Mount Maxwell - 13335' / mariquita peak - 13405' / de anza peak - 13333'
beaubien peak - 13184' / francisco peak - 13135' / lomo liso mountain - 13128'
miranda peak - 13468' / culebra peak - 14047' / red mountain - 13908'
Max grade - class 3
June 2020
The stars aligned perfectly for me to finally make a go on this ardorous traverse to nab Culebra Peak without having to go through the ranch. I have always known the best time of year for this is June since the days are longest, and the chance for afternoon storms is generally lower than later in the summer. Since I had been back in Colorado for a few weeks by that point, I figured I was acclimated enough to give it a shot. I was certainly worried that since I had not been doing much of any long endurance days in 2020 due to a veriety of factors including the pandemic, needing a break from climbing, and getting a lot of work done. I put a call out for anyone who might be interested and Kelly responded. She was stoked for the long traverse since she is also an ultra runner.
On Friday evening I drove up to pick her up and we were on our way to the Sangres after a stop at the grocery store. It was nearly a 5 hour drive to the top of the Maxwell 4WD road, which turns west and switchbacks steeply up the east ridge of Mount Maxwell leaving FS Road 34 just before the Purgatoire Campground. This road was not really that bad for most of the way, and I thought an AWD SUV could probably make it up about 75% of the way if driven carefully. The last 350 vertical feet though were very steep and much rougher, with the road ending at 11,700 feet elevation. We rolled up to the end of the road shortly after 11pm and I slept in the back seat of the truck while Kelly slept in the bed. We set the alarms for a 4:30am wake up time.
Amazingly I was able to sleep decently well and when the alarm went off, I was up and already eating some breakfast. Kelly rolled out and we both got our bags packed up. We agreed to just carry an ultralight sleeping bag and pad along with our day hiking gear since I was not confident that I could make it all the way out and back in a signle push (and the other reports I read of the people who do are quite harrowing!) The heaviest thing by far that we had to carry was water, with each of us carrying about a gallon knowing there was very little chance for any water high on the ridgecrest. For mid June, the southern Sangres were exceptionally dry, would overall would work to our favor as we only needed to wear trail runners for the whole trip.
After a big breakfast, and packs ready, we started hiking up at 5:30am. Kelly commented that there was a pair of guys who walked by us around 1am and I thought she was joking! I was amazed to know we wouldn't be the only ones up there. I realized pretty early on that I forgot my trekking pole, and I had no luck finding a suitable stick in the first 10 minutes of walking before we reached treeline at 12000 feet. I would have to do this entire trek without one. As the sun rose behind the Spanish Peaks off to our NE the glow was spectacular, and we could easily see our first couple peaks of the trek. The east ridge of Mount Maxwell narrowed quite a bit ovvering an airy walk in a few places. Just over an hour from leaving the truck we were standing atop Mount Maxwell, where a no trespassing sign promptly greeted us. The view to the west and north was serene in the early morning light, but the breeze was definitely a little chilly. We stood atop the summit for a few minutes, then started walking south. With spirits high we charged on towards Mariquita Peak.
On Friday evening I drove up to pick her up and we were on our way to the Sangres after a stop at the grocery store. It was nearly a 5 hour drive to the top of the Maxwell 4WD road, which turns west and switchbacks steeply up the east ridge of Mount Maxwell leaving FS Road 34 just before the Purgatoire Campground. This road was not really that bad for most of the way, and I thought an AWD SUV could probably make it up about 75% of the way if driven carefully. The last 350 vertical feet though were very steep and much rougher, with the road ending at 11,700 feet elevation. We rolled up to the end of the road shortly after 11pm and I slept in the back seat of the truck while Kelly slept in the bed. We set the alarms for a 4:30am wake up time.
