S3 & S5
Date: 08/23/2024
Partner: Jim Griffiths
Trailhead: Blue Lakes TH
Summits: S5 & S3
Distance: 12m
Elevation Gain: 4900ft
Duration: 9hrs 20min
GPX
S5 14ers.com Page
S3 14ers.com Page
S5 and S3 offer some pretty incredible views of Sneffels and it's surrounding peaks to the west. This basin is an amazing place to be. However if you are there to summit, the cost of addmission is choss. Skiing these peaks may be the way to go.
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12m - 4900ft - 9hrs 20min
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After hiking a little more than 3 miles on the trail from the Blue Lakes TH, we ascended west through steep wooded terrain.
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After hunkering down for close to an hour to wait out wind and rain we continued into the basin west of Sneffles and Blue Lakes
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S4 in the moody morning clouds
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S4 enroute to the S3-S5 saddle
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S3 on the left - S5 on the right. We climbed S5's south ridge first. Aim for the S3/S5 saddle (right)
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S5 - looks worse than it is
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Heading up S5's south ridge
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S5 summit in clouds
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Descending S5's south ridge - S6 behind
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The basin below S5 - Sneffels in the clouds - Potosi shining in the distance
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Next up - S3. From the S3/S5 saddle, we contoured around S3 to the east and found this incredible slope to climb. One step up, a half a step back. Much more fun to descend than to climb.
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Mears shinning in the sun from S3's south ridge
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The final pitch to S3's summit was relatively easy to climb
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Jim on S3's south ridge - T0 behind
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S3 summit vibes
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Taking in the views of Dallas (far left) and West Dallas (left of center). We would climb West Dallas via T0 from Telluride the next day
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Sneffels is often the center of attention in this zone. However Potosi (R) is a looker as well
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Southeastern views towards Dallas and West Dallas
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Sneffels and the Yankee Boy peaks to the east
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Descending S3 - Oh boy!
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Our initial plan was to climb T0 and West Dallas from S3. However the weather had other ideas. Time to head home
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Block Tops strutting their stuff!
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The color contrasts were striking
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Whose yer Daddy!
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We retraced out steps back to the trail
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Oh yeah! While there were plenty of people on Snefffels and at the lakes, we were the only ones to get this view today
