Poplar Gulch and UN 13,078

As the weather continues to get more summer like, I'm becoming more eager to hike in alpine areas.  Travel in the high country can be quite tricky this time of year however.  Higher elevations still hold a fair amount of snow.  Intense high elevation sun softens the remaining snow, making travel often difficult.  This was the case on my last hike I wrote about, on St Charles Peak, a few weeks ago. (Click on St Charles Peak  to see that post)  Now that a few weeks have passed with plenty of warmer days, I was hoping to get back in the mountains with some easier travel.

My destination was the ghost town of St Elmo.  Looking at a map, I noticed some 13,000 foot peaks that appeared relatively easy to access.  My route had a south facing trail to the saddle below the summit, followed by a relatively easy slope to access the summit.  Enroute, there are open meadows that receive plenty of sun and hopefully little snow.  The upper reaches of the hike are south facing and above treeline with full sun.  I even read that there was possibly an unofficial trail to the summit.

After my last hike, I brought some extra gear just in case.  This time I had gaiters and snowshoes.  I left my ice axe and crampons behind since the slopes looked fairly tame.

Since Colorado has so many mountains, many remain nameless.  The peaks are identified by their elevation.  This was the case of the summit I was hoping to reach.  It is refered to as Unamed (UN) 13,078'.  Not a very aspiring name for an alpine summit surrounded by views of endless mountains and high alpine tundra, but this is Colorado.  After all, there are 586 higher ranked mountains in the state.  I guess they run out of names at some point.

I started early to take advantage of cooler morning temps and hopefully firmer snow.  Even at my 10,000' trailhead, It was already 40F when I began.  This trailhead is interesting because it requires travelling through the well preserved ghost town of St Elmo.  Although it is semi-inhabited, the old townsite has many original buildings from its mining heyday preserved as a historic site.  To avoid rough roads in my Outback, I walked the half mile or so through the town to the actual start of the trail.  (To see pics of St Elmo click on Alpine Mountain Biking on the CDT: St Elmo, Alpine Tunnel, Tincup Pass Loop)

The real hiking began on the Poplar Gulch Trail.  The Poplar Gulch Trail starts out pleasantly and gradually.  There was no snow at all for at least the first thousand feet of climbing.  After a mile to mile and a half into it, I started to see snow.  In the trees, as soon as I hit snow, there was a probably a 50/50 mix of dirt and snow.  Most places I could avoid the snow however.  Oddly enough, the snow in the middle of the trail had a hard packed section of monorail* most places. (*Monorail is a snow condition where hiker traffic packs the snow firmly. This packed snow melts slower than the snow around it causing a raised track that's usually hard.  This is very common on heavily used trails in New England.)  I didn't think this trail would see enough traffic for monorail to form, but I took advantage of the firm snow when I needed to.  Not long after the snow started, the trail gained elevation via a series of switchbacks.  I had to cross a creek at one point that was flowing strongly with snow melt.

Trailhead

Nice trail on the lower reaches of Poplar Gulch

The beginning of the snow

Soon after reaching the snow, the trail climbed into an open meadow.  The meadow had good sun exposure and was mostly dry.  The meadow seemed like a good spot to camp.  A few sections near the meadow had water running down the trail, but nothing very deep.  Because the meadow is open, and above 11,000', I started to get views of surrounding mountains, particularly to the south.

Mostly snowfree near the big meadow

Easy hiking in thin trees

Views open up in the meadow

Continuing through the meadow 

Best views in the meadow are to the south

I soon left the meadow and was back in the trees.  I didn't get very far before reaching a deep drift.  I stopped to put on my gaiters since the snow looked quite deep and ended up reaching well over my knees.  The drift wasn't very wide though and I was back on dryer ground.  The dry ground was short lived and soon I was in predominantly snow.  I put my snowshoes on for the rest of the travel below treeline, although there were brief stretches of bare ground.  Even with snowshoes, I sank to my knees a few places and travel was somewhat of a slog in the heavy mash potato snow  Generally the snowshoes did their job and prevented miserable postholing.  Periodically I saw pieces of the trail to confirm my route.

Time for snowshoes

I began to pass through more open stretches as the trees thinned with elevation.  I reached the end of the trees and could see a piece of trail and some cairns higher up on the tundra.  I had one final snow field to traverse before I was on relatively snow free tundra.  A short climb through the snow field brought me to the cairn.  From the cairn, the trail headed back toward treeline, so I figured I veered off course slightly.  The trail that headed my way was lost in snow.  At this point, I had nothing but open alpine tundra above of me, so I had no difficulty finding my route.

