Lone Eagle Summit Attempt





Our trip got immediately delayed on friday, and we didn't leave Fort Collins until about 6 pm. We made it to the Monarch lake trailhead at 10 pm and started headlamp hiking in with all our gear. From TH to the designated campsites at crater lake is approx 7.8 mi. The first portion of our hike went very well, we made it 4.4 mi to the cascade creek falls in 1 h 20 min. Trail was clear and conditions were good. That was about to change.



At about the 5.5 or 6 mi marker, there started to be an ever increasing amount of fresh** deadfall. Definitely by the 6 mile marker the trail had become a horrendous nest of snarled, branch heavy, triple stacked deadfall madness. The trail at many times was not passable. In areas about 1/3 of the trees had been felled. This was not the most enjoyable circumstance at midnight on an unfamiliar trail. The final bridge crossing of cascade creek was completely washed out / destroyed by deadfall and high water. We really had to take our time at night crossing that b****. Even in the daylight on sunday when we were hiking back out, the combo crossing a peak runoff river on loose roller deadfall was more sketchy than most of the climb. Hopefully as the water recedes and the forest service clears the trail the crossing will become more manageable.



** On the way out on sunday we ran into forest service trail blazers. They said that a microburst storm hit the upper valley hard in the early winter and felled all these trees. There is such a large number of them that they likely won't clear most - rather they will clear off branches from the trunks to make going over / under them easier. Moral of the story: BE READY FOR LOTS OF HIGH-STEPPING / SQUATTING THROUGH DEADFALL IN 2017!!



The last 1.5 miles to crater lake took us roughly 2 hours to complete. Our total time from TH to camp was 4 h 15 min. This would likely be shortened if we weren't coming in at night, but not by a whole lot due to the sheer amount of downed trees. SNOWLINE was at 10k and was steady everywhere not south facing.



Our original plan entailed us getting up around 6 and hitting the trail to begin our ascent by no later than 7 am Sat morning. Because the trek to the camp took so long (2:30 am) and was very taxing during the last 2 miles, we decided to sleep in and rest properly on satruday, noting our increased risk of variable weather.



We were on the trail at 10 am to a sunny but cloud - building day. Our planned route was "solo flight II" and gained much knowledge from /u/eskermo's 2015 post

Ryan looking awake outside our camp

We crossed the outlet of Crater Lake (it was still snowed in / frozen over). We headed S-SE, staying high along the scree field next to the cliff faces. We had to cross several 35 degree snowfields that were melting fast. The saddle to be gained is obvious as you hug the cliffs heading from SE to S. Once on the saddle and in view of triangle lake, the single switchback ramp is pretty obvious. /u/eskermo's post has better pics than I do of the route to this point.



Some snow fields after the first saddle



Climbing up the lower ramp



Some class 2 / 2+ moves needed



Looking down the upper ramp



Following the ramp first S then N, we soon gained the elevation to the notch in the ridgeline. The path was relatively clear as it receives lots of sun above treeline. There were some areas that involved class 2/3 scrambling, but for the most part it was straight forward trekking. Where the path was not obvious one could find helpful cairns leading the way up. We reached the notch at 12:15.



The remaining route



We took a lunch break on top of the saddle. We had a great view to scout the remaining pitches of class 3/4 climbing to come. The weather was picking up, the clouds were starting to roll dark and the steady 10mph wind of the day started to get gusty. We decided to tentatively start our summit push while keeping a wary eye on the conditions.



We first down climbed to the west of the ridge and traversed north to the 'curious chockstone'. The path was narrow, very exposed, but solid.

Climbing to the 'chockstone'

We then passed the chockstone, having to awkwardly navigate 10 vertical feet of steep (50 degrees +), blown - in snow and in the notch to regain the eastern face. Once we re-gained the eastern face, the rest of the route was in front of us.



