MT. SNEFFELS
14,150 ft.
August 13, 1999
By Tim Briese
In early August our family went on a weekend getaway to the San Juans, and while we were there I hoped to climb Mt. Sneffels and Wilson Peak. As we drove into Ridgway on Thursday evening just before sunset, we admired the jagged summits of the San Juans off to the south, which stood out in bold contrast to the tame, rounded summits of the mountains we are familiar with along the Front Range. Mt. Sneffels was especially impressive, towering above the rest. It is one of Colorado’s most beautiful peaks from that vantage point on its north side.
While the rest of the family slept I rose early the next morning and left our motel in the first light of dawn to climb Sneffels. I drove through Ouray and headed up the friendly four wheel drive road into Yankee Boy Basin. It was a clear, beautiful morning without a cloud in the sky. I admired the tall, rugged peaks that towered around me as I slowly proceeded up the road. Our two labs, Sadie and Allie, were with me, and were eagerly looking out the windows. Allie was going to accompany me on the climb, but Sadie was too old for adventures like this, and would have to wait in the 4-Runner. I selected a grove of trees at timberline to park under, so that Sadie would remain cool in the shade while I was gone, and struck off up the rough road on foot at about 7 a.m.
Soon I left the old mine road and continued on the nice Blue Lakes trail through the tundra toward the basin below Sneffels. The sun had just come up over the ridge to the east and was shining on a beautiful carpet of flowers surrounding me. I feasted my eyes on the grand, rugged ridge across the basin to the south. I remembered a jigsaw puzzle at home that features a photo of that very ridge.
When I neared Sneffels I left the Blue Lakes trail and took the fork to the right and headed up the wide scree slope toward the Lavender Col. I was very familiar with the route to this point, for my daughter Emily and I had attempted Sneffels in October of the year before but encountered ferocious winds and turned back here. It was an aerobic workout hiking up that slope on the talus and scree, but enthusiasm buoyed me on and soon I was standing on the saddle above and paused to admire the dramatic view in all directions. From the saddle I scrambled up the steep couloir to the northwest. It looked very steep and imposing from below but was not as hard as it looked. There were a few patches of snow remaining in it that I was easily able to bypass. Near the top of the couloir I found the prescribed exit notch to the left, made the fun scramble through it, and hiked the final 200 feet through the rocks to the spectacular summit.
The summit was an incredible vantage point on that beautiful morning. I could see 50 to 100 miles in every direction under the cloudless, deep blue sky. To the south lay the expanse of the rugged San Juans, from Uncompahgre to the Needle Mountains. To the southwest was Dallas Peak, the Wilson Group, and the Telluride ski area. Far off to the northwest were the La Sal Mountains in Utah. Directly below Sneffels’ north face, about 2000 feet below, was a huge rock glacier that I studied for a while. Far below in the Blue Lakes basin to the west I heard some coyotes howling, which added an audible touch to the wildness of the San Juans.
There was one other climber on top, a young man from Indiana who had a tripod and camera set up, who was busy taking numerous photos. He told me he had been in the area over a week, and this was the first day of good weather he had seen. Conditions were perfect for photography or for just sitting about admiring the grandeur of creation. It was clear and calm, with the golden mid-morning sunshine illuminating the landscape. I arrived on the summit about 9 a.m., and spent 45 minutes enjoying that wonderful place before I began my descent.
The descent went smoothly, as I lightheartedly hiked along. I met about 20 other hikers who were on their way up, and as I came down the scree slope I warily watched for rocks they might knock loose above me. On the old mine road below I met a couple of tour jeeps taking tourists out for a ride to observe the scenery in the basin. I felt fortunate to be able to do the climb I had just done, for I saw immeasurably more grandeur than I could have from the back of a jeep.
It took me an hour and a half to descend from the summit back to where I had parked. Sadie was cool and comfortable, and glad to see me. As I took my pack off I gazed about at the beauty in the basin once again, and resolved that I would like to return here again sometime. I headed back down the road and arrived at the motel shortly after noon. It seemed like it had been a rather easy climb for such a rugged and majestic peak.
