Although the scenery is dramatic and the nearby slopes are steep, the reality is that the ledge itself is quite easy to navigate, as it's probably 10 feet wide in spots:
Once you are over the top, it veers left and descends at a similar angle down the west side of the summit:
Mistake #1
I made two mistakes that cost me time on this outing. The first was actually more of a choice to try an ascent line, even though it might not have been the easiest route. You see, there is a certain rib of rock that you are supposed to stop at and turn left to scramble to the summit, and I stopped at the rib, but didn't necessarily take the easiest ascent line. This was my choice:
This was class 2+ and easy class 3 climbing at first, but the slope steepened as it got higher. Before I knew it I was looking down at this (that's the back of my leg):
I had reached a point where my meager climbing skills were inadequate, and it had veered into class 4 climbing. The slope above looked too steep, and when I tried to traverse to milder rock, the hand and foot holds disappeared (at least as far as I'm concerned). I later found out I had been climbing a steep fin of rock that was an offshoot of the summit. D'oh!
I down-climbed about 1/2 the face, then moved over to the easier gully, which was only steep hiking on rock and scree. Annoying, but not exposed, and shortly thereafter I was on top.
It's a fairly small summit. Thin, rocky spines radiate from the top, which is about the size of an average living room. I was elated.
Mistake #2
Below is the view looking from the summit area back down the gully. See those rock formations in the middle? At one point I took a left around one of them, and I had no idea that decision would put me at risk.
As it turned out, that fin of rock hid Kit Carson Avenue and I passed it, descending a good 700 feet down the mountain on increasingly rugged terrain. Yet I saw a ledge below (center), which looked like the Avenue, so I pressed onward:
Note to self: make sure you verify your route more often.
At some point I realized I was in unfamiliar terrain, not a good feeling. Yet I still thought that perhaps this ledge connected with the one I had been on earlier, so I went to check it out. It was grassy and moderate at first.
However, it gradually narrowed. I ended up crawling under a ledge next to a decent drop at one point. Then, I came to a large step about 6 feet high with a slight overhang. Not only that, but it sloped downward towards... thin air. I walked up the wall and looked for holds, but found little. And the edge to the left was over a decent drop, as you can see above.
There were no second chances here. I'd either make it, or I'd fall off the ledge.
Once I realized I could not safely pass up and back over this hump, I turned around and instantly committed myself to backtracking all the way back to the summit. It was 2:50 PM so I was OK on time, but it was still a depressing realization. The climb back up would be tough.
I later found out that ledge wraps around near the bottom of the Prow, and is unrelated to the Avenue. I have no idea if that would have worked out for me. I'm also glad I didn't make it over that ledge, find out it was the wrong one, then not be able to get back down the ledge to backtrack! Here's to knowing when to fold 'em.
About this time I heard the rumble of thunder, and I still had to pass back over Challenger to get back down. Crap.
As I climbed back up (hoping I was actually climbing back up Kit, and not some other place), it occurred to me that mountain storms also tend to occur on a 1 1/2 to 2-hour schedule, so while it was looking bad now, but the time I gained the ridge it might be sunny again.
As I neared the summit again, I started climbing over the ridges towards where I thought Kit Carson Avenue would be, and all of a sudden, there it was! Wow, I had been way below. And as I climbed the ledge, the sun came out, right on cue.
The Avenue on the way over to Challenger:
Knowing the weather could easily change again for the worse, I quickly made my way across Challenger Peak (which is only a short climb from Kit), and took a last look back towards Crestone Peak:
Looking west into the valley:
Then I made my way back down the northeast slopes to Willow Lake. I was tired and it was slippery and dry, so this took longer than my ascent! I also had to avoid some clueless dude sliding down the scree and kicking rocks down near me. ?? Idiot.
Water!
Back in the basin above the waterfall, I could refill my water bottles and enjoy completion of the hardest part of the trip. It was all downhill from here.
Back over Willow Lake into the valley:
I got rained on some, but I had a shell so I didn't really care, and it never rained hard enough to soak me.
Check out the waterfall in the middle:
Back near the meadow:
Zoom in and check out the way the rain is falling in a parabolic shape:
Finally back at the access road!
This was a tough outing, and I was relieved to get back to the car just before sunset, since I still had to grab some dinner before a long drive back to Denver.
Distance was 18.40 miles, time 10:40 (moving 5:43), elevation gain/loss 8,568 feet, avg. pace 34:47 (moving 18:40).
Unfortunately when I got back to Salida the decent restaurants were closed, and I was forced to go to the Arches of Shame for a dry chicken sandwich that was the most depressing meal I've had in a long time. I'm not anti-fast food, really, but when you have your hopes set on a nice pub meal and an IPA it just doesn't cut it.
Then I get to Bailey at 11:30 PM and there's a fatal accident on 285 that closes the highway for 5 hours. We sat there for an hour before a cop came by and explained the situation. I ended up having navigate a new way home via forest roads in the middle of the night to get home. Here's a picture from around 2 AM as I'm driving in the middle of nowhere, a.k.a. Conifer near Wellington Lake:
I got to bed at 4 AM on a work night. Phew.
But you have to grab the golden ring when it's front of you, and in this case the ring was some awesome mountain summits.