Snowfield in the 'chockstone' notch / gully



Getting through the 2nd notch



Unfortunately for us, the weather was on the downswing. Wind gusts were in the 30 mph range, and the clouds were threatening rain. We were about to down climb to the crux and were in total about 150 yards from the summit. Ryan and I were scouting our next moves the route while also noting the weather when a sudden N-S double gust wind change made us hug the wall for dear life. The exposure on this part of the route is no joke and if that big gust had happened on the class 4 stretches 25 ft down the trail it would have truly been sphincter-shattering. We turned around from here and regained the first notch where there was solid ground to snap some photos and rest again before the trek down. A brief squall of sleet ensured that we were not going to be able to wait out the wind - wet boots, wet granite, and class 4 moves are a no go for me. Some views from the top:



Iroquois is a great backdrop!



Peaks!



We descended back to camp and whipped up dinner. Crater lake was 1/4 frozen over still and fishing was looking like it was going to be a bust (and the whiskey bottle looked more appealing). We were treated to a spectacular sunset in the evening!











Overall this trip was a great experience for Ryan and myself. Our goal was to have this be a good training run for Capitol later this summer (only got a couple class 4 peaks left to go!) We had lots of things get thrown our way but we overcame what we could and did what conditions allowed. My advice to anyone attempting Lone Eagle is as follows:



-Make sure you plan your time in accordance with your physicality for this adventure! We're young college athletes. We were able to get by with hiking in late at night, dealing with a quick recovery, and then ascending the next day. No matter how you put it though, it is an 8 mile approach to the campsite then another 2+ miles to the summit with nearly 6k vertical feet round trip. We had several hiccups along the way and had to adapt. We were physically taxed by the end of the weekend.



-Consider wearing approach shoes before getting to treeline. We didn't have many issues staying dry on top of the snow, but with the way it is socked in there now it is likely that most of the route from crater lake to the first saddle will be very wet for the coming weeks.



-Take your time and scout your route, especially after your gain the notch at the top of the ramp. The obvious path is there, follow cairns where you find them and talk with your group about what you see. This is not a simple 'scoot the ridge line' route up on top. There is lots of down climbing and cross-face climbing after you get on top. There is more than 1 'right' way to get through each tough section. The dizzying exposure should make sure you are taking a smart approach.



