From Silver Pick Basin, Traverse from Mount Wilson to El Diente

For the Mount Wilson – El Diente traverse, we set the alarm at 3:30 am.  I slept great again and had no problems getting up.  We began hiking from the Silver Pick trailhead around 4 am.  We had to use headlamps for about an hour and a half.  Once we were high in Silver Pick basin, we were able to turn them off.  It looked like we were way in front of anyone else this morning.  We arrived at the Rock of Ages saddle just a little after 6am.  We immediately began the 800 foot descent into Navajo basin knowing that we wouldn’t enjoy the hike back over the pass.  On the way down, we passed a creepy old mining cabin and even and old iron mine car.  At the very bottom of the basin, we met two other hikers who were packing up and heading back over the pass to head home.  That had completed the traverse the day before. 

We had spied our route from the day before.  Basically, our route ascended the lower grass slopes that were to the right of the Navajo snowfield.  We would keep going up until we hit the first big snowfield on the left side of the mountain, then begin an ascending traverse to the snow gully.  From there, we’d shoot for a notch that was described in one of the 14er books and then from there over the airy ridge to the summit.  A climber back at the trailhead had told us how scary he thought the ridge was so we were a little apprehensive.  For some reason, I never really assumed Mount Wilson was a very hard peak.  
 
Ascending the lower part of Mount Wilson was really nice.  It’s super solid and there’s lots of ledges and grassy paths.  We did pick some scrambling sections from time to time but this wasn’t necessary at all.  We arrived at the high snowfield and began our ascending traverse.  We passed one small gully, then another, then finally arrived at the gully with the snow in it.  By this time we were a hundred feet or so below the ridge so we climbed to the top of the gully to a prominent notch.  This was not THE official notch though as we realized when we got there.  We took a quick bearing and studied the map and realized that the summit was still to the west of us.  So, we stayed just under the top of the ridge and soon arrived at

You can’t see the summit from here but you do see the ridge that will take you there and it is very airy indeed.  It’s not far at all though.  I was leading so I started out by climbing up to the ridge proper.  Then, I went right over the tip top of the thin ridge.  The exposure over the right (west) side was tremendous and it was really exhilarating although probably a bit too scary for my liking.  Once I was perched up there though, I decided that it would be even harder to turn around, so I kept going.  From this airy aerie, however, I was able to point out to Ken the best way to go which is to stay on the left (east) side of the ridge the whole time.  This side is really exposed too (nothing like the other side) but the moves aren’t that hard.  We soon converged back on the ridge at a much safer section.  I led on and picked another route on the left side.  At this point you have to swing around a large chockstone and then ascend a short little 4th class section that will take you right to the top.  Again, the moves were not hard, but this is one of the more exposed 14ers there are.  Ken thought this was the scariest fourteener that he’d been on to date and we’ve done just about all the hard ones.
 
We stayed on the summit for maybe 30-45 minutes (a short time for us).  The summit is pretty small.  In the picture you can see El Diente in the background.  Our next goal in the day was to arrive at the top of El Diente via the long traverse between the two mountains.  This ridge is reputed to be easier than the Bells Traverse.  We had a rope with us because there was apparently one spot that we could rappel to avoid a downclimb.  We weren’t sure if we would need it.

We climbed back down the ridge.  Consequently, it wasn’t as scary coming down since I didn’t climb straight over the tip top of the ridge.  Back down at the notch, we had another short rest and prepared for the traverse.

From the notch, which you can faintly see in this picture (left base of same ridge), we hiked down a gully and then ascended back up and started the ridge.  The ridge is very tricky from the very beginning.  There’s lots of ups and downs and thin ridges and exposed cliffs.  The climbing switches between class 3 and class 4.  We had a rope with us in anticipation of the rappel tower that was a quarter mile or so from the summit of Mount Wilson.  The scrambling was slow going but eventually we arrived at the rappel point and noticed that it would indeed be easier to downclimb.  So, we backed up a hundred feet or so and found a winding route down to the bottom.  The climbing wasn’t too hard at all.  Along the way, we found and intermediary rappel point.  There were about twenty slings wrapped around the boulder serving as an anchor.  Apparently, no one was trusting anyone else’s sling.

Eventually we arrived at the bottom and hooked back up with the ridge at the saddle beneath the rappel tower.
 
Back on the main part of the ridge, we had a long stretch where we cruised.  We were able to make up a lot of time.  Just over halfway is a large set of towers.  According to the route description, we could easily bypass these by dropping 250 feet down on the left side.  We dropped down 100 feet and picked a fun route that hugged the towers.  The route finding was really fun and this was one of the highlights of the traverse for me.  The route took us on small ledges and over small chasms, on top of large pillar-like rocks we used as stepping columns, and in and out of small, solid couloirs.  We had to scout here and there for the best route but overall, we had no problems at all.  Eventually the climbing relented and we found ourselves at the base of the Organ Pipes gendarmes.  These small towers looked really thin too so we passed them on the left as well.  
 
