GRIZZLY PEAK
(13,995 ft.)GARFIELD PEAK
(13,780 ft.)August 14, 2003
By Tim Briese
I was haunted by unpleasant memories of my attempt to climb Grizzly two years before, on September 11, 2001. I was turned back that day by a report from a man I met on the trail that I might encounter a mother bear with two cubs ahead, presenting a danger to my dogs that I wasn’t willing to risk. Later that day I learned that the World Trade Center disaster had occurred that morning. I hoped for better things today.
I left home at 4 a.m. and drove into the mountains on a beautiful moonlit morning. I admired the moonlight shining on the slopes of Pikes Peak as I drove by on Highway 24. I sought rejuvenation in the mountains today, for a hectic work schedule in recent weeks had burned me out mentally. The sun was just beginning to hit the high slopes of Mt. Elbert and Mt. Hope as I drove past Twin Lakes on this cheerful summer morning. I turned off the highway and headed up the South Fork Lake Creek Road, pausing a moment to read a sign that warned against drinking any water in the valley, even if boiled or filtered, because of arsenic and heavy metals that it contained. I four-wheeled the final mile up the road into McNasser Gulch, and arrived at the 11,360 foot trailhead about 7 a.m.
At 7:15 I headed up the trail under a clear, deep blue sky. My two labs, Allie and Jorie, eagerly ran all about. I soon hiked out of the trees at timberline and continued up into McNasser Gulch on an old mining road. The road came to an end when I reached an old mine at 12,000 feet, and from there I bushwhacked west on a gentle ascending traverse on slopes on the north side of the valley. A herd of elk grazed in a meadow below several hundred yards to the south. Grizzly Peak, which is rather rugged by Sawatch standards, towered ominously above at the head of the valley. After hiking a half mile from the end of the road, just before I reached Grizzly’s rugged east face, I turned to the right at about 12,600 feet and headed up a steep talus slope toward the ridge above. The slope was steep and loose, but it turned out that it looked tougher than it actually was. I found generally reasonable footing on rocks and patches of grass, avoiding loose scree as much as I could. There was a faint trail in places. Garfield Peak was quite an impressive sight across the valley to the south. After a 700 foot grind up the slope I reached a saddle on Grizzly’s east ridge at 13,300 feet and took a well-deserved break. I was treated to a fine view here of Grizzly Lake in the valley below to the north.
From the saddle I headed west along Grizzly’s rough east ridge, which was punctuated with rugged towers and outcroppings. At first I attempted to climb along the crest of the ridge but soon decided it would be much easier to drop down on the south side of the ridge a hundred feet or so and then ascend a loose slope back to the crest up higher, thus circumventing most of the ridge’s difficulties. At 13,900 feet the east ridge intersected Grizzly’s north ridge, and I turned to the south and scampered 300 yards along the ridge on an easy Class 2 trail to the summit.
I reached the fine summit at 10 a.m. I was surprised that the ascent took only two hours and forty-five minutes. The summit was rather small and rocky compared to other Sawatch peaks I had stood on, and it served as a wonderful vantage point to admire the grand scenery that surrounded me. La Plata was particularly impressive off to the east, while Massive and Elbert lay on the horizon to the northeast. The Sawatch stretched away to the north and south, while the jagged Elks pierced the sky to the west. It was sunny, calm, and 60 degrees, a perfect day to be on a mountain. The register revealed that Grizzly is a lightly climbed peak, as are most of the Centennial 13ers. One climber had been up the day before, and only about forty had visited all year.
I left the top at 10:30 and headed down the south ridge toward Garfield. It was an easy descent to a saddle below at 13,500 feet, from which I skirted around Point 13,620 and continued to a lower saddle at 13,420 feet. From there I followed a climber’s trail up to the summit of Garfield, where I arrived at 11:25.
On the summit of Garfield I gazed about at the magnificent vistas that it afforded, thoroughly enjoying the 360 degree panorama that surrounded me. I identified numerous features shown on a map I had along. Point 13,740 on the ridge to the northeast was quite impressive. Grizzly was not so ominous-looking from this side. As I gazed about I thought about what a wonderful gift the human eye is, that enabled me to look about at such a grand palette of color and texture everywhere I turned. We take so much for granted!
At 11:45 I left the top and headed toward the saddle to the northeast between Garfield and Point 13,740. It was a little tricky getting off the summit, for I found the terrain too rough for my liking along the crest of the ridge and on its south side, with cliffs and dropoffs below. Although I might have found a way to safely downclimb it myself, I deemed it too dangerous for my dogs. I found it necessary to climb back up a hundred feet almost to the summit and try the north side of the ridge, where I found more reasonable terrain. I scooted down on steep talus and presently reached the saddle. From the saddle I rapidly slid back down into the upper end of McNasser Gulch on a steep scree slope. I was glad I had done this loop hike in the direction that I did, for this slope would be tough to ascend. Allie ran quickly down on the scree but Jorie was obviously uncomfortable with her feet sliding down on all those small noisy rocks! The dogs frolicked in a patch of snow that lay along the way, and when we reached a small lake at the bottom they took a quick dip in its icy waters.
I continued down the pleasant valley that lay below, bushwhacking across gentle grassy slopes and picking my way around minor rock outcroppings, and soon rejoined the route I had taken up in the morning. It was a clear and beautiful afternoon, and I immensely enjoyed the golden afternoon sunshine that glistened on the flowers in the valley and on the summits above. I paused to admire Grizzly behind me, laying picturesquely beyond a flowery meadow. I saw more elk on grassy slopes high above, and observed a deer standing at the edge of some trees motionlessly watching the dogs and me pass by, only 100 feet away. I returned to my truck at 1:30, completing the seven mile hike in a little over six hours. I did not see another soul on this hike all day.
It was a wonderful climb on a beautiful day. The bad memories from my last visit here were replaced by cheerful and pleasant ones. When I got home, however, I learned that New York City, which lost the Trade Center last time, lost its electricity today in a massive blackout that hit the Northeast. If I visit Grizzly again, perhaps I’d better give the New Yorkers notice so that they can brace themselves in case of another remarkable coincidence!
