From just below it, it looks like a big pile of jagged rocks:
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Unlike the first night, I was exhausted from my climb of Redcloud and Sunshine Peaks, and I actually fell asleep relatively early and only woke up every couple of hours instead of every fifteen minutes or so. At 5:45 AM, I started my climb. After a 3/4 mile hike up a 4WD road I reached the actual trailhead, where I found this map and elevation profile:
Now, you might notice at the very top of that profile, the line shoots upward rather quickly. That's kind of important later on in this story, but for now, shortly after I got started, I came out of the trees and saw the valley that contained my final objective....
...or so I thought. At the other end of the valley, by far the most prominent peak was the one in the picture above on the right side of the wall of rocky peaks. I knew the trail cut to the left of Wetterhorn, then made its way up the back side. As I hiked, I noticed the trail was taking me WAY to the left of everything, and I kept thinking it was going to suck to have to hike back across everything I was seeing in front of me. With about a mile left to summit, the trail got a little faint in a rocky area and looked like it continued on away from the peak I thought was Wetterhorn. After double checking the map, I realized that what I thought was Wetterhorn was actually 13,596 foot Matterhorn Peak, which meant that the much less prominent looking Wetterhorn was actually right in front of me, and I wouldn't have to go all the back across the valley wall. Score!
So after climbing through a snow field, I came to the final rocky summit block.
I had read about this peak before attempting it, and I knew the end of the hike contained a lot of steep scrambling with a 100 foot class three section that rose very steeply to the summit. Although everyone's opinions on what is steep and what isn't tends to be very subjective, many people had said that if you could do the homestretch on Long's Peak, you can do the finish on Wetterhorn. As I scrambled through a couple of gullies, finding the best path had become difficult, and I often second guessed the decisions I was making. Several times I ascended some rock that I wasn't quite sure how I was going to be able to get back down, but I figured when the time came I'd figure it out.
Eventually, I made my way to the final stretch that I'd heard so much about and finally was getting to see first hand.
This picture doesn't really do it justice, but it is about 100 feet of steep, pretty exposed rock. This video gives a little better idea of what the area looks like. As far as class three scrambles go, there were actually pretty good steps and hand holds here, and I knew the summit was just above me, so I found the first step and climbed. Then another. Then another. I got about 20 feet up when I came to an area where I needed to step across the face to another step, but that step was just a little farther than I was comfortable with. I reached across a couple times, looked up a couple times, then hunkered down on the step and started to realize there was a good chance I wasn't going to get past this point.
I looked down to see where I would end up if I did slip, and I realized that not only would it not have been pretty, there was a chance I wouldn't be found as I was all alone at this point. Then the words of my wife flashed through my mind one more time..."Just don't do anything stupid". Considering I was doing this hike on my 20th anniversary, and dying on that day would have just made things really awkward for everyone, I made the decision that it wasn't worth the risk continue climbing even though the summit was just above me. I took a deep breath and started to ease myself back down the face.
I had wondered if I ever did get into a situation where I didn't feel comfortable moving forward, would I be able to turn around or would I try to push through. I learned that yes, at least in this case, I was able to do the right thing and call it off. On this hike, after hiking 12 miles the day before, and being alone on a somewhat technical stretch at the top of a 14er, the time to summit was not right. On fresh legs, and with a climbing partner, I really think I will be able to summit Wetterhorn, and I have every intention of trying it again eventually under those conditions.
As it turned out, about 10 minutes after I turned around, I crossed paths with a group of three who were on their way up and offered to let me join them, but I had already mentally checked out and was ready to head back out. The areas I was concerned about getting down ended up not being too bad, and I was able to safely make it back into the woods before a storm rolled in and it started raining. I felt even better about my decision to turn back when I did, and wondered about the other half dozen or so people I saw going up well after I had left the summit block. About 8 1/2 miles and 6 1/2 hours after I started, I returned to my car and left.
Am I disappointed that I didn't make it up? Maybe a little, but I'm much more motivated now. Most people I know who climb 14ers have a "nemesis peak" that for whatever reason has given them trouble. For now, Wetterhorn is that peak for me. The fight has been temporarily suspended, but the war is far from over.
Next up, Handies Peak.....
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