Twin Sisters

July 24th, 2006

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This was our second climb up Twin Sisters. The first was during our 2001 vacation. On that occasion, the peak was very windy and cold, and the kids stayed in the saddle while Sandy and I climbed the lower summit, took a few pictures, and hustled back down. We were hoping for better conditions this time.

The six of us left the TH at about 6:50am under cloudy skies. The trail is well defined all the way to the saddle just below the peaks. It climbs fairly steadily throughout, with only a few somewhat rugged areas. Along the way, there are many photo opps of Longs and Meeker, Estes Cone, and the Mummy Range. I was messing around with B&W mode and filters on my digital camera, so most of my pictures on the way up are B&W. The last quarter to a third of the hike is above tree line. While the slopes are covered with loose rock and talus, the trail remains well defined and fairly smooth. The last couple of switchbacks just before the saddle are a bit more steep and rugged, but still easy. During the ascent, the sky cleared, and when we reached the saddle between the peaks at 9:00am conditions were quite nice.

Twin Sisters has a pair of summits; the east summit is 11,428ft and is 15ft higher than the west summit. They're separated by a broad, open saddle. The trail approaches the summit area from the north and enters the saddle area closer to the base of the west summit. There's an old stone ranger supply hut at the base of the west summit. There's also an antenna tower which you can see when approaching the summit. After a snack break, five of us decided to climb the east summit while Susan relaxed in the saddle. The west summit is simple talus that only take a couple of minutes to climb. From our snack site by the supply hut, the east summit looks like a more difficult climb that possibly includes a bit of exposure. It looks like the entire summit ridge is topped by a modest head wall preventing an easy summit. However, this is an illusion. It only takes about 5-10 minutes to cross the saddle, and climb summit. As you approach, the route begins to look much easier, and there are a few cairns around to help you out. There is a very short scramble to gain the summit, but it's easy. If you're familiar with Estes Cone, this section is short and not as steep as that final scramble.

We spent about half an hour on the summit checking the views and signing the summit register. Shortly after we arrived, another pair of hikers joined us, and we traded cameras briefly. The sky began to cloud up a bit on the way down keeping us cool for the descent. We finished up at noon.

Hike Stats:

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