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 to reach easier terrain near a small lake. Pass the lake on the right and another on the left (
5) to reach Crater Lake
, at 12,800' -
6. Above Crater Lake, continue toward ledges near 13,000' -
7 and
8. Hike to the base of the ledges and follow cairns and a defined trail up the steep terrain. Taken from above the ledges,
9 looks back down over Crater Lake.
Continue to 13,400' and locate a trail junction where the Ellingwood trail branches off to the left. If you're having trouble finding the trail, here is a good landmark: In
10 locate a mining hole
in the rocks, below the saddle. It's the one with white-colored rock piled below the entrance. Don't confuse it with a lower mining hole (down to the left) that has red rock piled below the entrance. Find the Ellingwood trail that crosses the center of the basin and turns left below the mine hole. Follow the trail onto Ellingwood's south face -
11.
Continue northwest toward the center of the south face where the trail eventually breaks down. Taken from Blanca,
12 shows the entire face. If you find yourself on Class 3 rock, you may have climbed too high too early -
13. Above 13,500', turn right and climb dirt and loose rock toward the ridge -
14. Once you reach the ridge
, turn left and follow it to a false summit at 14,000' -
15. The final summit pitch is fairly obvious -
16. Drop 20 feet and climb to the summit
-
17 and
18.
