Tag: summit

Mt Wilson – 14,246 & El Diente 14,159

1 IMG_6866

RT Length: 15 miles

Elevation Gain: 5900’

It’s 7:30pm on Saturday night, and I go downstairs to find all 3 of my teenagers hanging out in my youngest daughter’s room. My son is sitting in a chair in the middle of the room serenading everyone, trying to figure out how to play a Bruno Mars song on his accordion.  My oldest has her laptop in her lap, and my youngest has her headphones on (but takes them off when I enter the room).

The kids ask me why I’m not driving to the trailhead? Didn’t I have a long drive and hike ahead of me tomorrow?

Me: Well, you see yesterday I saw a really big bear when I was coming home from hiking.  A really big bear.  I didn’t realize we had bears that size in Colorado!  I’m stalling because I don’t really want to hike solo in the dark for longer than I have to with bears on my mind.

My son: I thought you talked to us yesterday about not letting other people’s fears dictate your hikes?

Me: Yes, but currently, this is my fear.

My youngest: That’s fair.

My oldest: But you’re not hiking the same mountain, right?

Me: You’re right!  Hey, I’m not even hiking in the same mountain range.  Thanks!  I’m out!

My oldest knows how I think, and knew just what to say to get me moving. I’ve hiked for miles and miles in the dark solo dozens of times, but for some reason seeing that really large black (cinnamon colored) bear yesterday kind of freaked me out.  Sure, it was running away from me, but it wasn’t the smallish black bear I’m used to seeing.  I encountered it during the day, but it’s not something I’d like to repeat at night.  I know I’ll get over it after a time or two of hiking at night again; the experience was just still fresh in my memory and didn’t sit well.

So I drove the 6.5 hours to the Kilpacker trailhead. Quick note: the driving directions given on the dot com  are correct, but I misinterpreted them.  The instructions said to drive to Lizard Head pass and continue south.  So when I got to Lizard Head Pass sign I turned south into the lot, thinking this was the pass, and looked for a route south.  This wasn’t the pass, and I circled the parking lot twice looking for it.  It was dark and the road was a half loop, leading to other trailheads and me to believe I was missing the turn off.  I figured I must have missed something?  Nope, there was no turn at Lizard Head Pass:  just continue driving when you see it and don’t go into the parking lot (unless you need to use the restroom, because they have one there and not at the trailhead).

The 2WD dirt road in was a bit narrow in places, but easy to navigate. I put my truck in 4WD because I could, but it wasn’t necessary.

2 IMG_6869

3

I signed the trail register at the well marked trailhead and started my hike a little before 4am. In the dark.  Here’s proof:

The first 5 miles of this hike are really easy. Very little elevation gain (in fact, you lose more than you gain it seems, which stunk on the way out) and no real challenges.  That is, if you put aside the fact when you hike in the dark your sense of hearing intensifies and every shadow becomes a mountain lion/bear/rabid squirrel coming at you at full speed.  About 2 miles in I heard a large pine tree fall 20 feet in front of me on the trail, which was a first for me (but it’s gotta happen a lot, right?).

I came upon the stream crossing and it was more difficult than anticipated. You see, when I came upon it in the dark I saw a broken log in the water, with no way to cross.  I walked up and down the banks a few times until I noticed an in-tact tree that was easy to cross.  It’s one of the fun challenges of hiking at night!  (I had a GPS but it wasn’t helpful in this situation, as it showed the crossing far from both logs, in a place where there were no logs).

4

So, how did I deal with my bear thoughts? I diverted my mind to a speech I’m writing for a presentation I’m giving next week at a conference on sensor technology, tapped each and every log and large rock I passed with my trekking pole to make noise, and said “Hey Bear!” more than I have in years.  It worked, because I didn’t see any animals (which was also kind of a downer because I actually like seeing animals when I hike).

The route was very well maintained until I reached the basin.

5

I reached the basin just as the sun was coming up. This was a very large basin filled with a lot of talus.

6 Basin Mt Wilson and El Diente 021

From here the route wasn’t difficult to follow, but everything looked the same, making cairn finding a fun game.

7

I never did see the cutoff for El Diente because I wasn’t looking for it. I was focused on route finding for Mt Wilson, but here it is (I found it on my way back down).

8
I left my trekking pole near a large rock, fully expecting a marmot or pika to destroy it (it’s time I got a new one anyway).

9 Mt Wilson and El Diente 025

I chose to do Mt Wilson first because it’s further and there was a chance it would have snow. I wanted to get the snow part of the hike done in the morning before the snow softened.  The jury was still out on the traverse.  After hiking through miles of talus I came to a drainage area with larger rocks.  I could see a snow free line to where I needed to go so I didn’t put on my crampons and spent the next hour and a half carefully hopping from rock to rock up the drainage.

10 Mt Wilson and El Diente 027

Once I made it to just below the gullies below the summit it was much safer for me to put my crampons on, so I did, and left them on until I was about 150 feet away from the summit (when rock climbing became necessary).

Here’s the route I took (I’m using the photo from 14ers.com because mine don’t have this great of a perspective).

11

After making it to the notch rock climbing was necessary. Yes, it is important here to look back at the way you came.  You’ll be surprised at how different it looks from this perspective!!!

