On this particular Sunday I got an early start from my home in the SW Denver 'burbs, and was on my way at ~4am. After a fairly wet and snowy spring, I was afraid the Frontier Ranch parking lot would be the farthest I'd get. Much to my surprise, the road beyond was mostly dry, and those parts that did have snow already had deep tire tracks in time, all the way to the antennas. I suppose that those antennas need to be accessed in the winter (duh). So it was a bumpy ride, but really much better than I had planned!

At any time of the year, it's best to park at or just above the antenna array. There had been no vehicle traffic above this point this early in the year, although the road itself goes up past treeline towards a religious retreat at Princeton's south sub-peak. I found a spot to park and geared up for the day. Even at 7:30 in the morning in mid-April, it was pretty warm at 10,800, and I opted to start in short sleeves. The snowpack on the road (which is the trail also) was pretty well frozen at this time of day, but the heat of the day would soon change that. Anyways, the trail follows the road for about a mile and a half, and is a very pleasant hike, as ever-expanding views of the Arkansas Valley floor are your companion along the roadway. Right at treeline you have to look sharp to the right, as the trail breaks off and climbs the grassy ridge. If you find yourself still on the road as it does a long traverse towards the south, you missed it. Since I'd climbed here before, I knew where to head off the road, and some very old tracks in the snow verified my path.

From this point, the hike is fairly straightforward as the trail contours along the north and east faces of Princeton until you get in the bowl under the summit. At that point, it's pretty much the climber's option as to which way to go. The trails are faint and erratic, and personally, I just kept following the path of least resistance until I made the top of the east ridge. From there, its a ridge climb to the summit, where you can almost always count on cold winds blowing hard from the west.

Did I say straightforward? Sure, in the summer it is. Since the trial contours across the northern-facing (read as: not getting much sun) section of the mountain, you're going to run into not just snow, but (as I did) ice and hardpack snow as well. The trail ended abruptly at a large and steep snowfield. The tracks that had been on the trail before me disappeared as well. Looking down, the runout was several hundred feet below and curving far down into the valley. Testing the surface with my ice axe, it was very solid hardpack snow...very difficult to cut steps in. While I did have my snowshoes, I did not have crampons handy, which would have been better. The final factor was that I was climbing by myself this day. With a partner I might have tried it, but with no backup or anything of that nature, I reluctantly came to the conclusion that I'd reached my turnaround point for the day, after three and a half hours of slogging.

After a Clif Bar and a few minutes to rest, I turned around and headed back. It was now about 11am, and the sturdy hardpack snow I had hiked in on had had a chance to warm up and soften. Even with snowshoes, I would find myself postholing clear up to my chest!! There were a number of occasions where a snowshoe came off while struggling out of one of these holes, and I had to dig for it. So much for a nice easy walk back to the car! It took about 3 hours of tentative steeping, sinking, and swearing before I rounded the last bend and plopped down in my trusty Blazer, exhausted and sweating. Some days you just never know what you're going to run into in the hills, that's for sure. Perhaps the trail will be clear again in a couple months, and I'll take another crack and Princeton!