San Juan County High Point Trip Report
Mount Peale
Date: August 4, 2001
Author: David Wallentine
We drove up a 4wd road quite close to the base of a talus slope at the base of the couloir (a French fellow at
the top told us "couloir" translates to "rock chute").
We began hiking at 9:00 am. We soon entered the couloir and took it all the way to the saddle. This left a
little longer traverse of the saddle than the others who were climbing that day, but the couloir was easy
going, and we were enjoying seeing the various flowers that were present there, as opposed to the bleakness
of the diorite talus which abounds all the way up the mountain. (Diorite is basically granite that lacks quartz,
a geologist hiker told us near the summit.)
We arrived at the summit shortly before one o'clock, along with two other small groups. Took many
pictures and located the small survey marker. I became interested in highpointing through GPS sports, so I
let my GPS take a good reading at the marker. It confirmed both the location and elevation, which pleased me.
The summit is STILL 12,721 feet (Whew). This is not counting the piles of rocks and cairns, of course.
My cohort has reached 10 other highpoints before this one, and he told me this was easily the
toughest climb he had been on, which only further whets my appetite to get out and bag another one.