Lizard Head is a mountain in Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, one of the 637 peaks above 13,000 feet in elevation in the state (see thirteener

Thirteener

In mountaineering in the United States, a thirteener is a mountain that exceeds above mean sea level, similar to the more familiar "fourteeners," which exceed...

s). It is located in the San Juan Mountains

San Juan Mountains

The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...

 on the border between San Miguel County

San Miguel County, Colorado

San Miguel County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county is named for the San Miguel River. The county population was 6,594 at U.S. Census 2000...

 and Dolores County

Dolores County, Colorado

Dolores County is the seventh least populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 1,844 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Dove Creek.- History :...

, within the Lizard Head Wilderness

Lizard Head Wilderness

The Lizard Head Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado. It contains 41,309 acres and is jointly managed by the Uncompahgre and San Juan National Forests. It is 10 miles southwest of the town of Telluride and is named for a prominent rock formation that is said to look like a...

 and just southeast of a group of three Colorado fourteener

Fourteener

In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world. The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America...

s, Mount Wilson

Mount Wilson (Colorado)

Mount Wilson is a fourteen thousand foot mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness in Dolores County approximately 10 miles north of Rico and 10 miles southwest of Telluride. It is the highest peak in the San Miguel Mountains, a subrange of the San...

, Wilson Peak

Wilson Peak

Wilson Peak is a mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of the Uncompahgre National Forest, in the southern San Juan Mountains. It is the highest point in San Miguel County...

, and El Diente Peak

El Diente Peak

El Diente Peak is a fourteen thousand foot mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness in the San Miguel Mountains of the San Juan Mountains, in Dolores County approximately north of Rico....

. Lizard Head is only the 556th highest peak in Colorado by most standard definitions,
but its towering spire-like form makes it one of the most spectacular.

Lizard Head is an old eroded volcanic plug

Volcanic plug

A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When forming, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an...

 and is one of the most difficult summits in Colorado to climb.
The story of the first ascent

First ascent

In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...

 makes a memorable and harrowing tale. In the words of Albert Ellingwood,
Despite the serious and daunting objective hazards, the first ascent team completed the climb and descent safely in a feat of mountaineering

Mountaineering

Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...

skill that was far ahead of its time.

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