October 1-2, 1999
CMC had its first official trip in several years this past weekend to the La Sal Mtns. of southeast Utan. It was a joint trip with 5 climbers from the Denver Group and 3 from the San Juan (Durango) Group.
Driving day was Friday, Oct. 1, with climb day on the 2nd. Our campsite was La Sal Pass, at 10,000 feet, south of the two peaks. Best approach is from La Sal Junction south of Moab. Go east on Utah 46 for about 13 miles; go left on Canopy Gap Rd. two miles, and then left again on the La Sal Creek Road. These turnoffs are presently well-signed. Both roads are gravel/dirt & passable for 2wd vehicles. A stream crossing over La Sal Creek could be troublesome for 2wds in high water, as well as the last 1/3 miles to the Pass which is clay and rough when wet.
There are good campsites in the trees just south of the parking area. Watch out for cow pies as this area is an active grazing allotment. Mt. Peale, the range's highest at 12,721', is northeast of the Pass. A faint two-track path goes n.n.e. across a large meadow into trees. Continue bearing n.n.e. towards an obvious wide gully west of the summit that goes all the way to ridgeline. Once at the saddle, follow the ridge s.e., and then east to the summit. There are a couple ridge points, but the work doesn't get more than Class 2, with minimal exposure. The talus on the ridge is loose in places, but not troublesome.
To gain Mt. "Tuk", the range's 3rd highest at 12,482', retrace your steps back to the saddle. Continue west along the ridge over a point called Talking Mtn., and continue down to the route's crux area. West of Talking, there are several sharp points on the ridge collectively known as the "Razor Fang." Stay high on the ridge, doing some exposed 3rd class scrambling. Don't make the mistake several of us did: trying to avoid the "Fang", we dropped down 400' in what became the worst scree gully I've ever been in--steep, & literally "everything" was loose and sliding.
Once past the "Fang", it's a gentle tundra ridge to the base of Tuk's 400' summit cone. The cone is loose talus slabs at an average angle of about 45 degrees, but still Class 2. There is considerable exposure on the north side of the ridge. The grade moderates near the top into a level "stroll" to the high point at the west end of the short ridge. To return, come back down the cone and head south on a broad ridge whose south side takes one back directly to La Sal Pass. Just make sure of your bearing before getting into the trees.
Guide book for the range, for those who want more info, is "Canyon Country's La Sal Mountains" by Jose Knighton. The Manti-La Sal NF map was helpful, as was the "Hikers & Skiers Map of the La Sal Mountains" by F. A. Barnes. This topo is published by Canyon Country Publications in Moab. We had the place almost totally to ourselves. We saw two other climbers on Peale, and two more on "Tuk." A few vehicles passed by when we were in camp. Otherwise, a very peaceful place with good solitude. There ARE advantages to climbing "12ers", vs. 14ers & 13ers.
Only downside of the climb was the continuing 20-30 mph. wind that kicked up a lot of desert dust and greatly obscured our vistas, even tho we climbed under a beautiful clear sky. We were able to see plenty of nice yellow aspen in the area despite the haze. Next year, we hope to do another joint trip in the Abajos, near Monticello, UT, to "sample" some 11ers.
Steve Bonowski ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- Terms and conditions for this server: send any email to info@climber.org Administrative commands like unsubscribe send email to lists@climber.org Help: Try rockies-owner@climber.org first, then email admin@climber.org