Amazingly I was able to sleep decently well and when the alarm went off, I was up and already eating some breakfast. Kelly rolled out and we both got our bags packed up. We agreed to just carry an ultralight sleeping bag and pad along with our day hiking gear since I was not confident that I could make it all the way out and back in a signle push (and the other reports I read of the people who do are quite harrowing!) The heaviest thing by far that we had to carry was water, with each of us carrying about a gallon knowing there was very little chance for any water high on the ridgecrest. For mid June, the southern Sangres were exceptionally dry, would overall would work to our favor as we only needed to wear trail runners for the whole trip.
After a big breakfast, and packs ready, we started hiking up at 5:30am. Kelly commented that there was a pair of guys who walked by us around 1am and I thought she was joking! I was amazed to know we wouldn't be the only ones up there. I realized pretty early on that I forgot my trekking pole, and I had no luck finding a suitable stick in the first 10 minutes of walking before we reached treeline at 12000 feet. I would have to do this entire trek without one. As the sun rose behind the Spanish Peaks off to our NE the glow was spectacular, and we could easily see our first couple peaks of the trek. The east ridge of Mount Maxwell narrowed quite a bit ovvering an airy walk in a few places. Just over an hour from leaving the truck we were standing atop Mount Maxwell, where a no trespassing sign promptly greeted us. The view to the west and north was serene in the early morning light, but the breeze was definitely a little chilly. We stood atop the summit for a few minutes, then started walking south. With spirits high we charged on towards Mariquita Peak.
As we traversed over to Mariquita Peak, the red glow transitioned into a yellow glow and we quickly made the summit, and after a short break continued to De Anza Peak. We traversed around the west side of the unnamed 12955 peak separating De Anza from Whiskey Pass. We descended to the lowest points on the whole traverse between Maxwell and Red; 12,550 foot Whiskey Pass. By this point Kelly was really beginning to feel the elevation. I asked if she would feel ok going over the next peak and she said yes. So we continued up Beaubien Peak as the breeze got a little stronger with the mid-morning sun. Thankfully the weather for the day was forecasted to be absolutely perfect since the previous day saw some pretty big storms throughout Colorado. It's typical for there to be a very calm day after a big storm event, and amazingly it fell on a Saturday! At about 12,800 feet on the north ridge of Beaubien, we came across a perfectly sheltered dip that would offer excellent wind protection, and it was filled with soft grass which offered a great comfy place to bivy. Kelly and I discussed since I was skeptical we would find any better place to camp, plus she was feeling very tired from both the elevation, and from not sleeping at all the previous night. She opted to hang out while I continued the additional 7 miles to Red Mountain, and 7 miles back.
We reorganized some gear and I switched to my smaller day pack, took 2 liters of water and snacks, and ditched everything else I had. At 9:30am I continued on my own heading up and over Beaubien Peak, then through very easy walking terrain over Francisco and Lomo Liso Mountains. I didn't realize the ridge takes a sharp jog to the east at Lomo Liso and ended up making some zig zags adding distance. I made great time though, getting to the 12,600 foot low saddle between Lomo Liso and Miranda just an hour after leaving Kelly. The next 650 feet was also a smooth grassy slope but a bit steeper, which led directly to the false summit of Miranda Peak, where easy terrain would end. I slogged up this slope, pacing myself knowing I still had a long way to go and upon reaching Miranda's false summit it was apparent the terrain turned from Class 1 to Class 3 pretty quick! I had to traverse to the right onto the west side of the ridge and over some loose rocks below a cliffy section before I could continue back up steep terrain to regain the ridge. Once back on the ridge, a short "knife" ridge section (wasn't really anything hard or exposed) was crossed right before the summit of Miranda Peak.
We reorganized some gear and I switched to my smaller day pack, took 2 liters of water and snacks, and ditched everything else I had. At 9:30am I continued on my own heading up and over Beaubien Peak, then through very easy walking terrain over Francisco and Lomo Liso Mountains. I didn't realize the ridge takes a sharp jog to the east at Lomo Liso and ended up making some zig zags adding distance. I made great time though, getting to the 12,600 foot low saddle between Lomo Liso and Miranda just an hour after leaving Kelly. The next 650 feet was also a smooth grassy slope but a bit steeper, which led directly to the false summit of Miranda Peak, where easy terrain would end. I slogged up this slope, pacing myself knowing I still had a long way to go and upon reaching Miranda's false summit it was apparent the terrain turned from Class 1 to Class 3 pretty quick! I had to traverse to the right onto the west side of the ridge and over some loose rocks below a cliffy section before I could continue back up steep terrain to regain the ridge. Once back on the ridge, a short "knife" ridge section (wasn't really anything hard or exposed) was crossed right before the summit of Miranda Peak.
