Hallett Peak

Other routes I've climbed on Hallett:

Better Than Love (5.9, 7p) • Culp-Bossier (5.8, 8p) • Englishman's Route (5.8, 6p) • Jackin' the Johnson (5.11c, 8p) • Jackson-Johnson (5.9, 9p) • Northcutt-Carter (5.10b, 7p) • Winter hike (snowy)

Category: Colorado (RMNP)Summit Elev: 12,713 ft (note: the top of the route is not the summit)Rock Type: Gneiss & Biotite Schist
Date: June 8, 2022 (Wed)Trip Report #: 545Partner: Nate Arganbright

Route: Englishman's Route (5.8, 6p)

First alpine climb of the 2022 season. Had the wall to ourselves!

Intro

Sunny skies and warm temperatures had finally arrived in Rocky Mountain National Park. Nate and I were getting the itch to do an alpine climb. Neither one of us had climbed Englishman's Route on Hallett, so this seemed like a great choice for the day. And indeed it was. With the benefit of the early season snow and it being midweek, we were the only party on all of Hallett.

We thought that the Englishman's Route was a lot of fun. For its lower half, the route climbs the first three pitches of the Love Route, up to a white band of rock; for its upper half, the route climbs a huge, arcing dihedral that splits the upper second buttress of Hallett.

The following page gives an overlay and pitch-by-pitch photos from our enjoyable day out.

Route Overlay

Time Stats

Bear Lake Trailhead to base of route (some snow): 1 hour 20 minutes
Climb route: 3 hours 30 minutes
Top of route to trailhead (some snow): 2 hours
Total car-to-car (includes breaks): 7 hours 30 minutes

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

2nd

From Bear Lake Trailhead, follow the trail to Emerald Lake. Go left around the lake, scrambling through talus and then on a climbers' trail under the base of the wall. Hike up snow or talus beneath the North Face to the triangular buttress at the lower left side of the Second Buttress. The right side of the triangle forms a huge right-facing dihedral; begin 80 feet right of a huge right-facing dihedral.

Leaving the Bear Lake Trailhead. Even with having to beat the 5am timed entry, it was still light outside when we began the approach. I love June!

There was some snow on the trail the entire way.

Hallett from just above Emerald Lake.

Looking over at Dragontail Couloir area.

If you look closely, you can see climbers in Dragontail Couloir.

The final snowfield to the base of the route on Hallett.

Pitch 1

5.6, 160'

Pitch 1 of the Love Route.

Climb the pink wall and follow a grassy, right-facing dihedral for 130 feet. Step left and go another 30 feet to a good stance.

The route starts in the diagonal corner system.

Looking up the start of Pitch 1..

Pitches 2-3

4th, 300'

Pitches 2&3 of the Love Route.

Work up and left and follow the big dihedral to a belay alcove at its top. This can be done in a couple of long pitches. In the early season, the dihedral holds some snow.

Looking up Pitches 2-3. There was some snow in the corner itself, but we were able to climb through and around it.

Nate starting up Pitch 2.

An old piton on Pitch 2.

Nate at the belay at the top of his pitch.

This was the final stretch to the base of Pitch 4. It felt a bit harder than 4th, so perhaps there is an easier way. This was a fun corner though.

Nate nearing the top of Pitches 2+3.

Pitch 4

5.7

Climb the big right-arcing corner/chimney and belay on a small ledge.

Looking up the right-arcing corner.

Pitch 5

5.6

Continue up the dihedral/chimney and belay at some blocks.

Looking up the start of Pitch 5.

Nate nearing the top of Pitch 5.

Pitch 6

5.8

Climb straight up a crack to a crack to a roof, then traverse left to a crack that leads to the top of the wall. Variations of this pitch are possible (see guidebook). This is a long pitch (a 70 just makes it from the belay at the top of Pitch 5 to the top).

The money photo pitch of the day. Nate starting up Pitch 6.

The crux roof section on Pitch 6.

Some pretty flowers en route.

Higher on Pitch 6.

Exit of Pitch 6.

Top!

The route tops out on the ridge well below the actual summit of Hallett. It would be easy to scramble to the summit from here, but we felt no great need to do so so we headed down.

We took a short lunch/water break at the top of the route.

Looking towards the summit of Hallett. This is a ways off.

Descent

Scramble

From the top of the route, hike downwards along the ridge, following cairns. At the end of the last big buttress before a big descent to the next one, look for the chains that mark the first rappel. Make two raps (single 60). When snow-free, the standard descent from here is to scramble down a gully eastward, and then jog back westward and scramble down a gully to the base of the Second Buttress. You end up a few hundred feet below the start of the route (5 minutes back to base). When snowy, as it was for us, a good descent is the snowfield below the East Col. We found that an ice axe and spikes were handy.