What a difference a month makes.
Eager to develop another potential climbing partner, I had invited a co-worker from the News along on an attempt on Princeton on May 23rd. Brian Swart and I had made it to about 13,400’ by 1:00, when we had to start back in order to make our scheduled check-in. We had been thwarted by an injudicious detour to Young Life’s chalet, an overly-restrictive 4:00 check-in appointment, and the effect of the numerous, time-consuming snowfields on our pace, but we would not allow our defeat to stand.
Although he was a bit slower than I, I had enjoyed Brian’s company. Unfortunately, other commitments would prevent him from joining me for a second crack at Princeton.
I drove to Buena Vista on Saturday afternoon, as I usually do when climbing in the central Sawatch. Unable to reserve a room at the Alpine Lodge, I stayed at the unremarkable and overpriced Sumac Lodge. I was up at 4:30 Sunday morning, and by 5:15 was pulling out of the lot, heading south. Following the excellent directions in Gerry Roach’s book, I arrived at the trailhead — the TV towers at 10,820’ — at 5:50. The road up from the Young Life camp, although not terribly difficult, was rough in spots, and might have been a bit much for most passenger cars.
A few minutes before 6:00, I was starting up the remaining jeep road toward Bristlecone Park and the trail which would lead high into the rocky drainage on Princeton’s eastern flanks. Although the sun had not yet climbed over the mountainous eastern horizon, its rays cast a warm glow on the top half of Tigger Peak, Princeton’s southeastern sub-peak. The main summit hid coyly behind the 13,300’ sub-peak.
Within about 10 minutes, I had passed two very attractive camping spots, one on either side of the road. The sky was cloudless, and the day was warming up quickly. I followed the jeep road as it climbed relentlessly through the trees.
The trail splits off from the road at treeline, just before the road swings south toward Bristlecone Park. I followed the trail northward as it quickly climbed onto Tigger Peak’s gentle northeast ridge, then swung westward to ascend the talus on the north-facing slopes of the basin east of Princeton. A single party of five or six climbers was ahead of me.
Aware
that the trail was destined not for the summit, but rather for a mine east
of the summit at about 13,100 feet, I planned to take the standard advice,
and leave the trail at about 12,800 feet, climbing southward into the saddle
between Tigger and Princeton. From the saddle, I would follow the connecting
ridge to Princeton’s summit. This would avoid the steep, loose talus
slope above the mine.
The trail became spotty as it crossed the occasionally loose talus, but few of the massive snowfields present on the May outing remained. I made pretty good time, and was treated to a terrific view of a snowy Mount Antero as I climbed into the saddle.
The remainder of the route consisted of 1150 more feet of talus, with numerous, faint sections of trail wandering among the rocks, sometimes splitting and rejoining, but more often going for a few yards, then vanishing. I plugged along, following little snippets of trail where possible, occasionally turning to watch the panorama of the Arkansas Valley, then South Park open before me.
Perseverance paid off, as usual. At about 9:20, I hauled myself onto the summit. The group ahead of me had already started down via a scree couloir off the peak’s northeast ridge, so I had the summit to myself. After signing the register, I took the usual batch of photographs, then settled into one of the two large, rock windbreaks for some nourishment. After two failed summit bids — Princeton in May and Shavano in early June — I was thrilled to have bagged my 23rd fourteener, and the first for the season.
Although there were some thin, high clouds to the west, the weather could only have been called superb, so I lounged about quite contentedly. Once fed and watered, I looked around unsuccessfully for a USGS marker, applied some sunscreen, then watched as four climbers huffed and puffed up the last several yards onto the top. Around 10:30, having exchanged the usual pleasantries with them, I shouldered my pack and started down, well rested and well pleased.
The
route consisting mostly of unstable talus, it took me nearly as long to complete
the descent as it had to climb the peak. As I worked my way down the ridge,
then the rocky trail, I passed perhaps 20 or 25 people heading up, many lacking
basic equipment. Two hours down from the top, I was still entertaining questions
about conditions from people on the way up. The western sky had started to
cloud up a bit, making some of them nervous about the prospects for lightning
on the ridge.
I was back at my truck at 1:15, feeling very much as though I had climbed a fourteener, but happy with my pace and glad to have the season’s first summit under my belt. Climbed from the antenna farm, Princeton had made an excellent first-of-the-season accomplishment.
