Mt Ouray (13,971 ft) West Ridge route by Brian Schultz Tuesday October 1, 2002
You have to love Colorado's weather! Yesterday the deep snow turned us back from the Apostles but today's weather was one of those sunny clear autumn days ideal for climbing. I picked Ouray's west ridge route because it is straightforward and I'd be climbing alone. It took 50 minutes to drive from Poncha Springs to the Marshall Pass trailhead on a fine road that skirts Mt Ouray from east to west. Mt Ouray and its west ridge were in view when I left the parking lot at 7:20 and walked back down the road to a side road where the route actually begins. I soon came to a cabin.
There were no trails leading from the cabin so I bushwhacked north through the open trees to the west ridge, relying on my compass to keep from straying. The beautiful morning was such a contrast to yesterday and it felt good to begin the hike without snow on the ground. But it was a long mile to reach 12,200 feet on the Continental Divide, along with an elevation gain of almost 1,400 feet, and by the time I got to Point 12,685 feet a fierce wind kicked in. I was also approaching snow on the rocks as the route turned to the west ridge on a sketchy trail. After an initial descent I followed the bumpy ridge to the summit, bypassing one nasty rock section on the right side before arriving on top at 10:01. The class 2 hiking was fairly easy despite some snow on the ridge.
The summit was surprisingly warm and wind-free and with those nice conditions I stayed forty minutes enjoying the outstanding views. After a bite to eat I departed and made good time to the woods, where I pulled out the compass again. Considering there's no trail or cairns, it was a real accomplishment for me to come out of the trees straight to the cabin. I was back to the car at 12:34 and stopped to take pictures of the remaining fall colors on the drive out. An easy and short day... and I had the trail to myself.
Total hiking time- 5 hours 14 minutes including all breaks