, the so-called 'jumble' is a large inclined boulder field that requires some route-finding and class three moves to negotiate through the rock and ends at a second bench.  From here, the next section, 'the hump,' looks more formidable, but passage is very straightforward and we reach the third bench in only 20 minutes or so.

Dan on the solid North Butt - for scale

From this point Dan goes on ahead and we take photos of each other to show the scale of the buttress.  The route continues toward 'the V' snow field which is mostly melted out, following a ledge around to the west before climbing up toward the snow field and regaining the ridge beyond.

Mike scrambles up the route

We've gained a bunch of elevation at this point, and we're feeling really good about the climb as we ascend the ridge, which becomes steeper and thinner as we go, until we reach a section where Dan calls back to let me know there's some exposure.  Sure enough, we gain a short knife edge at the base of a rock tower, and scamper around to the east of the knife to a ledge that gives us passage around the tower.

The airy tower at the top of the North Butt

crux of the route near the summit, a series of slabs with class 4 chimneys above

What remains now is the summit pitch.  From here there are a couple of options, but none are particularly pleasing.  There are a series of inclined slabs and ledges up to our left which hang above cliffs that empty into a steep couloir and straight ahead there is a steep, blocky climb alternative that may or may not cliff out.  We choose the inclined slabs.

Dan scouts a route that will "go"

Traversing over to the slabs is sketchy and its an exercise in concentration but once on the slabs, we are able to quickly ascend to a point just below the ridge line.  From here it is a class 4 climb up a chimney to gain the ridge.  We're not far from the summit - we turn to the east and climb over.

El Diente's summit is a small area and we sit down for a snack and sign the summit register.  To the east, Mt. Wilson and the dramatic ridge to its summit lies before us.  I'm happy to be here - the climb is going well and the weather is great.  It's 9:00AM.

Dan at the summit of El Diente

Mt. Wilson and the Traverse loom in the distance

After snapping a few photos we start descending and it's extremely slow going on the loose soil and rock.  We're heading down the edge of a steep gully near the summit when I inadvertently kick a rock loose.  It picks up speed as it shoots around one corner in the gully and out of sight, but I can hear it rumbling for some time after and the experience is a wake-up call.  We continue on a traverse around the north side of the mountain before descending a gully for about 50 feet on the south side of the ridge.  From here the traverse makes its way along the north side of the ridge, below the rock spires above, known as the organ pipes.

On the traverse - Dan on north side of El Diente's summit block

The route is pretty well cairned and we're able to pick our way slowly along this side of the mountain, carefully placing our feet to avoid dislodging any rock.  It's a steep drop to our north, but it's not the sort of thing you want to focus on.  We continue on our way losing some elevation as we angle around a ridge that climbs from Kilpacker Basin and the gendarmes on the ridge come into view.

From this perspective, it appears that we might have to drop below the rock to the north, losing several hundred feet, but upon further inspection we find a weakness in the towers that allows our passage and sure enough we spot a cairn which leads us around the gendarmes on more solid rock.  The terrain is steep and exposed, but it's a straightforward route around the steep rock after which we begin to re-ascend to the ridge.

beginning the descent to a saddle with the 70-foot coxcomb ahead

The next section of the traverse is comparatively easy, and I breathe a sigh of relief as Mt. Wilson appears closer before us.  For a while it felt like my progress was agonizingly slow.  Before dropping down to a saddle from this easier section we take time to survey the 70 foot coxcomb that we'll have to climb next, considered to be the crux of the climb, and oftentimes rappelled by climbers traversing in the other direction.   This next section harbors some large, loose rock and we'll need to take care to find a good route through it.

After a snack break on the saddle we approach the north side of the coxcomb and find a cairned route that begins an ascent of large steps, each one requiring a few climbing moves and we snake our way up the rock until we top out on a fabulous fin of solid rock that is exposed to both sides.  The climbing is exhilarating and even includes some knife edge scooting, first practiced on Capitol, and here perfected in the San Juans!

On the airy coxcomb

At the end of the coxcomb we're not initially sure about the right route for descent back to another saddle and it's a steep and rough down climb, including some careful moves above a vertical face to the north, before we're back down to another saddle and traversing around a band of yellow rock on the ridge.

Beyond this section we can see and hear a couple of other climbers, one of whom we affectionately refer to as 'motor-mouth' and we climb a short gully to intersect the standard route ascending Mt. Wilson.  From the top of this gully, the final summit ridge remains.

Mike on Mt. Wilson's summit

The climb up Mt. Wilson's summit ridge is a blast, as we begin a short class 3 climb on the ridge that becomes increasingly exposed.  At one point I find myself positioned on the ridge with legs spread out, one in front, one behind, with boots each balanced on rocks at the crest and a cliff to the right, exposure to the left, and a big grin on my face.  We bypass the block at the summit on the left hand side and stand atop the summit in satisfaction and relief, under beautiful, sunny conditions.  It's 12:30PM.

Gladstone Peak (R) Wilson Peak (L) with distant San Juan peaks

We descend from the summit using Mt. Wilson's Northeast Ridge route, although, below the summit ridge, the route descends into a steep and loose gully and becomes difficult to follow.  It's tough to mark a route in such dynamic terrain, and we continue downward, carefully crossing a snow-filled gully with our axes, mindful that we'll have to angle toward the east to intersect the main route as it descends past the Navajo snow field.

The route is slow-going and unpleasant through this section as we continue to be careful not to dislodge too much rock and ensnare ourselves in a rock slide.  Finally, we intersect the main route and descend more solid rock to the bottom of the basin where we meet the Navajo basin trail ascending to the Rock of Ages saddle.  We agree that the descent was really our least favorite part of the day, but in all other ways the climb has exceeded both of our expectations.  Back down the talus to camp, we arrive having completed our tour in 10 hours, 17 minutes.  We're planning to spend one more night, but we're already talking about what time to arrive at the restaurant tomorrow morning for our Llama burgers - that's just the name of the restaurant, not the type of meat.

Wow- what an awesome week it's been!  It's difficult to state in words, but sometimes a climb is more than just a climb.  For me, today I've conquered some demons in my own head and proven again to myself, in the simple yet memorable words of Ken Chlouber, "you're better than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can."

Kilpacker Creek on the descent