12 IMG_6834

There was one class 3 move

13 IMG_6833

And the rest was a fun uphill scramble with the added bonus of the sun blinding me as it was just rising over the ridge

14

Wow! What a beautiful day for a summit!

15

I took a summit selfie, a summit video, and was back on my way.

16

This time I put on my crampons for the gully and kept them on as I was descending most of the basin, straight down the snow. Wow!  What a difference from hoping rock to rock!  This was so much easier!  I wished I’d have done this on the way up:  I’d have saved quite a bit of time.

17

Now it was time to head over to El Diente. I’d made the decision I wanted elevation gain today, and the best way to do that was to descend Mt Wilson and climb El Diente instead of doing the traverse.  Also, I didn’t have a map or instructions for the traverse with me and this seemed like a safer option, even though the traverse was snow free.

The pink “v” is what you’re supposed to do if you hike each peak separately, but I found an established cairned route and took the blue line.

18

I still looked for and traversed the rib, but I took a route from the west instead of the east.

19 Mt Wilson and El Diente 008

I climbed the gray gully and hiked just below the organ pipes

20

After gaining the ridge I actually moved from the south side and traversed the north side of El Diente. The north side had some snow directly on the route, but it was easily navigable.  Here’s a picture looking back at the north side part of the trail and also of the traverse.

21 IMG_6855

Here was the crux of the climb for me: I rounded the corner and since there was snow on the direct route from this point on I made a few class 4 moves to gain the summit. (It’s a steeper climb and those rocks are larger than this picture makes them look).

22

I couldn’t tell where the exact summit was. My GPS kept switching between points, and some were obviously not the summit (it was doing this for the north and south side of the mountain too, which was frustrating).  There was no summit marker so I just stood on multiple high points on the ridge, just to be sure I hit the ‘actual’ summit.  The high points were quite narrow so this picture is closer than I’d have liked.

23

Take a look at that ridge heading back to Mt Wilson!

24

I was much more confident on the way back down El Diente. Both of the climbs I did today were completely within my abilities.  They were fun, and while there was exposure I wasn’t scared at all (not even much of an adrenaline rush).  These routes seemed very similar to the Mt Sneffles ridge route.  The only downside?  The talus!  OMG, that stuff didn’t quit!  Talus stinks to hike in because all of the rocks are of irregular size, none of them are stable or large enough to securely put your foot down, and they cause you to slide when hiking downhill.  It’s hard on the knees and impossible to hike down fast without slipping.

The only good thing about talus? It’s gorgeous to look at!  I found several pieces that looked like they contained fossils of plant material.  I left them there for the next hiker to find.

25

On the way back down I was able to see flowers that weren’t visible in the dark. Absolutely stunning!  Pictures don’t do them justice!

26

I turned around before exiting the basin to get a good look at the waterfall

28 Mt Wilson and El Diente 020

Here’s more of that talus route down…

29

I was able to retrieve my trekking pole with only minor bite marks. Due to the bite size I’m assuming a pika was involved, and was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t destroyed.  I’ve heard stories of the rodents ruining gear, but they only seemed to have a nibble this time.  Apparently they didn’t like the taste of the cork handle.

This hike made for a long and beautiful day, as I made it back to my truck at 4pm (and home at 10:30pm, so door to door it was a 27 hour day). I actually stopped at treeline to let some hikers pass (two young men trying to run down the talus to catch up with/pass me, and falling several times doing so… I figured I’d just let them pass since I wasn’t in a hurry today).  To make sure they were well ahead of me so we wouldn’t play leap frog I waited for about half an hour in the meadow, enjoying the view.  Talus might be tough to hike in, but it sure makes a beautiful mountain!

30

Mauna Kea – 13,796

1

RT Length: 15.2 miles

Elevation Gain: 4596’

June 11, 2018: This hike has been on my bucket list ever since I discovered it’s the highest mountain on earth when measured from the sea floor.  You see, Mountains are generally measured from sea level, in which case Mount Everest (29,028 feet; 8,848 meters) is king. Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, though, rises an astonishing 33,476 feet (10,203 meters) from the depths of the Pacific Ocean floor. Measuring from base to peak, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on earth.

We’re here in Hawaii on a family vacation, celebrating my son’s High School Graduation and enlistment in the United States Air Force. My mom and brother tried just about everything to get me not to hike this mountain. They hate that I hike alone, and kept coming up with excuses as to why I wouldn’t be able to go on a solo hike on this trip. (No, they didn’t want to hike with me). You see, we were so busy they just didn’t see how I could schedule it in. I told them I’d make it a sunrise hike (even though I hate those due to hiking in the dark and the cold), meaning I’d be back home no later than 10am, which wouldn’t interfere too much with our day. Well, maybe now we could find time on Tuesday or Wednesday (the only day snow was predicted on the mountain) as those were our late start days.

Then the volcano erupted and changed all our plans. My brother figured the eruption ensured I wouldn’t be able to hike, and let met me know the National Park was closed (our plan for Monday and Tuesday) thinking this would mean I couldn’t hike because the trail would be closed. Fortunately for me I knew Mauna Kea isn’t located anywhere near the National Park. I called the visitors center and Mauna Kea was open. Yes, I could hike all the way to the top, as the current eruption wasn’t interfering with Mauna Kea (although the areas usually erupt together). I saw this as my opportunity and took it! Since we could no longer visit the National Park on Monday I was going to hike while everyone else slept in.

