Arrow Peak (13,803 ft) & Vestal Peak (13,864 ft) by Brian Schultz July 25-27, 2003
Friday July 25:
Jason, Connie, Tim, and I were reunited for this backpacking adventure only a month after our Mt Whitney climb. We ate breakfast in Durango and I sighed as we walked to the train, knowing it would be my last good meal for a while. I've come to enjoy backpacking, especially in the San Juans, but I can't say the same about eating freeze dried foods.
The scheduled train stop at Elk Park from Durango isn't very convenient for backpackers but it's even worse from Silverton. Either way puts you on the trail late. Several others disembarked with us at Elk Park and a few of them hurried up the trail while we were still getting ready. We began at 1:20 under overcast skies with thunder rumbling in the distance and I wondered how far we'd get before the rains came. My pack raincover was already on as we followed the trail east from the train tracks and up a steep incline to join the Colorado Trail. From there the very good trail paralleled the creek for a few miles and we moved along briskly to reach the beaver pond at 3:00.
We only gained a thousand feet in elevation to the pond but it was a good place to remove our packs and take a short break. The impressive view of Vestal and Arrow Peaks would've been more enjoyable if the resident flies hadn't driven us out- we gave up after twenty some minutes of swatting them and resumed our travel along the left side of the pond over some boulders to a path that led to Elk Creek. Gerry and Jennifer Roach warn how problematic the Elk Creek crossing can be but today the water level was low and we easily stepped across the rocks.
On the other side of the creek, however, the trail immediately steepened and became an obstacle course of sorts, with lots of downed trees to duck under or straddle. It slowed us down considerably. At 5:40, when we finally emerged from the woods and closed in on the meadow, it started raining. Lightly at first but within moments, marble sized hail pelted us. Jason ran ahead and jumped the wide creek but the rest of us stayed put. Tim huddled in the meadow while Connie and I retreated to the woods but as soon as the hail tapered off it started pouring rain. Tim found a spot to cross the creek while Connie and I stood amidst the trees, hoping to keep dry while waiting out the rain. Our tree cover wasn't very good but seemed better than where Tim and Jason were standing on the other side. We pulled out our rain gear as another round of hail pummeled us, and when the chilly temperature turned cold enough to see my breath, I grabbed my polartec and put that on too. We stood shivering in the pouring rain, and endured yet another bout of hail while waiting for the storm to quit. It finally did at 7:00.
Connie and I crossed the creek above the waterfall, the same place where Tim did earlier, but the now swollen creek and slippery rocks made the crossing treacherous. Tim and Jason reached out from the other side to lend a much appreciated hand and we set up camp just a short distance away in an area still covered white from the hail. We had the tents up by 7:30 and afterward, Tim went to scout the route for the morning. When we turned in at 9:00, Tim's thermometer showed 39 degrees. I put on all the extra clothes I had with and barely stayed warm. Tim said he froze the whole night.
Saturday July 26:
We left camp at 6:15 AM and followed the righthand side of the meadow to a rockfield that Tim checked out last night. He led us up the right side and over to the grassy area between the cliffs. From there we easily reached the basin between Arrow and Vestal Peaks at 6:42, about 600 feet higher than the meadow we were camping in. We couldn't help but gaze in awe at the peaks as the first rays of sun hit them, and spent nearly half an hour taking pictures and marveling at the scenery of the area, especially Vestal's Wham Ridge. Wispy clouds didn't appear to be a threat but we wanted to climb Arrow's class 3 route first in case the weather turned later. As we headed up the famous ramp system, we noticed three climbers making their way over from the basin to the ramp but other than them, nobody else was on the peak.
The route was steep from the beginning. We ascended grass and rock ledges and took care to stay on the correct ramp as we gained elevation. Jason pushed ahead of Tim and me while Connie lagged behind with a bothersome ankle, but we kept her in sight and stopped regularly so she could catch up. Near the summit we encountered very steep rock with some difficult sections of class 3 climbing, which I liked because it required constant handholds and a sharp focus. One pull after another up the broken ledges and suddenly, we were on top. The abrupt finish was thrilling! And with the time only 8:57, it allowed us to relax on the summit and enjoy the beautiful morning without immediate weather concerns.
