Nick Lyons

Little Bear Peak – 14,309 ft

Michael, Connor, and I took on the challenge of a winter ascent of Little Bear last Sunday. We made it tough from the start by leaving the snowshoes in the car and not getting started until 7 a.m. Things started to feel serious in the first gully (slide 6), but I got a second wind when we reached the ridge leading to the summit (slide 1).

After some technical crampon scrambling along the ridge (one of my favorite moments on any 14er) Connor and I pushed through a few steep snow traverses to the base of the Hourglass. At that point, I had to make the tough call to turn around. The remaining 600 feet to the summit is some of the most technical terrain on any standard 14er route, and it would have taken at least two hours to return to that same spot. I didn’t want to risk repeating that terrain in the dark, so I headed down while Connor continued on to the summit.

The long slog back to the car definitely made me question all my life choices, but looking back, there were plenty of wins, good decision making and a great day in the mountains with some good friends.

Can’t wait for the traverse this summer.