I woke up at 1am. The wind was howling outside. My mom said that was reason enough not to hike because it had been rattling the windows all night and was sure to be intolerable on the summit, but Mountain Forecast said the winds were 5-10mph at the summit, so undeterred I drove to the Mauna Kea visitor’s center.

There were only about 6 spaces in the entire parking lot, with a lot of signage letting visitors know drones were not allowed in the area. When I got there I saw a couple of people in the parking lot with telescopes set up, pointing towards the stars. It was a very clear night, and since there are no big cities on the island of Hawaii and no bright lights to dampen the view the stargazing was phenomenal, even without a telescope.

The visitors’ center webpage (http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/visiting-mauna-kea/hiking.html) had a lot of information about hiking Mauna Kea. A lot of information!!! Most of it would be redundant to someone who regularly hikes 13ers and 14ers. I’d actually say it was overkill, but if you live in Hawaii or are a visiting hiker from sea level you probably could benefit from this information.

I was supposed to sign in at the trail register, but I couldn’t find it? I looked and looked and looked, but in the dark I just didn’t see a trail register. Oh well, my family knew where I was and when to expect me home. The visitors in the parking lot didn’t speak English, so we smiled at each other and I was on my way at 2:30am.

The trail actually starts about 1/10th of a mile up the road from the visitors center. I crossed the road and followed a 4WD trail to the left. The entire trail is located above treeline. It starts at 9200’, but since it’s actually a volcano very little grows on this mountain. I followed an old 4WD trail in the dark that led me to a station set up for me to clean off my shoes. I did so. This was the true start of the trail.

2 start of trail

I looked for a trail register here as well but didn’t see one. I hiked about half a mile and came upon another sign. This one was broken and missing most of the information.  Just imagine seeing this sign in the dark!  I wasn’t sure which way to go, as both right and left seemed like legitimate trails. Actually, they were, but one went up the mountain and the other went back and connected with another road.   I took the path to the left (which ended up being the correct path:  I fixed the sign on my way down).

3 Broken Signs imagine in dark

From this point on the trail passed through several different zones of lava, all with varying degrees of rock-like ground cover. It started out as a very sandy beach-like scree

4 beach sandy scree

And slowly changed into small rocks, and then medium sized rocks, and then large rocks. The terrain kept changing and changing as I hiked.  It was difficult to stay on the trail, as in the dark everything looked the same.  There was no clear trail visible in the sand and gravel.  On the way back in the light of day however a trail was clearly visible.

5 different lava

There were posts in the ground every 100 yards or so, indicating the trail. The posts let me know I was on track, but varied in where they were placed:  sometimes they were in front of the trail, sometimes behind, sometimes to the left or the right.  But as long as I was near a post I knew I was in relatively close proximity to the actual trail.

After hiking for about 2 miles I looked back and saw a glow in the distance. At first I thought I was looking at the town of Hilo, but that just didn’t make sense.  Hilo should have been further north, and the lights reflecting off the low lying clouds looked more red than what should have been yellow street lights.

6

The further I hiked the more I kept stopping and looking behind me. Eventually it became clear I was looking at the glow of the volcanic eruption.  Wow!  What a sight to see!  The horizon came into focus and I could see the red glow of the lava in the distance.

7

Did I mention it was cold? And windy!  And really, really cold. And that wind!!! I’d brought my warm weather gear and North Face jacket with me on this trip, getting funny looks from employees at the Kona Airport as I wore it because it didn’t fit in my luggage.  But I was praising myself for my foresight now.  In fact, even with my snow gloves and knit hat I was shivering.  I kept wanting to turn and look around at the lava glow but was too cold to stop and truly appreciate the view for any real length of time.  My lips were frozen and my cheeks were numb.  I wished it would warm up!  I really didn’t like these sunrise summits: All this hiking in the dark and cold takes its toll on a hiker.

This hike seemed to go on and on and on with no clear gain in view. Everything looked the same in the dark:  flat and still yet full of shadows.  I was gaining in elevation, but it didn’t seem all that drastic.  All I could think about as I trudged on was how wonderful it would be to have my family’s blessing and support on these hikes, instead of their constant fear and displeasure each time I go. I shouldn’t feel guilty every time I go on a hike.  I’ve come to the realization I’m not going to change their views, so it’s something I’ll need to continue to enjoy for my own sake, and try my best to drown out their disappointment.

As the horizon started to lighten I saw the headlights from two cars come into view. There’s a paved road you can take to the summit (if you take a special tour and get a pass) that parallels the hiking trail for a bit.  These groups must have been visitors on a sunrise tour.

The end of the hike passes through the Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve, and then follows the paved road for the last mile to the summit.

8

This paved road also takes you to the Observatory.

9 Observatory

This was the easiest part of the hike by far: hiking on a paved road is much easier than hiking on uneven gravel. It was my goal to make it to the summit before the sunrise, and it looked like I was pushing it.  The trail map said it was 6 miles to the summit, but it had obviously been longer than that, and my timing was off for a sunrise summit.

