Finally, I find success in the Wilsons

After two trips in two years that were both cut short by helacious weather, I finally made it up one of the three fourteeners west of Telluride, often called the Wilsons. Sunday, friends and I climbed El Diente from Kilpacker Creek. We encountered a little snow and lots of loose rock.

It was a five mile walk in. Then we started ascending steep talus, working our way around cliff bands and up a series of gullies. At one point, we ran into some snow that was dangerously solid for our running shoesBut, by 8:30 a.m. we gained the steep ridge at 14,000 feet By 9 a.m. we were on top, looking east along a gorgeous ridge to Mount Wilson.
There was one other party on top. For them, it was the 54th fourteener! They toasted with fruit juice.