North Maroon Peak (14,014) by Brian Schultz Sunday August 13, 2000
Peak planning over the last year was simple enough with only three to finish but my remaining peaks were hard ones and I faced a dilemma of sorts for North Maroon. After skipping a climb on it with Don and Roxanna last year, I contemplated hiring a guide because my friends had either done it or were not yet ready for it. Tim Briese had little desire to climb it after making the summit two years ago in bad weather but would consider doing the Bells traverse if favorable weather conditions existed. We both needed South Maroon and the traverse was a good option for me to get North but what if bad weather, fatigue, or fear forced a retreat after making the summit of South first?
The matter was resolved sooner than expected when Tim and I met a climber on the Sawtooth last September. Jason had begun climbing in earnest that summer and knocked off a bunch of fourteeners including Pyramid and Capitol but hadn't done the Bells. He expressed an interest in doing them with us and correspondence over the winter and spring confirmed plans to climb North Maroon first before meeting Tim for South Maroon. The traverse would be decided later if necessary or desired.
In May of this year an ankle problem sent me to my orthopedic doctor who took both an x-ray and a MRI- the results showed blood flow to my right ankle was poor. The condition caused discomfort, primarily when pushing the lawn mower, but my obvious concern was being able to climb the fourteeners. He suggested avoiding any activity causing pain in the ankle and upon arriving home from his office, I cheerfully informed my wife of her new yard duties. Her hearty laugh left no doubt who'd still be cutting the grass. Although relieved that surgery wasn't needed, I fretted over the uncertainty of being able to climb three months later and found myself carefully watching every step to avoid twisting the ankle.
At long last I left Minneapolis full of anticipation but nervous. North Maroon had always held a high fear factor for me and reading about fatalities on it didn't help. I tried to keep that out of my mind on the way out and concentrated more on being thankful to have a climbing partner. Jason and I would meet at Maroon Lake the next evening and carcamp in the parking lot. As I arrived in Denver on Saturday afternoon I couldn't help but notice the skies darkening up- what's going on here? I knew it had been hot and dry up to this point and it started pouring rain just past Dillon. When I stopped at the Amoco station in Leadville, Ed the owner said this was the first rain the whole summer and I immediately took that as a bad omen. I worried I was jinxed. I ate an early dinner in Aspen and headed up to the lake, forking over a $10 entrance fee before pulling into the parking lot. The rain let up somewhat and I chatted with climbers returning from South Maroon. They'd made the summit and begun the traverse but were chased off by the storm. Their descent off the back (west) side took them all the way around both Bells to Buckskin Pass for a complete circle of the peaks. What a route!
When our hook-up time to meet rolled around and Jason still wasn't in sight, I set up the truck for sleeping and got the pack ready. At 8:00 I wondered if he was coming but Jason soon arrived- he'd waited for the rangers to leave to save the $10.
We talked well into the evening and agreed on a wake-up time of 5:00 for the planned Northeast Ridge route. I had difficulty sleeping, very typical for me before climbing a fourteener and especially so just coming in from the flatlands, but was happy to see the sky clearing under a very bright moonlit night- a hopeful sign. I slept about three hours and awoke before the alarm but had to rouse a soundly sleeping Jason. At 5:40 we started in the dark under totally clear skies, reaching the Buckskin Pass turnoff at 6:15 and the cairn marking the descent to Minnehaha Creek at 6:55. As we took off layers and drank some water we were startled by deer crashing through the brush- they sounded like horses galloping and stopped to stare at us before bounding off.
The path turns up sharply after crossing the creek and requires some bushwhacking through willows, then goes through a grassy area before crossing the rock glacier. The glacier travel is easy rock hopping but once we made our way into the first gully, the remaining route was steep, steep, steep! The altitude, which I wasn't adjusted to, and the steep climbing demanded many stops just to catch my breath. The route eventually crosses left under light colored cliffs and goes around a corner with a protruding ledge before leading into the next gully. We took a break at the corner and I welcomed what seemed to be the only flat spot in the never-ending steep ascent of this peak. So far the ankle was holding up fine and the weather was great but my upward progress was slow and I felt guilty for holding Jason back.