Snow receded as I got closer to treeline

Looking down at the last spot I needed snowshoes
on the climb, the snow is much deeper than it looks.

Nice grassy slopes above treeline

UN 12,976 

Looking at the false summit of  UN13,078

I headed directly toward UN13,078 over open tundra, avoiding all but small patches of snow.  I reached the unnamed pass below UN 13,078 where I could see evidence of the trail I bypassed.  A gradual, grassy slope stood before me with little snow and there was even a visible trail much of the way.

Looking back the faint trail toward UN 12,637

Looking back toward UN 12,976

Heading up the grassy slopes

By now I was well over 12,000' in elevation.  I didn't have a thermometer with me, but it was noticeably cooler than the 40F at the start of my hike with a stiff breeze.  I had to stop and add a fleece as well as a winter hat and gloves. I climbed an easy false summit that led to a flat plateau before quickly reaching the true summit of UN13,078.  I briefly contemplated continuing along the ridge to the next peak, UN 13,317 but decided against it.

On the plateau with true summit of UN 13,078 ahead 

East toward UN 13,299 and UN13,317 with Princeton
at the end of the long ridge

Despite the fairly easy trip to the summit, the scenery doesn't disappoint.  UN13,078 is surrounded by higher peaks and offers a fine vantage point.  Further along the ridge are several higher 13,000 foot peaks culminating with 14er Mt Princeton at the end of the line less than 5 miles away.  To the north 14er Mt Yale is less than 10 miles away with Columbia and Harvard just beyond.  The Three Apolstes jagged profile stands out to the north.  The town of Buena Vista is just barely visible between Princeton and Yale.

Mt Princeton is the largest peak in the distance

Mt Yale is the high point in view

Yale on right with Columbia and Harvard beyond

Three Apostles

Another look at the Three Apostles

About 8 miles to the south stands 14er Mt Antero, easily identifiable by the road climbing it.  Shavano and Tabeguache are just beyond.  A cluster of high 13ers are just to the west of Antero.  To the west lies the Continental Divide with its wall of mountains.  There are endless peaks near and far in all directions.

Antero

Mt Mamma with the scar of snow on its north face

Southwest view

Looking in Grizzly Lake Basin

Looking west toward the Continental Divide as I leave the summit

I quickly descended back to the snowline, where I put on my snowshoes again.  The travel through the snow on the return was slightly more difficult.  By now the temperature warmed up and the snow softened.  By now the snow had the consistency of runny mashed potatoes.  I still wasn't sinking that much with the snowshoes, but the snow was just much heavier underfoot.  With gravity now in my favor, I made it quickly to the meadow and the end of the consistently deep snow.

Traveling across the plateau below the summit

The tundra here was full of elk scat

Continuous views as I descended

Approaching the saddle on my descent

UN 12,637 from the saddle 

Parting shot as I approached treeline

Traveling through the meadow on the way down was particularly nice.  Not only was the hiking much easier, the views heading this direction are quite nice.  The Grizzly Lake Basin dominates the view ahead  with Mt Mamma and Chrysolite Mtn framing the view.

Mt Mamma from the meadow

Looking toward Grizzly Lake Basin

Early wildflowers

Below the meadow, I made quick time.  Despite softer snow, I utilized the monorail to avoid too much postholing.  I passed a pair of hikers just getting into the snow and they seemed surprised to encounter any snow.  The consulted me about trail conditions further up.  Near the trailhead I passed an older couple that looked like they were in for as longer hike but were decked out with summer gear.

By the time I got back to St Elmo, the place was already fairly busy.  There were quite a few groups of ATVs staging for a ride.  I can't imagine there is much riding yet available that isn't snow covered since all the routes in the area climb.

I was back at my car around 1130AM.  I don't know for sure but I"m guessing this hike was close to 10 miles round trip. It's roughly 3.5 miles on the Poplar Guclh Trail, maybe a mile to the summit with additional half mile from where I parked to the actual trail. Despite some increased difficulty with sloppy snow, this was a fairly easy hike considering it climbed a 13er.  This would be a good hike for someone looking to experience hiking at elevation or just looking to bag an easier peak with great view.  Every year around this time, I try to find an easier hike like this to get a feel for the snow conditions in the mountains.  Traveling can be tricky this time of year with soft snow and you can't really tell what your up against until you get out there.

I apologize if this post appears a little choppy or not as clean as some of my other blog posts. The day after this hike I accidentally put a large drill bit into my hand and can't really type with it.

