Wetterhorn Peak (14,015) by Brian Schultz Wednesday August 1, 2001
Of all the fourteeners with exposure, Wetterhorn ranks near the top of my list for "scary" and I was curious to see if it would bother me the second time around. Jason hadn't done Wetterhorn yet and Tim was eager for a repeat even after climbing it just last year. Our group of five split up today- Art and Mark were determined to hike but did NOT want to tackle any exposure so they got up early to do Redcloud while Tim, Jason and I drove to the Matterhorn Creek trailhead.
We started at 6:25 under clear skies and despite Jason's knee problems from San Luis yesterday we moved fairly quickly to reach treeline. In the open area above treeline Tim led us on a trampled path through the grass, a trail he took last year and worth finding because it avoids hiking well around into the basin. Currently marked with pebbles that form a small arrow (pointing left) in the dirt of the main trail, the path descends at first, then rises to handily skirt some cliffs before gaining the southeast ridge. Impressive scenery abounds.
We gained the ridge at 8:15 and took a lengthy break. Four years ago I headed up in poor weather and ducked out as a storm blew through but today looked great for climbing. Though the sky was becoming overcast, no threat was in sight as we began the 3rd class scrambling- numerous cairns marked high and low routes but routefinding for us was simply picking a path that avoided losing elevation. Passing two people and then being passed ourselves by a speedy young couple, we soon reached the Ships Prow and climbed through the notch. We paused briefly to survey the ledges before continuing but calming the nerves wasn't necessary this time as I inched over to the first ledge and started up.
The ledges proved to be fun climbing and the exposure didn't bother me. I followed the ledges to the left when they became steeper while Tim and Jason went straight up. It didn't take long to reach the summit and at 9:15 the three of us joined the young speedsters on top. They told us they were practicing for the Pikes Peak Marathon, and departed after a snack break- we stood on the summit edge and watched with interest as they climbed the Ships Prow below. Wetterhorn's large summit, which I hadn't paid attention to last time because of poor weather and my immediate retreat, was so much fun that we stayed nearly an hour. The nearby fourteeners were easy to pick out and Tim identified lots of San Juan peaks on the horizon. And somebody with time and talent had built two clever rock works of art near the register - one a freestanding arch and the other a small figure.
Other climbers made their way up, including a group of five from Oklahoma doing their first fourteener. One of them simply sat down without saying a word and never moved from his spot. When I asked him if he was okay he didn't answer at first but finally admitted he was scared to death. I felt sorry for him- his group unwittingly chose the hardest fourteener of the five in the area.
We left at 10:05 but this time the exposure on the ledges made me a little uneasy- I found myself gripping the holds a little tighter and carefully watching each step because of the obvious consequence of falling. Safely back at the notch, we sized up the Ships Prow and agreed it had to be done too- we scrambled to its tiny top just in time to see the Oklahomans descending the ledges across the way. The short climb up was relatively easy and once back on the ridge we pondered making a run for Uncompahgre, knowing it would be a long shot due to the distance and late hour. Optimists that we are, we went for it and cut across the basin under Matterhorn, regained the main trail, and trudged up to the pass where Uncompahgre comes into view.
Hundreds of sheep were grazing in the area and bleating at us as we walked by. Two friendly sheep dogs appeared to be keeping them in check and guarding them all was a Mexican sheepherder toting a rifle on his shoulder, but once we reached the pass we gave up. Stormy weather was moving in and too many miles remained so we called it a day and took a break before heading back down the trail. Other than a few raindrops the rest of the hike was uneventful and we reached the truck at 1:20.
Art and Mark successfully climbed Redcloud but turned back from Sunshine because of the same bad weather. We shared our respective climbs over dinner at the Blue Iguana in Lake City.
For me, Wetterhorn was so enjoyable it's fast becoming one of my favorite fourteeners but the exposure ranking will remain.
Trailhead to summit- 2 hours 50 minutes
Total hiking time- 6 hours 55 minutes (including all breaks and side trips)