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mother_sheep
Feb 14, 2005, 6:16 PM
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While up at Chaos Creek yesterday, I saw a neat looking peak traverse that I'm interested in possibly for this weekend. From the ice climbs at Chaos Creek, turn around. The peaks that you see across the valley I believe are (going climber's right to left) Long's Peak (14k'+), Mt. Meeker(13k'+) and then an unknown peak (unknown to me) 11k'-12k'. I would like to start out near Bear Lake, hike up the unknown peak and then traverse across to Meeker (if that is in fact Meeker). I'll be happy to do the fist 2 peaks and once the pinky is better, do a winter ascent of Longs on it's own where I can get into some technical ice. Does this make sense? Can you tell me what the unknown peak is and if the peak to the right of it is Meeker? Thanks!
The traverse between the unknown peak and what I think is Meeker looks fun. There appears to be some technical rock on it but it also looks like you can avoid a lot of the technical stuff by staying directly off the ridge line. Another neat thing about the traverse is that there isn't much snow up there so avy danger would be slim to none.
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jsj42
Feb 14, 2005, 7:41 PM
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I'm not sure exactly where you were, but if you're talking about Chaos CANYON (accessed from Bear Lake), then I doubt you could see Meeker. You may have seen Pagoda, and possibly Chiefshead to it's west, however, I don't see how it would reasonable to "hike across the valley" from the Bear Lake area... you'd have to go all the way up the Glacier Gorge trail to get anywhere near the backside of Long's... ?
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jsj42
Feb 14, 2005, 7:42 PM
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I'm not sure exactly where you were, but if you're talking about Chaos CANYON (accessed from Bear Lake), then I doubt you could see Meeker. You may have seen Pagoda, and possibly Chiefshead to it's west.
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mother_sheep
Feb 15, 2005, 8:53 AM
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What I thought was Meeker may be Storm Peak?
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takeme
Feb 15, 2005, 6:29 PM
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In reply to: What I thought was Meeker may be Storm Peak?
Yeah, it sounds like Storm Peak. The 11k-12k peak would be Half Mountain in that case. The traverse between them is fun (great view of the Glacier Gorge area) and not technical. However, getting up Half Mountain might involve heinous krummholtz/snow wading as even in summer there is a lot of bushwhacking involved.
It also seems possible that you could be looking at Battle Mountain to Lady Washington (which would be a silly traverse), depending on exactly where you are, but if you thought the traverse looked cool it's probably what I described above.
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mother_sheep
Feb 15, 2005, 8:35 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: What I thought was Meeker may be Storm Peak? Yeah, it sounds like Storm Peak. The 11k-12k peak would be Half Mountain in that case. The traverse between them is fun (great view of the Glacier Gorge area) and not technical. However, getting up Half Mountain might involve heinous krummholtz/snow wading as even in summer there is a lot of bushwhacking involved.
I think that's it! I'm looking at maybe going up Storm Peak via the East Long's Peak Trailhead and then descending Half Mountain. I'll have to hitch a ride back to the trailhead unless I go with someone and we caravan a car. Any idea what the distance is? I'd like to be out a full day. If someone can also think of something that might be more challenging, that would be great. I just can't get too heavy on technical aspects. Thanks!
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sharpie
Feb 15, 2005, 9:03 PM
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I just heard that they are supposed to be getting 2' of snow in the next 24 hours in Estes....might be a tough slog with that kind of dumping days before...
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takeme
Feb 16, 2005, 12:00 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: In reply to: What I thought was Meeker may be Storm Peak? Yeah, it sounds like Storm Peak. The 11k-12k peak would be Half Mountain in that case. The traverse between them is fun (great view of the Glacier Gorge area) and not technical. However, getting up Half Mountain might involve heinous krummholtz/snow wading as even in summer there is a lot of bushwhacking involved. I think that's it! I'm looking at maybe going up Storm Peak via the East Long's Peak Trailhead and then descending Half Mountain. I'll have to hitch a ride back to the trailhead unless I go with someone and we caravan a car. Any idea what the distance is? I'd like to be out a full day. If someone can also think of something that might be more challenging, that would be great. I just can't get too heavy on technical aspects. Thanks!
Should be a pretty full day-- 15+ miles. As far as more challenge, I don't know what the Trough is like now (and I wouldn't be suprised if it was loaded by this weekend), but if you could determine that avalanche danger is low, a nice outing would involve ascending the Trough from Glacier Gorge, traversing over to the Keyhole and then Storm Peak, and then down the ridge. I've descended the Keyhole Route without a rope in winter--it was a bit hairy but I never felt the need of a rope, and I'm quite the soft-core alpinist, so maybe that would fit your nearly non-technical requirement.
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cologman
Feb 16, 2005, 12:15 AM
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Ma Baaaaa using the directions you provided you were indeed looking at Longs and Pagoda connected by the Keyboard of the Winds. Meeker sits quite a ways east of what you were looking at and Storm Peak is NE or left of Longs from your described vantage point. JSJ42 had it right. Fun terrain under the right conditions but this weekend may not prove to be those conditions. I've been up on Pagoda before, maybe before you were born though :shock: so geology could actually be taking place up there. YOU NEVER KNOW! :P
Maybe I should just delete the whole above thingy since its obvious I don't know my left from my right :roll:
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ambler
Feb 16, 2005, 12:29 AM
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Does this resemble what you were looking at? If so, that's Longs Peak, the Keyboard to Pagoda, and Chiefshead on the skyline, L to R.
http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfdfa/bearwntr.jpg
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jsj42
Feb 16, 2005, 12:42 AM
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That's actually a really cool photo - not only can you see Longs and Keyboard of the Winds, but in the foreground you can see Spearhead and the edge of Chiefshead!
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mother_sheep
Feb 16, 2005, 1:43 AM
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That does look similar Larry except it looks like that photo was taken somewhere near The Loch in Glacier Gorge. I was in Tyndall Gorge.
Next time I will take a picture.
Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it.
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flamer
Feb 16, 2005, 3:01 AM
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Tracy,
You should look into a traverse called "The great wheel"....Rossiter talks about it in his peaks book.
I think it goes....Thachtop, arrowhead, chiefshead, spearhead?, pagoda, longs, storm peak, half mountain, then back to the trailhead.( I may be missing something in there.
Rumor has it it's never been done CTC IAD in winter before......although Geo might have done it :lol:
josh
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mother_sheep
Feb 16, 2005, 3:23 PM
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In reply to: Tracy, You should look into a traverse called "The great wheel"....Rossiter talks about it in his peaks book. I think it goes....Thachtop, arrowhead, chiefshead, spearhead?, pagoda, longs, storm peak, half mountain, then back to the trailhead.( I may be missing something in there. Rumor has it it's never been done CTC IAD in winter before......although Geo might have done it :lol: josh
Well hell Joshy, if we're going by Geo's standards then I guess you could say I've already done it CTC IAD, 18 hours in fact. :wink:
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takeme
Feb 16, 2005, 8:22 PM
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That's true except that she mentioned seeing Longs and peaks to the left. So I guess it depends on whether she identified Longs correctly.
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