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St Charles Peak

Too much time has passed since I last hiked, and it's been ever longer since I was on a summit.  Although I have done a few short outings nearby since, my last real hike was March 1st.  That was a rather tame hike in Brown's Canyon National Monument.  My last summit was on Big Baldy Mountain on Valentine's Day.  It was the first half of January since I was above treeline.

Since the beginning of March, I have been working six days a week most weeks.  My time has been rather limited.  During this time, I have been on my mountain bike a handful of times, but couldn't find the time to get in any longer hikes.  I needed to hit the trail soon.

Last week I started throwing around ideas for a hike with my friend Drew Petersen.  We had talked about hiking St Charles Peak in the Wet Mountains, but never got around to it.  He hiked it before and deemed it a worthy summit to revisit.

St Charles Peak, at 11,784', is relatively low by Colorado standards.  It ranks as the 1417th highest mountain in the state, which isn't all that impressive.  It is however the second highest mountain in the Wet Mountains and tall enough to offer two summits above treeline with outstanding views.

Even after a couple of  spring snows in the past month, we figured St Charles Peak would be a safe bet to eliminate the excessive snowy conditions of higher mountains this time of year.  Just a few days earlier, Drew climbed 9600' Curley Peak and saw no snow at all.  We expected a few patches on the upper reaches of St. Charles, but hopefully no prolonged stretches of deep snow.

On Friday morning, May 13th, we met up and headed to St Charles.  The trailhead is just over 9000' in elevation along route 165 near Rye, Colorado.  The sheltered roadway had a few patches of snow visible in the shadows but nothing to worry about.

We began our hike and almost immediately ran into patches of snow along the heavily forested St Charles Peak Trail.  The trail itself was mostly dirt, but there was some snow on the trail.  The terrain along the trail is fairly pleasant, almost reminiscent of the terrain in northern New England.  I don't think we made it even half way before we were consistently in snow and the entire ground was covered.  Travel wasn't too bad though as the snow was generally firm in the cooler morning temperatures.  When the trail broke into a sunnier stretch, we would posthole, but it wasn't a serious problem earlier on the hike.

The snow is fairly consistent early

Drew along the trail

It didn't take long for 100% snow coverage

We had footsteps from the previous day in the snow to confirm the route.  Abruptly the tracks ended in a section of steep postholes.  At this point the trail was no longer visible.  We snooped around and couldn't find the trail ourselves.  We decided to backtrack to the last obvious turn and found a clear corridor that appeared to be the trail.  The previous hiker, missed this turn.

End of the line for the last hiker

Typical trail

Lots of shade on the way up kept
the snow firm

No more tracks to follow

The rest of our route required some moderate route finding in the increasingly deep snow.  This area is heavily wooded and the trail route was never too obvious, and easy to lose when the trail made a switchback.   Too add to the difficulty, the temperatures were warming and snow softening.  Postholing became more frequent. 

Typical knee deep posthoole

Between the two of us, we have a lot of hiking and routefinding experience.  We seemed to stick pretty close to the trail most of the way.  Occasionally we would see a hash mark or ribbon on a tree to confirm our path.  We topped out on a high point along the route around 11,400' where the two summits of St Charles were visible and confirmed we were headed in the right direction.    

View of the lower summit

Taking a break to determine our route
to the first summit (Photo by Drew)

We traveled slightly off the trail corridor on a more direct route toward the first summit of St Charles.  There are two small alpine areas on St Charles.  We reached slightly lower summit first, which is over 11,600'.  This summit is no more than a couple hundred feet above treeline.  This lower summit features a few rock formations and is more attractive than the true summit.  Far flung views immediately open up above treeline.  The snow was more consolidated above treeline and the postholing was minimal. 

Breaking out of the trees

Approaching rock formations

The Sangres in the distance

Near the crest of the first summit
(Photo by Drew)

Rock outcroppings

We crossed the lower summit and headed toward the higher true summit a few tenths of a mile away.  We dropped briefly back into the trees on a direct route since the trail was hidden under at least three feet of snow before climbing the short distance to the summit.

The Crestones, Humboldt, Kit Carson/Challenger,
Centennial Mt Adams, Colony Baldy

Distant Pikes Peak

Looking back along first summit toward the plains

True summit ahead

With all the snow, we got to the summit a little slower than anticipated.  The trail climbs around 3000 vertical feet from the trailhead to the summit.  Our route by trail is about 5 miles to reach the summit.  We probably cut that a little shorter since we were traveling over snow and missing some switchbacks on a slightly more direct route.