The views of the San Juans from Arrow were superb for the forty minutes we stayed up there but, to nobody's surprise, clouds were building in the distance and we decided to head for Vestal before any storms rolled in. We departed at 9:38. Connie's ankle was hurting and she announced her climbing was finished with Arrow, so Tim and I got a jump start on the speedy Jason who'd accompany her to the basin and catch up to us later. Just below Arrow's summit we crossed paths with the three climbers we'd seen earlier, one of whom had free climbed the Wham Ridge (class 5.4) on Vestal the last time he was here. He said he'd never try that stunt again.
We descended back to the basin, well ahead of Jason and Connie, before starting up the rock glacier to the Arrow- Vestal saddle. The glacier was easy terrain but the scree to the Arrow-Vestal saddle was miserable. Gerry Roach calls it the "Dues Collector" and he is right. It's a killer on tired legs and we took a rest upon reaching the saddle at 11:20.
After Jason caught up to us, we traversed around to the gully on the south side of Vestal on a fairly good trail. The gully was steep and very loose- Tim favored the left side while Jason and I went up the middle. We were surprised to see a solo climber coming down and talked a moment with him. Tim and I soon converged while Jason bounded up, and as he neared the top we heard thunder booming. We couldn't tell where it was coming from or how far away it was but neither of us wanted to turn around. With several hundred feet of gain remaining and both of us weary, we decided to at least go to the top of the gully and check out the weather from there and then retreat if necessary. Somehow we got the adrenaline pumping, pushed quickly up the gully, and determined a run for the summit was doable.
We hurried along the ridge and crossed a nifty catwalk to the summit, where Jason was happily munching on some food and trying to call Connie on a walkie talkie to no avail. The time was 12:29 and though we were pleased to make the summit, we departed eleven minutes later with thunder rumbling and dark clouds advancing. On our descent in the gully we almost went too far past our exit point- if Jason hadn't caught it we might've faced some serious elevation regain. We quickly descended the remainder of the peak and made it back to camp at 2:11, with enough time to wash up just before the storm broke loose. The thunderstorm unleashed a barrage of thunder and lightning from 3:00 to 4:30, then poured rain until 6:30. We were glad to be in our tents and not on the high peaks.
Sunday July 27:
Our plan to climb the Trinities was scrapped due to the bad weather yesterday and the lack of time today. Tim still wanted to hike into the upper meadow to see them, so at 8:00 this morning we trekked up to 12,000 feet for breakfast and an upfront view of the trio. We were not disappointed. In addition, we were treated to some fine views of Vestal and Arrow Peaks. The Trinities would warrant a future climbing trip but for now we had a train to catch. Back at camp at 10:00, we packed up for the journey out and sent Connie ahead at 10:35, with Tim and me following at 11:05. Jason wanted to stay a little longer in the meadow and said he'd catch up to us. We met Connie at the pond at 12:30 but Jason never did catch us and we regretted leaving him behind alone. He finally showed up and told us he not only got lost and had to retrace his steps, but also took a tumble and gashed his leg. It could've been a disaster and, suffice it to say, we learned a lesson.
We stayed 25 minutes at the pond before heading down the trail. By 1:20, the beautiful weather of the morning turned on us and started hailing, then raining, just as the first of many backpackers coming up the trail passed by us. Everyone stopped to put on rain gear. A little later we passed a group of scouts from Boulder who didn't look very excited hiking in the rain, and worse, weren't wearing any protection from it. All were wearing cotton tee shirts with their logo. We arrived at Elk Park at 2:19 and flagged the two early trains but neither stopped. Two fellows were sitting nearby- one of their backpacks was dropped off mistakenly at Needleton and they were patiently waiting for another train to return it. When we boarded, a conductor from our train brought hot coffee to them but had no report on the missing backpack. I'd have been mad if that was my backpack but those guys seemed to be handling it okay. The train ride back to Durango didn't go fast enough for me- all I could think about was a shower and a meal.
When we finally arrived in Durango, Jason and Connie left for home. Tim and I stayed overnight and ate at one of our favorite places- the Ore House. Despite the stormy weather, Arrow and Vestal were fun climbs and a great finish to my Colorado trip.
Backpack from Elk Park to Meadow- 4 hours 20 minutes (including breaks)
Meadow to Arrow Peak- 2 hours 42 minutes (including breaks)
Arrow Peak to Vestal Peak- 2 hours 51 minutes (including breaks)
Vestal Peak to Meadow- 1 hour 31 minutes
Backpack from Meadow to Elk Park- 3 hours 15 minutes (including breaks)