Mount Yale

Date to Climb: June 16, 2009

Date Climbed: June 15, 2009

Elevation: 14,196

Range: Sawatch

Latitude: 38.84420, Longitude: -106.31370

Route: Southwest Slopes ll, Class 2

Round-Trip Mileage: 8.75 miles

Pre-Climb Comments

We have done Yale once before, it was very scenic; but had a tiring scree field just below the summit ridge. We will have to find an easy route through the summit boulders for Jake to summit.

Post-Climb Comments

Mount Yale was a shorter route than our previous efforts. The actual distance varied depending on which author you consulted.

We slept in and did not leave the trailhead until 5. It was nice to not have to walk in the dark.

Mount Yale is a pretty hike and our favorite so far. The trail was in good shape and the scenery was outstanding. Actually there had been improvements on the upper trail. Lucky for us the gravel sized scree which lay trail-less the last time we hiked it, now has a sustainable trail. The new trail made everything easier.

The weather was very cold, not as cold as we had on Mount Sherman, but still cold. Sherman is now our basis of comparison for weather. We had to at least wear a jacket of some sorts all the way up the mountain.

On the saddle we stopped and split up. It was too snowy for Jake to go to the summit without lots and lots of work on both ours and his parts. Amy ran to the summit, touched the top, then returned to me. I hurried also, but took a few minutes on top to video the surroundings. We kept Jake at the saddle.

On the way down there were a number of late starting hikers. Hopefully, they made it safely to the summit beneath the threatening skies.

We felt stronger on Yale than on the other mountains that we have climbed. Hopefully, we are finally acclimating. We will drive this afternoon to Pikes Peak and try to climb it in the morning.