4 Peaks, 3 Days

I climbed four peaks in three days while backpacking in the Chicago Basin. Although this may seem impressive, most people opt to climb four peaks in two days, and a smaller number of people will summit all four in one day. An even smaller number (N=1) will hike 18 miles from Purgatory Flats TH and summit all four in one day. I didn't meet this illusive individual, but hikers throughout the basin were telling his tale. Anywho, I had four days to kill so why rush?? 

I learned of Chicago Basin while traveling around CO last year. A friend and I tried to get into the meat of the Grenadier Range by using his Mom's 4 cylinder Ford Escape. It was 4x4 so we thought it would make it. It painfully did not. We ended up hiking to Highland Mary trail north of the Chicago Basin. Which was amazing in and of itself. See Highland Mary trek post. 

This year, as I was mentally cobbling together my summer schedule, I thought of this hike. If you decide not to do crazy and hike from Purgatory Flats TH, you can hop on the diesel train that runs from Durango to Silverton, CO and get dropped off at the Needleton TH. Take a train to a TH?? Hell yea. Because I'm a poor planner, I waited till the last minute to buy a ticket. I was lucky and got a ticket for the very next day. 

I board the train with about 10 other backpackers. We all look like we're about to embark on an Alaskan expedition. No one knew exactly what the snow conditions were. The Ranger Sation reported "snow starts around 10,000 ft". That was incredibly false. It began around Twin Lakes, which is 12,000 and then the snow fields were from about 12 - 13,500 ft. I did use my ice axe at one point to help me down a steep slushy slope on one of the climbs, but honestly people were doing it with hiking poles. 

On the train I was already buzzin' with excitement. I wanted to be the first up to the basin to find a primo camping spot. Even though I was in the same cart as the other hikers, no one was really talking. After about two hours we finally make it to our stop. I hit the trail like a 400m runner off the blocks. I had a 6 mile hike ahead of me. By mile 3 my pants were literally soaked through with sweat. And no one was around. So on the one hand, mission accomplished, but on the other I felt like a giant tool for having the worst swamp ass of my life by trying to get up there before everyone else. I did in fact find a clutch spot...among many clutch spots. 

First good view of Chicago Basin.

The first person I talk to is of course the volunteer ranger. Not on purpose, but I saw an older man holding a shovel, so I wanted to talk to him. There had been a fatality the weekend before, and he made sure to tell me that first. Then he went on to tell me the number of fatalities the San Juans had experienced so far in 2023. It was grim, but not enough to scare me. It seems this one fatality that happened on Mt. Eolus is especially serious due to possibility of there being a witness that did not report the incident. However, after spending four days there, I realized there were many versions of the story. Regardless, my heart goes out to her family and friends. 

I definitely wanted to climb all four 14er peaks in the basin, but I wasn't willing to risk my life or even my health. I have had to retreat off peaks for safety reasons before and this trip was no different. 

The next morning, I woke up around 7am. My alarm went off around 5:30, but ya know, I'm a grumpy morning person. This might be my Achillies heel in the mountains. During the shoulder season, the snow will turn to slush by mid-morning making descents especially precarious and dangerous. I made it to Twin Lakes in record time. And met several people along the way warning me of conditions. I could feel this apprehension from a lot of people who had shown up with zero snow gear. Good thing, because it was needed. There were a few people out there completing the climbs with no gear - not even helmets. Good on them, I guess. 

Thawing Twins Lakes

I took a break to put on microspikes and a helmet. There was a guy who was literally exploding with excitement. He looked like an overly excitable dog that was jumping four feet in the air. He asked me if I was going up Windom. I said, "I'm going to try". My typical response. He was adamant that I hike the rest of the way with him and his crew. I said sure because I overheard his friends say they were from Nashville. Super cool. But also, woah. I hoped they knew what they were in for. Altitude is no joke. 

False summit of Windom on left.

We press on for the base of Windom, the easiest of the four peaks. It was pretty straight forward with no issues. The snow was perfect for microspikes and poles, and we were at the summit by 10am. The other female of the group and I took the lead. I'm pretty comfortable on large, secure rocks. Class 3 is my jam at the moment. The route was easy to navigate, and the snow had all but melted above 13,800'. We hung around the top for about 30 min before starting to wonder about the guys. Turns out the TN boys did not fare well when it turned class 3. I think between the altitude, distance, and uncertainty of the terrain, they had had enough. We descended to join them, and they were perfectly content to head back to camp. This climb gave me a boost of confidence to try Sunlight the next morning. I had wasted too much time at the top of Windom to try it the same day. Usually, the Sunlight to Windom traverse is climbed in one day. 

