Peak L - Gore Thumb - M - N - O

Peak L > Gore Thumb > Guyselman (M) > Peak N > Peak O

Date: 8/22/2021
Partner: Heather Ryan
Trailhead: Brush Creek (4x4 Required)
Summits: Peak L, Gore Thumb, Guyselman Mtn, Peak N, Peak O
Max Difficulty: Low 5
Distance: 20 miles
Elevation Gain: 6900ft
Duration: 15hrs 50min
GPX

Peak L 14ers.com Page
Gore Thumb 14ers.com Page
Guyselman 14ers.com Page
Peak N 14ers.com Page

After receiving the beat down of a lifetime attempting to ski Peak L(see trip report), I was excited for the chance of redemption in the Upper Slate. I was also a little nervous as our plan was no slouch... not even close. It covered 20+ miles, 7k of vert, low 5 cruxes and plenty of route finding. Redemption was not guaranteed and with Peak L being my final ranked Gore 13er, there was some skin in the game. Our goal was to finish before dark without being too beat up. Good luck!

The weather forecast was for a perfect Colorado bluebird day. So, we were surprised to wake up to dark clouds and wind in the morning. By the time we reached Upper Slate Lake the weather had not improved. The clouds were dark and moving in fast above the peaks. I was cold eating my sandwich at the lake.

As we climbed Peak L, I was thinking that it might be the only summit in the cards for the day. Heather was having none of that. When we reached L's summit, the clouds no longer looked so dark, and the incoming weather didn't look too bad. Things were clearing up! I had mapped out a couple of bail points between L and O in case weather deteriorated. So, with big smiles and high stoke, we pulled the trigger and embarked on our journey to Peak O. The day went off without a hitch!

Much thanks to Brent Herring for input and beta on this route.

Timeline:

  • Start at Brush Creek TH: 4:00am
  • Upper Slate Lake: 8:00am
  • Peak L: 10:45am
  • Gore Thumb: Noon
  • Guyselman: 1:15pm
  • Peak N: 2:50pm
  • Peak 0: 4:10pm
  • Lost Lake: 6:30pm
  • Brush Creek TH: 7:50pm
Peak N - O