ICE MOUNTAIN
(13,951 ft.)NORTH APOSTLE
(13,860 ft.)August 23, 2003
By Tim Briese
I was uneasy about this one. Ice Mountain is steep, loose, and dangerous, and is said to be the most difficult high peak to climb in the Sawatch Range, a reputation we found to be well-deserved. The weather was marginal, too, for a big rain fell the night before and more was forecast for the day of our climb.
Brian and I rose early and left Buena Vista in the dark at 4:30 a.m. I was quite tired from our long climb of Culebra and Red the day before. We four-wheeled two miles up the South Fork Lake Creek Road and parked at the 10,600 foot South Winfield Trailhead. There were a handful of other climbers there also preparing to embark. They were most likely bound for popular Huron Peak, which shares the same trailhead.
At 5:50 we struck off up the valley on the Lake Ann Trail in the faint early morning light. The trail was muddy in many places from the rain the night before but so far the sky was mostly clear except for a few wispy clouds around the summits. A heavy dampness in the air foretold of more convective buildup and rain later.
After clipping up the trail about 1.2 miles we reached a trail junction with a sign that said “Apostle Basin” to the left and “Lake Ann” to the right. This is a confusing place, because Roach’s directions as well as the Trails Illustrated map for the area incorrectly show an additional “Three Apostles Trail” to our desired destination leaving the Lake Ann Trail on the other side of a stream a short distance beyond where we stood. This junction does not seem to exist where it is indicated. Complicating matters is the fact that four drainages all converge in this vicinity, so the terrain is also a bit confusing. Brian and I were here in late September the year before on an attempt of Ice that was thwarted by snow, and we grappled with this puzzle then and knew exactly what to do now. From the “Apostle Basin/Lake Ann” junction, we took the left fork and followed the fine trail about 150 yards until we came to a small cairn that marked a faint trail that headed to the right off into the woods. We left the main trail here and followed the sketchy trail as it took us across a stream and then up a steep slope onto a shelf above the west side of a creek. The trail became more defined here, and we briskly followed it for nearly a mile up to a basin at 11,300 feet directly below the Apostles. We reached the basin at 7:00, and took a break here to rest and enjoy the magnificent but ominous view of the peaks that towered above.
Our next goal was to climb to the North Apostle/Ice saddle, which was less than a mile away but a steep 2100 feet above. We followed a faint trail through bushes and across grass to the upper end of the basin, to the point at which we were turned back last year by a foot of fresh snow. From the basin we worked our way up a steep rock and grass covered slope to climb around the left side of a cliff band, and reached a small upper basin that held a little lake at 12,100 feet. The saddle was still a considerable distance above. We paused a moment to enjoy a fine view of Huron and La Plata off to the north, as well as West Apostle gleaming in the early morning sunlight to the west. We found a faint climber’s trail in some places and a few cairns, but were mostly on our own finding our way. We climbed steeply up the slopes above, staying generally near the left wall of the vast gorge that lies between North Apostle and Ice. This was an awesome and forbidding place, with rugged cliffs dripping with water, rough talus, and some huge blocks bigger than any SUV on the market. A massive rock glacier was spewed roughshod out of the gorge onto the floor of the valley far below. We headed for a notch high above while staying on talus nearly all the way, avoiding loose scree slopes we saw to the right. Finally we reached the notch and climbed up through it, and from there climbed the final 400 feet up on rocky blocks to the long-awaited saddle. We reached the saddle at 9:25, for a two hour ascent from the basin. This didn’t seem too bad for the 2100 foot ascent, considering that the last 1000 feet of it or more was mostly on rough talus blocks. This approach climb was rougher than any other I could recall on a Sawatch peak!
We took a twenty minute break at the saddle and studied the rough and intimidating ridge up to the summit of Ice. Fog was drifting silently along the left side of the ridge while a clear blue sky held forth to the right. Our original plan was to scamper up the easy slopes from the saddle to North Apostle first and then climb Ice, but we decided instead to go after Ice first while the weather was still favorable. If we got weathered out later we would each be comfortable coming back to climb North Apostle alone, if need be, but not Ice!
