Descending Crestone Peak

We descend the summit to the red notch and then into the non-standard North Face Couloir. The couloir is steep and full of dangerous loose rock. We decided to climb Kit Carson (14,165 ft, 4,317 m) next and this route leads you directly to Bears Playground, a flat meadow full of large stones. The relief was appreciated but soon forgotten as we started climbing the slope up to Columbia Point (13,980 ft, 4261.1 m) sometimes called Kat Carson). By chance the weekend we climbed the Crestones, a group consisting of family members, astronauts, friends and climbers installed a memorial plaque on the summit. The trip included a dedication service for the memorial, and an Air Force F-16 flyby in missing man formation. Kat Carson was too be renamed Columbia Point on this same day.