At this point we were getting really close to El Diente.  I figured that we’d just go straight up to the peak.  However, the trail is deceptive.  It passes over the ridge to the north side of the peak, traverses under the summit above some steep cliffs, then climbs a short gully, and finishes with a short scramble to the small blocky summit.  From here, Mount Wilson looks a long way away.  Overall, I’d rate this traverse more difficult than the Bells traverse.  Though the Bells demanded a rope, this traverse was narrower in places, was a lot longer, and demanded a lot of 4th class scrambling.  The traverse took us just over two hours.

On the summit of El Diente we rested up for the long, steep descent and the hike back over 13,000 foot Rock of Ages saddle and back to the truck.
 
The descent off El Diente was miserable.  It was super steep and loose.  I would not recommend ascending the north face at all…the traverse was a lot more solid and a lot more fun.  In contrast, the climb up Mount Wilson was surprisingly solid and a joy to climb up.  Finally, we made it back down to upper Navajo Basin.  Looking behind us, we saw some really dark clouds.  We began picking up the pace since we didn’t want to be caught in a storm.  We rested one last time, ate some oreos, and drank some water.  The storm seemed to be moving faster; there was now some lightning flashes and thunder somewhere behind Gladstone and Mount Wilson.  We decided to zoom up to the old mining cabin near Rock of Ages and wait there if we had too…and zoom we did.  I’ve never hiked so fast in my life; it took us a mere 10-15 minutes to arrive at the little cabin, which appeared to be haunted.  We rested here for a while and at the last minute decided to zoom over Rock of Ages and back to the truck.  

We made it up and over the saddle in no time at all, however, thunder was now sounding over nearby Wilson Peak.  A couple of hundred feet down from the saddle it began to rain.  We yanked our shells out of our packs and put them on and began going straight down the talus and scree.  The thunder was getting closer.  Then, it started to hail.  Hard.  And then the lightning came.  And the thunder – at the exact same time.  We were caught right in the middle of an absolutely vicious storm.  We had hurled our trekking poles down the mountain like javelins and holed up, so to speak, in a narrow gulley.  We crouched down, being careful to only allow our boots to touch the ground (nearby lightning strikes could conduct through the ground) as the lightning struck all around us.  After the lightning had discharged, we ran down the mountain, grabbing our poles and hurling them again, repeating the process.  After about 30 minutes, the storm abated.  It now looked like a winter storm had moved through.

We got back to the cars to find a nearly vacant parking lot.  The hike from upper Navajo Basin to the truck had been with the aid of adrenalin and, as a result, seemed a lot easier than we were expecting.  It took us maybe an hour and a half to do the whole thing which is a super fast pace.  In so many ways (except for the storm), this weekend had been the best hiking experience to date.

From Silver Pick Basin

We’d been discussing a climb of the Wilson group for a long time.  We finally planned to climb all three fourteeners there the weekend of August 12th.  We planned to drive out on Friday, climb Wilson Peak on Saturday, climb the Mount Wilson – El Diente traverse on Sunday, and drive back that night.  That’s a pretty ambitious plan, but we felt up to it.

We arrived at the Silver Pick basin trailhead about 30 minutes before dark and easily found a place to car camp.  The parking area looks initially really small, but small roads wind back in the woods with all sorts of camping spots.  Ken slept in the back of his truck on his new air mattress and I lay down on top of two thermarests and slept great – except for the truck that showed up at 2am and the other truck that showed up at 5:15 am and got stuck in a narrow turn around while it’s headlights were beating down on us like the noonday sun.
 
We decided to just go ahead and get up anyway since the alarm was already set for 5:30.  We began hiking around 6:05, 6:10 or so.  Once you emerge out of the trees, the rest of the hiking is among talus and scree so it’s not exactly a scenic or lush approach, however, the road and trail is in great shape.  The road continues past the gate for a while and eventually turns into a trail.  We were able to stay on a trail the whole way up to the Rock of Ages saddle at 13,150 feet.  We were surprised at how easy it was to get to the saddle.  When we looked into Navajo Basin, we realized that we should have brought our camping stuff and just set up camp in the basin after completing Wilson Peak.  Our plan was originally to pack up after Wilson Peak and backpack into Navajo Lake – just a change of scenery.  But when we saw how easy it was, we changed our plans to day hike the traverse from Silver Pick.

Once we made it to the saddle, we traversed along the south side of the peak along a well-established trail.  Then, after just a short time, we arrived at one of the Wilson Peak – Gladstone saddles.  Once we were around the saddle, traversing again on the mountain, we had the view  of the remainder of the route.  Though there’s no one correct way to climb the remainder of the route, the best suggestion is probably to continue traversing and aim for the saddle below the last high point before the summit.  The climbing up to this point was very easy.  There was one little 3rd class section right after the saddle but it wasn’t hard or scary at all.  We continued all the way up to the saddle below the false summit.
 
The remainder of the climb is a lot of fun.  It’s challenging 3rd class scrambling and a good way to finish the mountain.  We passed one party on their way down but we had the entire summit to ourselves for a long time.
 
Between Mount Wilson and El Diente these two mountains is the infamous traverse which we would be attempting the following day.  Overall, this mountain was very easy and a lot of fun.  It was only a 7-mile round trip and about 3600 feet of elevation.  That may sound like a lot, but we had had an intense summer and this was probably the easiest to date…a good warm-up for what lay ahead. 

