CATHEDRAL PEAK
13,943 ft.
October 1, 2001
By Tim Briese
I drove over Independence Pass on the last evening of September and arrived in Aspen at dusk. I was supposed to meet my friend Brian at the Snowflake Inn, but a message from him at the front desk informed me that he had run into climbing difficulties on the north face of Mt. Lincoln that afternoon and would be late. I proceeded to check in at this nice establishment and then strolled through the nearby streets of downtown Aspen. I had never stayed overnight in Aspen before, considering it too pricey for my tastes, but Brian had arranged for an incredible off-season lodging rate. I noticed in a brochure in the motel room that a winter night’s stay during ski season cost nearly as much as many people spend on a month’s rent! That evening while I was enjoying a delicious Mexican dinner on the patio of La Cantina on main street, I overheard a waitress nearby tell someone that she frequently saw Goldie Hawn and Sally Field there. It was wonderful to be in this beautiful town on this warm evening, as a full moon glowed in the eastern sky and the pleasant smells of Autumn wafted through the air.
It was good to see Brian when he arrived about 9:30. We sat around and talked and looked at each other’s climbing photos until midnight. At 5:45 we rose and drove up the Castle Creek Road to the Cathedral Lake Trailhead. We hit the trail at 6:45 in the frosty air and briskly tramped up the fine trail. The yellow leaves had already fallen off most of the aspens in the vast stands covering the hillsides, but there was plenty of other grand scenery to delight the eye. It is always a treat to hike or climb in the Elk Range. A creek thundered through a gorge below to our left as we switchbacked up slopes toward the heights above.
At about 11,700 feet the trail leveled off somewhat when we reached a broad, scenic basin that holds Cathedral Lake. Here we were treated to our first view of Cathedral Peak off to the west in the early morning light. At 8:15 we reached the lake, a watery emerald green gem lying in a bowl below a backdrop of rugged peaks. Its glassy mirror-like surface beckoned to us to stop and take some photos, and we gladly obliged.
From the lake we looked to the northwest at Cathedral Peak and previewed our route. The majestic mountain was well guarded by high cliffs and ferocious towers, with the only apparent route going up a narrow gully to the south ridge. The slope of this gully appeared ominously steep from our vantage point. One can tell from Roach’s guidebook that Cathedral is a rugged mountain to climb, for it is one of the few peaks for which he describes only a single route!
We worked our way around to the northwest side of the lake and hiked steeply up a grassy slope above the rocky shore. We soon found a climber’s trail marked with cairns that took us upward through rough talus into the basin above. We had to watch closely for the cairns in some places in order to stay on the trail, but we were glad to be on it, because a bushwhack up through this rocky terrain, while feasible, would certainly have been much more tedious and time consuming.
The steep gully, which lay to the right of two massive towers on Cathedral’s south ridge, loomed nearer as we approached the west end of the basin. It reminded me of the couloir below Broken Hand Pass on the South Colony approach to the Crestone Needle, except that this looked longer and steeper. We began to ascend a steep slope of loose dirt and scree that was fanned out below the gully and found the going rather slow on such poor footing. After some time we reached the base of the 500 foot long gully and proceeded to climb it. The gully was perhaps ten to fifteen feet wide, with an angle so steep and footing so loose that one could barely stand up. We found it easiest to climb along one edge or the other, grasping rock outcroppings along its walls with our hands to pull ourselves along. This would be a very dangerous place to be with anyone above, we noted, as we inadvertently knocked numerous rocks loose that rocketed down the length of the gully. As a safety precaution we took turns climbing, with one of us waiting safely off to the side while the other advanced. I suspect that the gully holds snow during much of the year, which would cast a whole different light on the climb.
At 10:30 we reached the notch at the top of the gully, at 13,060 feet, and were greeted by a fine view of the Conundrum Creek Valley below on the other side and the Maroon Bells beyond in the distance. From the notch we headed to the right up the south ridge on a rough route that was lightly marked with cairns. A couple of times we stopped and backtracked a bit where the route was indistinct, but generally we did not have too much trouble finding the way. This part of the ascent reminded me of the upper portion of South Maroon Peak, except that this route was not as long and perhaps not quite as steep. We were challenged by small, loose rocks lying everywhere, which is typical of the high peaks in the southern Elk Range.
At 11:05 we scrambled up over the last of the loose rocks and stepped atop the grand summit. We were treated to fine views all around. Castle Peak looked especially magnificent off to the south, with its north face dusted with snow. Cathedral Lake far below still reminded me of a gem, as it had when we stood on its shore. I strolled along the summit ridge to its northern point and admired the rough towers of Cathedral’s north ridge below. A few snowflakes fell on us as a shower passed by to the southwest in an otherwise partly cloudy sky. It was a relatively pleasant 43 degrees on top, somewhat warmer than one might expect on a high summit in October.
At 11:30 we left the top and began our descent. We quickly hiked down the north ridge and soon arrived back at the notch. The gully was easier to descend than we expected, as we simply slid down on the loose material diagonally from side to side in the gully, much like skiing. Again, we took turns to avoid rolling loose rocks on the one below. At the lower end of the gully we found it quite enjoyable to simply slide straight down on the steep, loose scree back into the basin below.
When we neared the lake we found a nice grassy bench a hundred feet or so above the water and sat down for a while to relax in the warm sun and exult in the glow of what we had done. It was certainly a beautiful day to be in this grand place. Presently we headed down the trail and arrived at our cars at 2:45. After exchanging goodbyes I embarked on a long and roundabout drive home through Glenwood Springs, since the shorter route over Independence Pass closed that day for the season, and arrived home about 8 p.m.
We covered about eight and one half miles and climbed 4100 feet of elevation gain on this rewarding climb of another magnificent Elk Range Peak.
