 Peak to Peak Trail and Wilderness Links |
Member of SummitPost.org |
March 20, 2005The sunrise from Glacier Gorge Trailhead was brief but beautiful. I was with three people I had met before (on our Dora Mountain attempt): Jared, Fabio and Peter. Andy, another Summit Post member whom none of us had previously met, arrived shortly, and the five of us set off onto the snow-packed Glacier Gorge trail. It had been about 6:15 when we started out, and we were at the Loch in an hour. It had been snowing when I was here in June, and, true-to-form, it was snowing in March as well. The amazing thing we found was no wind, which would change dramatically in a short time. Jared wore skis, in anticipation of skiing Andrews Glacier, while the rest of us wore snowshoes for our ascent from the Loch. There was a good bit of fresh snow in the basin below Andrews Tarn, and Jared was not having a good time with those skis. We stopped to rest several times, and each time the snow seemed to start falling a little harder. By the time we reached the steepest slopes just below Andrews Tarn, the wind was howling as well, and we found ourselves basically in whiteout conditions. This slope was too steep for Jared’s skis, and he found himself post-holing miserably. Before long, he decided he had to turn back, and said he would meet us back at the Loch. Meanwhile, the rest of us donned full winter gear and headed for Andrews Glacier. Andrews Tarn was amazing. The ice was not flat, but was instead frozen in swells rising two to three feet, with abrupt cracks and plateaus which made it look like a mini mountain range of ice. We figured this was a result of the immense pressure from the glacier above. The glacier, by the way, was invisible, except for what was immediately in front of us. We continued upward through the whiteout, and the glacier was never too steep, so we kept our snowshoes on the whole way. The fresh snow was only a few inches deep, so we had good footing with our snowshoe-crampons all the way to the top. The annoying thing was walking against the wind that entire section. Andy and I had only sunglasses instead of goggles, and we were both regretting it. At the wind-swept Continental Divide, we were greeted by a sign announcing the crevasse danger on what we had just traversed, but we had encountered no crevasses on this day. There, we ditched our snowshoes and hiked up the snow and talus the remaining half mile to the summit of Otis Peak, our main destination for the day. At 11:45, the four of us sat on the 12,486-foot summit, the wind fiercely reminding us of its presence. This had not been the first time in Colorado that I climbed a summit for its view, only to get there and see nothing but snowflakes flying all around me. However, at one point during our half-hour stay, the fog and snow cleared enough for a brief glimpse of the Sharkstooth, an awe-inspiring place. I believe Fabio was the only one of us to get his camera up fast enough before the moment was gone, but what a view! Hallet Peak and even Flattop Mountain had been deemed possibilities for today, but as the wind continued beating against us, we agreed one summit would suffice this time around. We returned to our snowshoes, and while we sat there to put them back on, the wind became even more extreme, pounding us mercilessly. Fortunately, the lower we got, the more the wind subsided, and the more sun we saw. However, the weather couldn’t seem to decide if it wanted to snow on us or give us sunshine, so we had a great deal of both on our entire trip out. We tried some glissading down Andrews Glacier, but to no avail. The steeper slopes below the tarn however, made for some fun slides, and we had tremendous views of the Sharkstooth on our downward journey. At the Loch, we didn’t find Jared, but we did find great views of Taylor Peak and its surroundings, including Taylor’s Glacier, which had just recently avalanched. The view from the Loch remains one of my favorite, and I’m sure I will return to this place many more times. We enjoyed steady walking and conversation the remainder of our way out to the trailhead, where we arrived at 1415. We found the parking lot crowded with vehicles and tourists. Jared had returned to his truck for a nap, and he was well-rested for the drive back. On our drive out, we saw dozens and dozens of elk. We stopped at Ed’s Cantina for some delicious Mexican food to round the day out perfectly. Yes, the snow and wind are annoying sometimes, but the camaraderie, the adventure, the fresh air, the unforgettable views. . . Today was the alpine experience at its finest. © 2005, Brad Snider |
|
Peak to Peak Trail and Wilderness Links |
Member of SummitPost.org |