Mount Peale - 12721' - South slopes class 2
Mount Tukuhnikivatz - 12482' - Razor Fang traverse - class 3
may 2021
At the beginning of May I headed over to the La Sal mountains from Grand Junction for a solo day hike up Mount Peale, the highest peak in the range and if time permitted continue on to Mount Tuk, the second highest peak in the range. The road to La Sal Pass was driveable a majority of the way to the trailhead which sits just past Beaver Lake at about 10,000 feet. I parked when continuous snow began to cover the road roughly a mile and a half before Beaver Lake. I started about 6:30am and quickly made my way to the trailhead and left the road with about a foot or two of snow. I picked a direct route up the south face of Mount Peale and found an open area with little trees to easily get to treeline with minimal postholing. I didn't really stop as I continued nearly 3000 feet right up the south slopes which above treeline were largely devoid of snow.
By mid morning I was on the summit of Peale all to myself. With decent weather, I had plenty of time to continue onto the Razor Fang and traverse to Mount Tuk. I began the descent westward to the northwest peak of Peale, which I hiked over and down the short but narrow class 3 Razor Fang. This was merely a couple exposed class 3 moves where the ridge narrowed for a hundred yards or so and was over in just a few minutes. The remaining walk to Tuk was straightforward, although the upper east ridge to the summit was snow covered. A group of 50 backcountry skiers all made it to the summit around the same time I did (multiple very large groups) and began their ride down the north face. I enjoyed the better views to the west looking down onto the desert below for 30 minutes before making the descent back south to the road.
By mid morning I was on the summit of Peale all to myself. With decent weather, I had plenty of time to continue onto the Razor Fang and traverse to Mount Tuk. I began the descent westward to the northwest peak of Peale, which I hiked over and down the short but narrow class 3 Razor Fang. This was merely a couple exposed class 3 moves where the ridge narrowed for a hundred yards or so and was over in just a few minutes. The remaining walk to Tuk was straightforward, although the upper east ridge to the summit was snow covered. A group of 50 backcountry skiers all made it to the summit around the same time I did (multiple very large groups) and began their ride down the north face. I enjoyed the better views to the west looking down onto the desert below for 30 minutes before making the descent back south to the road.
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