From David Paul Newsgroups: rec.backcountry Subject: Trip Report, Capital Peak, CO Date: Wed Aug 30 07:26:26 MDT 1995
Dan, Charlie and I left Denver Saturday morning, quite pleased that we were on the road by 5:30. There was very little traffic I-70. We exited at Copper Mountain and headed South over Freemont Pass, through Leadville and then over Independence pass into Aspen. Had a quick but hearty breakfast at the Stockade. From there it was an easy drive to the Capital Creek trailhead. The last mile or so of the road was quite rough, but didn't require 4wd. Charlie stepped on a yellow-jackets nest and was stung three times. Fortunately he isn't allergic.
We left the trailhead at 10:30. There are two routes, one where you immediately descended about 500ft and another where you skirt the edge of the valley following an old irrigation ditch. We chose the latter. We made very good time along the ditch, although horse traffic had muddied up the trail in some areas. The weather was sunny and warm. We continued on past where the horse trail turned up eventually coming to a dead-end at a waterfall. Bushwhacked our way up to the trail, crossed over the stream on a log and continued up the side of the valley.
The view of Capital was both spectacular and intimidating, and the view of the red cliffs above us and on the other wall were also impressive. After traveling about three miles, the trail gradually descended back to the valley floor and crosses Capital creek. We found a log and thus avoided taking our shoes off. After this point, the trail gradually becomes steeper, until just before reaching the lake, it is quite a grade. The scenery alternated between pine and aspen forest and open flowery meadows. We were both surprised and disappointed to discover a heard of cattle grazing about a mile and a half below the lake, just below treeline. The total distance to the lake was 6 1/2 miles. There was also a sign which forbade camping in the meadow instead directing us to camp on one of the overlooking knolls. Several choice campsites were already taken, but on further exploration, one group was leaving the best IOHO site, which we promptly commandeered. The rest of the afternoon was spent pitching the tents, setting up camp, and watching others arrive.
We could spot the new arrivals a mile back on the trail, with the help of my binoculars, but most of our fellow campers couldn't see them until they topped the final rise. You could just see the look of disappointment on their faces as they looked about for a nice place to camp. Everyone else would drop what they were doing and check out the newcomers and the scene sort of reminded me of a community of prairie dogs. It was actually quite humorous. That evening, the clouds started to get thicker, and although we had a couple of showers the weather wasn't bad, although at 11,600ft it was COLD!
The next morning, were up at 6:00. A quick breakfast of Gatorade, pop tarts (natures perfect food) and a cup of grape nuts, shed the wool pants and sweaters, and we were on our way at 6:45. Dan and I, that is, Charlie isn't into climbing, opting instead for the trout in the lake. The weather was fine. Lots of Columbine and other flowers. As we topped the connecting ridge between Mt. Daily and Capital we were faced with a decision. There were two trails, one which dropped into the valley on the other side and crossed a snow field, and another that worked it's way up and along the East side of the mountain.
I opted for the last, since I despise losing altitude that must be re-gained. The trail was sketchy at best, and there was a lot of exposure. Dan decided to head back, and threaded his way down to the valley floor, while I decided to continue. After an hour of tough scrambling, the trail headed up a boulder field to a false (very false) summit named K2.
From the lake, K2 looked like a little bump, with a ridge connecting it to Capital and then a gentle climb to the summit. NOT! From the top, K2 was substantially higher than the ridge, and the mountain rising on the other side was HUGE! So, down I go to the ridge, and now it's time for the famous knife edge. Now, if you're not afraid of heights, the knife edge is a piece of cake. You have two sections, about 40 and 60 ft that are pretty vertical on each side. Fortunately, the rock is solid, and the edge makes a nice hand-hold. There are also some fissures on the West side that make nice foot-holds. Bearing in mind that one slip and you're going to fall 200 ft or so (at least) carelessness is unlikely, and the crossing is done without a hitch.
On the other hand, if you're terrified of heights and exposure, the knife edge is, as Arnold would say "your worst nightmare". A lot of people turn back at this point. Having more guts than brains, I continued on across the knife, only to be faced with another hour of scrambling along the East face of the mountain. Finally, the peak! There were two other guys at the top. We swapped cameras and then they took off. For the next two minutes I was alone, then the next group reached the top. Sighed the register in a mason jar, had a snack and poured the Gatorade from my nalgene bottle into the canteen and it was time to head back. Total time to the top was 4 hours.
The weather was perfect, no wind at all until just before the peak. On the way down, a steady, but light breeze blew and the clouds started rolling in. Some sprinkles just before getting back to camp, (3 hours return) retracing the same route. There were lots of cairns marking the route, thank goodness, as it was difficult to spot. We broke camp and headed back. The trip back was uneventful, except that it started to rain and then pour. I was glad I wasn't stuck on that knife edge then! Reached the car in 3 hours and after stopping in Leadville for gas and burgers at Wild Bills (more gas ;^) ) we arrived in Denver at 9:45. Tired.
About the only thing I can add is that it looked like the mountain-side route took about the same as the decent into the valley across the snowfield. The view was spectacular, with Pyramid and the Maroon Bells to the East, Massive and Elbert in the distance, Snowmass off to the South-east. And many other peaks I couldn't name. The Maroon Bells Wilderness, other than the popular climbing route we were on was practically empty. The drainage to the South looked worthy of further exploration. All in all it was a great trip. Hope you enjoyed the story, for once, it was all true.