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Jim Larkey | profile | all galleries >> Colorado 14'er Peak Bagging, Jul '10 Climb >> Kit Carson Peak (14,165') Challenger Point (14,081'), Willow Lake TH (sd route) tree view | thumbnails | slideshow | map

Kit Carson Peak (14,165') Challenger Point (14,081'), Willow Lake TH (sd route)

Our climb of the two the 14ers in the Sangre de Cristo Mtns, named after famous explorers began with a warmup climb of Mt Yale (14,196') in Buena Vista.

Kit Carson offered his services as a guide to John Fremont, and his 5-month journey of exploration, paving the way for westward expansion.

The space shuttle "Challenger", the namesake of the 14er on the same ridge, flew 85% of NASA's space shuttle's missions of space exploration.

The Kit Carson/Challenger climb would be a personal moment of exploration. As Gary Scott said: "In the end it would not be the mountain that I conquered; I might stand on it's summit for a brief moment, but achievement would be in conquering my own doubts and fears."

So the journey began with a backpack up to the basecamp at Willow Lake. We decided to layover one day, to preclude the previous year's attempt by some team members, failing to reach the summit due to exhaustion. We chose to explore the upper reaches of the Willow Creek, and tarn.

We rose at 4:30am, and hit the trail at 5:30. The climb was uneventful, except we got off trail adjacent to the gully at 13,700'. A headwall blocked our climb, and a fin on our left offered a couple of class-4 moves to complete the ascent. Once over the fin, the trail to the top of the saddle connecting the ridgeline to Challenger was obvious.

The cloud-play on our climb was awesome. It's one of those mountain experiences that flatlanders miss.

