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Trailhead: Blank Gulch
Route: Angel of Shavano
Elevation gain: 4,430 feet
Miles: 7.9
By Kate Decker and Paul Stratmoen
After reading the recent TRs on the Angel (aka “Grinch”) of Shavano, we decided this was a hike we’d have to try at our first opportunity. Saturday was a beautiful day, and was quite warm when we arrived at the TH. Several tents were nearby, and a couple of people were in sleeping bags on the ground near their vehicles. The last time we hiked up Shavano was three years ago. We were surprised to find that there was a new trailhead, complete with outhouse and parking lot about ¼ mile below the old one.
We started the hike at about 6:45am, following the trail to about 11,150 feet, just before a switchback to the hard right. Next was an easy bushwhack WNW up the gully. We reached the bottom of the snowfield at about 12,100 feet. There was another group about ¼ of the way up carrying skis.
We strapped on our Kahtoolas (hiking crampons) and started up the slope. The Kahtoolas are designed for a gradual pitch, and work well on hardpack. They were great on the hardpack we found on Quandary Peak in March, but were less than ideal for the conditions on the Angel. I think it’s time to buy real crampons. We proceeded up the snow using what I’ll call a “duck-step”, so the inside cleats could dig into the snow. The snow had a soft layer on top, but was hard underneath.
We found that the northern arm was very thin and non-existent in places. The head was also detached from the body. The southern arm was still very well intact. The snow was getting a bit soft near the top of the north shoulder and we started sinking in. We left the snow just below the head and headed for the summit. The weather was sunny and warm, with an occasional light wind gust, but overall, quite calm. This was the first time in a while we had been over 13,000 feet, so we were moving pretty slowly at that point.
We reached the summit at about 11:15 and the views were spectacular , a bit hazy to the south, but many still-snowy peaks all around. Tabeguache? Naaah! Been there before – let’s go get our reward on the snowfield!
On the trip down we followed the saddle, then down to the top of the south arm at 13,250 ft. for our glissade. We were greeted by a very happy dog who was enjoying the snow and chasing glissaders and skiers down the snowfield.
After emptying our packs and dumping out the snow that had collected there on the way down, we hiked down the gully and back to the trail. It was another wonderful day in the mountains. While the Angel has shrunk a bit in the last few weeks, there’s still plenty of fun to be had there! |
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