4th of July fell on a Monday this year, and I found myself in the Sangres for the holiday weekend. The forecast was not especially enticing for Sunday, so John and I made a single peak objective for the day: Unnamed 13,546, adjacent to centennial Adams and next to scenic Willow Lake.
The night had been rainy and the dawn revealed an overcast gray sky. While not cheerful, it made the long approach from the trailhead much more cooler and enjoyable than my prior two visits. We took our time on the ascent, as John was feeling some fatigue from the prior day, when he also got drenched in an afternoon storm.
After passing the several people camping on the west side of the lake, we were surprised to find an usher to take us along the lake’s north side.
The guide proved feckless, and we had to find our own spot to leave the trail for the upper basin between Adams and 13,546. We were perhaps 1/3 of the way along the shoreline when I found a spot that I thought looked good. That route began with a walk up a moderate slope through a thinning pine forest, then steeper slopes above on natural terraces formed by the thick tufts of fescue grass. When we reached the edge of the upper basin, we found a stream clustered by thick but low-growing willows, and found a spot to cross. Then it was just a matter of checking our position on the gps and determining our way to the high point, which was out of sight because of the clouds. The whole way up, I glanced behind me to see the glimpses back down to Willow Lake and across to Challenger and Kit Carson, as the clouds permitted.
Challenger loomed impressively from 1/4 of the way up 546.
I love the basin and peaks south of Willow Lake.
We used a shallow gully that provides runoff for snowmelt and storms, deviating from it as it made sense when it ran into small cliffs.
This faux cave looked like the den of some wild creature. I wished for the holy hand grenade of Antioch, clutched my walking stick as a sword, and prepared for the killer rabbit.
My progress up the gully was not fast and the mountain seemed like a grassy slope stretching into infinite mists, but the summit of 13546 arrived abruptly. The summit ridge is quite narrow – only about 15-18 feet wide as it gently rounds out from north to south. On a clear day, the views would be astounding. Despite all the clouds, rain did not seem imminent, and the wind was calm, so I enjoyed nearly a half hour on the summit. I peered at Adams looming large and in charge to the east, and south all the way to Crestone Peak, during the fleeting moments when the clouds parted.
Adams peak and the connecting ridge from 13,546.
This ptarmigan was fine hanging with me on the summit, but cried fowl when John appeared.
After enjoying our time on the summit, we headed down, zig-zagging the grassy the slopes much more quickly than we had on our slog upwards. I stopped to revel in the beauty of Willow Lake as I had on the way up, and then we made our way down, passing several parties moving in both directions.
Willow Lake and the falls in the cliff that make it iconic.
I hope you all have a fun and fulfilling summer.
I remember the first time I did Adams and we started in the dark. I distinctly remember looking west towards the SLV and seeing a menacing looking peak loom in the distance. Doesn’t look all that terrible close up and I’d probably be more terrified of running in to a group of Texans making s**t piles around Willow Lake. Proly scarier than the Holy hand grenade of Antioch too…..
Nice little write up, Steve. Looks like an awesome day. I tagged this + Adams and UN 13,580 a few years back on a trip up to the KC group. Really enjoyed that upper basin. Your cover shot is a masterpiece too: 10/10.
Thanks, Zambo!. Your route sounds pretty fun, too. When I hit Adams, I used the trail to S Crestone Lake (early left turn from the Willow Creek trail) to hit some tiny 13er N of Adams, then over Adams, around to 580 and farther along that ridge. (Goal was Obstruction, which I didn’t make.)