Capitol Peak Knife Ridge

“Maybe here's a helpful webpage. . . .
http://www.14ers.com/routemain.php?route=capi1&peak=Capitol%20Peak%20and%20Snowmass%20Mountain”

“Wow! What a climb. Certainly not for the light-hearted!

Where is Capitol Peak. I'm assuming CO but what range?”

“elk”

“precision. check the trips page, i have that, plus all the other routes. we're up to potentially 6 peaks now. i recently added torreys and grays for saturday. some of us are driving/flying in on friday

also, have you figured out what days you can attend?
last edited: 3/13/08 5:25:31 AM”

“I've gotta climb that.

Geezo that's some nice BP porn!”

“im really looking forward to Capitol!

Im kinda planning to go do Snowmass over Memorial Day wknd - I'll get a good look at Capitol across the way - weather permitting. Last time i was up on Snowmass, i was entombed in a snowstorm! Couldn't see 20 feet.”

“roam, so youre going to try to make the capitol climb? we're hiking to capitol lake on thursday and climbing friday
last edited: 3/13/08 7:10:17 AM”

“Um, hopefully Snowmass isn't blizzard in over Memorial Day. :p

Of course, with me along, it means there will be nothing but clouds and possibly blizzard-like conditions. Perhaps I should just bail now. >:\”

“i'm hoping to crash - might be the best chance/excuse that i have to drive all the way over there.

MsD - dont
you
dare.”

“all the way over there

oh WAH youre a few hours drive from one of the greatest peaks in the lower 48 states. such a hardship”

“yeah, but have you noticed what i have to go past to get there?”

“lol... I really don't intend to. It will be my first 14'er. I need not be a virgin anymore.

But Goddess help me... if there are blizzardesque conditions, Mother Nature and I might have it out right then and there. :p”

“Don't fool around with mother nature!

”

“yeah, but have you noticed what i have to go past to get there?¡±

lots of purdy mts?”

“lots and lots - like these for example:

”

“I actually prefer this representation of the Earth Mother.



I'm actually quite surprised I wasn't struck down by lightening after my previous post. It's a good day!”

“Roams pic of the distracting mountains is the best representation of Gaia I've seen in a while.

Forget lightening. She has a sense of humor. Let's see if you can drag yourself out of the root trap when you try to go pee this time.

Yeah, keep talkin' smack MsD. This time your pants will be down.

;)”

“Thanks - i believe i'll see about getting that one printed and hang it somewhere.”

“lmao

Good point.

I'll get mine when I least expect it. ;)”

“CB - I don't yet know when I'll get there, but I hope a day or so early. We'll see.”

“are you still planning on just the weekend, or are you thinking about doing the whole thing?”

“Probably just Capitol Peak. We'll see though.”

“youll want to be in denver no later than thursday morning, then. rent a car and drive to the trailhead. we'll see you in camp”

“actually, we could probably meet you at the trailhead. i'm leaning towards spending 2 nights at the base of crestone needle. twould be simple to coordinate our efforts to arrive at the trailhead at the same time”

“It all rather depends on work scheduling on how much I can attend.

I'll check in with the trip threads this week end and catch up on all that's planned.”

“okey dokey. this trip is designed to be very flexible. ppl can come and go as they please, or if someone wants to do something differently, they can”

“kewl stuff”

“My hopes go out to the climber's family and friends.

http://www.splitterchoss.com/blog/2009/07/14/death-on-capitol-peak/”

“man, i hate reading about things like that.”

“The other day, a guy died of a heart attack near the top of Longs Peak.

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jul/21/durango-man-dead-rocky-mountain-national-park/

:(”

“any chance they found jims camera?”

“You are a very bad man crash... Baaaaad.

It is a serious peak... A real mountain. A lot of fun. Honestly I enjoyed Crestone Needle and the scramble to climb it as much, but Capitol was classic" and I want to go again.

Sure feel sorry for that guy and his family.”

“

Prolly the worst case of vertigo I've had...”

“Dayum, Toejam...the way the person sitting behind you is perched on the ridge really says a lot.”

“i would like to go for it some day, but after i have some more experience at some class 3 routes, and not at the end of a long week of peak-bagging”

“That's kinda the way we felt, Crash.

Careful Jim!

”

“that 6 mile hike in, with the heat and the elevation, on top of everything else we had done that week, just finished me

what i would like to do is take 1 day to hike to basecamp, 1 day to rest, 1 day to climb, and 1 day to hike out. i doubt i could find anyone wanting to go on that plodding of pace, however”

“You could make a really nice backpacking trip, with a little off trail bushwhack/exlporation/route finding :) and camp in the "Pierre Lakes Basin". I'm not sure exactly what the access to the standard routes on Capitol or Snowmass would be from there, but i'm sure it'd be 'doable somehow'. That's a trip I've had my eye on for a while - I've seen pics taken from in there and its rather spectacular - check it out on a map of the area. If I recall, the Pierre Lakes area is due east of Capitol and Snowmass.”

“TOEJAM THAT WAS A KICK ASS DAY!

i want to go back badly. i loved the exposure. like i said, it was a real mountain.”

“oh and crash, i am down with that schedule. not sure why you would think it plodding. on the "rest" day i would prolly hike to the saddle and back or something to help acclimate. that is a really pretty area.”

“Plod on boys!

I still recall feeling very good going up to the camp site that day and even in the morning I felt fine, but lazy.


Let's go!”

“Reading the accounts I'm not sure where the guy fell - somewhere between K2 & Mt. Daly. I'm thinking not on the route we travelled, but up on the ridge.

Roam, Pierre Lakes is a moonscape:

”

“what you got against moons? ;)

but seriously - i believe that if you drop down into that area just left in your photo it's an untraveled and unspoiled wilderness paradise. I've seen some pics on summitpost of a trip that took that approach.”

“not sure why you would think it plodding

because you would. it would kill you not to go for the summit the day after hiking in to basecamp, and you know it

the ridge between k2 and daly is different that what you guys did. a lot more class 4 stuff”

“i would be cool with it. i am getting old and crunchy. anyway, i would be glad to hike to your agenda if only to hang out in such a cool place.”

“...besides i need time to acclimate and without all the peak bagging and camping beforehand i would need that day.”

“btw toejam, i love those photos!
last edited: 7/23/09 6:41:23 PM”

“"i am getting old and crunchy. anyway, i would be glad to hike to your agenda if only to hang out in such a cool place."

+1”

“make sure to bring your diamox”