I looked to the left and could see a mountain in the morning light. This picture explains it all: the mountain in the middle is not a mountain at all, but the shadow of the volcano I was hiking, Mauna Kea, in the sunrise behind me.

10

The sun was rising so I quickened my pace and made it around the last curve. But it wasn’t the last of the hike.  I still had a little ways to walk off the paved road to make it to the true summit. This was easy to navigate, only made difficult by the wind.

11

I summited at 5:30am, just as the sun was beginning to rise

12

There was a shrine at the summit. I respected the shrine by not standing on it or even touching it, even though it would have been extremely helpful in taking my summit photo.

13

This site has religious significance to the Hawaiian natives, including who’s allowed to stand on the summit so I tried to remain as respectful as possible.

14 Mauna Kea 13,796

At this point I was above the clouds, looking east towards the ocean.

15

It was very, very cold and the winds were probably around 40mph, much faster than the 5-10mph predicted. I was completely numb, and headed back down quickly.  There were two couples on the paved road looking at the summit, dressed in parkas and huddling together to keep warm.  They were respecting the ancient rules and weren’t summiting today (you must start hiking at the bottom to stand on the summit).

Here’s a good picture of where the trail starts back down at the junction of the paved road. If you look at the picture on the left, just as the trail ends it actually gives you the option of turning right and visiting an alpine lake.

16

This lake is named Lake Waiau, and sits at an elevation of 13,020’. This lake is also a sacred site. Waiau means “swirling water” in the Hawaiian language, and this phrase is probably meant to evoke the myth that Lake Waiau is the portal to the spirit world or underworld. In ancient times, the ali’i, Hawaiian royalty, would throw the umbilical cord of their first-born son into the lake to ensure their future success as a chief.  When I visited the lake today I saw a shrine I expect was used for this purpose.

17

I turned around and descended through the varying degrees of decomposed lava. In the light of day the terrain looked like a moonscape, dry and barren with a large boulder thrown in here and there as if placed by an explosion.

18

There were several calderas in view, and I thought once again of how Mauna Kea usually erupts simultaneously with Kilauea. There had also been numerous earthquakes on Mauna Kea in the past few days, so I crossed my fingers I’d make it safely off the mountain before another earthquake occurred (side note:  several occurred during our stay, with the largest registering 5.4:  another eruption is eminent).

19

I turned around and looked back at the summit, in the light of day clearly being able to see the paved path to the top.

20 see path to summit

I stopped here to take a quick video of the landscape

The final descent took much longer than I remembered it taking to hike up. It was much steeper hiking back down than I’d remembered as well.  I could see the marine layer coming in from Hilo and the rest of my path down to the visitor’s center. If you look closely here, you can see there isn’t a shadow being cast by the sun, but different colors of lava from separate eruptions flowing into one area.

21 path down and marine layer

I fixed the broken sign and made it back to the visitors center at 8:30am, making this 15.2 mile trek of 4500+ feet in elevation gain in 6 hours. The website information page says most fit hikers complete the hike in 8 hours.  I was feeling pretty good about myself!

22 distance

I came back here the next day for the stargazing, and talked with the rangers about their registration box. This was it, located as far from the parking lot as possible, adjacent to the front door around the back of the building.  This doesn’t look like any hiker registration box I’ve ever seen, but for those of you intending to take this hike here’s what it looks like.  It’s right below the “Beware of Invisible Cows” sign…

23 visitorcenter signs

I’m glad I did everything possible to make this hike possible, even though my family wasn’t on board with the whole thing. It was truly worth the experience!

 

Mt Sneffles – 14,150

1

RT Length: 6.5 Miles

Elevation Gain: 3000’

It has been a long weekend! Friday I did Snowmass and Saturday I took my High School aged Girl Scout Troop to Mt Princeton Hot Springs for the day.  That was a lot of driving, hiking, and adventure and not much sleep.  In fact, I’d only had 6 hours of sleep in the past 2 days.  That wasn’t keeping me from summiting again today though!  I had the day free, so I was going to hike!  I just picked an ‘easier’ mountain today that didn’t have much distance (I still have blisters and sores from where my boots rubbed my feet raw from that dip in the lake and long hike out).

I packed my gear the night before, including extra band aids for my tender feet and lots of moth balls. I’d heard of the trouble the marmots and other varmints do to parked vehicles while the owners are away, and I wanted to stop them before they started. Hence the moth balls.

The 2WD road in was a breeze. Nice and clear and wide enough to pass other vehicles when needed.

2 2wd road

I arrived at the trailhead and was on the trail by 5:30am. I decided to park below the lower trailhead to make up that extra 50’ in elevation gain, bringing the total to 3000’.  I didn’t want to risk having someone say it ‘didn’t count’ because I didn’t gain at least 3000’ in elevation, and this seemed like a simple solution.

There’s a fire in the area, and I could immediately smell the smoke. After about 5 minutes of hiking however I could no longer smell the fire and I couldn’t see smoke, so it couldn’t have been too close.  It was obvious a storm was moving in however, so I’d need to get a move on to successfully summit today.