The night before our climb, our team reversed our previous decision to approach the climb from South Colony Lakes TH, to minimize backpacking exertion. It was unclear whether the route from the Bears Playground would be apparent if the summits were in the clouds. Foremost on our mind was the class-3 downclimb from "Kit-Kat", traversing over to Kit Carson. I talked with a hard-core climber on the summit of Kit Carson who had did that route, and said "the route was dicey". I took this picture of the climber on his return, after leaving the summit.
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We're Going to Get Wet...That's Our Drainage
We're Going to Get Wet...That's Our Drainage
Crestone Conglomerate
Crestone Conglomerate
Waterfall Along the Way
Waterfall Along the Way
Falls, Willow Creek Drainage
Falls, Willow Creek Drainage
Falls, Willow Creek Drainage
Falls, Willow Creek Drainage
Falls, Willow Creek Drainage
Falls, Willow Creek Drainage
Willow Creek Waterfall
Willow Creek Waterfall
Part of the Gang
Part of the Gang
Careful Now!
Careful Now!
Another Easy Crossing
Another Easy Crossing
Evening Alpenglow on Nearby Rock Face
Evening Alpenglow on Nearby Rock Face
Camp Micro-Bear
Camp Micro-Bear
Falls on Eastly Side of Willow Lake (lower)
Falls on Eastly Side of Willow Lake (lower)
South Shore of Willow Lake
South Shore of Willow Lake
Reflections in Willow Lake (lower)
Reflections in Willow Lake (lower)
Falls on Eastly Side of Willow Lake (lower)
Falls on Eastly Side of Willow Lake (lower)
Looking Westerly, Across Willow Lake (lower)
Looking Westerly, Across Willow Lake (lower)
Kit Carson, Tomorrow We'll be on Top
Kit Carson, Tomorrow We'll be on Top
Looking Westerly, Across Willow Lake (11,564')
Looking Westerly, Across Willow Lake (11,564')
Top of Falls, Willow Lake (lower)
Top of Falls, Willow Lake (lower)
Looking Westerly, Across Willow Lake (11,564')
Looking Westerly, Across Willow Lake (11,564')
Willow Creek, at Top of Falls
Willow Creek, at Top of Falls
Spectacular Crestone Conglomerate, Unique to the Sangre de Cristo Range
Spectacular Crestone Conglomerate, Unique to the Sangre de Cristo Range
Kit Carson (right), Kit-Kat (left), and OB Couloir Between
Kit Carson (right), Kit-Kat (left), and OB Couloir Between
Wildflowers Among the Conglomerate
Wildflowers Among the Conglomerate
Willows in the Creek, Obstruction Point on Skyline
Willows in the Creek, Obstruction Point on Skyline
Delicate Columbine
Delicate Columbine
The OB (Outward Bound) Couloir Between Kit-Kat (left) and Kit Carson
The OB (Outward Bound) Couloir Between Kit-Kat (left) and Kit Carson
Above the Willow Lake Tarn
Above the Willow Lake Tarn
NE'ly Face of Kit Carson
NE'ly Face of Kit Carson
Love That Crestone Conglomerate.... Metamorphic Rock Displaying Ancient Alluvial-fan Desposits
Love That Crestone Conglomerate.... Metamorphic Rock Displaying Ancient Alluvial-fan Desposits
Prickly Little Critter
Prickly Little Critter
Wildflowers in Abundance at the Tarn
Wildflowers in Abundance at the Tarn
Note Camper at Top of Shelf
Note Camper at Top of Shelf
Kit Carson Peak (14,165') Summit Block (right of ctr), and Columbia Pt, aka Kit-Kat (13,980') left of notch
Kit Carson Peak (14,165') Summit Block (right of ctr), and Columbia Pt, aka "Kit-Kat" (13,980') left of notch
Right of the Snow-filled Gully is Our Route
Right of the Snow-filled Gully is Our Route
First Light on Kit Carson, Kirk Couloir (snow-filled gully)
First Light on Kit Carson, Kirk Couloir (snow-filled gully)
Cloud on Obstruction Point (13,799')
Cloud on Obstruction Point (13,799')
Approaching Our Gully
Approaching Our Gully
Approaching Our Gully
Approaching Our Gully
Approaching Our Gully
Approaching Our Gully
Above the Clouds, On the Slope
Above the Clouds, On the Slope
Above the Clouds, On the Slope
Above the Clouds, On the Slope
Willow Creek (distant), Our Gully (snow-filled)
Willow Creek (distant), Our Gully (snow-filled)
Climbers Below, Approaching Snow-filled Gully
Climbers Below, Approaching Snow-filled Gully
View From Top of Gully, on Saddle, of San Luis Valley Below
View From Top of Gully, on Saddle, of San Luis Valley Below
Cloud-shrouded Challenger Point (14,081')
Cloud-shrouded Challenger Point (14,081')
Approaching Summit of Challenger Point (14,081')
Approaching Summit of Challenger Point (14,081')
Looking Back at Ridgeline to Challenger Point (14,081')
Looking Back at Ridgeline to Challenger Point (14,081')
Challenger Point (14,081') Summit View of Kit Carson Peak (14,165') (dark lump on left)
Challenger Point (14,081') Summit View of Kit Carson Peak (14,165') (dark lump on left)
