La Plata or Bust
Jan 12, 2009 by DJ Turner | 2 Comments
From Robert Jones:
Well, it was a bust. I left the house at 3:30 am and arrived to the La Plata trailhead at 6:30 am. The temperature was a cool -5°F. Fortunately there was not much wind to speak of and it felt rather pleasant with the proper attire. The snow, however, was a different story. It was up to my knees for much of the hike and up to my thighs in a many places.
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This picture was taken as I was leaving the forest and entering a high alpine valley at the base of La Plata. There was plenty of snow loading on the immediate slope on my right and I was hoping to witness an avy up close and personal. But as the day would have it, things were quiet and uneventful. |
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Here I am sporting my Wayword Bottle about 45 minutes from gaining the NW ridge of La Plata. It took 6.5 hours to cover the 3 miles to get to this point and I figured that it would be too risky to push for the summit and get back to the parking lot at a decent hour. My legs were also tired, but we're not going to talk about that! The summit is hidden in the clouds over my head and slightly to the left. It was 1:30 when this pic was taken and the temp. had warmed up to a balmy 10F. |
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Here's a look at the La Plata base. The view was simply spectacular. The pure white snow contrasting with the cobalt blue skies was an eye full. |
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This pic will give you a feel for the pitch coming out of the valley. Travel up this side was turtle slow with so much snow. |
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This was the first time that I have been turned back on a 14er; granted I have only been doing this for 5.5 months and only have 14 peaks under my belt. While I was a tad disappointed that I did not put hands, feet, and Wayward Bottle on the summit, it was a treat to be outside for a full day of challenge and breath taking scenery.
Stay tuned as I will again give it the ole college try real soon.
Comments
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Dennis Hesselbarth Jan 21, 2009 10:31am
Robert,
Kudos for making an attempt. I've been turned back too many times to count now. But especially in the winter the risks rise - one doesn't want to spend the night...
As they say, sometimes it's the journey not the destination that counts.
Hopefully next summer we can do a peak together.
- Dennis H
Robert Jones Jan 21, 2009 4:15pm
Dennis, later this spring we need to lock in on a time and have some fun next summer.
Hoping to get back to La Plata on Feb. 7th. Might bivy at the tree line...not sure yet.
Hope you are well.
Robert