September 30, 2023
West Partner Peak 13,041' to East Partner Peak 13,057 Traverse
Autumn colors are popping here in Colorado right now and Laura and I were hoping to get out on a hike to see the leaves and add in some adventure to go along with the color. I had suggested something in the Indian Peaks but with a predicted late start, we knew parking there would be an issue. We opted for a trip over to the Gore range near vail. With a 3 am start from home, we were on schedule to be hiking by 6 or so. Discussing options in the car, we decided that we would park at the East Portal trailhead and hike up the frontage road to Booth Creek trailhead. From there we would climb the south ridge of West Partner Peak and then traverse to East Partner Peak. From the trailhead the path is steep. We ascended several thousand feet along Booth Creek and as the sun lit the sky, I took the opportunity to snap a few photos of the fall foliage.
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| Amazing colors and views |
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| Beautiful fall foliage |
2 hours in and we were at a decision point. Our friend had ascended the west ridge a week prior but we opted to cut off the good trail and get on the south ridge, taking that all the way directly to the summit. It took us exactly 4 hours to summit East Partner Peak via the south ridge which is a very enjoyable scramble.
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| Justin working up to the South Ridge on West Partner Peak |
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| Justin on the summit of West Partner Peak |
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| Justin and Laura on the summit of West Partner Peak looking toward the traverse to East Partner Peak |
After a snack and taking in the views for 15 minutes, we began our descent and accessed the connecting ridge between the two peaks. Steady 3rd and 4th class downclimbing lead us to the ridge crest that we followed as best we could for the first half of the traverse. We soon reached a gendarme that blocked easy passage along the ridge, so we descended and traversed several hundred feet below the ridge before choosing a low fifth class gulley to regain the ridge. Back on the ridgeline, we were able to continue mostly ridge proper and scrambled our way to the summit of East Partner Peak about 2 hours after leaving the previous summit.
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| Laura on a cool section of the traverse |
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| Justin finding his way down to pass a difficult gendarme |
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| Justin on an exposed part of the travers |
The views of the surrounding Gore range are spectacular from here. We spent a few minutes looking around and thinking about the other fun climbs we had done in the area. Soon we were descending a loose gulley and grassy slopes down toward Pitkin Lake and the trail back to the trailhead where our car was parked. As we descended, I once again took the time to take in the beautiful yellows and golds of the surrounding aspen trees and colorful tundra. We reached the car 9:17 after beginning. 13.9 miles and 5,900' of elevation gain.
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| Fall colors along the route |
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| Justin hiking on the Booth Creek Trail |
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| Laura finding the way back up to the ridge proper |
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| Justin navigating one of the more tricky sections of the traverse |
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| Justin hiking down through the colorful trees |
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| Laura at the trailhead at dawn |
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