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"How big is the commitment to get to the summit? Are there complex sections high on the mountain that require a lot of time on your ascent AND descent? If so, the risk of getting caught in bad weather or without adequate supplies is higher. For Example, Capitol Peak's standard route has been given an EXTREME commitment rating because once you're past K2 and working you're way closer to the summit, there's no escape from the ridge and you're a long way away from flat terrain and tree line. If weather rolls in when you're climbing high on Capitol, you're in trouble and the only way back is via the same route."-------From the Routes and Planning section, 14ers.com
When the summer ends and fall begins, winter is right around the corner. I had been extra busy this summer with two jobs, but I planned to go to Capitol at least once. This is the story of two miracles that happened on my trip.
From just above the saddle on the other side
Late in September I made my move to have a week off from both jobs at once, and head towards Aspen. The trees were changing, but not 100 percent, but still good enough to make it very scenic. Before I went to the trail head to camp, I poked around the bells, as far as you can go before you have to get a reservation.
Looking back
Coming up to k2, it did not take a degree in meteorology to see that the weather might not be great. I skirted the cliffs going high as you approach k2.
k2 ahead and to the right, halfway across the cliff traverseThe Elks
Arriving at k2 I could see the rest of the mountain in all its glory. I could also see that the weather was indeed not looking great. As bad as the weather looked so far, it didn't really look like a full on blizzard. Then, it happened. It started to snow, if ever so slightly and slowly. The forecast snow chance for that day was something like 15 percent and the presence of the snow made me uneasy. I decided to take a break at k2. I had come this far, taken the days off work, I could at least sit and watch the mountain for a while. At this point, I had all but decided to turn around.
Other climbers coming down, by coming back up k2The end of the day?
Well, after a while the sun came out and melted away my "mountaineering judgement." I decided to go on.
Looks good
Despite the fact the weather had cleared, despite the fact I've done Capitol a few times before this hike, I felt a little feeling of discomfort. The devil on one shoulder was cheering me on happily, while the angel on the other shoulder began to be "disapproving", because, well, do angels throw lightning right away? I'm not a super big religious person, please feel free to help a wizard out in the comments, assuming you have made it this far.
past the knife
About halfway across the knife edge I paused again. I thought about the "line in the sand" but basically decided I had already crossed it and kept going. The weather seemed ok, and it seemed like everyone who was coming down that day had already come down. Helmet stayed on. (of course)
looking back, still going up
When I passed the ledge section, the summit was very close. The sun came out fully again, it had been off and on past k2, but again, besides some light snow early in the day, the weather was not too bad.
the summit
I arrived at the summit just after 4 pm. The surrounding views were pretty awesome, however the uneasy feeling had not gone away.
summit viewsI really like the sign up there"1000 words here"
The way down any mountain is said to usually be more dangerous. This is so true, but I would not realize the extent of this for some time.
snowmass from the summit, just before i started down
The clouds slowly rolled back in as I started descending.
just below the ledge section
The snow returned. This time it was much wetter, and much heavier than any of the snow at any point during the day. Right after the ledge section I stopped. After a few minutes, nothing had changed. My little angel on the one shoulder had abandoned ship, and even the little devil had left me. I was the loneliest person in the state.
k2 and the route down
Just after these pictures were snapped I put my phone away in my pack. I remember thinking that I had just made the stupidest and the last decision of my life. I assumed they would take the phone off my body, after I slipped and fell somewhere on the route ahead. My only real emotion was not what I thought it might be. Instead of fear I felt a white hot anger surging through my body. "How could you be so STUPID!??!" I asked myself more than once as I went down. All I could think about was what I was about to lose, my friends and family, in exchange for the summit.
back on k2
As I reached the start of the ridge proper, at the top of the "death gully" area, the 1st miracle happened. The snow stopped. I felt like the mountain was basically saying, here you go, you can have a chance. I was reminded of that hospital part in the first "Death Wish" movie. For you younger readers, movie viewers, its a classic. When I reached the knife edge, I stopped and took out my spare layer in my pack, and used it to dry off my shoes the best I could. Crossing was not a issue at all, and before I knew it I was back to "safety" on k2.
sunsetthe elks at sunset, from k2
Before I lost cell service I texted and called a few people who knew I was out climbing. I let them know I was back off k2, and home free. I was away from the "big sheer drops" that are along the whole route, back into "easy". Darkness fell. Its hard to say where before the saddle in the basin, in that long miserable talus field, it happened, the 2nd miracle. A huge rock, about the size of a coffee table, which seemed stable shifted as I walked across it. I fell face first onto some rocks below hard enough that I did not get up right away. I felt blood on my face from somewhere as I finally did get up. For some reason, (the miracle) I never took my helmet off when I got to k2. I just plowed on wards. I'm very convinced that with how hard I fell, where I fell, (no cell service), the time of day, I could have easily died right there. Somehow my headlamp just turned off and fell off right by my face, and not into oblivion somewhere in the talus. Any sort of happiness at reaching the summit was smacked right out of me. It was about 1115 pm when I finally reached the th, and my car. One of my friends was actually waiting for me there, but he was asleep. He told me to wake him, (before we met up of course) I did, we had some celebratory steaks and other various food. He climbed Castle Peak that day. As we shared food and talked about the days we both had I felt a overwhelming sense of melancholy. In the words of one of my favorite mountaineer authors I thought to my self "You made a big mistake up there @#$%^. You just happened to get away with it." (I chose to not put my name in but hopefully you get the message) The next morning I was greeted with quite a spectacular sight, and any doubt about miracles, and all that was erased from my mind.