The route into the second gully descends a bit before it goes back up. After starting up this gully Jason scrambled ahead and out of sight. I strayed too far left into unbelievably steep terrain and had to work closer to the ridge, finally finding a way up and onto it. On the ridge I passed a climber whose partner had also moved ahead of him. I found this amusing- someone was climbing slower than me! The ridge itself is quite steep but the exposure isn't too bad- I never felt intimidated by it here or anywhere on the climb. Near the top of the ridge I met Jason waiting and ready for the hardest move of the route- climbing up one of the class 4 cracks through the cliffs below the summit. Two other climbers were also contemplating this move.
Those two climbers went up the nearest crack while we traversed a short distance to the right and over a rib, which Jason had scouted out while waiting for me. He went up one crack and I another. When I pulled up on top I noticed a handy cairn marking the spot and memorized the scene for the descent. Chuck, the climber I passed on the ridge, and his partner were below us and getting ready to come up the crack. Next came a terrible scare.
Jason stood up from the rocks he was sitting on and suddenly they loosened. The biggest one, a heavy thick slab 2 feet by 3 and a half, gained momentum and bounced into the crack straight for Chuck's head. I watched in disbelief as the very scenario I dreaded on Little Bear was now happening right before my eyes. I was certain the rock would hit him as Jason yelled and Chuck's partner screamed "Rock!"- Chuck immediately ducked and the huge rock barely skimmed over his head. I've never seen a rock come even remotely close to hitting anyone but this one would've killed him on contact. I'm sure I turned white as a ghost. He stood up and turned to watch it continue crashing down, unaware that another one the size of a small brick was bearing on him. This one struck him just below the neck and deflected into the back of his head. Chuck wasn't wearing a helmet and we waited what seemed an eternity for a response until he finally insisted he was okay. My own helmet was sitting in my pack instead of on my head because no one had been climbing immediately above us on the ascent. Stupid. It went on for the descent.
We asked several more times how he was before we started up again. My altimeter indicated 300 feet to the summit as we circled to the left, but mercifully it was wrong and in short order we stepped on top. The time was 10:40, an ascent of exactly five hours from the parking lot. What a wondrous summit! The views of the other Elks were terrific, with Pyramid looking downright impossible to climb. And for all the years I've looked up and admired the Bells from Maroon Lake I could finally look the other way and feel truly satisfied. Well, maybe half satisfied- I still had the South peak to do! The two climbers ahead of us were already on their way for the traverse and we had the summit alone until Chuck and his friend arrived about ten minutes later. Again we asked how he was and he said fine.
A couple, Michelle and Steve, also summited and the six of us kicked back and enjoyed the sunny warm morning. We spotted climbers on the summit of South Maroon, tracked the two guys doing the traverse and debated its difficulties. With the exceptional weather Jason really wanted to attempt it, but Tim was coming the next day and I didn't want to do the South peak without him. And if I was going to do the traverse it would have been from the other side anyway. I was tired and quite content to stay put. The fine weather allowed us an hour on top making North Maroon one of my longer and more enjoyable summit visits.
When it was time to leave we all went together. Jason, Michelle and Steve took the near crack while I angled left to the cairn and descended the crack I came up. Chuck and his partner were behind me but that's the last we saw of them. The trip down the ridge and gully was tedious and my rubbery legs could only handle one speed- slow! But I kept the others in sight, which was good because they were descending below the exit to the next gully. Jason had stopped and sensed something wrong but Steve and Michelle were moving fast and I hollered to Jason who in turn yelled down to them. I got to the turnoff and waited while the others were still climbing back up. Jason didn't have far to reclimb and we took a break while Steve and Michelle backtracked up and then passed us by.
The remaining descent went even more slowly- the steepness and my fatigue caused me to stub my toes several times and by the time we crossed the creek I was in some serious pain. Between Crater and Maroon Lakes Jason went on ahead. I, exhausted and dehydrated, finally dragged into the parking lot at 4:00.
The route is well marked but this peak is hands down one of the steepest and hardest fourteeners. Look behind when exiting gullies, etc, to remember where to turn on the way back down. Bring a helmet and wear it.
Total climb time- 10 hours 20 minutes (including 1 hour on summit and many breaks)