Climbing Mt Sneffels: 14150'

 

Climbing a mountain has been on my bucket list for a while, but the experience of climbing Mt Sneffels was more than I could've imagined. It was long, exhausting, exciting, and at times, terrifying. The peak lies only 4.5 miles north of Telluride, but the San Sophia Ridge blocks the way. So, we had to drive an hour to the trailhead in Ouray.

From the trailhead, the climb was around 6 miles round trip and over 2000 vertical feet. It started out like a normal hike, but after about 1.5 miles it got steeper and rockier. Soon there was no trail. I picked my own way up the scree field. In some spots there were big rocks lodged in the earth to hang on to. In other spots there was only loose gravel. My biggest fear was kicking a rock loose and having it hit someone below me, or getting hit myself by a rock from above. Once on top of the ridge we turned south and climbed up another scree field in a narrow chute.

It's strange seeing snow in the middle of August, but it was nice and cool at this altitude. At the top of the chute, we then climbed through a notch in the solid rock to get to the final approach to the peak. That might've been the scariest part. Falling there might not have meant certain death, but the chance was pretty high, if not from the fall itself, then from injuries and exposure while waiting to be rescued. After that it was a short, simple climb to the top. The view was spectacular - countless mountain ranges for seemingly endless miles to the north, east, and south. Blue alpine lakes in the valley to the south, and desert to the west. We could even see the Telluride ski area and the backside of San Sophia Ridge. It was definitely worth it, but we were only halfway through the journey. The climb down wasn't quite as demanding, but it was more difficult to tell which rocks were stable.

 

Oh yea, Lucy climbed it too! For the most part she did better than me. I had to help her up a few big rocks, and navigating the notch with her was a little tricky. Sometimes small dogs are better in the outdoors. During the climb I thought this would be my first and last one, but I'm thinking I may do another. The adrenaline, the view, and the sense of danger is addicting. This is why I came to Colorado, to get out of my comfort zone.