Pigeon Peak (13,972) & Turret Peak (13,835) by Brian Schultz Sunday- Wednesday July 14-17, 2002
Sunday July 14, 2002
After hiking Niagara and Jones this morning Tim and I took the train from Silverton to Needleton. We paid $60.00 a ticket. Yesterday was the first day backpackers were allowed to be dropped off since service resumed and only four people did so- three at Elk Park and one at Needleton. Today, however, eighteen of us would be backpacking from Needleton but only Tim and I would be chasing after Pigeon and Turret peaks. Our approach would follow North Pigeon Creek as described in Gerry and Jennifer Roach's thirteener book.
We had a short backpack. Tim wanted to push for a higher camp but I was worried about the steep terrain and the possibility of not finding a camp area by nightfall. Tim's concern was finding a water source with the ongoing drought conditions. We quickly reached the first of the two lower meadows,"Campers Meadow", and continued on to the "Upper Campers Meadow" where we stopped to assess our situation. I especially liked the plan we came up with- I got to stay and watch our gear while Tim went on to scout the route ahead. He came back about an hour later and reported plenty of water at North Pigeon Creek, 1,200 feet higher on a very steep trail. But camping up there was questionable so we set up where we were. From Needleton, the elevation gain was only 140 feet. It rained for nearly an hour after we put up the tents and when nighttime fell we turned in early.
Monday July 15, 2002
We got up at 7:00 and waited until the sun dried the tents before hitting the trail at 8:25. The skies were clear and the temperature pleasant as we marched slowly but steadily up the steep trail. It was a nicely worn trail and remained so until North Pigeon Creek, which we surprisingly made in only 55 minutes despite our heavy packs. At the creek we took a forty minute break to eat, filter water, and mull whether we'd find water at the high meadow. But that was assuming we'd find the high meadow, a not so trivial matter since there is no trail to get there. I had confidence in Tim's routefinding abilities but not in mine- I wouldn't even attempt this if Tim wasn't with. Steve Hoffmeyer wrote a report on this approach and called it the "backpack from hell", highly recommending top routefinding skills to reach the high meadow at 11,740 feet.
On our way again at 10:00, brutal took on new meaning as the trail above the creek turned outrageously steep. It's by far the toughest stretch of trail I've ever encountered while lugging a backpack. It soon led to the junction of the Ruby Creek and North Pigeon Creek trails where a columbine tree carving marked the incorrect route (Tim found the carving easily) and upon finding the proper trail we continued on ... until it quickly ran out. The challenge we now faced was making sure we stayed away from the North Pigeon Creek drainage but not too far, and trying to remember our route despite the lack of identifiable landmarks. The dense woods made this very difficult. For a ways we followed a route that someone flagged with tape but either the friendly flagger ran out of tape or else we ventured off in a different direction because the markers also disappeared.
The relentless elevation gain and steep bushwhacking prompted many rest breaks and even though we closed to within 300 feet of what we hoped was the meadow, I was exhausted and had to sit down one more time. The last rest break made it especially hard to get moving again but we pushed up the last miserable stretch and soon topped out of the trees. We were thankful to see the amazing meadow below and a short quick descent put us into at 1:10. The backpack took 4 hours and 45 minutes- we were pleased with our timing considering all the breaks we took but much credit goes to the excellent directions by G & J Roach.
The large grassy meadow is nestled at the base of Pigeon Peak and provides a great view of the peak and most of the climbing route. It was exciting to be in such a remote area but I shuddered at the thought of of hiking out alone to get help if something happened. This place makes the Chicago Basin seem downright civilized. We set up the tents just before a thunderstorm blew through and afterwards hiked down the drainage to filter water. A second storm sent us back into our tents but it too passed quickly. We were so exhausted we turned in before dark.
Tuesday July 16, 2002
Tim and I are firm believers in getting up early for the hard peaks and today was no exception as we arose in the pitch black of the morning. The beautiful star-filled sky was clear when we left at 5:15 by flashlight and made our way across the meadow to the grassy slopes of Pigeon. Steep climbing greeted us again but at least our loads were lighter as we worked up the grass and rock. We kept to the left of a very steep couloir and followed the slope (uncairned) as it curved toward the north base of Pigeon's summit, all the while staying on solid rock and grassy sections between the ridges. As we neared the summit base we had to ascend some loose junk just below the ridge ahead. Then Tim and I split up, me going for the described blocky weakness while Tim started climbing to the right. We kept within shouting distance of each other as I found the class 4 chimney and climbed it. Tim said his climbing was no harder than class 3 but made his way over to me because the route was cairned above the chimney. The remaining class 3 scramble up ledges to the summit was a total blast and we triumphantly stepped on top at 7:35.
