Mt Ouray is Colorado's 58th highest peak at 13,971 feet. Before you get too excited to read this trip report, you should know that there was no summit on this one. By the time I got to about 13,000 feet, it was apparent that the previous night's snowfall was far more significant than what was expected. The forecast was for the summit to get about 1-2" of snow, but as I gained altitude, it was full-on winter conditions (except for the temperature) higher up. There must have been 4-8 inches of fresh snowfall the previous night. Given the terrain which was steep and rocky, with that much snow it got to the point that I did not feel safe going forward. I turned around with about 900 feet to go.
After about 3/4 mile of hiking through an un-healthy looking forest...
As I got closer to Ouray's west ridge proper, it was becoming apparent that more snow fell up high than was forecast, as seen below.
From there, the route to the summit was very steep talus. Which would have been fine if it was dry summer conditions, or even a bit of snow and wet. But with the snow depth as it was, and the steepness of the terrain, I was unable to feel confident in each step, which is crucial. Several times I stopped and thought "now what do I do?" "now what do I do?" The following several pictures show those conditions, on JUNE 28!
At this point you might be asking "4-8" of snow? I don't see that!" It's not so much the snow you see on top of the boulders, it's the amount that's between them. The spaces between the boulders were totally filled in many places that visualizing where it was safe to step was very difficult.
So after the difficult decision to turn around, I descended and found a more suitable climate to sit and have lunch. Not a bad spot, huh?
Back at the trailhead, here are some photos of a free "public access" cabin available for use to anyone, first come, first served...