Grand Traverse Peak (13,041) by Brian Schultz Friday-Saturday August 16- August 17, 2019

Total roundtrip mileage: 12.7 miles from Gore Creek trailhead
Total elevation gain: 4,950'
Participants: Jason Mayfield, Maggie Mayfield, Brian Schultz, and Ollie the dog

Friday:
Gore Creek trailhead to Deluge Lake:
~5.4 miles
Elevation gain: 3,285'

We exited I-70 at the east end of Vail. Coming from Denver as we did, we crossed under the interstate from the exit and followed Bighorn road to the Gore Creek trailhead. Bighorn road parallels the freeway on the south side. We started at the moderately late hour of 9:35 AM, which didn't concern us because the weather forecast called for fine weather all day, other than strong winds.

The trail quickly comes to a fork. We turned left on the Deluge Lake trail and followed the excellent but very steep trail for two miles before the steepness eased. There are several talus fields to cross along the way and when we neared the half way point at 11:10, we took a fifteen minute break. After the trail's steepness relented we stopped a few more times to visit with other hikers and to take photos. But when we arrived at the lake at 1:10, gusting winds had us wondering where to set up the tents.

We dropped our packs. Jason headed southeast of the lake over a knoll while Maggie and I sat down for a break. When he came back, he said there was an unlocked and unoccupied cabin not far away. Neither Maggie nor I wanted to stay in there at first because he described the inside as very primitive and dirty. We searched and found a site southwest of the lake for the tents but the gusting winds and expected cooling temperature overnight convinced Maggie and me to check out the cabin.

There was a small table inside and a fair amount of tools scattered about. The windows had open air spaces around them but offered enough protection from the wind, and on the floor were two clean plywood sheets that we could set our sleeping bags on. So after pondering whether to stay or go, we decided to stay. It would've been tough to set up the tents outside anyway and we would definitely be warmer inside. We went back to the lake several times to filter water and take pics. The views from the cabin of the valley we hiked up were exceptionally nice and Jason and Maggie even found enough wood later for a great fire outside before we turned in.

Saturday:
Roundtrip mileage from the cabin to Grand Traverse Peak: 2.2 miles
Elevation gain: 1,400'
Start to finish: 2 hours 35 minutes

We began at 8:40 AM under clear skies. After rounding the lake, we followed a bearing to the Grand Traverse/Valhalla saddle, on talus at first, and then on mostly grassy slopes. Maggie turned around at the saddle and returned to the cabin, tired from very little sleep last night. Jason and Ollie and I started up the talus ridge to the summit and had to bypass a large snow patch below it. There wasn't much room to get around it and I suspect it was problematic even recently with the late season snowpack. But there was just enough room on the right side and we stepped on top at 10:00.

There are some great views of the surrounding peaks (photo 1, photo 2) and we enjoyed our summit stay for fifteen minutes. After we began our descent, Jason didn't want to continue on to Valhalla with Ollie and he also wanted to make sure Maggie got back to the cabin safely. I decided not to take on Valhalla by myself so after he headed down, I slowed my pace, waiting to talk to another climber and his dog on their way up. This young man was from Vail and intended to climb Grand Traverse, Valhalla, and Snow, and then loop back on the Gore Creek trail.

He invited me to climb Valhalla with him and I really wanted to but Jason and Maggie would've wondered if something happened to me if I didn't return in a reasonable time. So I made my way down and thought a shortcut to the lake was a terrific idea. It wasn't. I got caught in some cliffy areas and it took a while to find a feasible way through them before returning to the cabin at 11:15. Originally we were going to stay another night but we changed our minds and packed up. We departed the cabin at 12:10, saw many hikers, runners, and backpackers heading up to Deluge Lake, and arrived back at the trailhead at 3:05. Despite climbing just one peak, I really enjoyed our outing in the scenic Gore range.

Mileage from cabin back to trailhead: 5.1 miles