From the summit of Miranda, I could more clearly see the remainder of the traverse to Culebra. There was still a 13565 foot 13er to cross over, however after studying the map, I determined it would be easier to hike around this peak along the east side and traversing the wide open basin at the 13,100 foot level. I descended a short ways on the narrow ridge off Miranda to the next saddle and started traversing left. I crested the borad ridge on the other side at 13140 feet and cut right, descending 200 feet on a downward traverse to the 13,000 foot saddle directly below the 13,701 foot east peak of Culebra. My route around Point 13565 was probably longer but I thought it was easier overall, and I needed to conserve energy if I was going to make it all the way to Red.
At this 13000 foot saddle is where I ran into the two guys who passed our truck at 1am! They were taking a little rest after having just come down from Culeba. By this point the winds were really picking up and we didn't exchange much, but I wished them a good hike out and I started up the steepest part of the entire traverse. 700 feet of steeper, big boulders took me about 30 minutes to ascend as my legs began to tire, and with the strong west winds I tried to stay off to the east side of the crest as much as possible. Luckily I found a second wind and once I topped out on the east peak of Culebra, it was easier going all the way to the true summit. That final ridge was definitely longer than I was hoping though!
I didn't linger long on Culebra, although I did have the summit to myself since it was now a bit after 2pm. I briefly contemlated whether I would be able to go get Red. I knew I had the time, but for the first time I can ever recall, I doubted if I would have the ability to do it and get all the way back to Beaubien Peak. I was already tired, but knowing I would never forgive myself if I didn't do it, I pressed on, and descended to the next saddle. There ended up being some nice trails up the final scree slopes leading to the summit of Red and I got there just before 3pm, a total of 5.5 hours after leaving Kelly. I was pretty stoked to have made it, but knew I was only halfway done. It was another long 7 miles back with still over 2000 feet of total gain to reach my sleeping bag.
At this 13000 foot saddle is where I ran into the two guys who passed our truck at 1am! They were taking a little rest after having just come down from Culeba. By this point the winds were really picking up and we didn't exchange much, but I wished them a good hike out and I started up the steepest part of the entire traverse. 700 feet of steeper, big boulders took me about 30 minutes to ascend as my legs began to tire, and with the strong west winds I tried to stay off to the east side of the crest as much as possible. Luckily I found a second wind and once I topped out on the east peak of Culebra, it was easier going all the way to the true summit. That final ridge was definitely longer than I was hoping though!
I didn't linger long on Culebra, although I did have the summit to myself since it was now a bit after 2pm. I briefly contemlated whether I would be able to go get Red. I knew I had the time, but for the first time I can ever recall, I doubted if I would have the ability to do it and get all the way back to Beaubien Peak. I was already tired, but knowing I would never forgive myself if I didn't do it, I pressed on, and descended to the next saddle. There ended up being some nice trails up the final scree slopes leading to the summit of Red and I got there just before 3pm, a total of 5.5 hours after leaving Kelly. I was pretty stoked to have made it, but knew I was only halfway done. It was another long 7 miles back with still over 2000 feet of total gain to reach my sleeping bag.
