BasinCruiser
09-04-2012, 07:21 PM
My wife and I would like to ascend Thunder Mountain North and South Peaks, and are looking for a way to accomplish this (besides ascending/descending Bells Canyon). We are looking at doing it this weekend.
One potential route that we are looking at is to climb up Coalpit Gulch. Different route descriptions and pictures of this canyon look intrigueing, challenging, and very interesting. However, some descriptions of this canyon sound a bit overbearing, and possibly beyond our limits. Not knowing how difficult it is to actually climb this canyon, it is difficult how to gauge the descriptions and warnings found related.
From the 'Hiking the Wasatch' (John Veranth) book, it describes Coalpit Gulch as 'inaccessible to anyone but expert hikers and climbers.'...and that it 'is a dangerous place, with rockfall from the cliffs and much loose rock underfoot.....The party should contain either someone who has done the route before or a few experienced rock climbers who are confident at routefinding.'
However, this description on summitpost (http://www.summitpost.org/coalpit-gulch/163144) doesn't have the same daunting, scary forwarning.
Having done many of the peaks along that involve scrambling, some with class 4 climbs, and route finding along the Wasatch front (Lone Peak, Dromedary, Devil's Castle, Twin Peaks, (+what we call false Twin Peaks, peak just East of Twin Peaks) Pfeiferhorn, Monte Cristo, Superior, Mt Nebo) the Uintas (Hayden Peak), and a few Co 14ers (Longs Peak, Sneffels, Wetterhorn), I believe we have pretty good solid class 4 climbing and route finding skills. I'm just not sure if Coalpits is pushing our limit skill wise without knowing the route(s), or having someone along who does. :ne_nau:
Having done Devil's Castle and Dromedary the last couple of weeks is a good reminder of how much easier it is to route find and climb UP a peak, route, or object than it is to try and descend that same structure.:scared: I would hate to climb up past the 1st 2 waterfalls, then get to the 3rd, or some other structure, and not be able to find a good route to climb over the crux, and be stuck in between, unable to continue up, or unable to return back down the difficult climbs we had already done.
Also, if/when we do ascend Coalpits and reach N+S Thunder, I don't think I want to climb back down it. Because it will be just my wife and I, we don't want to bring 2 cars all the way down from Kaysville. So, descending down Bells Canyon and needing a shuttle car (or walk back up to the power station doesn't sound like what we want to do. Is dropping down into Hogum a good option? Is there a relatively close drop into Hogum from Thunder Mountain (w/o having to go most of the way back to Pfeifer)? Is there a good trail going to Hogum?
Any thoughts, suggestions, etc. would be appreciated.
Thanks.
One potential route that we are looking at is to climb up Coalpit Gulch. Different route descriptions and pictures of this canyon look intrigueing, challenging, and very interesting. However, some descriptions of this canyon sound a bit overbearing, and possibly beyond our limits. Not knowing how difficult it is to actually climb this canyon, it is difficult how to gauge the descriptions and warnings found related.
From the 'Hiking the Wasatch' (John Veranth) book, it describes Coalpit Gulch as 'inaccessible to anyone but expert hikers and climbers.'...and that it 'is a dangerous place, with rockfall from the cliffs and much loose rock underfoot.....The party should contain either someone who has done the route before or a few experienced rock climbers who are confident at routefinding.'
However, this description on summitpost (http://www.summitpost.org/coalpit-gulch/163144) doesn't have the same daunting, scary forwarning.
Having done many of the peaks along that involve scrambling, some with class 4 climbs, and route finding along the Wasatch front (Lone Peak, Dromedary, Devil's Castle, Twin Peaks, (+what we call false Twin Peaks, peak just East of Twin Peaks) Pfeiferhorn, Monte Cristo, Superior, Mt Nebo) the Uintas (Hayden Peak), and a few Co 14ers (Longs Peak, Sneffels, Wetterhorn), I believe we have pretty good solid class 4 climbing and route finding skills. I'm just not sure if Coalpits is pushing our limit skill wise without knowing the route(s), or having someone along who does. :ne_nau:
Having done Devil's Castle and Dromedary the last couple of weeks is a good reminder of how much easier it is to route find and climb UP a peak, route, or object than it is to try and descend that same structure.:scared: I would hate to climb up past the 1st 2 waterfalls, then get to the 3rd, or some other structure, and not be able to find a good route to climb over the crux, and be stuck in between, unable to continue up, or unable to return back down the difficult climbs we had already done.
Also, if/when we do ascend Coalpits and reach N+S Thunder, I don't think I want to climb back down it. Because it will be just my wife and I, we don't want to bring 2 cars all the way down from Kaysville. So, descending down Bells Canyon and needing a shuttle car (or walk back up to the power station doesn't sound like what we want to do. Is dropping down into Hogum a good option? Is there a relatively close drop into Hogum from Thunder Mountain (w/o having to go most of the way back to Pfeifer)? Is there a good trail going to Hogum?
Any thoughts, suggestions, etc. would be appreciated.
Thanks.