For all the effort and steep climbing, Pigeon was a wondrous summit to behold. Only six climbers had signed the register this year before us- one in May, and five in June. Tim counted approximately 75 register signers since July 2000, quite a contrast to Bierstadt which can easily see that many in one day! The morning was sunny and still clear, giving us plenty of time to relax before heading over to Turret. Tim dug out his cell phone and, remarkably, was able to call home.
This was a fun summit to sit on and point out the other peaks. The steep backside of Eolus was quite impressive from here as was Vestal, Arrow, and the Trinities- the thirteeners we would've been climbing if the train hadn't started running again.
We departed at 8:22 for Turret. On the descent we took Tim's class 3 route and then contoured under the west ridge to get over to the Pigeon-Turret saddle. There actually was a footpath under the ridge until we reached scree below the saddle. The crummy scree and further elevation gain slowed us considerably but we managed to drag our tired bodies to the saddle at 9:52 where we took a 15 minute break. We had excellent views of Pigeon on our way up to the saddle. Turret is only a class 2+ climb, yet it took nearly an hour to reach Turret's summit from the saddle because we stopped so much. Not only to catch our breath but to admire and photograph Pigeon. We finally made it to the top at 11:01, sufficiently whipped from the cumulative exertion of the last two days.
Turret's large summit isn't as neat as Pigeon's but the views are outstanding. Gerry Roach's photo ("Spirit of the San Juans") on page 193 of the thirteener book was taken from here. It's a wonderful vantage point and we enjoyed our stay on top for over an hour. We left at 12:06 feeling much stronger and made the saddle in only 27 minutes, then did a long enjoyable boot ski down the scree and pulled into camp at 12:55. We descended 2000 feet elevation in only 49 minutes!
Instead of staying in the meadow another night, we packed up and left because we didn't want to chance getting lost and missing the train in the morning. Twenty three minutes later our backpacks were loaded up but before leaving we took a break to filter water and rest a bit. At 1:55 we began the long, steep descent in a light rain and slowed down, for the ground was now wet and slippery. We were doing fine with the routefinding until we reached a totally unfamiliar area. Thinking we'd descended too early, we regained some elevation and thrashed through the trees and undergrowth only to find nothing resembling where we should be.
Tim remembered my setting a waypoint on my GPS yesterday and suggested checking it out. The GPS said we were about 120 feet away so we backtracked until getting close to it but we kept losing the bearing. It was above us somewhere but the problem in following the bearing was needing to walk for a long enough time to maintain the bearing, and on this ridiculously steep (and wet) terrain it was almost impossible. We settled for being close enough and started descending, and as the rain fell harder I was glad we left today. Because getting lost trying to find the route in the morning and hoping to catch the train on time... well, it wasn't a comforting thought.
Our pace was reduced to that of a snail's as the rain intensified but good fortune soon came in the form of a flag ahead. We were back on route! After reaching North Pigeon Creek we found some trees to take a dry break under, then continued down to the meadows and set up camp in the lower one. It was 4:39 PM with plenty of time to spare. I guess we would've made the train if we waited until morning but who knows, we also could've tramped around aimlessly for hours, which was entirely possible in these woods. Our total elevation gain on the day was over 3,600 feet but the total descent was huge- almost 7,200 feet. What a day!
Wednesday July 17, 2002
The backpack from the Campers Meadow to Needleton only took 10 minutes. We tried to flag down the first train but were told in advance they wouldn't stop. And they didn't. An hour later we were on our way to Silverton and Tim tried valiantly to get me to commit to another climb tomorrow but my body was too tired. I not only needed the remainder of today off but with Mt Wilson scheduled on Friday I wanted Thursday as a rest day also.
This was a tough backpack, harder than all the fourteener backpacks I've done. If Pigeon's summit was only 28 feet higher it would be a fourteener. Then it would draw more people! We didn't see anyone on the route nor did we smell any smoke from the Norwood fire. Pigeon will rank high on my list of difficult climbs.
Upper Camper's Meadow to high meadow- 4 hours 45 minutes
High meadow to Pigeon- 2 hours 20 minutes
Pigeon to Turret- 2 hours 39 minutes
Turret to high meadow- 49 minutes
High meadow to Camper's Meadow- 2 hours 44 minutes
Link to Steve Hoffmeyer's trip report on Pigeon Peak