Precipice Peak (13,144) & Courthouse Mountain (12,152) by Brian Schultz Saturday July 27, 2013
Precipice Peak (13,144):
Roundtrip mileage: 3.6 miles from West Fork Cimarron trailhead (4x4 road)
Elevation gain: ~2,400'
Start to finish: 5 hours 10 minutes
Participants: Terri Horvath, Tim Briese, Brian Schultz
The schedules finally matched up to get in a long awaited climb with Terri. She would make the long drive after work on Friday and camp near the West Fork Cimarron trailhead (the same trailhead for Coxcomb Peak) while Tim and I would make the short drive over Owl Creek Pass from Ridgway. We met Terri at the trailhead around 6:00 AM and she was getting ready as we pulled in. After chatting for a few minutes we headed straight east from the parking area at 6:15 under clear and sunny skies. The weather forecast called for 70% chance of showers/storms so our focus was on Precipice but Terri and I also wanted to climb nearby "Fortress Peak" if the storms held off. Tim would take a pass on Fortress because he didn't want to subject his ailing knees to the steepness of that peak or the rigors of what the routefinding might entail.
Tim and I were initially concerned our pace would be too slow for Terri but she assured us it wouldn't be an issue. As a flatlander, I'm always reluctant to climb with Colorado natives for that reason but Terri was right. We ended up with a very compatible pace and enjoyed nonstop conversation right from the start.
Our aim was the drainage leading to the saddle on the south ridge of Precipice Peak. All three of us had detailed trip reports on the peak and Tim's report also had great photos of the drainage and the recommended area to exit from it.
We stayed in the drainage for a while before exiting into the trees on the left side. We followed a faint trail up steep terrain through the trees to a drainage that split higher, and stayed on the left side of the drainage before crossing over to a rocky rib between the two drainages. We remained on the steep rib, which eventually led to grassy slopes below the saddle. At the saddle we continued on the ridge to a notch between two towers that looked impassible from further down the ridge, but we knew from the trip reports the route went that way and it was fun scrambling to get through it.
We dropped slightly onto solid rock for a short distance before climbing up to the summit ridge. We followed the very fun ridge to the summit and arrived on top at 8:45. We stayed on top for 45 minutes enjoying the spectacular views and pointing out all the peaks we've climbed in the area before departing. Our routefinding through the trees on the descent wasn't quite as efficient as our ascent but it worked out okay. We made it back to the drainage, slowing down considerably on its steep terrain, and arrived back at the trailhead at 11:25. Within moments Terri departed for “Fortress Peak”.
I opted not to join Terri. I didn't want Tim to wait for what could be a long time and I also had misgivings about whether there'd be enough time with the routefinding to make the summit before the predicted storms came in. Tim and I sat in my truck drinking a soda and debating what to do next. Fifteen minutes later Tim asked if I was interested in climbing Courthouse Mountain. We knew there was a good trail on that peak and Tim was willing to put his knees through the paces on it vs. the routefinding on Fortress. Despite the building cloud activity, we drove the short distance to West Cimarron road and parked across the road from the Courthouse trailhead.
Courthouse Mountain (12,152):
Roundtrip mileage: 3.6 miles from trailhead on West Cimarron road
Elevation gain: 1,800'
Start to finish: 2 hours 50 minutes
Participants: Tim Briese & Brian Schultz
We started at 12:10 PM on the excellent trail under increasingly dark skies. We kept up a good pace, taking a right turn at a trail junction where a sign said one mile to the summit, and forged ahead when thunder started rumbling after 1:00. The trail was spotty in the talus just below the summit but the route was well cairned and we summited at 1:40.
There are two other summit points, only steps away, so we continued on to them. Tim stopped at the first one. I scrambled over to the second point which required a class 3 downclimb into a tiny notch, and quickly hurried back. At 1:45, I headed down, Tim had already begun his descent, and I caught up to him shortly. A storm was now moving south of us toward Coxcomb Peak and a lightning bolt lit up the sky just before we reached the safety of the trees. Fortunately, that was it for the lightning but showers accompanied us off and on as we headed down the trail. Two couples passed by us, voicing their intentions to continue to the summit despite the conditions, and we pulled into the trailhead at 3:00. Terri notified me later that she turned around on "Fortress" when the storm came in, unwilling to take a chance with 600 feet still remaining to the top.