The summit of Ice was only 400 yards away, but there was a lot of steep, rough rock that barred the way. We found a fairly well-cairned route on the steep Class 3 ridge, which was helpful. I found the scramble to be quite fun initially, but there was loose rock everywhere so we had to be careful. I stopped a moment to enjoy the view of North Apostle back to the northeast. We went down across a little notch before climbing steeply up to 13,800 feet. Then we came to the hideously steep crux gully that Ice is infamous for. We stayed to the right side of the gully and found nice holds and steps to aid our progress, but a ledge we went up was very narrow and there was no room for error. Some of the rocks were loose, too, so extreme caution was needed. I would advise anyone attempting this route to check the holds carefully and to wear a helmet. The final 50 feet was rather harrowing and potentially dangerous, and could be a nightmare if wet or icy. It reminded me of the crux moves on Wilson Peak and Mt. Wilson, but they seemed comparatively easy now!
After reaching the top of the gully we made an easy 100 foot romp on up to the airy summit. We arrived there at 10:35, for a 50 minute climb from the saddle. Presently we were joined by four climbers who came up a technical route from the west on a CMC-sponsored climb. I noticed in the register that about 50 people had been on the summit so far this year. The summit was quite a spectacular place to be, with fine views of North Apostle as well as the rugged terrain across to West Apostle. Low clouds hindered the views to the south and east. All the while we were on top I felt uneasy about our descent, which limited my enjoyment of the summit experience somewhat.
After twenty minutes on top we began our descent. I went down the gully first, using extreme care to insure that the holds I grasped were secure. I often go down steep faces crab-style, with my back to the rocks so that I can see better where I’m going, but face-down worked better for me here. About halfway down I turned and waited for Brian to come down. He was somewhat distraught from the exposure on this unnerving descent, so I pointed out some footholds to assist him. Then while he waited I went down the rest of the way, and he followed. It was quite a relief to finish the downclimb and leave the gully. The difficulty and danger was comparable to almost anything I’d seen on a 14er! We returned to the saddle at 11:45, for a 50 minute descent from the summit.
Clouds were building but were not immediately threatening yet. After a five minute break we headed up the slope to the summit of North Apostle. The 400 foot climb took only seventeen minutes. It was great to be there, and we sat and relaxed while gazing across at Ice, feeling glad that it was behind us! We could see climbers on the summit of Huron about two miles away, and even heard their voices faintly. When Brian opened the register canister we found that the register had been burned, probably from lightning. I’m glad we weren’t there when that happened! The day’s first rumble of thunder soon resonated in the distance, inducing us to move on after a leisurely half hour on the summit. We quickly scooted down to the saddle, then back down to the notch below. We looked for scree to slide down on now, avoiding the talus where we could, and stayed more in the center of the drainage. We met two couples working their way up the steep slope. It seemed to us that they had made a very late start if they were bound for one of the summits, given the black clouds that were building all around!
We went down steep grass and scree covered slopes almost all the way to the small lake in the upper basin as thunder rumbled nearby. It seemed wise to hustle and get off the steep terrain while it was still dry if we could. We traversed along grassy ramps above the east end of the lake and then headed down the steep slopes around the cliff band toward the valley below, finding ourselves off-route for a few minutes due to a dearth of cairns. Rain began to fall just after we reached the easy grades in the lower basin about 2:30. We had originally considered a longer loop hike from Ice around to West Apostle, but we were glad now that we had foregone that option, for we would still be up there somewhere now, trying to find our way on a rough and unfamiliar route in the rain!
We continued down the trail and returned to the trailhead at 3:50, completing the rugged climb in about ten hours. We covered about eight and a half miles and climbed 3800 feet of elevation gain, but it seemed like more.
Ice Mountain is a rough and difficult peak, beautiful in its rugged ferocity. I am grateful that Brian was with me on this climb, for it is one that I would not care to do alone. I’m glad it is behind me, too, and I look forward to admiring it from afar in the future and recalling this memorable climb. It is a peak that I may well climb only once.