False summit heading to Windom.

Windom Peak 14,094'.

Boogie on down the mountain. 

Since I decided not to try Sunlight, I headed to Columbine pass. A fun little hike up to a pass south of Windom. 

Colombine Lake

Columbine Pass 12,707'.

Cheesing for the camera.

The next morning, I was able to wake up early. Around 6am. I was stoked to get up Sunlight. I headed out and spotted a guy hiking up ahead of me. I was gaining on him until I was nipping at his heels. Not on purpose, it's a bad habit from races. We said our good mornings and I was off towards Sunlight. He stopped to join another guy at the lakes. I thought they had randomly started talking but turns out they were friends. I was halfway up Sunlight when I finally saw them approaching the base. I couldn't figure out what they were discussing. Either way, I wanted the summit to myself, so I picked it up a bit. The navigation was a bit more complex with a few class 4 moves. So so fun! I had a few photos from 14ers.com to help with some of the landmarks. There were also cairns. There's a fun hole to climb through just before the summit. Then once you get to the summit, you have to climb up several blocks. Getting back down I almost shit myself. It's called the leap of faith, and for a moment I lost all faith for sure. At that point the guys had caught up to me along with a 7-person party. Annoying! So, I had a crowd, which I hate. I jumped, landed and literally had to shake off the nerves. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures. Except of the saddle and a stupid selfie. Don't know what I was thinking. 

Moments before shitting myself.

The saddle to Sunlight.

The only real evidence I was there. 14,065'

Last but certainly not least, North Eolus and Eolus peaks. North Eolus is essentially a walk up, if you get past the enormous snow field. I was hoping to meet my newfound friends from Sunlight Peak, but I never saw them. I was pretty tired at this point, and to be honest had run out of food (I got my period, and my appetite was through the roof!!). I figured I could push through because of my endurance racing experience. I tend to bonk more when I eat too much processed sugar, not from a lack of food. I did have some food on me, and I had a plan. If I could get up and down before noon, I would pack up and head back to Needleton to catch the train a day early. I make my way to Twin Lakes for the 3rd time. Instead of turning right, I make a left towards Eolus. The snow field started almost immediately. I put my spikes on and figure out the best route. I like to go for the large, exposed boulders, so I made my way to the first one that made sense. 

Snow field to Eolus

The snow was firm, and although the grade steep, I felt secure with each step. I made it to what I thought was the notch and took my spikes off. Blast! I had a bit further to go. I put my spikes back on and kept going about another 300 feet. Once at the notch, I made a B line to North Eolus. I wanted to do all four peaks in a horseshoe shape. After summiting, I returned to the saddle and had a good look at Mount Eolus. 

Mount Eolus and two men on the "catwalk"

 I could see people coming down from the summit. I headed towards the "catwalk". For some, this is the scariest section. I felt it wasn't. Getting cliffed out and having to reroute is far more nerve wracking for me. I make my way over and meet a few climbers coming down. They said this was far more fun than Capitol Peak (a very well known, arguably the most difficult 14er in CO). I haven't climbed Capitol yet, so I can't compare the two. I will say Eolus is a hell of a good time! 

The "catwalk"

I remembered a couple guys telling me to go left around the first snow field and then right around the second. I totally forgot this tip until I was on the right of the first. Ha! I was soon cliffed out and had to do some crazy moves to get back to class 3 climbing. Then made my way to the right of the next snow field. It was a quick trip up from there to the summit, which I had all to myself. Such a treat! 

Summit shot!

I took in the moment and was just in awe of the views. I'm a mountain girl through and through. I saw someone climbing up, so I started making my way down. It was about 10am and I knew the snow would be slushy. I decided to glissade down, since shuffling down would take painstaking effort. I caught up to a group of four, and quickly passed them with another section of glissading. Proceeded to crack the hell out of my phone. Doh! But hey, I was down the sketchy snow field section. Grinning ear to ear, booked it back to camp and made it back around 11:45. Time to go home. 

Slushy snow field hell

Dayuuum Chicago Basin!

Said thank you to my leggies and mind for getting me up and down these peaks. Thanked the peaks for being spectacularly beautiful and challenging. Hightailed it for the train.