Abrams Mountain- 12,812’
Everyone knows the mountain and yet, no one knows the mountain. It quietly stands guard over the hamlet of Ouray like a sentinel from a forgotten kingdom.
Abrams Mountain is a conical bulwark, a guardian to places like Ironton and Poughkeepsie Gulch where remnants of that forgotten kingdom can still be seen. It is on the northern rim of what was once the Silverton Caldera along with the Red Mountain Massif, 1 of 15 such calderas in the San Juans.
Abram (Abraham) Cutler came to Ouray in the 1860’s and initially worked as a civil engineer. Though, he was also involved in local real estate and even dabbled in the area’s mining. He worked alongside Ferdinand Hayden on the 1874 survey where the two became good friends. Whether or not Ferdinand named the mountain after Cutler remains to be seen (it’s generally thought he did). But what is known, is that Cutler became Ouray’s first judge and public notary. Cutler Creek to the north also bears his name.
The weekend was a good one in that; I was able to reconnect with Shawn (sdkeil) and Greg Gorrel (summit lounger) again after many years of absence.
Shawn stayed with us in Montrose and in the morning, he shuttled everyone (sans Greg) up Brown Mountain Road/Cty. Road #20 to its terminus around 11,300’. The road was newly opened so the timing couldn’t have been better. While the bottom was dry with a healthy river crossing at Gray Copper Gulch, the upper ramparts were holding walls of snow and muddy pitfalls. While I appreciated not having to walk through the soupy deluge, I typically don’t like off-roading so early in the season due to road degradation from our vehicles.
We were blessed with good snow in the morning. I know it’s a bit of a crap-shoot in the spring whether one is able to channel their inner-Jesus and simply walk across the frozen snow or succumb to the dire punishment of mashed potatoes, but on this day, no sevens were rolled.
Which by the way, a quick aside if I may, the term, ‘crap-shoot’ actually doesn’t refer to any bodily function as many think. It first appeared in a Boston newspaper in the 1880’s and was a reference to the dice game, Craps in which it was used to describe the local political evens of the Boston area. For those who don’t gamble, if the player rolls a seven, all bets are forfeited. Any other number pays various odds.
Anyway, we three cruised up the river of snow reaching the ridge is relatively quick time. The gully was low-angle and supportive. Shawn’s left crampon decided it had other plans for the day and kept trying to take off (literally). So, we trailed behind Regina who for being sick, was making impressive time.
From where we landed on the ridge, a healthy bump blocked our view north towards the summit. From already having been up here the prior summer, I knew once we cleared this first obstacle, the length of the whole ridge would probably deflate their balloons, and it did. The whole 2.2 miles of ridge came into view. While long, it’s all class-2 at best. There is a social trail for pretty much the whole length.
Hayden Mountain South
Regina and Shawn finishing the gully
Leaving the summit
Shawn & Regina descending a snowfield
Abrams Mountain WAAAAAY over there
Along the Southern Ridge
Enjoying the summit
The south ridge of Abrams looks like a sine wave, perfectly spaced-out crests and boughs with textbook amplitude. We decided to leave our crampons attached to the outside of our packs for quicker access since parts of the ridge were still holding snow. Not that a class-2 route would necessitate needing them, but you never know what drifting and sculpting the wind can do. Cornices can build on some fairly benign ridges.
We cruised the ridge enjoying the sun and good conversation with no time objective in mind. Having no time frame to worry about it, kept things light and easy. And of course, wouldn’t you know it, we came to a decently narrow uplift of snow. The crest was about a foot wide (plenty of room) but a slide/fall would have had bad consequences as the snow continued on both sides for some distance. So, we threw on our points. I was feeling bad about not bringing the dog but now my feelings were validated.
We cruised across the snowy redoubt and shortly thereafter, landed on the summit with a plop. We channeled Greg’s spirit by “lounging” on the summit for roughly 30 minutes enjoying the warmth and surprisingly bug-free perch. I think Shawn may have actually caught a few winks!
Because of cliffs and private property issues to the north, there really isn’t any other issue-free route up Abrams. But not that it really matters. The views along the ridge of the Haydens to the west, highway 550 and Ironton down below and the various mountain passes to the east kind of keep your mind wandering with possibilities anyway.
And despite Abrams Mountain not rising above the 13,000’ level, this tends to keep people away who aren’t into the mountains except for ticking a box on some list. All the same, and more solitude for me.