Denver Seminary

Today’s focus was the Wetterhorn. Wetterhorn means “weather peak” in German and is named after the Wetterhorn in Switzerland. Apparently the desert conditions to the west make for some interesting weather on this peak. And the upside of Colorado’s Wetterhorn is that I do not need a passport to climb it! Take note of the rocky bump to the left of the summit – it’s called the Ships Prowl. You will see a close up pic of this formation further below.

Above the tree line, the wildflowers were in full glory. I continue to be awestruck by the sheer beauty of such a sight.

Here’s a view down the SW side of this magnificent mountain. Check out the snow in July! Whowa!!!

Here’s a view nearing the top. The summit is on the right and the rock formation on the left is called the Ships Prowl. The plan was to summit and then climb the Prowl for extra credit.

Here I am entering an area called the notch right next to the Prowl. The notch allows a climber to cross the rocky rib and gain access to a class 3 scramble on the other side to the summit.

Here’s a view from the summit. The Matterhorn is located in the middle of the frame and Wetterhorn’s 14er sibling, Uncompahgre, is on the top. After we summited Wetterhorn we hiked over to Umcompahre and made it all the way to the visible notch on ridge to the right. I ran out of water 90 minutes from the summit and had to bail.

Bingo! The Wayward Bottle on top of Wetterhorn at 14,015 feet on a BEAUTIFUL day; clear skies, no wind, and very mild temps.

My climbing partner on top of The Ships Prowl

This is a Colorado columbine -- the state flower. What a beaut.