When my hiking friends had other things to do this weekend, I figured I’d take advantage and climb a fourteener that still remained on my list.  Ken and Kirk had done this peak last year and I, in turn, had missed out.  However, solo hikes themselves are very rewarding sometimes so I was really looking forward to this trip.  Of course, being a fourteener, I wouldn’t truly be alone.  There would certainly be other hikers and climbers up here.  The one thing about this trip that I was a little apprehensive about was the length:  approximately 23 miles round trip.  Ouch.

I left Denver mid morning on Saturday and enjoyed a great drive out to the Elks.  The dirt road to the trailhead is passable to all cars.  It gets a little rough the last couple hundred yards but it’s really no big deal.  The road terminates in a fairly small parking area with views up the Snowmass Creek valley.
 
The beginning of the trail does not start directly up the middle of the valley.  That’s private property so the trail stays fairly high hugging the left hand side of the valley.  It’s about an eight or nine mile trip to Snowmass Lake which is a worthwhile destination itself.  Along the way the trail passes through spectacular pristine wilderness.  About four to five miles into the trip I looked up another valley across Snowmass Creek and saw an impressive waterfall.  Beyond that, I spotted the northern summit of Snowmass Mountain.

A couple of miles more I arrived at the famous Snowmass Creek log jam.  A lot of guidebooks, websites, and word-of-mouth talk describes the log jam crossing as fairly serious.  Well, it’s not; it’s very easy to cross and the logs are wedged in place nicely.  The size of the log jam is impressive though.
 
On the other side of the log jam, I began the final ascent to Snowmass Lake.  The trail first followed the valley a little longer then began switching back as I emerged into a dense pine forest.  A little further up, there’s a labeled trail junction with the right fork heading to Snowmass Lake.  Although I didn’t pass that many people, I was amazed at the amount of people who were day hiking up to the lake.  That’s a 16-mile hike, pretty hefty for one day.

I knew I was getting close because I could see the outline of Hagerman Mountain through the trees.  I passed one very impressive waterfall on my left then hiked a little more and arrived at the base of the lake.  The creek formed another very pretty waterfall right as it left the lake.  The water flowed over a very smooth 30-foot rock which formed a smooth curtain of water.  I began searching for a spot to camp off on the right hand side of the lake.  I found a pretty good spot and set up my bivy sack and had lunch/dinner on the edge of the lake.  After eating I wandered over to the other side of the creek and found even better camping spots.  I ended up moving my campsite to a spot within twenty feet of the waterfall.  I nestled my bivy sack in between large ponderosa pines and a huge fallen tree trunk.  This was the best campsite around!
 
I talked to a few other people before going to bed.  Most were up there just to hike around or to fish.  Of everyone I spoke with (including people along the trail) only one person was planning on climbing Snowmass the following morning.

I turned in fairly early and was content to just relax and listen to the waterfall.  I took the picture as the moon was rising.  I fell asleep pretty quickly and slept great.

The next morning I arose just as the sun was rising and began hiking pretty quickly.  The first part of the hike took me around the lake through a long grove of willows.  The trail began steeply climbing up into the basin where the Snowmass Mountain snowfield was.  Actually, there had been less than average snowfall this year and there wasn’t much left of the permanent snowfield other than hard and icy snow.  I kept on the rocks the entire time.
 
Without the snowfield, this trip is a massive rock hop up to the saddle between Hagerman and Snowmass Mountain.  Hagerman looks quite difficult from this angle.  Snowmass, on the other hand, is pretty easy.  Near the top, the scrambling increases but it’s nothing difficult at all, mostly moderate 3rd class scrambling.  I passed one party who were on their way down (they must have left well before sunrise) but when I arrived at the summit, I was all alone.  I signed the register and took in the great views of the surrounding Elk Mountains. 

I decided to descend straight off the face of Snowmass.  It was pretty steep from the actual summit, so I downclimbed a little bit and then headed straight down.  It was pretty easy for the most part.  It was fairly loose but quite manageable with my trekking poles.  It didn’t take me long at all to arrive at the base and I began rock-hopping my way back down.  Along the way, I passed the only other person that I’d met who was actually planning on climbing the mountain.  I gave him my various opinions on the route then continued on.
 
Back at camp I refreshed myself in the creek.   I spent a fair amount of too sitting on a small island in the creek and enjoying the views.  I began the hike out sometime in early afternoon.

This ended up being a true march.  I passed a few parties on the way down and would stop to talk to them, taking advantage of the rest time.  I met one couple who had spent part of their honeymoon hiking up to Snowmass lake and now, twenty five years later, were making a return trip.  I also passed a group of college guys who were intent on climbing Snowmass the following day so I passed on my various observations on the climb.

By the time I was within a mile of the trailhead my legs were absolutely spent.  Twenty-three miles in one weekend (not to mention 5700 feet of elevation) is pretty rough.  On top of that, this was a very busy summer, so I was by no means walking on fresh legs.  In any event, I made it back to the car exhausted.  I took a lot of time to stretch and relax before I began the long drive back to Denver.