We decided to camp the night before so we would not have to rise as early to start the hike. We found a great little spot just off the road on top of Hoosier Pass. While the location was great, it did turn out to be a popular spot for others with the same idea as we heard people coming and going throughout the night. After setting up camp in the dark (it took me about half as much time this time around setting up our Marmot 4 season tent) we huddled inside the tent and enjoyed some tasty hot dogs (my sons choice of food for dinner). I just have to share again how great the tent performed. While it was forecasted to be in the teens throughout the night with gusts of wind in the 20s we stayed nice and warm inside the tent. At one point my son was so warm, he took off his knit hat. Now that's an awesome tent!
Our home for the night.
We woke up at 6am, feasted on some tasty oatmeal then packed up camp before heading down the road a few miles to the Quandary Peak trailhead. The nice thing about winter Quandary is that you can park just .5 miles from the summer trailhead (east ridge access) so it does not add as much mileage to the roundtrip. We looked at the forecast for the day and it was still going to be sunny, but windy with winds between 25-35mph and gusts up to 50mph. We started hiking at 8am. My sons pack only contained water, a shovel, and a probe so it was nice and light. My pack contained water, food, shovel, probe, extra warm layers for both of us, safety gear, and my sons showshoes. I only brought my Hillsound Trail Crampons as I read that the trail to the top was very compacted and traction was only needed to gain the summit.
The trail starts around 10,600ft at a small parking lot. When we started it was about half full of cars so I knew we would be sharing our experience with others throughout the day. As we started hiking I held onto my sons snowshoes because I knew that the added weight of wearing them would only make him more tired as he climbed. Our hike throughout the trees was fun. We talked about the books he's been reading and his school interests. This is one of the main reasons I enjoy taking my sons hiking. We are able to talk about what's going on in their lives without any distractions. At home, with 5 kids, it's hard to dedicate time to just one kid because the others are always craving the attention. We were making very good time and I was confident that the summit was within our reach.
As we hiked closer to the treeline (around 12k ft) we could feel the wind start to pickup. Hiking up the first steep slope the wind was whipping over the top, blowing snow around. I saw a nice place to rest at 12,000ft. At this rest stop we put on more warm clothes and took on nutrients (gummy worms and Milky Way bites both chosen by my son). We continued up this ridge until a nice saddle before a very long ridge. We decided to put my sons snowshoes on before climbing the next portion, mostly for better traction through this steep area. We have one pair of snowshoes which the boys share. They are MSR Shift snowshoes. They are a smaller version of my MSR Evo Ascent showshoes and they work really well in the mountains. Most kids showshoes are not meant for serious backcountry climbing but these ones are fantastic. Very strong and very light, I highly recommend them for kids.
Resting at 12,000ft
Going up this next ridge is where our day really turned. As we started up this ridge the wind really picked up. From about 11,600ft until this point I hiked directly behind my son so as the wind hit him I could stabilize him. As we started this next ridge about 12k the wind knocked him down numerous times even with me standing next to him. At times, the wind knocked me off balance as well which is saying a lot because with gear I'm around 230lbs. My son was starting to be frustrated with our slowing progress. He would see the top of the ridge, but it did not seem like it was coming any closer. We would stop and rest, yelling at each other above the sound of the wind, then take another 20 steps or so just working to stay upright.
Watching others struggle up the wind behind us. Around 12,200ft
My son was the official expedition photographer. Most of the pictures didn't turn out. You can see the grade of the slope we were climbing.
Fighting the wind. This was just before I took his pack from him.
At 12,500ft my son became very frustrated. I let him know that I was proud of him no matter what happened today and that I would take his pack from him to lessen his load. We strapped his pack onto mine and he took off up the mountain with renewed excitement and fresh legs. I told him that he could continue up the ridge and I would catch up. As I finished strapping on his pack I looked up the ridge and he was about 50 vertical feet above me laying on the ground. As I approached him in the blowing snow he looked up at me with sadness in his eyes and said that he was done. We talked for a bit, and decided that it was best for us to turnaround. I asked him if he was absolutely sure and he said yes. It's never easy to make the decision to turnaround when climbing. In the winter I've yet to make the summit with one of my sons so we have had to turnaround every time. Right before the moment you turnaround you continuously question yourself if what you are doing is the right thing. You're constantly balancing the feeling of wanting to make the summit with reading the amount of energy that you have left to return to the car. On every hike we have the same main goal, it's not to make it to the summit, it's to make it back to the car safely. Many people push themselves to the limit to make it to the summit, then struggle to return to the car on weak legs. Today's choice was the right one, I am sure of it. We sat and rested for a bit and turned around to head back down the ridge.
This is the wind we were dealing with. Excuse the finger covering the shot.
While walking back down the ridge we encountered many other hikers, all impressed with my sons endurance. I was very proud as well and I let him know that. He gave it all that he had but the wind was just too much. At one point on the hike down he told me that he was a quitter. I told him that he's not a quitter. A quitter would have continued on, maybe made it to the top, but then stopped in his tracks and refused to go on. He was not a quitter, he was a smart mountaineer who knew his body and what it could handle. The lessons you learn when hiking in the wilderness are absolutely priceless. I am very proud of my son who is learning these lessons at a very young age.
We had a blistering pace back down to the car. What took us over 3 hours to get up, only took us 1.5 hours to get back down. By 1pm we were safely back at the car heating up some more hot dogs (again his food of choice) and resting in the car. Our faces were red from windburn and we were happy to sit down and rest our legs. We made it back home for a nice afternoon as a family and also time for a nice stay-at-home date with my wife with Chinese takeout and a movie.
Descending the mountain he looked like a true mountaineer.
Safe return back to the car.
Our hike.
Of course, I am already looking forward to the next adventure with my kids. My oldest son and I are planning a return to Mt. Shavano before the snow melts. Until that time we will have to find other adventures to share!
