Monday, September 6

I left home a little before 08:00, all packed for up to three nights at Capitol Lake. I had heard about Saturday's snowstorm near the divide and also about the death of a hiker on Longs Peak, and was somewhat apprehensive about the conditions I might find. I had taken a week off before starting a new job, so the plan was to stay at the lake until conditions were favorable for a summit attempt on Capitol Peak. I saw a young bull elk at the switchback on our driveway, calmly eating grass and watching me out of the corner of his eye. I passed slowly, no more than ten feet away, and he backed away a few steps and continued to eat his breakfast. I noticed he had one normal antler and one deformed antler that dropped straight down from his head. The Native Americans believe that animal sightings can reveal the future, and I wondered what sort of omen an elk might indicate.

I reached the Capitol Creek trailhead in about four hours, after stopping in Glenwood Springs for a six pack of Stone IPA. The last part of the road is rutted and steep, necessitating high clearance, but four wheel drive is probably only needed in wet conditions. The trailhead provides a nice view of Capitol in the distance, and I could see fresh snow coating the peak. The sky was clear and bright blue, and the aspens were just starting to turn - a gorgeous day. I took some time to get my pack together, pouring a couple bottles of beer into a Nalgene jar and adding one more to the pack for good measure. Since Capitol Peak was my final 14er I wanted to camp in style and I brought more food and clothing than usual, traded my 3/4 length Ridge Rest pad for the heavier but more comfortable Thermarest inflatable pad, and added the beer to the pack, including a special celebration bottle. This brought my pack weight up to somewhere between 45 and 50 pounds, heavier than the spartan 35 pound pack I normally take for overnights.

I started down the Capitol Ditch trail, a variation on the standard approach to Capitol Lake that avoids the initial 400' descent into the Capitol Creek valley. The trail follows an old irrigation ditch for the first mile or so, then contours along the side of the valley and gradually drops down to the creek to meet the standard trail. The trail was easy enough to follow but I somehow missed the point where the trail leaves the ditch and when the ditch ended at a creek crossing, I had to bushwhack roughly up the hill to regain the trail. True to its reputation, the trail is covered with cow and horse shit and is braided and damaged in many areas by the passing of many hooves. I was feeling a bit sluggish on the hike in, and the extra weight of the pack took its toll on the uphill sections. After about 3-1/2 hours I finally approached the campsites below the lake.

Foto ©2004 by John C. Maki

A group of four was just starting down the trail and I asked them if they had been on the Peak. They said there was a fair amount of snow and they turned back at K2, a sub-peak of Capitol. At this point I thought it might be best to wait a day or so before a summit attempt, but figured I could recon the route the next day and see how it looked. All the campsites on the two knolls were deserted so I dropped my pack and scouted around for the best site, and settled on campsite #4 on the lower knoll. It was plainly visible from the trail but had great views covering from the northeast to the west, had a side trail leading to a stream for water and did not require any climbing from the trail. I set up camp and cooked some Ramen noodles for some lunch, and had a little beer. Shortly after a couple guys came up the trail and made for the upper knoll. Around 16:30 I saw three people heading down from Daly Pass, trotting at a rapid pace down the switchbacks, then they reached the main trail and were gone. Later in the evening a couple with a small poodle hiked up the trail and made camp. I took a lot of pictures of Capitol Peak from my tent as I read The Falling Season, a collection of stories written by a member of the Aspen Mountain Rescue team.

Foto ©2004 by John C. Maki

Dave Hale of 14erworld was up at Capitol Lake the Saturday and Sunday before my trip, during and just after the snowstorm. Dave was kind enough to allow me to use a couple of his pictures in this report. Thanks again, Dave!