R.I.P. for all who have perished on Capitol Peak
“I need climbing as part of my life. I need that stimulus, that excitement and the natural beauty of the mountains. Every time I’ve been away on a expedition whether success or occasionally failure, when I get back to England I feel completely rejuvenated, batteries recharged, ready for anything. So great to just go in and turn the tap on and have water instead of waiting for hours to melt snow. All these little luxuries we take for granted in normal life all become suddenly very real and life itself takes on new meaning until after six months or a year you need another recharge and you must go away again...........If I don't climb, life seems empty. I suppose the problem in the end, its addictive, and for some its a fatal addiction."
Alan Rouse, "K2 Triumph and Tragedy". Rouse spoke these words sometime before he left for the summit of K2 in 1986, and never came back alive. Despite my stupid mistake I lived.
THE END
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
It seems by the writing and word choice that you had a profound experience, and this comment isn't meant to diminish that. That said, maybe I didn't read carefully enough, but I'm not seeing the obvious mistake(s). It looks like you went out during unsettled weather and continuously made decisions as to continue or not based on the feedback of the day. Unless you were woefully underprepared, the conditions seem manageable and from what you've written, the weather didn't directly cause any issues. Towards the end of your day some talus shifted, causing a near miss, but happily you were wearing your helmet. If I've missed the mark, maybe you can spell out the mistake(s) more clearly, there might be some lessons learned upon introspection. Glad things turned out okay for you.
Meh, I don't think it was a mistake to push on. If the sky broke and was that clear at that point, I'd have pushed on too. I guess it depends on your speed and risk tolerance, but definitely reasonable. I probably would have started a bit earlier to make sure I was back to the trail by nightfall, but don't really fault you for that if the forecast was decent
I don't think you did anything wrong either... a 15% of precipitation marginal and would have been a green light for most folks. Sounds to me like you evaluated the conditions and made the best decision based on the knowledge at hand. The only thing I would have done differently is set a turnaround time to make sure I was out of complex terrain by sunset.
I think posts like this are what is so great about 14ers.com. There is so much to be learned about these mountains and how to hike/climb them successfully and safely.
For the reader, I think this TR feels not as sketchy as it probably felt when the author was "out there". It's also a great reminder that you can not let down your guard after going through the really tough parts.
Not listening to my "gut feeling" was my mistake. I almost had a broken nose with my face a little cut up, my helmet definitely did its job. People asked me when I got back to my jobs "did you get into a fight out hiking?"
- I read, "I arrived at the summit just after 4 pm." I know late descents are a thing in winter-ish 14ers - not a winter climber myself - but that late in the day, on Cap, solo? Yikes. Your decisions on weather don't seem rash. As others have said, descending K2 in the dark, solo, would freak me out. Margins of error are so much slimmer, and consequences higher, at night, as you discovered. So yeah, maybe a takeaway is that running out of daylight should be a bigger factor in the risk judgment. And fwiw, I've taken to carrying a backup light source (other than unreliable/inadequate phone flashlight.) It's well worth the 2 oz. and minimal space in my pack IMO.
That back side of K2 is deceptively difficult, though not real technical, depending on how high you stayed. I've ended up on those pink slabs on both of my ascents and one descent of Cap. Fun terrain, but it took a lot out of me on a peak that demands much more up higher. Finally stuck to the trail on my second descent and concluded, though longer, it was much easier and faster overall. I think, if you have the time and energy for the fun, take to the slabs; but if the goal is to get to the main attraction or back, find and take that lower trail.
Don't mean to pile on criticism, it's clear you piled plenty on yourself while you were up there, and I appreciate the honest evaluation in this TR. I think one of the most important contributions we can make on this site is to frankly state, "I screwed up," and give others something to think about and maybe avoid such a mistake. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Your decision making seems reasonably solid, save for the late start, but people pull that off all the time. For me, the big thing is going solo. If I am doing anything in the mountains solo (which is rare because I am 15), I try to be doubly prepared and make very conservative decisions. One of my closer calls (not to death but serious injury) was on the easy east ridge of Peak 10 over Breckenridge. I was hiking with my cousin from out of state on the roads around the ski area, when my cousin started feeling the elevation a bit, and decided to start back to the car. Because I knew I was faster than her at the high elevation, I decided to run up and bag Peak 10. It was perhaps 5 in the evening when I made this decision, maybe a bit later. I jogged quickly up the road to the ridge, then up towards the summit. Some slick summer snow remained on the ridge, so as I approached the summit I had to drop onto the north face and traverse. The rocks here were large and unstable, and shortly later I watched in terror as a block the size of a refrigerator tipped over and slid down on the very spot I had just leapt from, as I felt the whole hillside shift. Upon landing on the steep scree, a sharp bolt of pain ran through my knee. I staggered back to the more stable ridge crest, and panted for five minutes, waiting for the pain to subside. Thankfully I have young joints and didn't damage anything to the point of being unable to walk, but could have been A) injured by the large falling block, or B) hurt jumping 10 feet down steep scree. I hurriedly bagged the summit and picked my way down (staying on the snowy ridge this time) and managed to catch my cousin before reaching the car. Like your story, I was only fine because of a little miracle, and I had no business doing an unplanned and unprepared solo evening ascent of the still snowy class 2 ridge. I typically consider myself a pretty solid decision maker, so for this I trust myself a little less on the solo missions. Anyway, be safe out there and I am glad you made it out safe. Great pictures and writeup.
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