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Arrowhead, Bequeathed (5.10d, 6p)

Arrowhead

Route:

Bequeathed

5.10d, 6p

Another fun route up the steep, solid, and sunny granite on the south face of Arrowhead.

Region: Colorado

Elev: 12,660 ft

Rock type: Granite

Type:

Date(s): September 3, 2022 (Sat)

Partner(s): Nate Arganbright

Related trip reports:

Arrowhead, Airhead (5.11d, 5p)

Arrowhead, Arrowplane (5.11a, 6p)

Arrowhead, Artemis (5.9+, 4p)

Arrowhead, Full Metal Jacket (5.10c, 3p)

Arrowhead, The Godfather (5.11b, 5p)

Arrowhead, Goldfinger (5.11d, 3p) (+ Accident/Rescue Report)

Arrowhead, Raindance (5.9, 6p)

Arrowhead, Refugium (5.10a, 5p)

Arrowhead, Ripsaw (5.7-5.9, 4-8p)

Arrowhead, Shoshone (5.10a, 4p)

Arrowhead, Warhead (5.10a, 5p)

Arrowhead, Summit Ramp (4th) to SW Ridge (3rd) on "Glacier Gorge 5-2+1 Traverse" (Arrowhead to Spearhead) (4 summits, rock up to 4th)

Route Overlay

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Intro

After a rather wet summer, September had arrived with a splitter forecast—warmer and sunnier than it had been for weeks. For Labor Day weekend, Nate and I snatched this late-season opportunity to spend a few days in the alpine. I secured a bivy permit for Upper Glacier Gorge (need to be climbing a route that is at least four pitches to qualify for a bivy permit), and Nate and I bivied up there for three nights (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights) below The Spearhead. (As a sidenote, after this Labor Day weekend trip, I realized that Nate and I had spent a total of 20 nights bivying in RMNP in Summer 2022.) Nate and I climbed three routes: Bequeathed (5.10d, 6p) on Arrowhead, The Kingfisher (5.11, 7p) on The Spearhead, and The Barb (5.10b, 10p) on The Spearhead. We also enjoyed a couple of sunny afternoons hanging out in this spectacular area.

This page gives a trip report for Bequeathed on Arrowhead, the first of three climbs during our Labor Day weekend in Upper Glacier Gorge. At this point, Nate and I had climbed most of the routes on the south face of Arrowhead. They had all been worthy adventures. We had not yet climbed Bequeathed, a 6-pitch route which ascends the indistinct prow to the right of Warhead; the crux is a 10d flaring corner. Above the initial difficulties lies surprisingly excellent, moderate crack climbing on stellar rock. This route was named in honor of Andy Donson who told first ascentionists Don Bushey and Patrick Clark about the line and suggested they "have a go". (Andy "bequeathed" the route to Don and Patrick.) Interestingly, Don Bushey posted this route on mountainproject in 2001 shortly after their first ascent, and there are no reports of anyone climbing this route since. So—even though it seems unlikely—it is possible that Nate and I made the second ascent of this route, just over 20 years after it was put up.

As usual, despite the sunny high-quality alpine granite of Arrowhead, we had the entire wall to ourselves. Another worthy route on Arrowhead!

The following page gives an overlay and pitch-by-pitch photos of Bequeathed, and below that a photo smorgasbord from our three-day, three-night Labor Day weekend hanging out in Upper Glacier Gorge. Enjoy!

Time Stats

Bivy below Spearhead to base of route: 1 hour
Climb route: 3 hours 23 minutes
Descent (rappel) and hike back to bivy: 1 hour 28 minutes
Total camp-to-camp (includes breaks): 6 hours 10 minutes

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

2nd-4th

Hike the Glacier Gorge Trail to Black Lake. Just as you reach Black Lake, head rightward, crossing the outlet and picking up a path through the brush to a talus field on the slope to the west of the lake. Follow a faint path up the right side of the talus field, and then head left (south) over grassy slopes and ramps, wrapping around until beneath the south face of Arrowhead. Here you can see the route. Begin from a large block in the highest talus, just around right of Warhead.

Pitch 1

5.7 R, ~200'

Beta from first ascensionists, posted on mountainproject:

Begin on the right margin of the apron and trend left crossing several black water streaks—sometimes wet (7s). Gain an obvious, arching overlap on the slab and continue to the base of the steep, open book.

Pitch 2

5.10d, ~100'

Beta from first ascensionists, posted on mountainproject:

Execute wild stemming moves with flared thin fingers (10d). Plug in some good gear and continue stemming (10b) until the angle eases and an impasse is reached. Charge up the improbable and steep headwall above (8+s) and belay. A small TCU would be helpful for the initial moves off the ledge.

Pitch 3

5.8, ~100'

Beta from first ascensionists, posted on mountainproject:

Trend left on a ramp system and reach a vertical fist crack. Jam the crack (8) and belay beneath the left of two left-facing dihedrals.

Pitch 4

5.8, ~200'

Beta from first ascensionists, posted on mountainproject:

A long pitch. Climb the pleasant dihedral (7) to a clean slab split by a hand and fist crack. Jam the crack for about 30 ft. (8). Where the corner changes aspect, continue up the right-facing dihedral (8). Stretch the rope to a belay in a broken area.

Pitch 5

5.9+, ~150'

Beta from first ascensionists, posted on mountainproject:

Aim up toward the notch on the left skyline and enter a steep handcrack via a bulge (9+). Jam the crack (9) with awesome exposure and belay on a comfortable ledge.

Pitch 6

5.9, ~150'

Beta from first ascensionists, posted on mountainproject:

Enter the V-slot above the belay, sling a pillar, and escape left via a face traverse (8) to reach a right-facing dihedral. Perfect fingers (9) leads to a roof. Turn the roof on the right (9), and follow easier terrain to the top.

Top

12,660 ft

The route ends west (climbers' left) of the summit. Scramble to the summit if you want. It's worth it.

Descent

Two Rappels + Scrambling

Either take the rap route or scramble down the South Ramp (4th).

We opted for the rappel, which we had done several times before. Scramble down to the low point between Arrowhead and McHenry's Peak. Locate the first rap station (under a big boulder). There are two raps and some 4th-low 5th class downclimbing. A single 70 works just fine. Scramble back to the base of the route (not too far from base of rappels). Hike out the way you came.

Other Photos

It was Labor Day weekend and the forecast was for splitter weather, so Nate and I snatched the opportunity to spend three days and three nights in the spectacular Upper Glacier Gorge. We had secured a bivy permit for Upper Glacier Gorge (need to be climbing a route that is at least 4 pitches to qualify for a bivy permit), and we bivied up there for three nights (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights) below The Spearhead. What a spectacular place to hang out for the long weekend.

Our bivy

Upper Glacier Gorge has some of the best bivy locations in RMNP. We stayed at what I decided to call the "Under the Dome" bivy, which is a roomy cavern under a giant boulder. This is one of the coolest spots to bivy in the area, but it is usually filled with snow or ice until late in the summer. Earlier in the summer, Nate and I had made a note to try to return to Glacier Gorge in the late summer and stay at this bivy once the snow inside had melted. We were glad we got the opportunity to do so!

Scenery

Upper Glacier Gorge is a picturesque place.

Flora and Fauna

Early September is usually when the mountains start to display the transition between summer and fall. We enjoyed late-summer wildflowers and early fall colors.