• Date: August 31, 2024
• Partner: Ross Bricklemyer
• Height: 14,256 feet
• Range: San Juan
• Route: Southwest Slopes (Class 3)
• Overall Distance: 12.5 miles
• Elevation Gain: 4,400 feet (car to summit)
• 14ers climbed: 47 separate climbs
• 14ers remaining: 6
• Road Condition to Trailhead: At last we come to a trailhead that any 2WD automobile could get to. Out of Telluride, you’ll head south on CO 145 for a spell and then look for FR 535 on your right. Take this dirt road for about 5 miles to the Kilpacker Basin Trailhead where there is plenty of parking.

Ready for a challenge, my kindred mountaineers? Mount Wilson will provide it. This trip was made all the sweeter by the presence of my friend Ross Bricklemyer. The trip came together rather suddenly. We flew into Grand Junction, Colorado via Denver late on Thursday, August 29, rented a pickup truck, and drove down to the trailhead the next day.

We took the Kilpacker Approach to its end (~ 3 miles). It is a really pretty and straightforward hike that gently climbs until the trees start to peter out near a meadow at the start of a large basin. While we scrambled around a bit, we found a place to set up camp for the night and managed to get some sleep.

In the very early morning, Ross and I set off — the weather was crisp and pleasant. Around 11,000′ feet, the trail broke out into the basin and began to steadily climb to the left. It ran across a slope of talus perpendicular to El Diene’s west ridge and crested a saddle just over 12,000′. By now the sun was coming up and Ross and I took a quick breather. Several other climbers were near us. We continued heading east up the basin, over increasingly faint trail through talus, heading toward Mount Wilson’s southwest slope. 

As we neared the end of the basin (~13,000′),  we cut left into a drainage where we could clearly see Mount Wilson in the near distance. There was not much trail left at this point — mostly a cairn here and there with Ross and I choosing our own adventure. We proceeded up the drainage toward a large pile of talus and boulders. Veering to the left (northward), we made our way to the first major challenge; that is, a large pile of rock below the El Diente-Wilson connecting ridge. 

You are going to want to pay attention here and make sure you stop frequently to compare the route ahead of you with pictures from 14ers.com. The trick is to skirt the large pile of rocks to the left, and cross over where it abuts the connecting ridge. Once on top of the pile, you’ll be able to look ahead and see the second major challenge.

Ross and I carefully traversed over steep terrain to the gullies and headed just to the left of the clearly obvious rock rib. Once on the run, we were able to do some Class 3 bouldering moves and find a nice crossover visible as a notch at the top of the rib to our right. Do not drop down too soon — stay high a bit and move up toward the southern gully.

Once we entered the steep southern gully, we stayed near the northern side so as to avoid slippery rock and gain better traction on solid ground. Honestly, it really wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Finally, Ross and I found ourselves at the top of the gully. Turning north, we were left with about 150′ feet of bouldering and scrambling over a tangle of rocks up to a narrow platform that constituted the summit.

It was sunny and beautiful out and the perfect time and views to enjoy a slice of cheese and avocado on a thick hard cracker, chased with a can of espresso. To the north, we could see Wilson Peak, while to the west, we could see the ominous El Diente Peak. We had not run across any other climbers for the last couple of hours and so we lingered a few minutes longer to savor the fruits of our labor.  This climb is about a 7.5 on a 1-to-10 scale of 14er difficulty. Really enjoyed this journey and though there are places with high exposure and you are definitely going to punch the clock and put in some work if you hope to get to the summit, I’ll remember this 14er fondly.