Aug 15, 2016 — Rather than take the standard east ridge of Quandary, I opted for the somewhat exposed Class 3 West Ridge route to make it more interesting of an outing, and in order to also have a chance to check out the Blue Lake Dam area.
Starting from Blue Lakes Dam, I followed a trail leading west along the north side of the water, slowly making upward progress on a narrow and pretty trail. This trail took me northwest into a lush, beautiful valley, which continued past tarns and streams to the west ridge of Wuandary Peak. The Class 2 ride led to the thick of the scrambling, where a few cryptic sections of Class 3 surprised me with their somewhat unexpected exposure. Once at the summit, I decided I'd head down the south slopes of Quandary Peak rather than head back along the West Ridge, so I followed the Cristo Couloir (Class 2) down to complete the loop. There's really not a correct way down, but I recommend taking the south ridge of Quandary until you can drop off to the left, heading generally southeast.
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