Most of the Sangres are visible

At the true summit, standing on top of at least 3 feet of snow
(Photo by Drew)

Taking in the view (Photo by Drew)

Even though the lower summit is slightly more attractive, the true summit has better views.  There is a small tower and outhouse sized building on the summit that is only a minor distraction.  The alpine area at the is a relatively flat snow covered meadow.

The views from the summit, particularly with the surrounding mountains covered in heavy snow, make this hike worth it.  The Sangre de Cristos dominate the view with good looks at the Crestone, Humboldt, Kit Carson group of 14ers.  Just below the Crestone group, the Blanca group looms large.
Further south, Culebra Peak and its neighbors in the Culebra Range are easy to identify.  I'm not positive, but I think the Southern Sangre Range peaks around Taos, New Mexico were just beyond the Culebra Range.  The fairly large alpine summit of Greenhorn Mountain, the highest summit in the Wet Mountains seems close to the south.  The Spanish Peaks stand just beyond Greenhorn.

Sangres

Mt Adams, Horn, Fluted Peak, among others

Cluster of 14ers in the Crestone Group

Crestone Group close up

Blanca Group of 14ers

To the north the views are quite far reaching.  A good chunk of the Sawatch Range is visible and identifiable from Shavano to Harvard and beyond.  Nearly the entire northern reaches of the Wet Mountains are visible up to Curley Peak.  Pikes Peak looms beyond the Wets.  Although I can't positively identify the individual mountains from that distance, the Mosquito and Front Ranges are visible.  The plains spread forever to the east with Pueblo Reservoir seeming quite close.

Further north in the Sangres

The Sangres stretch out forever

North toward Pikes Peak and northern Wet Mountains

Pikes Peak close up

After enjoying the summit views, we began our descent.  Traveling wasn't too difficult until we descended below treeline.  A few of the steeper sections we could boot ski for short distances.  Quickly however we got into increasingly softer snow.  Much of the ground on the upper half of the hike had at least three feet of snow.  The postholing became quite nasty, rarely getting in more than a few good steps before sinking repeatedly well above the knee.  Luckily we had gravity on our side and it wasn't as exhausting as it could have been.  As we made our way down the lower half of the route, we faced less snow and eventually more bare ground.

Retracing our tracks between the summits

Heading back down the first summit

A marmot on the the rock outcropping keeping an eye on us

Despite the added difficulty of deep snow, I had a good time on this hike.  I was long overdue for a hike and this trip was much needed.  Having another person to share in the postholing also made that experience less frustrating.

Luckily we were faced with a great spring day with little wind and warm temperatures.  Neither of us had snowshoes or gaiters, which would have made life easier.  Neither of us expected this much snow at this elevation in a southerly location.  Mistakenly, I used the 10-11,000' Arkansas Hills near my house to judge snow.  They are bare right now but get very high sun exposure compared to the St Charles Peak area.  Even with the more challenging conditions, we climbed the 3000 vertical feet and traveled nearly 10 miles in a little over 5 hours.  In much better conditions, Drew was able to do the same trip in less than 4.

The trailhead for this hike is just a few miles away from an interesting Colorado landmark called Bishop's Castle.  The Castle was built over the years by an eccentric local named Jim Bishop.  If you've never heard of or seen it, it looks like a medieval castle built of rock and iron complete with 160 foot towers.  Since we drove right by it, we stopped to check it out.  The castle is open to explore to the public and there is a donation box.  Exploring the castle doesn't take too long but may not be for the faint of heart or those afraid of heights.  You can climb the spiraling staricases in the towers to a bridge and lookout near the highest part of the castle.  The lookout, and especially the bridge, are quite shaky as you walk over them.

Bishop's Castle

Tower at the castle

Inside the main room of the castle

The main room in the castle courtesy of Drew

Yours truly on the shaky bridge courtesy of Drew

Inside the highest tower courtesy of Drew 

This is my third hike in the Wet Mountains and I'm sure it won't be my last.  Their lowly stature, when compared to other Colorado Mountain ranges, seems to keep them off the radar.  I have found the Wets to be a worthwhile destination, particularly in the off season.  If nothing else, the Wets have some of the best views of the impressive Sangre de Cristo Range.  (Click on Hiking Tanner Peak in Memory of Tanner Brown and New Years Day Hike of Curley Peak to see my other hikes in the Wet Mountains.)

Looking into the heart of the Sangres

Crestone Group close up

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