Sunday, May 1, 2011

# 85/107 Peak 10941 - Idaho Summits Spring Outing 2011

Margo and Cerro Ciento ridgeline (back)


The 2011 mountaineering season started out with #84, Camelback Mountain, a local peak outside of Pocatello. I had a rough winter 2010 physically. Seemed that everything broke down after the great mountain bike wreck of summer 2010. After a very difficult ascent of Camelback, I went back to the doctor and made another run at physical therapy. At the same time, I met this great guy, Steve, who got me out skate skiing about every weekend from the end of January through the begining of April. Between PT and Steve, the Idaho Summits Spring Outing came back on my radar. So I brought Steve along to meet a few of my climbing friends....

Peak 10941 was chosen after a lot of consternation over the initial choice of King Mountain in the Lost Rivers, a peak I had already done and was non-motivated to do again. Weather and snow stability conditions caused, thankfully, a change of location to this lovely little gem in the Boulder Mountains outside of Ketchum, Idaho. A bonus of the whole deal was that Idaho Summits Dan had rented his company's condo for us; so we left behind the camp gear and camp food and enjoyed comfy beds and good quality cuisine in Hailey. I was first to vote for Thai food because rice noodles (which are gluten free/Celiac friendly) carry more carbs then regular noodles...little known fact. So it was Pad Thai for dinner.

We enjoyed a leisurely 8:25 a.m. start at the trail head for a nine-person assault on the peak. Half the group planned to hike entirely and the other half would be descending on skis. Conditions were overcast when we started out but close to treeline a beautiful day burst into bloom. We ascended steadily without incident...just a few little weird steps here and there. At the high ridge traverse before the summit I followed Dan's decision to switch from snowshoes to crampons. Somehow I neglected to take a summit video or a SummitGirl photo but I did put a few
photos of the day together to music.

Of the nine, Alex, Dave, Dan and I climbed and descended the peak in snowshoes/crampons. John, Dylan and Steve skinned/cramponed up and skied down. Jacob booted up, crossed over and bagged Cerro Ciento before hiking and glissading down, and Nathan, bagged 10941, Cerro Ciento, and Easley Peak before skiing down. Skiers (who had met Nate on his descent) beat the climbers down by 20-30 minutes, and Jake pulled in about 5 minutes after the climbers.

Trip Stats
Mileage: 7.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 3800 ft
Time: 7:30 hours
Class 2+
Partners: Dan, Dave and Alex P., John and Dylan F., Steve, Jacob, Nathan.

Partner Trip Reports:
Dan Robbins:
Idaho Summits
John and Dylan Fagden:
Fagden's Adventures

Margo & Steve, 4/29/2011


Peak 10941 brings my unique peak total to 85. Multiple ascents of a few of these peaks bring my overall count to 97 and then I reach two entries in my spreadsheet of "numerous ascents," Carbonate Peak in Hailey and Bonneville Peak in Inkom. My guess for those is probably 5-6 each...so...instead of continuing to say I probably have about 100 peaks, I am conservatively taking my 107 total forward into Summer 2011. My next summit will start at number 108. So...wanna join me on a little hike?

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