Met Danielle at the Morrison Park n Ride and soon found ourselves jostling up a dirt road up away from Vail. At the Piney River Ranch we arrived shortly before a group of climbers with intentions of getting up Peak C. These guys packed everything including the kitchen sink. One guy had ice screws on him. ICE SCREWS?! It's friggin July in Colorado!
Passing Piney Lake
You can see where we camped in this photo
The trail passed the ranch and its affluent guests and made it's way up a wide flat river valley that was very reminiscent to those I've seen in Alaska. We passed through grassland and then into lush green meadows speckled with aspens.
Further up, we left the main trail as it crossed the Piney River and made our way upstream on a side trail. Somewhere along the way we missed a turnoff to get up and over to the Enchanted Basin. I blame myself. I was rather cavalier with checking with the route and when to turn here or there.
The trip originally was going to be me going solo and camping up high and then taking the couloir up to the ridge line and climbing Peak C. If energy and time allowed, I was going to check out the ridge traverse to C Prime or drop down to Kneeknocker Pass and run up Mount Powell.
Jessica got onboard with the trip and her friend Danielle also was eager to get some mountain air. So when that happened the trip went from goal-oriented to "Let's just go someplace pretty and have a good time". And I probably had a better time because of it with good company to spend this gorgeous place with.
When we reached a stream which spilled over a thousand feet above from a magnificant waterfall, I knew we went too far. I switched into trailblazing mode and took us upwards by the best possible route I could scout out. We started on some wonderful granite ramps and sidewalks.
I scouted ahead and had way too much fun on the ramps and headwalls. I forgot sometimes that I was scouting out an "easy" way up, instead settling for some Class 4 and 5 slabs on fantastic granite. There were many lines I spied which made me yearn for my rope, rack and harness. I finally saw a traverse back west could get us to a talus field which bypassed anymore headwalls or horrendous brush.
Finally when I sensed the energy of the party was ebbing, I spotted an area in the basin which showed promise. I was right for a change and a great vantage point in a meadow became camp.
The views couldn't be beat. We could see from where we started from past the lake and further up the Piney River basin.
I had aspirations of getting high on something. But after setting up camp, taking a break and then filtering water, I waited too long. I bonked from dehydration and altitude and from not keep going.
This had caught my eye. It is one of the "Cataract Points", referred to by Theron Welch on his wonderful website. Some steep talus hopping followed by what looked like 4th class to low 5th class slab-city. Oh man!
I made it across the basin and started ascending before coming to the conclusion I didn't have it in me. I was sedentary for far too long. Plus I noticed on my "Don't try this at home" scrambling/climbing that my hiking boots are getting rather floppy. Time to retire them after this summer. But I'm sure I'll be back here very soon.
Some flower and scenic picture porn
This rock was really, really comfortable.
ARTIST OF POST - Coldplay. This song helped fuel a new chapter of a story I'm writing.
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