          
Fotos ©2004 by Dave Hale

Tuesday, September 7

I waited until the skies had lightened before crawling out of my tent and preparing for the climb. The weather seemed very stable and waiting until daylight would give the snow on the route more of a chance to melt. The chill morning air prompted me to wear a hat, gloves, and a down vest while making breakfast and filtering water. At 06:50 I hit the trail, passing the couple with the dog as they started their day. The trail climbed an easy 900' to Daly Pass where the sun hit me full in the face. I stashed my celebratory bottle of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA under a rock and looked around at the views.

Foto ©2004 by John C. Maki

From Daly Pass the route contours into the talus-filled basin on the other side of the ridge from the pass to K2. I had contemplated following the class 4 ridge as others had done, but chose to stay on the standard route. High in the basin I looked back to Daly Pass and saw a single climber there, but I never saw anyone again. The route through the basin is tedious but after some length I reached K2 at 09:50. The views of Capitol and the connecting ridge to K2 were stunning from this angle. At this point the climbing begins and I donned my helmet and climbed the east face of K2 directly to the summit. The angular blocks of light gray granite were solid here with a wonderful texture.

Foto ©2004 by John C. Maki

From K2's summit I had a spectacular view of the ridge leading to Capitol, including the famous sections of knife-ridge. The ridge was mostly snow-free and I didn't see any major problems with continuing the climb. A direct descent from K2 to the ridge to the west was interrupted by a deep cleft in the ridge, so the accepted way is to downclimb K2 to the north until the ridge can be reached. I descended K2's north ridge until I was level with my desired route, then contoured over on snow until I reached the start of the connecting ridge to Capitol. Only one spot gave me pause during the downclimb: I had to stretch my legs toward a large rock while sitting on another smooth rock, and I allowed myself to slide a foot or so to reach the lower rock. I wondered how well that move would go on the return trip...

Once on the connecting ridge I scrambled along crossing the sections of knife-ridge. I tried to keep my boot soles dry but this proved to be next to impossible, and I resorted to the scooting method on some of the holdless sections of knife. This part of the route was great fun and would have been even more fun without the snow to worry me, but I felt secure enough to continue along. The knife sections were exposed on both sides and a screwup here would surely be your last.

Foto ©2004 by John C. Maki

By about 10:30 or so I was off the connecting ridge and could start on the convoluted route up Capitol's east face. This is where the climb became interesting, and pockets of new snow continued to make it even more interesting. The snow had consolidated somewhat with the recent warm weather, but it was still loose enough to make for hazardous travel. No ice anywhere on the route, thankfully. I carried an ice axe but it remained attached to my pack for the entire climb. Cairns mark the route up the face, but finding the best way to "connect the dots" proved to be a challenge at times. I sometimes ascended steep, loose gullies to reach the ledge systems, and I'm sure without the new snow this would have been easier. Exposure is nearly constant on this section of the route. The route reminded me of Pyramid Peak, with many narrow ledge traverses, though I felt Capitol's ledges were looser and held more rubble.

Foto ©2004 by John C. Maki

Though I didn't think much of this route was especially diffcult from the technical perspective, even with the addition of snow, the focus factor is high all the way from K2 to the summit and back. You simply can't let your guard down at any point. Eventually I made my way up the face then cut over to the crest of the ridge at a high point - then the summit came into view, requiring another narrow ridge traverse. The cairned route was below me and stayed lower before heading up to the summit ridge. Some more scrambling and I reached the summit at 11:45 - five hours from camp. I think without the snow it would have taken me more like four hours, but I was moving slow and deliberately and the weather was not pushing me at all. The views from the summit were stunning, and I signed the register, had a quick bite to eat, called Donna, then started down at 12:00. This was not a summit I could sit and relax on, knowing I had two hours of full concentration ahead of me.