There was a San Juan guide vehicle parked at the lower trailhead (there’s a clean restroom here), and people camping in the basin. Since there was only one vehicle I assumed they belonged to each other.

3 TH outhouse and van

The 4WD part of this trail is indeed 4WD. My truck could have made it, but why risk it?  There were so many opportunities for popped tires!

4 4wd road

And a few spots had snow crossings. On my way out I did see a modified 4Runner up there, a Suburban, and a few off highway vehicles, but they’d all come just to off road for the day.

5 4wd snow

In the end the hike isn’t that long: I’d suggest playing it safe and parking at the lower lot and hiking the extra mile in. I didn’t have cell service, so getting a tow truck would have been a bit of an issue.  I made it to the trail register, signed in, and looked at my route.

6

I was trying to decide whether to take the Southwest Ridge or the Lavender Couloir. I had mixed feelings about both.  There was a storm coming in, and I wanted to summit in the most efficient way possible.  The ridge might take longer, but everyone I talked to said to take the ridge.  I signed the log stating I was taking the ridge but reserved the right to change my mind when I could see both routes properly.

There didn’t seem to be much to the hike. I was already above treeline.  All I had to do was cross the basin and traverse the ridge or the Lav Col.

About halfway across the basin I got a good look at the Lavender Couloir and that settled it. Nope, nope, and more nope. After Snowmass on Friday I was done with scree filled gullies for the near future.  I was taking the ridge!  I’m only sharing this post because it has Mt Sneffles in it.

8 lav col post

This trail had tons of signs indicating the route up to the saddle.

7 Trail signs

I crossed the basin following a well established trail with large patches of consolidated snow throughout.

9 Snow oon trail

I had a great view of Gilpin Peak.

10 Gilpin Peak

And the ridge I’d need to cross. At this point my camera died.  It kept telling me to switch the battery pack.  Not my phone camera, but the DSLR I lug around.  I was shocked!  I’d just charged that battery 2 days ago and it usually lasted forever!  Drat!  I was going to have to rely on my iPhone from now on for pictures (which don’t turn out nearly as well) to conserve battery power.  Hopefully I’d still be able to take a summit photo.

11 looking down from saddle

I gained the ridge and looked back on the trail

12 View of Ridge

That seemed too easy! Next I looked at the ridge before me.  This looked like fun!  I’d need to pass in and out of the towers a few times Here’s the beginning of the route:

13 Ridge route from saddle

The first part of the ridge was easy and straight forward. Even the snow along the ridgeline was easily manageable

14

After the snow ended, the real work began. Luckily what this route lacks in distance it makes up for in climbing. The ridge route has gullies too.  These aren’t filled with scree, but with large rocks.  I much prefer rock scrambling gullies to scree filled gullies.  This route had a lot of scrambling!  Look at all those rocks!  And not one of them was stable.  I had to watch every hand and foothold to beware of a rock coming loose (and many did).

15

What was difficult was the route finding! I’d follow the directions I had, but they never seemed right.  I kept thinking to myself “there’s no way this is the right route” and apparently everyone else thought the same thing because trails went off in every direction, looking for a different alternative.  Nope, I really was supposed to go through that notch and descend into that gully, only to climb the next gully full of snow…

16

Here’s where it became seriously tricky. It was possible to climb this gully without touching the snow, but in order to do so some seriously clever moves were required on some seriously unstable rock with lots of exposure.  I know I got in some class 4 scrambling at this point.  I was going to have to figure out a safer way down when my pack put me off balance.

17 (2)

My directions said to exit the final) gully (there must have been 5 or 6) at the kissing camels. I missed them but I did end up exiting the correct way.  I’d been traversing between those pillars I’d seen earlier from the basin.  Once out of the gullies I just had to follow the ridge to the summit.  This was easier said than done, as there were dozens of routes visible.  Here’s a view of the final pitch to the summit. This was the most stable rock I’d encountered all day, and FUN to climb!!!

18 last scramble to wummit

I summited at 8:30am and turned on my camera for a summit photo. I was hoping I had enough battery to get a good summit shot. I got one in and it refused to turn on again, so this is what I got.  I swear I’m not as large and awkward as this photo makes me look!

19 Mt Sneffles 14150

I took a selfie with my phone I was much happier with and a video from the summit.

20

I looked back on the route down and saw what looked like people climbing. Cool, I’d get to meet people on my way down.

Following the path down was much more straightforward than following it up, but the exposure was real!

21

I made it to the kissing camels I’d missed on my way in. They really were a cool sight to see!

22

23

I was just getting to the point where I was wondering about the other climbers I’d seen? Maybe I hadn’t really seen them at all?  I turned the corner and there they were, halfway down (up) a gully.  There were three climbers: a couple with a guide, all roped in together, but not secured anywhere.  I don’t know much (anything) about roped in climbing, but this seemed really counterproductive.  If one person fell, wouldn’t they all fall because none of them were secured to anything?  Am I missing something to this?  (I know I am…).  How is this safe for anyone involved?

The couple didn’t talk with me, but the guide and I discussed gullies. His climbers looked exhausted and frightened.  I’m assuming they bit off more than they could chew.

I rounded the corner and saw the cairn I was looking for, and what looked like a rock bull standing sentinel.

