Its not often that you have the chance to stand atop 10 peaks in a single day, but I did just that on the Tenmile Range traverse last Saturday. The Tenmile mountain range runs south through the central Rocky Mountains of Colorado, passing the ski areas of Breckenridge and Copper along the way. Our day started with an early start at 4:30 am and a steep ascent out of Frisco towards Peak 1, our first summit of the day as we watched the sun rise over the Continental Divide to the east.
Sunrise over the Continental Divide and Lake Dillon:
Approaching Peak 1 in the early morning light:
From the summit of Peak 1, we could see the 10+ miles of ridge line ahead that we would cross. At this point, our legs and lungs were fresh, while our eyes suggested that Peak 10 wasn't too far in the distance. And with absolutely perfect weather, we hiked in t-shirts above 12,000 feet with no concern for gathering thunderstorms.
The traverse route from the summit of Peak 1 (Peak 10 in the distance):
Tenmile ridgeline casts its shadow:
Soon enough, we were on Peak 2 and continued on to more challenging terrain on the sharp ridgeline connecting to Peaks 3 and 4.
Alex and Ryan negotiate an exposed section on ridge:
From the summit of Peak 4, the terrain changes drastically providing a gentle stroll along alpine tundra across Peaks 5, 6, and 7.
Previewing gentler terrain from Peak 4's summit:
Peak 8 is where your mental and physical fitness are tested. The legs and lungs start to tire as you move along the grassy slopes and it seems the summit will never come. Soon enough at 12 pm, we found ourselves atop Peak 8 with the Imperial Express lift (the highest chairlift in North America) and the town of Breckenridge underneath our feet.
Myself atop Peak 8 (Photo - J W):
However, the two highest peaks were still to come, Peak 9 - 13,195 feet and Peak 10 - 13,633 feet. We pushed on despite fatigue and low water supplies under cloudless blue skies. The steep, loose rocky terrain up to Peak 10 provided the last test of the day at high elevations.
Approaching the steep, loose rock on the final pitch to Peak 10:
Success! We reached the summit of Peak 10 around 2 pm and spent some time relaxing and taking in the views of our accomplishment.
Peak 10's summit, the final peak on the Tenmile Range traverse:
Looking back on the traverse route (Peaks 1, 2, 4, 8, and 9 labeled):
By parking a car at the Peak 9 lifts on Breckenridge, we saved ourselves an additional 3-4 miles of descent and found ourselves quickly back in Frisco for beers and food in unseasonably warm 95 degree temperatures!
Final stats for the day: 10 peaks, 15 miles, 8,000 vertical feet gained. Among the biggest days I've had in the mountains so far. For more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/derek.drechsel/20090822TenmileRangeTraverse#
Elevation profile from SummitPost:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment