2022-09-17 Mt. Sniktau and Cupid

This trip had some special signifigance to me. I’ll start with the less serious reason, it was my first time hiking above treeline since my MCL injury. But more importantly to me, this day marked 10 years since my uncle’s passing. I planned this trip as a bit of a personal memorial to him. And I’ve got to say he delivered.

I wanted something with easy access but with a decent bit of elevation gain and some peaks that I could summit. Sniktau and Cupid seemed like the perfect fit for me. It checked all my boxes to train for our upcoming Banff trip but it wasn’t a big enough day that I was worried about over doing it. Plus I hadn’t been there yet. Sometimes the stars align.

I got to the bottom of Loveland Pass just before sunrise. The sky was cloudy so colors were a bit muted and the light was still low while I prepped Hazel and my gear. But as I walked along the broad ridge from the trailhead the wind picked up and some of the cloud cover began to break up. This changed something with the sunrise too because suddenly the colors started popping. I stopped a lot to admire the sky as I trudged up the first mile to the top of the pass.

Maybe two thirds of the way up I noticed a small storm had come through to drop some moisture on The Citadel just as the sunlight painted the surrounding slopes orange.

The view Northwest from the East side of Loveland Pass with Mount Trelease in the foreground

As I neared the top of the pass, the clouds had cleared behind me and I could see for miles. It was too windy to sit and admire the view, but I’m glad I took this panorama because it captured most of 3 different mountain ranges in one shot.

Panomaric View West from near the East Loveland Pass Peak

Above the pass, I got my first good view of the North side of Torreys Peak, dusted with snow, maybe from this morning too.

North side of Torreys Peak with a fresh dusting of early season snow

I had to book it from here because we got our own small storm that dropped a bit of graupel on the rest of the Sniktau route. It was howling wind and turning to walk put my hood between the wind and my face. After things calmed down, the storm clouds cast some cool shadows across the peaks and valleys below.

Hazel pup posing in front of a frosty Torreys Peak

The sun was finally coming out, the sky was clear for miles, and I had gotten the steepest climbing out of my way. I picked up my pace as I picked through the rocky ridge trail to the top of Sniktau. Most people I had passed that morning had either turned around at the top of the pass or gone on to Cupid or beyond. So I was alone on Sniktau save the one person I passed on their way back near the top of Sniktau’s false summit.

As I down climbed from the false summit, things got a bit rockier and Hazel began getting confused on which path to take. This is unfamiliar territory for her as she’s used to leading the way. She stayed behind me for the rest of the summit push and was glad for her break at the top. But not until she took in some of the views.

Looking East from the top of Sniktau with I-70 snaking along the valley

The view Northeast from Sniktau’s summit

Hazel finally getting some rest at the summit

The view across a lush valley from Sniktau’s summit.

South from Sniktau’s summit - looking at Torreys Peak again

A zoomed out view

Looking West at I-70’s Eisenhower Tunnel from the summit of Sniktau

It was almost entirely downhill from here. Hazel and I picked our way back across the rocky Sniktau ridge and travelled South to the peak of Cupid. The wind was getting strong again, the sun offset this a bit, but not enough, so I stuffed my hands into my armpits for a bit. I warmed up as we started climbing, though this trail felt like the mellowist climb of the day.

Hazel back in her element - up front - on our way towards Cupid

A view of the front side of A-Basin and Lenawee Mountain from the Contintental Divide

We were both sick of the wind by the time we got to the top of Cupid. I needed a snack break too, so rather than find the proper summit, we found a bit of a wind break on the South side to stop in. Hazel got up to her usual antics while I rested.

Hazel was happy to have her pack off

Now it was actually all downhill from here. I needed to hurry up, one of my hands and glove had gotten wet from feeding Hazel treats, definitely a mistake, and it was starting to get too cold for comfort with the wind chill. I alternated waving my hand around and warming it under my jacket. Thankfully, I managed to clear things up by the time I got to the shortcut under the East Loveland Pass Peak.

I hadn’t originally planned to take this shortcut but when I got there it looked too good to refuse. It caught off some of the mileage I had originally planned for, but it saved me a few hundred feet back up that I was grateful for later. By the time I was a half mile from the parking lot my knees were angry at me and my leg muscles were ready to call it quits. I barely made it, but that’s what training is for, especially after injury, to find your limits.