24 IMG_6359 Cairn and Bull

This was the start of the gully I knew I wanted to climb down with my ice axe and crampons. I’m pretty sure I could have done it without them, staying to the rocks, but one false move/slip of my feet or the rock and I wasn’t surviving that fall.  So I did the wise thing and geared up.

25

This ended up being a fantastic choice! I felt much more stable on my way down than I had climbing up.  Proper gear is the way to go!  Ice axe, crampons, and helmet all the way!  I made it down this gully and back over the notch and felt I was home free.  That to me had been the crux of this climb. From here on out I still had to watch every step, but it was all downhill from here!

26

A storm was indeed moving in, and I was glad I’d gotten such an early start. I met two more hikers on my way down who’d intended to climb the gully but were turning back due to weather.  I also saw two hikers halfway up the gully.  I seriously hope they made it back down safe.

I signed out of the trail register at 10:30am

27

And hiked happily back to my truck. That had been a fantastic climb!  I was so glad I took this route instead of the Lavender Couloir.  I would have been a miserable snot hiking that thing.  The ridge was much more technical, but a lot of fun!

Doesn’t my truck look like she enjoyed herself while I was away?

28

Well, remember those moth balls I’d brought to toss under my truck to ward off the marmots while I was hiking? In my excitement and eagerness to get started I’d left them inside my truck during the heat of the day, so when I went to open it I was blasted by an overwhelming scent that reminded me of my granny.  That smell’s not going away anytime soon.  Note to self:  Next time put the moth balls OUTSIDE!!!

Mt Elbert – 14,433′

1

RT Length:  9.5 Miles

Elevation Gain:  4700’

I still have a handful of class 1 14ers I’ve ‘saved’to hike in May/early June, and after the past couple of 14ers I’ve experienced I figured it was time for a break.  Also, I had a board meeting to attend at 4pm today, so I needed something that wouldn’t take me all day to accomplish/leave me stranded on a mountain.

I woke up at 1am and made it to the trailhead around 4:30am.  There was only one other vehicle in the parking lot, and despite the signs stating “no overnight camping” it appeared someone was sleeping in their vehicle.  High-Five sir.

The road in was a 2WD dirt road.  This was the most ‘challenging’ part, so if your vehicle can make it past this obstacle, you’re good to go.

2

The parking lot is completely clear of snow and (today at least) mostly empty.

3 Parking Lot no overnight

I started at about 4:45am.  The snow cover started after the first junction (about a mile in) and was annoying but manageable without using traction.  OK, in reality, I’m just stubborn.  I should have put on my snowshoes, but I wanted to see how far I could make it without them.  The path was well defined in most areas, but in the dark and with the snow there were a few times I had to backtrack.  Nothing major though.

I was able to make it all the way to treeline without traction, although honestly snowshoes would have been helpful.  Don’t get me wrong, I HAD snowshoes, I just didn’t want to take the time to put them on because they “didn’t seem worth it”.  Every 100 feet or so I’d posthole up to my waist, which was always unexpected and a great workout, but very time consuming to extract myself.  You see, you can’t just get out of a posthole that deep like you get out of a pool by doing a push-up because your hands immediately sink in the snow (duh!).  I had to get creative.  Side note:  this would be a great idea for an exercise machine at the gym:  you’re walking and then all the sudden the machine holds you by your waist and won’t let you go until you figure your way out.  OK, probably not such a great idea.  But it was a good workout.  I digress…

Did I mention it was 5am?  (Yes, I looked at the weather, and it wasn’t supposed to get below freezing all night, but I could hope, right?).  And I should also mention it was obvious those hiking yesterday or earlier this week had it worse than I did.  Either that or they were really tall because their postholes went much deeper than mine.  This picture really doesn’t do them justice, but it’s all I have….

4

I made it to treeline just before sunrise and got my first view of Mt Elbert

5

I was excited with this view, because it meant I could most likely summit without traction (and I did).  As I started hiking above treeline the sun started to rise.  I love sunrises, and spent about 20 minutes just watching….

6

Above treeline the trail was pretty obvious

7

Well, at least for most of the way.  Once I got here I had the option of hiking on snow or trail.  I alternated between both.

My alarm rang. It was now 6:50 am and time for me to call my High Schooler to wake her up for school (I’m her 3rd alarm).  I was a little out of breath, but it looked like I was about half a mile from the summit, so I told her I was “almost there” and wished her well at school today.  I wasn’t.  In reality I was probably over a mile away from the true summit. But it looked so close!!!

The frustrating part were the false summits.  I made it around one turn, thinking I was close to the summit, but I actually had 2 more ‘summits’ and a few cairns to go….

10

I love signs.  Love, Love, Love them.  Here’s a great one…

11

You see, it told me which way to take to go when I was headed back down.  That’s not always an issue, but this peak has several routes, so knowing the correct one to take back down can save you a lot of time if you accidentally get so excited about your summit views you forget which route you took because you weren’t paying attention on your hike up.  It also indicated I was close to the summit.  Here’s the summit view

12

And picture proof I summited (8am)

13 Mt Elbert 14433

I’ve had a lot of people ask me how I get summit photos when I summit solo.  I usually get creative with my DSLR on automatic, my gorillapod and trekking pole, but today there was a post in the perfect spot, so I improvised…

14 how I take pictures

Did I mention the views were AMAZING?!?!?!?  I stopped for a minute just to enjoy (beef jerky was also involved).

