TRIP REPORT: Quandary Peak, CO by East Slopes Route 9/7/96
I was going to take this weekend off from climbing, but a fellow HPer was completing his last 14er and I decided to go along. The group consisted of Paul (who was completing his last 14er), Steve, Larry, me, my SO, and some of Paul's friends. The weather looked very questionable on Friday evening in Colorado Springs with heavy rain and cooler temperatures. We decided to go anyway and see if things would improve in the morning.
The drive to Breckenridge was uneventful, and we spent the night in Steve's condo there (What a great base camp!). Morning came quickly and we made the short drive to the trailhead under low, heavy clouds. It appears they have created a new Monte Cristo Creek trailhead and there are signs indicating how to get there on Summit County 850. After a little confusion, we decided to start at the old trailhead (there is still ample parking here) and got underway a little after 7:00 AM.
The trail is pretty steep the whole way up (has to be to make that kind of elevation gain in such a short distance). We made a steady pace and soon broke out above the tree line. At this point, the clouds started to break up some giving us incredible views of nearby peaks rising above cloud-filled valleys.
We continued on up to where the slope turns to mostly talus and took a short break to eat a snack. The rocks were still a little slick from last nights rain, and this slowed our progress considerably. As we continued up onto Quandary's big east shoulder, there was a light dusting of snow covering most of the peak above 13,000 ft.
We continued on reaching the big rounded summit around 10:30 AM. The summit quickly turned into a big celebration as we celebrated Paul's last 14er and another group celebrated one of their member's birthdays. The weather continued to improve, and good views of the Lincoln group and some distant Front Range peaks opened up. We drank champange and enjoyed the views for quite a while before making a rapid descent back to the trailhead. We reached the trailhead around 1:00 PM and by that time, the weather had turned sunny and clear affording us a good look at the peak we had just climbed. On the drive back to Colorado Springs, we were treated to great views of the changing aspen trees in this area.
Quandary Peak by the East Slopes Route is a short and easy climb with great views from the top. I will likely return to this peak in the future to do the more difficult West Ridge Route or to do the East Slopes as a winter climb.
-Tom
Stats:
RTD - Quandary Peak by East Slopes Route: 5.4 miles Elevation gain - Quandary Peak by East Slopes Route: 3400 ft.