MOUNT SHAVANO 7/31/84
MOUNT SHAVANO 14,229'
Mountain........Mount Shavano
Elevation.........14,229
Rank...............17th
Range..............Sawatch
Trail length......1 mile from Tabeguache; 4 miles back
Elevation gain..500' from Tabeguache; 400' on return
Difficulty..........** (by our route)
Comments........No shortcuts!
TRIP REPORT
7/31/84
From the Tabeguache saddle (see Tabeguache for ascent) we scrambled up to Shavano's summit. I cut my leg pretty impressively on a sharp rock, and still have the scar to prove it! There was a nice valley view to the east with Pikes Peak in the distance, and the Collegiate peaks to the north.
We decided to take a shortcut down towards McCoy Gulch (NOTE: The guidebooks correctly warn against this route!) and were surprised to find active mining claims on the slope. We dropped into the valley west of the peak and found old mining cars and other evidence of past activity. When we reached the stream at the bottom, we found it tough going toward McCoy Gulch because of thick undergrowth and general wetness, so we heeded the guidebook warnings and climbed west up the other side of the valley.
We were exhausted from the previous week of constant climbing, not to mention today's two-fer, so we were stumbling and crawling up through bristlecone pines toward a growing thunderstorm overhead. We finally reached the top of the ridge and found to our dismay that it dropped too steeply on the far side for an easy descent - we had to follow the ridge to the right and up! to get to a point from which we could safely drop into the next valley. As a result of not returning by our original climbing route, we added about 1000' vertical to the day's efforts!
There was no trail here, so we just crashed downhill through boulders and then woods until we hit the road. We didn't know which direction to go to find our car - being pessimists, we headed uphill and luckily found the car around the next bend. Our feet were destroyed and our muscles were so sore that we decided to take the next day off.
On our off-day we tried to drive over Mosquito Pass but the car wouldn't do it; we found our way to Weldon Pass and crossed the mountains there, eventually arriving in Fairplay where we found a decent motel and crashed.
Mountain........Mount Shavano
Elevation.........14,229
Rank...............17th
Range..............Sawatch
Trail length......1 mile from Tabeguache; 4 miles back
Elevation gain..500' from Tabeguache; 400' on return
Difficulty..........** (by our route)
Comments........No shortcuts!
TRIP REPORT
7/31/84
From the Tabeguache saddle (see Tabeguache for ascent) we scrambled up to Shavano's summit. I cut my leg pretty impressively on a sharp rock, and still have the scar to prove it! There was a nice valley view to the east with Pikes Peak in the distance, and the Collegiate peaks to the north.
We decided to take a shortcut down towards McCoy Gulch (NOTE: The guidebooks correctly warn against this route!) and were surprised to find active mining claims on the slope. We dropped into the valley west of the peak and found old mining cars and other evidence of past activity. When we reached the stream at the bottom, we found it tough going toward McCoy Gulch because of thick undergrowth and general wetness, so we heeded the guidebook warnings and climbed west up the other side of the valley.
We were exhausted from the previous week of constant climbing, not to mention today's two-fer, so we were stumbling and crawling up through bristlecone pines toward a growing thunderstorm overhead. We finally reached the top of the ridge and found to our dismay that it dropped too steeply on the far side for an easy descent - we had to follow the ridge to the right and up! to get to a point from which we could safely drop into the next valley. As a result of not returning by our original climbing route, we added about 1000' vertical to the day's efforts!
There was no trail here, so we just crashed downhill through boulders and then woods until we hit the road. We didn't know which direction to go to find our car - being pessimists, we headed uphill and luckily found the car around the next bend. Our feet were destroyed and our muscles were so sore that we decided to take the next day off.
On our off-day we tried to drive over Mosquito Pass but the car wouldn't do it; we found our way to Weldon Pass and crossed the mountains there, eventually arriving in Fairplay where we found a decent motel and crashed.
posted by JansStores at 11:44 AM
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