navajo Peak
Date: August 4, 2022 (Thu)Trip Report #: 564Partner: solo
Route: Airplane Gully to Northeast Ridge (~10 miles round trip, ~3200 ft gain/loss, 3rd)
A quick mountain summit fix before work.
Navajo Peak's 13,409-foot summit pyramid is the third tallest and one of the most distinct mountain profiles in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The hike to the top involves an off-trail trek through a rocky basin, a scramble up a gully, and an exposed Class 3 climb to a tiny summit. This summit intrigued me because of the plane wreckage (including the large fuselage section) in the approach gully, appropriately named Airplane Gully. Airplane Gully derives its name from the January 21, 1948 crash of a C-47 that claimed the lives of three men (for more detail see my historical note below).
I had recently started a new job and was getting used to not having the flexibility to get out as much when the weather was good (as I could when I was in PhD mode). On Thursday I began work at noon. So when weather looked great on Thursday, I decided Navajo Peak would be a good objective.
I left the trailhead just after 4am. My car-to-car time was just under 6 hours. I even had a bit of time to enjoy relaxing at the trailhead before driving back home to begin the workday. Getting in a nice mountain fix before work is one of the joys of quick mountain access living in Colorado!
The following page gives some photos from my morning out. Enjoy.
Historical note about 1948 plane crash
The following text is from this article published on dailycamera.com in August 2009:
In January 1948, a twin-engine C-47 airplane carrying three Civil Aeronautics Administration airmen was lost in a storm on the Continental Divide west of Boulder. The plane was last seen near Nederland on a flight from Denver to Grand Junction at the same time that a crew member sent a radio message reporting turbulent weather. Ground searchers combed the surrounding mountainous area but did not find the plane.
For four months, the airmen’s frozen bodies lay in the ice and snow in the saddle of Navajo Peak about 75 feet from its summit. Finally, in May 1948, searchers from the air spotted the wreckage. A group effort composed of men from several different rescue organizations worked together to reach the plane and retrieve the bodies.
Route Overlay
Time Stats
Niwot Trailhead (0 miles, 10,300 ft): 4:20 am
Navajo Peak (5 miles, 13,409 ft): 7:32-7:42 am
Niwot Trailhead (10 miles, 10,300 ft): 10:18 am
Total car-to-car (includes breaks): 5 hours 58 minutes (3:12 up, 2:36 down)
Photos
In June my parents had come to visit me all the way from Canada. I took them on a hike to Lake Isabelle. Below are a few photos from my parents visit. These photos were taken June 20, 2022. The snow was all gone by my ascent of Navajo Peak in early August.
