Wetterhorn Peak
This was certainly a morning to remember. Wetterhorn Peak. First mountain summit in the San Juan Range. First Class 3 climb. 14,015 ft. 49th tallest in Colorado. But mainly, without a doubt the most marmots I've ever seen on a single mountain.
I felt crappy all morning, was incredibly anxious most of the climb, then suddenly overwhelmingly relieved and joyous, not at summiting, but when I finally saw the oft-discussed final 100 ft. face to face and knew without a doubt that I could handle it. I'm so grateful to this peak for teaching me more about myself.
And marmots.
After a lengthy drive up a spicy 4x4 road (in the dark with a number of water crossings...), the hike began with a continued ascent up Matterhorn Creek, largely above treeline. The valley below Wetterhorn and Matterhorn Peaks was filled with wildflowers and highly populous marmot villages in the rock fields (srsly, if you are as crazy about these little critters as I am, get on this hike prontissimo). Magical sunrise was in full effect at this point, but the hiking was about to get much more serious.
Once to the southeast ridge crest, the trail turned from a well-defined and straightforward class 2 trail to something much steeper and rockier. The goal was to navigate up and across a couple of gullies to a large rock prow, then through a notch, and up the final exposed bit to the top. Although the final 100 ft. is the part people talk about the most, finding my way up the gullies was the biggest challenge.
While it was difficult to capture the vibe of the final class 3 bit accurately in pictures, I can honestly say the exposure would have petrified me a couple years ago. Happy I was able to focus on the task at hand and get up to the top in just a couple of minutes to hang with the chillest marmots of all.
The descent was all fun. Although for the sake of technical practice, I should have faced in on my way down the class 3, I chose to look out and test that vertigo. It’s such a gorgeous spot, it was impossible to resist. I met up with my mom at the saddle and giddily made my way back down through the wildflowers. I had planned to attempt Matterhorn as well, but considering a relatively sluggish ascent and approaching weather, I left it for another day. Also, cheers to the friendly hiker who left me a congratulatory beer down the trail in return for my ascent tips.
The stats
Wetterhorn Peak: 14,015 ft (#49 in CO)
Distance: 7.0 miles
Gain: 3300 ft
My 24th 14er