Squaretop Peak
April 14, 2001 - from Guanella Pass
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Squaretop Peak from Bierstadt Willows |
Gary and I had both climbed Mts. Bierstadt and Evans and rather than repeat them, we headed for Squaretop on the other side of Guanella Pass. Our trip to Bolivia was in the works and I needed this climb to start breaking in a pair of double plastic mountaineering boots. We parked about one mile beyond the top of the pass and put on snowshoes for the gentle climb to the saddle we would to cross to get onto the flank of Squaretop. The snow was sufficient for shoeing in the basin but the shoes came off for the climb proper, which was mostly on rock with some patchy snowfields on the lower slopes. About 500 vertical feet below the summit, the gloomy weather that had held off all morning finally dropped onto the peak. Blowing snow and wind cut visibility first to just a few hundred feet and then to barely one hundred feet by the time we reached the summit.
We snacked at the top and then headed down the ridgeline toward the saddle we crossed over on the ascent. Enroute the saddle, the snowstorm became a snowy thunderstorm and with the threat coming closer, we vetoed the saddle crossing and instead took a steeper draw to lower ground. The storm passed and we crossed the drainage to make the interminable final climb (all of 75 vertical feet and three rest stops) back up a short slope to the truck. The climb took about six hours and was an attractive alternative to the more popular 14’ers nearby.