In a cable car between Telluride City and the Mountain Village
A Navajo (?) in the Mountain Village of Telluride
Low-season in the Mountain Village
The Silver Pick Trail was unfortunately closed. That costed me actually one day extra (and a lot of anger), in my overall schedule of climbing 14'ers in Colorado.
My car after the extremely dirty drive to Silver Pick Trailhead
The next day I drove to the Navajo Lake Trailhead, which seemed to be the only good alternative now that Silver Pick Trailhead was closed.
Silence at Navajo Lake, where I was entirely alone for a while. Gladstone Peak, a Colorado 13'er, can be seen beyond the lake.
Early morning in the upper part of Navajo Basin
The snow gully in the middle of this picture was my planned route to El Diente the next day, so I studied it carefully this morning. The morning sun has just reached the summit of El Diente (right).
High on Mount Wilsons northface. El Diente is located at the end of the ridge.
I'm high on Mount Wilson, and I have splendid views in northerly directon where Wilson Peak dominates the sky.
Finally on the summit of Mount Wilson (4342m). Wilson Peak (left) and Gladstone Peak (right).
Lyngve on the summit of Mount Wilson (4342m). El Diente Peak, in the background, can be reached by a class 3 traverse from Mount Wilson.
The class 4 pitch, just beneath the summit of Mount Wilson.
The upper ridge of Wilson Peak (class 3)
Lyngve on the summit of Wilson Peak (4272m). In the distance, Mount Wilson (left) and El Diente (right). The latter one is not considered to be a ranked 14'er because it's not rising high enough (100 feet) above the lowest point on the ridge between Mount Wilson and El-Diente.
The city of Telluride somewhere far below
Looking towards the Lizard Head Pass
The class 3 pitch just below the summit of Wilson Peak
On the saddle between Gladstone Peak and Wilson Peak. The latter peak can be seen in the background.
The long ridge between Mount Wilson (left) and El Diente (right)
Remnants from the Mining Rush in the Rocky Mountains
My tentsite in the forrest beyond Navajo Lake
The next morning I was on my way to the upper part of the basin again, now aiming for El Diente.
The steep and interesting snow gully, which is the standard route on El Diente
The lower part of the gully was easy and less than 40 degrees
The upper part of the gully was exceeding 40 degrees, and became pretty exposed. There has been some few fatal accidents in this gully, also very recently (2005).
Higher up I left the snow gully, scrambled on a spur before I reached the ridge. El-Diente in the background.
On the summit of El Diente (4316m). Mount Wilson is located at the far end of this ridge.
Lyngve on the summit of El Diente. The clouds started to build up very rapidly.
On the ridge, only some few minutes later, Mount Wilson had disappeared behind the clouds.
Climbing down a steep snow gully is always more scaring than climbing up.
I'm well below the steepest part of the gully and in safety..
After 3 days and 2 nights in Navajo Basin, I was rather happy to be back in civilization again.
