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Mount Shavano (14,229') and Tabeguache Peak (14,155')
Distance: ~ 10+ miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 5400 feet
Hiking Time: 7 hrs, 50 min
Solo...
This was my first real attempt at Shavano/Tabeguache, but I had previously visited the Blank Gulch Trailhead, about 2 years ago. Wow! This trailhead has really changed! The gravel road into the trailhead was in pretty good condition previously, but it can now be reached by ANY vehicle, regardless of clearance. And the trailhead itself has restroom facilities and a fairly large, white-gravel parking area. Plenty of camping is available a short distance further up the road. Very nice! The Saturday night stars were out in all their glory, the air temperature stayed pretty comfortable all evening, and there was not a whisper of a breeze to disturb one's slumber.
I left the 9,800' Blank Gulch Trailhead at 6 a.m., which starts right behind the restrooms. I stopped for a moment a minute or so up the trail to watch a coyote in the cow pasture, yipping mightily in the early morning air. About 100 yards up the trail, I continued right at an intersection, now officially on the Colorado Trail. And, as per Roach, at about 0.25 miles, I made my left off of the Colorado Trail and onto the Shavano trail. The trail climbs steadily through the forest, and at about 11,100', I decided to take the bushwack route up the gully instead of following the main trail. I reached the bottom of the Angel after a short time, with nothing left of her but a svelte body. I climbed the right edge of the Angel where the melting snow meets the rock and provides a fairly good foothold, and then angled off to the right as the snow ended, eventually finding the main trail again after about 100 yards. Upon reaching the saddle, one can look to the right at Shavano and see the apparent path switchbacking up, left of the summit centerline. I think about any path will take one to the summit, but I prefer to stick to talus as opposed to, if one were to take a more direct line, loose rock and dust.
As I climbed toward the summit, I spied a guy with his dog descending the "direct" route to my right. He was the first sign of people thus far, and I thought maybe it was going to be an exceptionally quiet day. I should have known better.
I reached the summit at 9:30 am. The early season mountain biking had really paid off for me and I was feeling pretty good about my conditioning level. I stayed only long enough to change out the summit register with a new one. (The canister is in need of a new cap.) The skies were crystal clear, and I was off for Tabeguache after about 6 or 7 minutes. I stayed as close to the ridge as possible, preferring this line to the potential one a bit further down to my right. This worked out quite well. As I began the ascent of Tabeguache from the saddle, I spied three others (and another dog), also ascending, and near the summit. I met them at the top at 10:30. They had hiked in from Blank Gulch to Shavano Lake the night before, and taken a fairly direct route to Tabeguache, as opposed to the climb over Point 13,712'.
At 10:40, I clambored back down to the saddle, and began my ascent again of Shavano, reaching the summit at 11:30 and finding two other groups (about ten total) at the summit. The weather was still very clear, and my 2-hour round trip to Tabeguache convinced the larger group (a family (?) with a young boy of about 10 years) to attempt Tabeguache also. I decided to take an "extended" lunch break, and left the summit at noon for the jaunt back to Blank Gulch. I passed quite a few groups whose destination was Shavano. Still pretty nice out, despite the late hour, but clouds are beginning to gather. I arrived at the Trhd, sweaty and sore, at 1:50 pm. Ya gotta love the summer-time hikes. I stretched for a bit, packed it all up, and headed for Bongo Billys in Buena Vista for a late lunch.
Of note. I would have guessed, by the look at the sky at noon from the summit of Shavano, that there was no way it was going to rain today. Just a couple of small clouds near the horizon. On my drive out, at about 2:30 pm, the sky is now fairly full of large puffy clouds, and I'm thinking rain is imminent. It's amazing how rapid these things build. |
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