Beautiful clouds were revealed above us in the early morning sunlight
Endless scree and small talus make up the barren Kilpacker Basin
More scree
Our early morning views of El Diente, shortly before we started up its steep South Slopes
Karen starting the steep slog up the South Slopes
This short class 3 section reminded us of the gulley we climbed on Wetterhorn last weekend
We followed more solid rock that we found on climber's left in the gulley
I was pleased to find the talus on the upper sections of the route to be more stable than I anticipated
Almost to the ridge
Once gaining the ridge, only a 1/4 mile traverse stood between us and the summit
Jim downclimbing a fun section of the traverse
Karen now on the north side of the ridge with the summit in sight
Our summit photo, #40 for Jim, #43 for Karen!!
Karen looking forward to Wilson Peak, on the docket for 2008
My turn to sit on the summit block
Wilson Peak
A panoramic view to the northeast from the summit of El Diente
A totally unexpected friend who had just climbed the treacherous North Slopes route
3 super pups taking a breather on the summit
Descending from the summit, the views of the connecting ridge to Wilson Peak were impressive
We carefully descended the loose scree on the summit ridge
Downclimbing one of the gulleys on the summit ridge
A feature on El Diente known as the Organ Pipes indicated the spot to start heading back down to Kilpacker Basin
Cascades running through the Kilpacker Basin
The beautiful Upper Kilpacker Falls
A spectacular view of El Diente and Upper Kilpacker Falls
A casual stream we stopped by to cool off
Beautiful wildflowers along the stream
Dramatic Lower Kilpacker Falls
Looking back at El Diente back at treeline
The remaining 3.5 miles back to the trailhead took us through lush meadows
To think this is what we were missing as we hiked in before sunrise
One last look back
Red berries beside the trail
Close-up of the red berries
More vibrant flowers
The forest was so lush I felt like we were hiking through Cambodia
Another view of the lush trail
More cool berries
Daisies
Our tracks and elevation profile for El Diente