Summit Challenger Point (14,081'), Memorial Plaque to Crew of Space Shuttle Challenger
Summit Challenger Point (14,081'), Memorial Plaque to Crew of Space Shuttle "Challenger"
Kit Carson's Avenue, Inclined Rock Shelf at Base of Block
Kit Carson's "Avenue", Inclined Rock Shelf at Base of Block
San Luis Valley, Below
San Luis Valley, Below
San Luis Valley, Below
San Luis Valley, Below
Kit Carson's Avenue
Kit Carson's "Avenue"
Kit Carson's Avenue
Kit Carson's "Avenue"
The Crestones in the Clouds, Needle (14,197') left, Peak (14,064') right
The Crestones in the Clouds, Needle (14,197') left, Peak (14,064') right
Kit Carson's Avenue
Kit Carson's "Avenue"
Climbers on the Summit of Distant Crestone Peak (14,064')
Climbers on the Summit of Distant Crestone Peak (14,064')
The Prow (foreground), Crestones in the Clouds
"The Prow" (foreground), Crestones in the Clouds
The Prow (foreground), Crestones in the Clouds
"The Prow" (foreground), Crestones in the Clouds
The Rib on the Avenue, Our Turn for Climbing Up the Gully to the Summit. Kit-Kat on Skyline
The Rib on the "Avenue", Our Turn for Climbing Up the Gully to the Summit. "Kit-Kat" on Skyline
The Crestones in the Clouds, Needle (14,197') left, Peak (14,064') right
The Crestones in the Clouds, Needle (14,197') left, Peak (14,064') right
Looking Up the Gully Leading to Kit Carson's Summit Ridge
Looking Up the Gully Leading to Kit Carson's Summit Ridge
Approaching the Kit Carson's (14,165') Summit
Approaching the Kit Carson's (14,165') Summit
Summit Register, Kit Carson Peak (14,165')
Summit Register, Kit Carson Peak (14,165')
In the Clouds on the Summit of Kit Carson Peak (14,165'), San Luis Valley Peeking Through Below
In the Clouds on the Summit of Kit Carson Peak (14,165'), San Luis Valley Peeking Through Below
Awesome Summit View
Awesome Summit View
Summit Ridge to the West
Summit Ridge to the West
Climber Signing in Climber Signing in On the Summit Kit Carson Peak (14,165')
Climber Signing in Climber Signing in On the Summit Kit Carson Peak (14,165')
Ghosts in the Clouds
Ghosts in the Clouds
The Spiney Sangre de Christos in the Foreground
The "Spiney" Sangre de Christos in the Foreground
Climbers Descending The Gully Below the Summit of Kit Carson
Climbers Descending "The Gully" Below the Summit of Kit Carson
Climbers Doing Class-3 Traverse to Kit-Kat, Leading to South Colony Lakes TH
Climbers Doing Class-3 Traverse to "Kit-Kat", Leading to South Colony Lakes TH
Climbers Doing Class-3 Traverse to Kit-Kat, Leading to South Colony Lakes TH
Climbers Doing Class-3 Traverse to "Kit-Kat", Leading to South Colony Lakes TH
Climbers Doing Class-3 Traverse to Kit-Kat, Leading to South Colony Lakes TH
Climbers Doing Class-3 Traverse to "Kit-Kat", Leading to South Colony Lakes TH
Looking Back on the Avenue
Looking Back on the "Avenue"
S'ly Face of Challenger Point
S'ly Face of Challenger Point
The Avenue. Kit-Kat in the Background
The "Avenue". "Kit-Kat" in the Background
Ridge to Challenger Point
Ridge to Challenger Point
The Unique Crestone Conglomerate, Covered With Lichen
The Unique Crestone Conglomerate, Covered With Lichen
g1/06/5106/3/128145948.WpDJPABO.jpg Town of Crestone, San Luis Valley Floor
Town of Crestone, San Luis Valley Floor
Downclimbing That Damn Gully
Downclimbing That Damn Gully
Downclimbing That Damn Gully
Downclimbing That Damn Gully
Willow Lakes Tarn, Source of the Willow Creek
Willow Lakes Tarn, Source of the Willow Creek
Willow Lakes Tarn, Source of the Willow Creek
Willow Lakes Tarn, Source of the Willow Creek
Outward Bound Camp, On Willow Flats
Outward Bound Camp, On Willow Flats
Outward Bound Group, Rapelling Off Falls at Lower Willow Lake
Outward Bound Group, Rapelling Off Falls at Lower Willow Lake
Lower Willow Lake
Lower Willow Lake
Willow Creek
Willow Creek
Falls at Lower Willow Lake
Falls at Lower Willow Lake
View Down Willow Creek Drainage, San Luis Valley Below
View Down Willow Creek Drainage, San Luis Valley Below
View Down Willow Creek Drainage, San Luis Valley Below
View Down Willow Creek Drainage, San Luis Valley Below
View Down Willow Creek Drainage, San Luis Valley Below
View Down Willow Creek Drainage, San Luis Valley Below
Falls, Willow Creek
Falls, Willow Creek
Colorful Waterfall Along the Way Down
Colorful Waterfall Along the Way Down
The Upper Meadow, Against San Luis Valley.  , Town of Crestone (right), San Juans on Distant Skyline
The Upper Meadow, Against San Luis Valley. , Town of Crestone (right), San Juans on Distant Skyline
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