1 is a distant view of the route. Hike up the nasty
Lake Como/Blanca Peak road to reach Lake Como
at 11,750'. Following the road, continue around the lake (
2) and up through more forest to reach tree line, at 12,000' -
3. Stay on the road until 12,200' where it ends near Blue Lakes then continue northeast on a trail -
4.
Left of a waterfall, follow the trail as it weaves 300 feet up through talus and small ledges (
5) to reach easier terrain near a small lake -
6. Pass the lake on the right and another on the left (
7) to reach Crater Lake
, at 12,800' -
8. Above Crater Lake, continue toward ledges near 13,000' -
9 and
10. Hike to the base of the ledges and follow cairns and a defined trail up the steep terrain. Taken from above the ledges,
11 looks back down over Crater Lake. Continue east on the trail as it ascends onto Blanca's northwest face. In early summer, there may be snowfields I this area so an axe may be helpful.
From 13,300', on the lower portion of the face, follow the trail east/northeast (
12 and
13) to reach the Northwest Ridge
at 13,750' -
14. Turn right and begin climbing on or just right of the ridge crest -
15 and
16. As you ascend, do not climb left of the ridge crest because it doesn't take long to encounter steep terrain with loose, rotten rock. There are a few spots where you have to scramble around some large boulders but it's always possible to keep the difficulty at "Difficult" Class 2 -
17. From the top
,
18 looks north and
19 looks east.