15

It was COLD at the summit!  It was supposed to be 46 degrees today, and it might’ve been, but that 45+ mph wind was a killer! I couldn’t feel my fingers (OK, I actually kind of could, but it was more of a pain/throbbing/burning thing than an actual movement thing and I knew it wasn’t a positive thing…).  I took a selfie, checked in at Mt Elbert and wrote the obligatory “I’m the highest person in Colorado right now” post on facebook, and headed down so I could start thawing out my fingers.

The snow was definitely softer on the way down, but manageable without traction.

16

I made it back to treeline at 9am.  This is where the hike got fun.  I knew I was going to put on my snowshoes (I’d anticipated warmer temps + softer snow = put on those snowshoes), but they weren’t ALWAYS necessary, so I alternated for a bit between quickly trekking on lots of snow and slowly slogging through mud.

17 Start and Stop

I was now postholing with every step.  The good news?  Because of my snowshoes I was only postholing up to my knees, instead of up to my waist.  This was an improvement!  Once again, I could see others had it MUCH worse than me (or were VERY tall).

18 Postholing

This intense workout lasted for about half a mile, and then conditions alternated between snow on the trail (and pretty much only on the trail)

20 No Snow perfect

to no snow at all…

20 No Snow perfect

Did I mention I love signs?  This trail has great/amazing/wonderful/actually informative signs.  Check them out

21 signs

I made it back to my truck at 10:45am, making the 9.5 mile hike in about 6 hours, with generous time allotted for sunrises and summit exploring.

On the way out I couldn’t help but stare at Mt Massive…. Maybe next week?

22

Little Bear Peak – 14,037’

1

RT Length: 14 miles

Elevation Gain: 6200’

I’ve been obsessed with Little Bear Peak since I decided to hike all the 14ers. I knew if I wanted to hike them all I’d eventually have to hike this one, so I immediately began researching routes and difficulty levels.  I do my best to attend all the 14er Happy Hours, and pick the brains of anyone who’s done the “harder peaks”.  I read dozens of online reports, and came to the conclusion this was a summit I’d need to attempt in winter like conditions.  The only problem is this year we haven’t actually had much winter like conditions.  I’d like to complete all the 14ers by the end of this summer, and here we are in April and the conditions never really hit winter proportions for Little Bear.  This was frustrating!

I’ve been desperately looking for current trip reports, but none of them have corresponded with recent weather, so my goal this morning was to hike up Lake Como Road and see for myself what the mountain looked like. Then I could assess when I’d be able to hike it (hopefully next week?).

I woke up at midnight with a low grade fever.   This was not acceptable so I took a few Tylenol, and in the end didn’t end up leaving the house until 2am (dishes, laundry, etc. needed to be started or completed before I could head out).  That meant I didn’t make it to the trailhead until 5am, which was later than I’d wanted to start.  I parked my truck a little further up the Lake Como road than I had last time because I knew my truck could make it.  I could have driven (much) further, but I wanted to make this hike count, and I love elevation gain.

It was a beautiful morning to hike! Lake Como Road was pretty much clear of snow and mud.  If you have a vehicle that can normally make it to Lake Como the current conditions wouldn’t have prevented you from making it there.  There was too much snow however past the lake to continue in a vehicle.

2 Lake Como Road

I made it to Lake Como just as the sun was rising. I’d carried my microspikes, crampons, and snowshoes the entire way.  I never ended up needing the microspikes or the snowshoes.  Here are the current conditions of Lake Como.  Snowshoes would have been overkill (I wasn’t postholing, even on my way out).

3 Lake Como

For those of you who’ve never been to Lake Como, here’s what the camping situation looks like:

4 Camping options

If it’s free you can bunk in the small cabin, or snow camp around the lake.

5 Hut

Snow camping isn’t an option for me personally, and I don’t like to chance it on cabins, so I hiked in instead.

This is where I got my first view of Little Bear Peak. The sun was just starting to rise, and the mountain looked magnificent!

6 051

I hiked around the lake, mentally cursed myself for bringing those snowshoes all this way and not needing them, and made my way to the cairn indicating the route to Little Bear. I was surprised to see two men sitting at the cairn, putting on their crampons. We had a quick chat.  Here’s what I learned:

They’d spent the night at the lake. It seems one of them had hiked Little Bear before.  The conditions in the hourglass were perfect today (I’m not sure how they knew this) so if I was even thinking of attempting it, today was the day to do it.

I told them I was going to see how far I could get today, but I probably wouldn’t summit. I’d also try to stay as far out of their way as possible.

What I didn’t tell them was I’ve never used crampons before, and I’ve never snow climbed. In fact, the first time I’d used snowshoes was two weeks ago.  Now, I’m not completely daft.  I have a lot of outdoor skills and I’m in excellent shape.  I do 4000’+ feet of elevation gain daily (and have for 10 years), as well as an hour of yoga and 100 pushups a day.  I boulder/climb at a local climbing gym.  I’ve been mountaineering my whole life, just not in snow/ice conditions.  I have a lot of theoretical knowledge when it comes to winter climbing.  I’ve done tons of research and watched videos/talked with people about what to do in these sorts of scenarios.  I just don’t have the actual practice.

