Hagerman Peak (13,841 ft)  by Brian Schultz    Sunday   July 11, 2004

The drive to Lead King Basin yesterday was slow on the narrow four wheel drive road. We took the longer but easier road instead of the shorter approach to reach the trailhead for Hagerman's South Face route. Daylight lasted well into the evening and I could hardly wait to use Tim's new portable shower, a propane powered system that delivers hot water on contact. It was wonderful. We slept in the back of the truck and set the alarm for our usual early wake-up hour.

We began at 4:40 AM but even with headlamps we missed the trail initially. Once we found it, the excellent trail was easy to follow and we quickly reached the junction where the trail splits to Geneva Lake and Fravert Basin. We took the right fork to Fravert Basin and crossed the wide rushing creek in the dark. Trekking poles helped while stepping on the submerged rocks but the crossing was tricky and we were glad to be wearing waterproof boots. The gentle trail meandered along with a few more minor stream crossings and as morning dawned we were treated to a different perspective of the Maroon Bells. We were on their back side while hiking the nearly two miles to the cut-off trail for Trail Rider Pass and they were impressive. We reached the cutoff junction at 5:45 and took a short break.

Nearly an hour later, we reached the Trail Rider Pass junction and continued to the departure point at 11,480 feet. We had no problem finding the area to exit but the Roaches then specify following the drainage northeast and north for 0.4 miles on the creek's west side, and we spent a few minutes making sure we had the correct bearing. My compass came in handy because the trail disappears at a rock field and we wondered if we should bear left or right. The correct turn is left. The creek, hidden under the rock, reappears higher up, and after reaching the large and flat grassy bench at 12,500 feet, we stopped for another break to contemplate the route ahead. Clouds that appeared troublesome earlier were burning off, much to our relief, but difficult terrain stood in the way between us and Hagerman.

After skirting the grassy benches ahead on the right side, we angled left toward the ridge and found a reasonable route through the cliffs. Once above the cliffs, we angled (right) to the gullies under Hagerman, which were steep and snow filled. From the moment we began traversing the gullies, we encountered unrelenting and grueling class 2+ climbing but terrific views of the Maroon Bells allowed for pleasant distraction each time we stopped to catch our breaths. To avoid the snow since we didn't bring axes, we climbed up rocks on the left side of our chosen gully and when it got too rough, we traversed into the next one which was snow free. That steep gully brought us to the ridge where easy travel over a false summit led us to the actual summit. We arrived at 9:55.

The triangular shaped summit is very exposed on two sides and had a cornice on the east that appeared ready to collapse. Our weather was perfect and the views so outstanding, especially towards Snowmass Mountain, that we stayed an hour and fifteen minutes and I deemed Hagerman one of my favorite thirteener summits. Tim and I were the 6th and 7th to sign the register this year but we had company just before leaving. A fellow and his brother came up the Southwest Ridge, initially ascending the nearby gully but switching to the ridge because of the steep snow. We left them to enjoy the summit and headed down at 11:10.

It only took an hour to get back to the grassy area at 12,500 feet and we stopped for a long break- the weather was simply too nice to be in a hurry. Near the bottom of the drainage one ptarmigan of a pair allowed us to get close enough for a photo. We descended the loop route to Geneva Lake, which turned out to be very worthwhile and scenic, but the crossing on the north side of the lake presented a challenge. There were no handy rocks to hop and I was certain we'd have to take off our boots and socks and wade across but Tim found a way over a beaver dam that worked. We took another break on the west side of the lake to enjoy the terrific views of Snowmass Mountain and Hagerman Peak and then marched nonstop back to the truck, arriving there at 3:15.

We picked a fine day to be in the Elks, especially after a three year absence. We covered over 10 miles of hiking and 4,500 feet of elevation gain and best of all, the altitude wasn't troubling me like yesterday. Tim headed for home while I drove to Cebolla trailhead for Stewart Peak.

Trailhead to summit- 5 hours 15 minutes

Summit back to trailhead- 4 hours 5 minutes

Start to finish- 10 hours 35 minutes, including many breaks and long summit stay

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