Initially I didn't feel too bad as I began traversing back to Culebra. Amazingly I found a meltwater pool right on the east ridge of Culebra shortly before the 13701 foot east summit. I was thrilled to be able to fill my water bottles as I was definitely out, and needed more! This certainly helped, and I reached the 13,000 foot saddle at the base of the steeper section without too much trouble. Traversing back around Point 13565 was also fairly smooth, however I began to tire significantly as I made my way back up to the summit of Miranda. I had to walk over that annoying little point 13396 which added effort I had forgotten about on the way over. The final 300 feet to the top of Miranda took 20 minutes, then I had to carefully descend very loose boulders. I was definitely happy to get back to the easy grassy terrain at the false summit of Miranda though, and I made better time descending back to the saddle enroute to Lomo Liso. I knew I could circumvent Francisco Peak on the return, so from here I only had two more uphills to go until I could sleep, however I was starting to feel sick. Not super ill, but my body no longer wanted to accept food. I forced some down knowing I would need it for the last two uphill sections.
It then took me over 30 minutes to hike the 400 feet to the eastern edge of the Lomo Liso summit plateau, where I was then able to drop 200 feet and hike way around the east side of Francisco Peak. This made things much easier. As I began forcing myself up the final 500 feet to Beaubien, I stopped for one final rest and forced more food down, and this time I even had to force water down despite being so thirsty. I plodded, one baby step at a time up the gentle, mellow easy grassy slope like I was a total noob and just before 8pm I met back up with Kelly, who was sitting in the sleeping bag enjoying the evening lighting over the mountains. Note that it was windy all day, and my first comment to her when I got back was asking her why she was sitting in the wind and not in our little sheltered area!
Without any hesitation, and without eating anything I went right into the sleeping bag, as I was totally spent. Within minutes I was sleeping, and didn't wake up for many hours. Later during the night I did wake briefly to see a totally moonless night with millions of stars dazzlying around. It was perfectly calm without a sound to be heard...a magical experience. As twilight began, I was getting more awake, and I was able to watch the sunrise sitting from my sleeping bag. It was not too cold, but cold enough to not want to leave the bag. I snapped a few photos of Kelly sound asleep as the sun rose (lucky her she got to sleep for 18 hours!). Just as she woke up, two bighorn sheep stood less than 50 feet away staring at us. I snapped a photo as Kelly was super excited to see them so close.
It then took me over 30 minutes to hike the 400 feet to the eastern edge of the Lomo Liso summit plateau, where I was then able to drop 200 feet and hike way around the east side of Francisco Peak. This made things much easier. As I began forcing myself up the final 500 feet to Beaubien, I stopped for one final rest and forced more food down, and this time I even had to force water down despite being so thirsty. I plodded, one baby step at a time up the gentle, mellow easy grassy slope like I was a total noob and just before 8pm I met back up with Kelly, who was sitting in the sleeping bag enjoying the evening lighting over the mountains. Note that it was windy all day, and my first comment to her when I got back was asking her why she was sitting in the wind and not in our little sheltered area!
Without any hesitation, and without eating anything I went right into the sleeping bag, as I was totally spent. Within minutes I was sleeping, and didn't wake up for many hours. Later during the night I did wake briefly to see a totally moonless night with millions of stars dazzlying around. It was perfectly calm without a sound to be heard...a magical experience. As twilight began, I was getting more awake, and I was able to watch the sunrise sitting from my sleeping bag. It was not too cold, but cold enough to not want to leave the bag. I snapped a few photos of Kelly sound asleep as the sun rose (lucky her she got to sleep for 18 hours!). Just as she woke up, two bighorn sheep stood less than 50 feet away staring at us. I snapped a photo as Kelly was super excited to see them so close.
At about 6:15am I believe we were packed up and started back down the short descend to Whiskey Pass. We decided to make a longer round-about traverse around the unnamed 12er on some good game trails, and made our way up De Anza Peak pretty efficiently. Kelly was moving faster than I was this morning as my legs were still very tired, but at least I wasn't feeling terrible anymore. The rest of our hike out was pretty uneventful, albiet the wind picked up merely moments after the sun rose so it was chilly. We got back to the truck at 10am and found a killer mexican resturant to refuel in La Veta for the long drive back. It was so cool to make this happen, after I first heard of the ordeal back in 2011 nearly 9 years ago. It had been on the list ever since, and finally getting it done felt great!
Profile of the Operation Dark Snake Traverse
