ANDERSON PEAK
(13,631')July 30, 2008
By Tim Briese
9 miles, 3800' elevation gain, 6:35 roundtrip time
Anderson Peak (also known as Pt. 13,631A) is a remote summit in the western part of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. A long drive is required to get there from my home so I left at 3:15 a.m. for this climb. I find such early morning drives quite enjoyable, actually. I drove over Cottonwood Pass just as the sun came up and cast its early rays upon the surrounding panoramic landscape, which was quite a beautiful sight. The thermometer on my truck registered 24 degrees as I drove through Taylor Park, which seemed remarkably low for July, I thought. I noticed in the newspaper the next day that the official national lowest temperature that morning was 32 degrees in Leadville. I drove north on the excellent Taylor River road several miles to the Tellurium Creek road, where I turned right and followed this road one quarter mile north past numerous slumbering campers and then parked. I could have four-wheeled further up this rough road but chose to walk it instead.
At 7 a.m. I began walking up the rough rocky road in the chilly morning air. Accompanying me were my dog Allie and my daughter=s dog Maggie. After about a mile I reached a junction and turned right and walked around a locked metal gate that barred vehicle access into the wilderness area that lay beyond. I followed this more faint road around the north end of a swampy area and then upwards through the woods as it relentlessly climbed to the old Enterprise Mine, at 11,700 feet. The road continued upward through the tundra to another old mine at 12,500 feet and finally died out at about 12,700 feet. It was nice to have the road to hike on up to such a high elevation, an unusual luxury for such a remote peak
From the end of the road I angled up to the northeast on somewhat unstable talus and climbed 600 feet to a saddle. There were some faint trails in places on this slope but none that were particularly helpful. From the saddle I hiked north up the rocky ridge a quarter of a mile to the summit. A little exposure added a bit of excitement to the finish. I stepped on top at 10:45 and proceeded to spend a delightful 40 minutes enjoying this new vantage point. Grizzly Peak lay across the valley to the northeast, and the Elk Range punctuated the horizon to the northwest. The Ruby Lakes sparkled in the valley directly below, while the Taylor River valley stretched away to the south. It was interesting to visit for the first time this remote area on the western edge of the Sawatch Range, for it offered views of familiar peaks from a completely new perspective. That is part of the fun of climbing new mountains for me.
This peak sees very few visitors, for I was only the second to sign the register this year, the first being my friend Brian just two weeks before! Only three had signed in during all of 2007. I left the summit at 11:25 and began my descent. I carefully scooted back down the talus slope to the comfort of the road. While hiking down the road through the tundra my eye was drawn to colorful wildflowers along the way, many growing in austere conditions amid gravel and rocks. I made good time hiking back down the road and returned to my truck at 1:35, for a descent time of just over two hours. I enjoyed the pleasant drive back through scenic Taylor Park and over Cottonwood Pass, and arrived home in time for dinner at 6 p.m.