          
Fotos ©2004 by John C. Maki

Since I was completely alone on the mountain at this point, I did feel a little vulnerable up there, and I made up a mantra to help maintain focus: "Go slow, stay low, watch the snow". I wanted to follow the lower cairned route as I thought it might be a little safer than the detour I took on the ascent. I knew as long as I kept my level of concentration up I would have no problems reversing the route, though the one tricky spot at K2 stayed on my mind - I would deal with that when I came to it. I used a lot of Gu shots on the return leg to keep my focus sharp. The return route seemed to go more smoothly and speedily, but it still ended up taking two hours. The clouds were building a little by now, but nothing looked threatening.

After the same scooting across the knife-ridge, I reached K2 and followed my tracks to gain the summit. On the spot where I had to stretch on the initial downclimb, I noticed a foothold that I could not see from above, and the climb up was easy. I reached the summit of K2, then downclimbed a cairned section to the southeast which proved to be more difficult than the direct ascent I made from the northeast. Once on terra firma, I removed my helmet and took a few minutes rest, calling Donna to let her know I was off the technical section. The time was 14:00. I'll skip the detail of the tedious boulder-hopping to reach Daly Pass - I reached the pass at 15:30 and noticed Capitol Peak had taken on a stern countenance from the building clouds.

Foto ©2004 by John C. Maki

I uncovered my bottle of beer, took some more pictures and lounged around in the grass for a half hour, letting my accomplishment soak in. I believe this to be the high point of all my climbing adventures, and relief to be off Capitol and finished with the 14ers washed over me in waves. I barely felt a buzz from the bottle of 9% alcohol beer, even at 12,500' and on a relatively empty stomach, such was my natural high.

I coasted down the trail from the pass, reaching the now completely empty campsites at 16:30. I traded boots for sandals, heated some water for tea and a snack, popped open that last bottle of Stone IPA and relaxed. Feeling my legs stiffening I decided to grab my camera and take a little walk in my Tevas, and I explored all the campsites and walked along Capitol Lake before heading back to camp. I spent the rest of the day reading and eating and just laying around - I had the entire area to myself all through the evening and into the night.

Wednesday, September 8

I didn't sleep well last night, but woke after dawn and leisurely packed up camp, then started out at 07:45. I made much better time on the trail and reached the Jeep at 10:15, then hung around the trailhead for a half hour before leaving. In Glenwood Springs I visited the Yampah Spa and sat in the vapor caves, had a 30 minute massage, sat in the vapor caves some more and took several showers. After some lunch I was ready to leave Glenwood around 14:00, but decided to check out the trailhead to the Storm King Mountain Memorial Trail.

I found the trailhead by taking the frontage road east from the Canyon Creek exit, and checked out the trail register and informational signs. On July 6, 1994, 14 smokejumpers, hotshots and helitacks lost their lives in a blowup of the South Canyon Fire. The inside of the register was covered with stickers from various fire departments and wildland firefighting groups, and contained other offerings and trinkets. The trail climbs a mile and 700' to an intermediate observation point before continuing past the points where the firefighters fell. I knew I would be stiff and tired from the Capitol trip and did not plan to hike this trail, but I decided that another mile would not kill me. I put my socks and mountaineering boots back on, grabbed a Nalgene jar of water and started up the trail.

The first half of the trail is steep, and it was hot and dusty. The trail quickly climbed though pinon pine and juniper and was reminiscent of Arizona; I even saw several small lizards sunning themselves. Reaching a ridge the trail continues through gambel oak to the observation point, and signs told the story of the tragedy ten years before. I could make out some of the white crosses marking the spots where the hotshots fell, and it was both sad and sobering. If you find yourself in Glenwood with some extra time I highly recommend hiking this trail. As you struggle up the steep dusty trail in the midday heat, imagine carrying 35 pounds of gear on your back and wearing two layers of cotton and nomex long pants and long sleeved shirts, plus a plastic helmet. Now imagine an inferno chasing you up the narrow trail carved in the gambel oak brush, 55 degrees steep, at a rate at 30 feet per second. I want to go back to hike the length of this trail, but I'll wait until it's cooler and I'm less fatigued. Fire on the Mountain is an excellent book if you're interested in this subject.