Conundrum Peak

I needed a "quick" trip for my next climb because I was helping the Scouts with rifle and shotgun shooting on Saturday and could only do a day trip. After returning all the Scouts to their parents (always a good thing when guns are involved), I drove to Aspen. Google kept telling me to go through Glenwood Springs, prompting me to turn around even as I was passing through Leadville, then Twin Lakes, and even on Independence Pass. It wasn't until I was ten miles from Aspen before Google realized that straight ahead was the better direction. I arrived at the lower Castle Creek trailhead about 10:00 p.m. and set my alarm for 4:00. The forecast was for a 50% chance of snow after noon, so I wanted to get an early start.

So much for my plans. At 4:45 I saw a headlamp hiking up the road and realized I wasn't. Now that I had 4WD, I drove to the upper trailhead, saving three miles each way. That only took 30 minutes and I was hiking by 5:30 a.m. I'm not a fast hiker, but somehow I managed to pass the only headlamps visible in front of me. After the sun came up it looked to be a great day. As I got far enough into the valley to finally see Conundrum Peak, and then its neighbor Castle Peak. Both peaks had a dusting of snow from yesterday's storm. It wasn't until I was high on the side of Castle Peak that I discovered what that meant—icy rocks. The rocks that weren't covered in snow had a coating of frost/ice that was very slippery. Once the sun hit the rocks it melted fast, but the shady spots required more attention and caution.

The route to Conundrum Peak is typically over Castle Peak except in the early season when there is an option of climbing the snow all the way up to the saddle. This direct route was not one I wanted to try anyway. There wasn't nearly as much snow as last year when I climbed Castle Peak and hadn't felt up to continuing over to Conundrum Peak at the time. That's what those extra three miles from the lower trailhead can do to ya.

So after a quick pause on Castle Peak I continued down the ridge to the saddle. That's where the conditions got interesting. Just enough shade persisted to keep the rocks slippery, and when descending you don't have the assistance of your hands for balance. I took one slow-motion tumble that resulted in me upside down on the trail with bloody scrapes on my palm, forearm, and knee. Nothing serious, just holes in my gloves.

From the saddle between Castle and Conundrum Peaks, the route up Conundrum Peak was mostly southeast facing and all the snow and ice had melted by the time I got there. While climbing up I met Brad McQueen as he was descending. I could hear him talking with his group, referring to me as 'Blue,' probably due to my blue shirt, blue windbreaker, blue gloves, and blue helmet. He stopped to check on me and offered first aid for my hand. I later found out this was his 493rd ascent of a Colorado 14er, and a few weeks later he completed his 500th summit milestone. I finished my breakfast on top while waiting for another group to summit so I could get someone to take my picture.

Most of the climbers I saw decided to descend via the snow field from the saddle, but that just didn't seem smart (or safe) to me. So I went back up and over Castle Peak. When both groups behind me descended the snow field, that made me last on the mountain (again). Oh look, it's exactly noon, and it's starting to snow. Wonderful. I picked my way down being extra careful, and later met a few people just heading up (not very smart). The snow would start and stop as I continued down, and just one switchback before I arrived at my Jeep the clouds let loose with that snow that isn't sure whether it's snow or hail. I almost put my helmet back on...

Pictures

No Section Title