Climb on, friends! Our plan for summiting involved a 2 night stay at the Crater Lake wilderness zone in the IP wilderness. We planned on hiking into camp Friday night, climbing / fly fishing Sat, then hiking out on Sunday. We had no problems getting permits to camp mid june, but beware that the IP permits fill up quick once summer is full swing!Our trip got immediately delayed on friday, and we didn't leave Fort Collins until about 6 pm. We made it to the Monarch lake trailhead at 10 pm and started headlamp hiking in with all our gear. From TH to the designated campsites at crater lake is approx 7.8 mi. The first portion of our hike went very well, we made it 4.4 mi to the cascade creek falls in 1 h 20 min. Trail was clear and conditions were good. That was about to change.At about the 5.5 or 6 mi marker, there started to be an ever increasing amount of fresh** deadfall. Definitely by the 6 mile marker the trail had become a horrendous nest of snarled, branch heavy, triple stacked deadfall madness. The trail at many times was not passable. In areas about 1/3 of the trees had been felled. This was not the most enjoyable circumstance at midnight on an unfamiliar trail. The final bridge crossing of cascade creek was completely washed out / destroyed by deadfall and high water. We really had to take our time at night crossing that b****. Even in the daylight on sunday when we were hiking back out, the combo crossing a peak runoff river on loose roller deadfall was more sketchy than most of the climb. Hopefully as the water recedes and the forest service clears the trail the crossing will become more manageable.** On the way out on sunday we ran into forest service trail blazers. They said that a microburst storm hit the upper valley hard in the early winter and felled all these trees. There is such a large number of them that they likely won't clear most - rather they will clear off branches from the trunks to make going over / under them easier. Moral of the story: BE READY FOR LOTS OF HIGH-STEPPING / SQUATTING THROUGH DEADFALL IN 2017!!The last 1.5 miles to crater lake took us roughly 2 hours to complete. Our total time from TH to camp was 4 h 15 min. This would likely be shortened if we weren't coming in at night, but not by a whole lot due to the sheer amount of downed trees.was at 10k and was steady everywhere not south facing.Our original plan entailed us getting up around 6 and hitting the trail to begin our ascent by no later than 7 am Sat morning. Because the trek to the camp took so long (2:30 am) and was very taxing during the last 2 miles, we decided to sleep in and rest properly on satruday, noting our increased risk of variable weather.We were on the trail at 10 am to a sunny but cloud - building day. Our planned route was "solo flight II" and gained much knowledge from /u/eskermo's 2015 post about his ascent . Check it out!We crossed the outlet of Crater Lake (it was still snowed in / frozen over). We headed S-SE, staying high along the scree field next to the cliff faces. We had to cross several 35 degree snowfields that were melting fast. The saddle to be gained is obvious as you hug the cliffs heading from SE to S. Once on the saddle and in view of triangle lake, the single switchback ramp is pretty obvious. /u/eskermo's post has better pics than I do of the route to this point.Following the ramp first S then N, we soon gained the elevation to the notch in the ridgeline. The path was relatively clear as it receives lots of sun above treeline. There were some areas that involved class 2/3 scrambling, but for the most part it was straight forward trekking. Where the path was not obvious one could find helpful cairns leading the way up. We reached the notch at 12:15.We took a lunch break on top of the saddle. We had a great view to scout the remaining pitches of class 3/4 climbing to come. The weather was picking up, the clouds were starting to roll dark and the steady 10mph wind of the day started to get gusty. We decided to tentatively start our summit push while keeping a wary eye on the conditions.We first down climbed to the west of the ridge and traversed north to the 'curious chockstone'. The path was narrow, very exposed, but solid.We then passed the chockstone, having to awkwardly navigate 10 vertical feet of steep (50 degrees +), blown - in snow and in the notch to regain the eastern face. Once we re-gained the eastern face, the rest of the route was in front of us.Unfortunately for us, the weather was on the downswing. Wind gusts were in the 30 mph range, and the clouds were threatening rain. We were about to down climb to the crux and were in total about 150 yards from the summit. Ryan and I were scouting our next moves the route while also noting the weather when a sudden N-S double gust wind change made us hug the wall for dear life. The exposure on this part of the route is no joke and if that big gust had happened on the class 4 stretches 25 ft down the trail it would have truly been sphincter-shattering. We turned around from here and regained the first notch where there was solid ground to snap some photos and rest again before the trek down. A brief squall of sleet ensured that we were not going to be able to wait out the wind - wet boots, wet granite, and class 4 moves are a no go for me. Some views from the top:We descended back to camp and whipped up dinner. Crater lake was 1/4 frozen over still and fishing was looking like it was going to be a bust (and the whiskey bottle looked more appealing). We were treated to a spectacular sunset in the evening!Overall this trip was a great experience for Ryan and myself. Our goal was to have this be a good training run for Capitol later this summer (only got a couple class 4 peaks left to go!) We had lots of things get thrown our way but we overcame what we could and did what conditions allowed. My advice to anyone attempting Lone Eagle is as follows:-Make sure you plan your time in accordance with your physicality for this adventure! We're young college athletes. We were able to get by with hiking in late at night, dealing with a quick recovery, and then ascending the next day. No matter how you put it though, it is an 8 mile approach to the campsite then another 2+ miles to the summit with nearly 6k vertical feet round trip. We had several hiccups along the way and had to adapt. We were physically taxed by the end of the weekend.-Consider wearing approach shoes before getting to treeline. We didn't have many issues staying dry on top of the snow, but with the way it is socked in there now it is likely that most of the route from crater lake to the first saddle will be very wet for the coming weeks.-Take your time and scout your route, especially after your gain the notch at the top of the ramp. The obvious path is there, follow cairns where you find them and talk with your group about what you see. This is not a simple 'scoot the ridge line' route up on top. There is lots of down climbing and cross-face climbing after you get on top. There is more than 1 'right' way to get through each tough section. Theexposure should make sure you are taking a smart approach.Climb on, friends!





Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

