From: ajs@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Alan Silverstein)
Date: Sun, 24 Jul 88 15:46:50 GMT
Subject: Re: Trip reports: Sangre de Cristos, San Juans
Newsgroups: hpnc.general

Friday, July 8: Wetterhorn Peak, 14015', and Matterhorn Peak, 13590'

Departing American Basin after Handies Peak the day before, I rolled down to Lake City for a delicious hot meal. (Focussing on the mountaineering in these reports, I leave out a lot, like how scenic the drive is from Cinnamon Basin to Lake City. It's pretty much 2WD, too.)

I headed out on the Henson Creek road at 1705 and went 12.3 miles W to Central City, up to the Matterhorn Creek turn, and to the end of the road (a gate) at 10800', 1800. Only the last 0.7 miles from the North Fork road requires 4WD, though it's rough before that. I camped for the night on a grassy platform above Matterhorn Creek.

It was attractive but impossible for me to get up early enough to be high on Wetterhorn for sunrise. My alarm was set for 0400... I finally got up at 0530 and was on my way at 0557, five minutes after sunrise. All the way up, even as I enjoyed the hike, I wondered why I was bothering... of course, now I'm glad I did!

The old road is slowly returning to nature, but for a single track trail. It climbs through trees and meadows to the marked wilderness boundary, and timberline, at 11600'. I decided after some study to leave the trail, cut left, cross Matterhorn Creek, and scramble up grassy slopes and some rocky cuts through cliffs to the SE ridge of Wetterhorn. It looks formidable but is much easier than appearances, actually a very nice "four-appendage-drive" route.

Once above the cliffs, it was a long stroll through wildflowers on the broad ridge to rejoin the trail at about 13040', 0840. I came across a rare sight, a mother ptarmigan (a chicken-sized bird) protecting about four chicks.

I found out later there is a route just about directly up the ridge at about 13700', toward the summit. Like last time, I got out onto the steep, gravelly E face instead and traversed it. I reached the base of the summit proper at 0935.

Wetterhorn is a nasty-looking pinnacle with only one non-technical route to the top. The last ~150' is up a narrow, steep gully between cliffs. To make the climbing easier, I left my pack below and took only essentials. I reached the small, level top at 0949, climbing slowly and methodically; 3215' in 3:52.

For an hour I circled the summit, looked over all the surrounding cliffs, enjoyed the flowers growing right on top, built up the summit cairn, and studied the view. To my surprise, at least one marmot lives in the tundra which slopes off the north side to end in cliffs. I wonder how he got there?

I descended carefully and paused to [re]build a number of cairns. Shortly off the summit I met a large group of camp kids and counselors who were straggling up; they eventually reached the very top. I was impressed.

I dropped down the E face, fast and easy but steep enough to require care, and made my way E towards Matterhorn Peak. (Running the connecting ridge proper would probably require three hours and a rope...) There were a lot of flat snowfields that made the trip quicker. I stopped for lunch at 1245, 12600', SW of Matterhorn.

Unlike last time I was here, it was a quiet-weather day. There were lots of clouds, but the only threatening ones were quite distant. I was almost disappointed at having no excuse *not* to proceed the 1000' up Matterhorn, being "kind of" exhausted. Of course, I'm glad I went the rest of the way -- albeit at a plodding pace. I reached the small, jagged, virgin summit at 1342. Here I took 1/2 hour to air my boots, eat the rest of my lunch, and marvel in the scenery -- Wetterhorn and ridge colorfully extending W, Uncompahgre looming E, and Matterhorn Basin, a slice of Switzerland, S.

The return from Matterhorn went quickly, as from merely high on its slopes two years ago. Once past the couple hundred feet of bare rock that comprises the summit and S ridge, it's a stroll down tundra and flowers to the main trail. I was back at my Jeep by 1540 and in Lake City again at 1700.

Much later I camped for the night high on Mount Princeton, SW of Buena Vista. The next morning I motored the rest of the way (rough 4WD) to Princeton's south shoulder, 12000', where gnarled bristlecone pines grow. It was tempting to take a two-hour hike to the top of yet another Fourteener, but I was just too sore and fatigued, even after nine hours sleep. I settled for some rockhounding in the gully below S Princeton, drove home that afternoon, and was in Fort Collins by 1715.

To my surprise, it took me about three days to recover from the hard exercise of the last week. As always, the memories are but a shadow of the reality, but they long outlast the fatigue.