Conundrum Peak (14022') - Trip Report
July 6, 1986
Alan Silverstien
But wait, there's more. After completing Maroon Peak
successfully (see previous posting), tiredness and bad weather
precluded a followup to Capitol Peak. The three of us went our
separate ways. After a day and a half of relaxing and bopping
around town with my wife and daughter, I was ready for more
adventure.
Sunday afternoon, July 6, I left Aspen at about 1610 in our Jeep
and drove up Castle Creek road to climb Conundrum Peak (14022')
for sunset. Conundrum is considered a sub-peak of Castle Peak,
14265'. The weather was "holding" with scattered cumulus, not
very threatening. It turned out to be an experience nothing
short of magnificent, which I'll do my best to relate.
It's about 14 miles to the start of the 4WD road. From there, I
managed to get only about half way up to Montezuma Mine, about
2.5 miles. At 10800' there was the first of several astonishing
fields of avalanche debris across the road. Tremendous pine
trees were laying down, resting on their branches on snow, some
as much as ten feet off the ground. They formed quite a
labyrinth, barely negotiable on foot. No Jeep could get past
them! Just finding the road after crossing each one was a
challenge.
(The Forest Service says they'll look into clearing the road in
August, if time and money permits. Until they do, plan on a
longer climb of Castle Peak...)
Beyond this section the road is an easy walk-up, except for some
stream crossings and, higher up, snowdrifts. Several parties
passed me going down, wondering what kind of nut would be
heading up alone starting at 1730, especially having to start so
far down the road. I had my doubts too.
But it went smoothly. I hiked up the several broad snowfields
starting around 12500', across slalom tracks laid down by summer
skiers. This year, unlike last, there was no lake in the 13400'
upper snowbowl -- a real disappointment. Last year's emerald-
on-white waters were mind-blowing.
Above the bowl about 8pm, ugly clouds started pouring over the
Castle-Conundrum ridge and it was definitely getting dark. I
came so close to turning back, hearing thunder maybe ten miles
distant, that I glissaded down a hundred feet from just below
the saddle. I was in and out of ominous living fog.
But I stopped to take a picture of the gorgeous orange sunset
glow on the clouds above Aspen, and I'm glad I did. I waited
about ten minutes, debating, and the saddle cleared. Apparently
the very edge of a big ugly thunder-humper had come across the
area, going northeast. I resumed climbing, reaching the saddle
(13800') at 2037, about ten minutes after sunset.
There began the awe and splendor. The sun had set just behind
the Maroon Bells and Pyramid, and the sky was on orange fire,
with rays cutting through multi-level clouds. Opposite, a white
cloud crept over Castle Peak.
I dashed up the last 200' to the top of Conundrum in only eight
minutes, arriving at 2045. It was simpler than I thought, a
"piece of cake". The irony is that last year I didn't bother to
climb Conundrum while coming off Castle, because I was tired.
Didn't think it could be done so fast.
Now picture this -- a huge dark thunderstorm with occasional
flashes retreating to the northeast. Orange glow behind
blue-black clouds to the west, behind a black silhouette of
distant mountains. A pyramid of a peak several hundred feet
higher, half a mile away, against a backdrop of oozing orange
clouds. Snow and rock in every direction. A narrow, flat ridge
of a summit with a small cairn and steep sides. Venus brilliant
on azure skies. Gentle cool breezes, and distant white noise
rumbling up from hundreds of creeks and waterfalls in the
valleys below. Otherwise, silence, a world in slow-motion.
I didn't want to leave. I stayed 45 minutes, concerned about
coming down by flashlight, but confident I could do it. When
finally I couldn't hold any more glory, when it was really
starting to get dark, I put everything together, and descended
with a small light, quite enough to see my way back to the
ridge.
The snow had just begun to crust over. It made for a drifting,
flowing, slow and safe glissade in fading twilight, a world of
black rock, grey skies, and white snow. I found the Montezuma
Mine road after a while, and took it down by flashlight. I got
off it once for a shortcut, but learned my lesson, after a lot
of slow cross-country downhilling on loose rocks and snow.
After that I followed it, no matter what.
The clouds dissipated overhead and a canopy of stars appeared,
so rich that every time I glanced up I stopped dead in my tracks
to stare in wonder.
After some surprisingly easy creek crossings, I played
monkey-bars through the avalanche chutes, dead-reckoning my way
back to the road from above each time, to reach the Jeep at 2325
(1:55 to drop 3200'). I was back in Aspen an hour later and in
a hot outdoor jacuzzi soon after that. Mmmmm....
Life doesn't get much better. I wish there were some way to
capture the wonder of that experience, and return to it at will.
This article used with permission of the author.
Other Information
|
INFORMATION
