PT. 13688 B
August 1, 2009
By Tim Briese
2.4 miles, 1600' elevation gain, 3:35 roundtrip time
This peak eluded us in 2007 when we tried to climb it in combination with Wood Mountain and Animas Forks Mountain. We backed off when we got into loose, dangerous couloirs along the peak=s south ridge. We were returning now to try a much easier approach from the north.
After dinner in Lake City we drove west on the Engineer Pass road and steadily climbed to about 11,100 feet until we found the turnoff for an old mine road that took us south up Schafer Gulch. We four-wheeled 2.1 miles up this old road into Hurricane Basin. Driving this road was a bit nerve-wracking because it was very narrow, steep, and exposed in some stretches, with a couple of washed out places that required extra caution. There were very few places wide enough to meet another vehicle, too, so it was a good thing we didn't meet anyone else. We stopped at 12,300 feet near an old mine building to camp for the night. The last rays of sun were shining on our peak which towered directly above to the southeast.
At 6:15 the next morning we left the truck and began the climb. Point 13,688 B was well guarded by cliffs and steep gullies so it was obvious that our route would entail climbing up the gentler slopes of nearby unranked Gravel Mountain (13,577') and then following a ridge south to the Point. As we began bushwhacking up the slopes to the east toward Gravel Mountain we spotted two animals in the distance which appeared to be coyotes, one of which was an unusual black color. We climbed on grass as high as we could and then climbed steep and somewhat stable talus to the summit of Gravel, where we arrived a little past 7:20. After a short break we headed south along the ridge toward the Point. We found a remarkably nice trail for such an obscure peak that took us neatly around some rocky steps and all the way to the top. I wondered if the trail had been built by miners or just how it came to be.
We reached the summit of the Point about 8 a.m. It was a clear, beautiful morning and the surrounding panorama was indeed a grand one. Wetterhorn and Coxcomb stood off to the north and Wood Mountain was a short distance away to the south. We could see and hear some climbers on the unnamed point across Hurricane Gulch to the west. The view down at my truck far below reminded me of looking down from an airplane. We sat on top for nearly an hour enjoying the sunny and calm morning while discussing our progress in climbing the Bicentennial peaks.
We left shortly before 9 and headed back down the ridge and continued over to Gravel Mountain. The descent down Gravel=s slopes was fast and easy, and we were back at the truck at 9:50, for a descent time of less than an hour from the summit of the Point. The climb could best be described as short, sweet, and steep. We took a few photos of the nearby mine building before loading up for departure. While we were putting our gear in the back of the truck I heard the chirp of a marmot that seemed so close by that it startled me, but I did not see the animal.
We drove back to Lake City and had lunch together before I headed for home. The next day I was even more startled to hear the same marmot chirp while my truck was parked in my garage! The stowaway had ridden about 250 miles clinging somewhere on the underside of my truck! It spent a couple of days in my garage, under the lawnmower and under the car while eluding capture, and eventually escaped to some new lower-elevation home.
