Noah's Adventures

Pearl Mountain sits at 13,379 feet, looking down upon the namesake 4×4 road that connects the two towns of Aspen and Crested Butte. A Class 2 13er in the Elk Range, the mountain is a popular mountaineering route due to its accessibility and easier grade scrambling ascent.

After some planning and route determination, I roped Kenny into climbing the peak with me on the morning of June 6th. We arrived to the trailhead around 8:00 am. The so-called “trailhead” was a small clearing about 2 miles up Pearl Pass, a road initially designed for horse and carriage, but now popular with heavy-duty off-roading vehicles. My Subaru made light work of the first portion, but we decided to play it safe sooner or later after seeing some mini-fridge sized potholes.

We threw on our lightweight backpacks and trudged up the wide, rugged 4×4 road. The initial few miles were a simple, easy hike past aspen groves, over streams, and beside two popular winter backcountry huts.

Early on in the day, we were “forced” to cross a frigid river. Luckily it wasn’t too cold and was a great way to keep us invigorated, slowly stepping across the sandy floor.

At about 4 miles into the trip, we left the road and the valley floor behind, going off-trail into a clear alpine meadow. Above tree line, we made a beeline for the base of the 13er.

The alpine meadows were truly stunning. Wildflowers sprung up all around us, and the backdrop was dominated by Castle Peak, and surrounded by the nearby peaks of the Elk Range. We traversed through small alpine lakes on the undulating, gradual slope.

After a long traverse, the ground became more rocky. We consulted the downloaded gps track for the first of many times, and decided that the best route was up through the North basin and along the Northern ridge to the summit.

We began up a large, gradual talus slope and onto a snowfield. Early in the day, the snow was quite firm and we were essentially walking up a slip n’ slide. The snow got both of us and we had at least one epic tumble each.

Soon we left the snow behind and started up the scree field on the inside of the North ridge. It was a disaster. The surface was incredibly loose and we both triggered a few small rockslides. Eventually, we were back onto the haven of the main snowfield within the basin.

Making our way up the snow, we were beginning to posthole. Luckily, the ridge rose just ahead of us and we started up the more stable talus incline. This section required us to use all appendages for grip and we steadily wound our way up the North ridge.

Breaking over the top of the ridge provided rewarding views and a fresh perspective. Ahead of us, we could see the Maroon Bells, and afar, the cut ski runs of Crested Butte.

The final push to the summit was a simple and rewarding one. It involved walking carefully over medium sized boulders along a steady incline. At last, we reached the summit. Panoramic views of the Elks, Sawatch, and Gore mountains greeted us from all angles.

The two of us high fived and signed the register hidden away in a glass mason jar. We’d gone just over 6 miles at this point. With much satisfaction, we ate our sandwiches.

After enjoying our time at the summit, it came time to descend. While I had initially planned to check out neighboring Oyster Peak and then descend its flanks, we opted for a much more exhilarating option: glissading Pearl’s open snow bowl.

Kenny gave it the first go, shooting rapidly (and bumpily) down the hard slope. I went next. It was a crazy ride, and I reached incredible speeds, even breaking the sound barrier (okay maybe not).

Luckily we both came to a stop before the menacing rock pile that lay below. It was a truly epic ride that made our day.

The rest of the way to the car, we moved onwards with high spirits. Over the meadow, through the woods, and finally through the last patches of aspen groves.