Castle Peak (14,265) by Brian Schultz Friday Sept 22, 1995
I stayed in Montrose last night after the Wilson Peak outing and drove 3 hours to get to the Castle Creek trailhead. I was concerned about the snowstorm that hit Denver and wondered how this area fared but the sun was shining and the skies were clear. I parked the car and at 10:20 started up the road on sore legs to Montezuma Basin and figured when I got there I could determine whether or not to continue.
The road was snow-free but a few bad spots would have me parking my 4x4 if I was driving one. A long trudge up brought me to the basin at 1:05 where I stopped for a much needed break and lunch. It was late for a summit push but the excellent weather convinced me to go for it and at 1:30 I headed up, planning to climb the northeast ridge.
There was lots of snow in the basin and I regretted leaving my ax in the car because of the steep incline. A group of four passed me on their way down and let me know the route was fine on the ridge and to follow their tracks in the snow if need be. I wanted to be sure after yesterday's roundabout venture on Wilson Peak. Slipping constantly in the snow on the ascent, I finally reached the snow-free terrain above and from there a good trail clearly angled up to the ridge. What a huge relief to be off the snow.
My weary legs slowly brought me up to the saddle where all that remained was the push up the ridge to the top. With no defined route, I simply made my way up the rocks which had various amounts of snow on to make it interesting. At intervals I followed my predecessors' tracks and after a long while found myself on the left side of the ridge in a very steep area. Seemingly off course and the time getting late, I thought of turning back. I dropped my pack and scooted up a short distance and found the trail. I returned for the pack, rejoined the trail and to my surprise, in less than two minutes topped out on the summit!
What a relief! That close and I'd almost turned back. It was freezing cold up here, the time was after 4:00, but it felt great to be on top. I watched as two people were making their way up to the saddle and then the ridge, moving at a fast clip. I savored the views and relaxed while waiting for them. The two young men summited and we made introductions. This was Mark's first and Eric's second 14er. Eric was a magician at Snowmass Village and had to be to work at 7:00 this evening. I laughed to myself- no possible way!
They'd driven all the way up the road and I perked up at that news- maybe I could catch a ride down with them. They had a companion waiting in the truck and said it was probably too cramped in the small extended cab. Neither of them brought a camera so I took their summit photo and said I'd mail one to each in exchange for a ride. Mark agreed. They were eager to get going and down we went at 4:35. Their descent was much faster than I preferred and a slip would have been disastrous but they were leading and I followed at a slightly slower pace, figuring if someone went over the side it wasn't going to be me.
Safely reaching the saddle and those two now bounding down into the basin, I tried to pick up some speed but my legs just wouldn't accommodate. I finally caught them in the snowfield with a glissade and passed them by- I didn't want to miss my ride! We got to the truck and when I looked at my watch I couldn't believe it- it only took 40 minutes to get there from the summit! Maybe Eric would make his show after all.
Their female companion wasn't too enthused about sharing the tiny back area of the cab but we squeezed in and Mark steered us down the road. On a couple sections I felt like I would be safer if I was outside the truck- it was much steeper than I remembered coming up. And Eric was reminding us how he did get out one time earlier when he and Mark were fourwheeling some of the tough roads in the area. I didn't need to hear that as I looked out my side and envisioned rolling down the embankment to our deaths.
Happy to be back at my car, I could now ponder the day's success. Excellent weather gave me the opportunity to summit Castle despite my slow pace and late start. I didn't get lost either! I might add that I carried a GPS on this hike and found it to be totally useless, even up high when I turned it on to get a position. With no trees or other obstructions in the way, I still couldn't get a reading from the satellites. This was a fun and mostly easy hike.
Total hike time- about 7 hours +