I looked up at the route before me… (no pictures at the time because my hands were frozen, so here’s one from later in the day).

7 Route

I contemplated my options. That gully looked mean.  I hate gullies.  Hate them.  I’d rather do a class 4 any day than a class 2 with a gully (I love to boulder).  This gully looked steep, but this gully had snow.  Would that make it easier? (This picture was also taken later in the day).

8 First Gully

I knew I’d need to do this hike with snow, but I have Raynauds, complicating the matter. I can’t hike when the weather’s too cold because my body over reacts and shuts down, telling itself I have frostbite (basically, that’s a condensed version). The weather today was pretty ideal for this time of year:  36* with 20mph winds.  I took my crampons out of my bag and decided to put them on.  Next I put on my balaclava, helmet, and goggles.  I told myself I could always turn back if I didn’t feel safe, but I’d kick myself if I didn’t at least try.

I did my best to keep distance between the climbers ahead of me and myself, but watched them carefully for the first few minutes. Then I got out my ice ax and began my climb.  Oh my gosh!  Crampons are phenomenal!!!  Yes, this was work, but they were actually sticking into the ice and snow, making me feel secure.  This was much better than climbing up scree!

It was actually easier than I’d anticipated, and I kind of got carried away. What I mean is I just kept going without looking back down the route, and when I finally did my heart leapt into my throat.  Holy Cow!  That looked much steeper going back down than it did when I was going up, and the route ahead of me looked steeper still.  I had a brief moment of panic (sanity?) where I thought about turning back, and then wondered how to even attempt that at this point?  I took a deep breath and figured I’d gone this far and done fine:  I’d worry about how to get down later.  (Side note:  it would have been safer to go back down at this point before the sun/shade changed conditions).

I made it to the top of the gully and was surprised to see the two hikers ahead of me taking a break at the top. In fact, they kind of startled me.  I took a picture of where I came out of the gully to remember it for my return (the exit was at a notch, parallel to a small pond) and sat down to take off my crampons

9 Pond after notch

And looked at the ridge ahead of me.

10 West Ridge Route

This was the west ridge. I was to follow it to the hourglass.  It was actually pretty easy to follow, but had several cairned routes, making a direct route confusing.  I have to say, this part of the hike looked nothing like any of the photos I’d seen of the route before.  Probably because today the route had snow off and on.  I ended up putting my crampons back on about halfway across the ridge, and then I just followed the ridge until I came to the base of the hourglass.  Here’s what the route looked like turning back.

11 West ridge route look back

Woohoo! I’d made it to the hourglass!  Over the traverse I’d played leapfrog with the other hikers a few times.  I hate playing leapfrog with other hikers!  It’s why I like to hike early and alone.  I decided to sit and wait for a bit and let one of the hikers start up the hourglass to try and put some distance between us.  (They weren’t hiking together at this point).

I gave him about 10 minutes and then looked at the route before me.

12 hourglass

This looked sketchy, and it was. There wasn’t really enough snow to make this easy.  The ice and what snow there was made crampons necessary, but cumbersome/slippery on areas where there wasn’t ice or snow.  It was steep, and those ropes did not look safe.  I didn’t use them, but for anyone thinking about using the ropes keep in mind several parts of the rope were secured to the rock by ice formed from melting snow, and that connection wasn’t very thick.  In other words, by pulling on the rope you could dislodge the rope from the ice connecting it to the rock and fall back a foot or two (it would knock you off balance).  Also, weather isn’t your friend and these ropes are left outside 24/7/365.

The hiker ahead of me was using the rope, and unbeknownst to him making my climb all the more difficult. The rope would swing back and forth, getting caught in my crampons as I tried to climb. Added to that he was kicking snow and ice down onto me.  I decided to book it and climb past him.  This ended up being a fabulous idea! I felt very confident at this point of my climbing abilities, and I was able to climb the rest of the way at my own pace.  Oh, and the snow increased, making it that much easier.

A huge downside to the hourglass are the rocks that fall through the gully and down on you when you’re climbing up, and I have to say this isn’t just because of hikers above you. I was the first climber at this point, and the wind was so strong above the hourglass it was pushing rocks down into the gully.  Big rocks.  Wear your helmet, even if you’re the only one on the mountain.

I looked down and saw four climbers below me instead of two. Next I looked up at the rest of the route and decided to exit left.  I love scrambling!  This was going to be fun!  I took off my crampons and had at it.

13

There was no clear path to the summit, and in fact what was South Little Bear actually looked like the summit and was confusing until I checked my topo map. After rounding a couple of outcroppings I found the correct summit of Little Bear and climbed to the top.  Woot!  I’d made it!  I looked back behind me and saw climbers scrambling towards the summit as well.  You can also see a look back at the west ridge route (the snow free part).

14 Cadets

I had one of the hikers take a summit photo of me

15 38 Little Bear Peak 14037

Here’s South Little Bear from Little Bear

16 South Little Bear

We chatted for a bit. It seems they were two cadets stationed at the USAFA.  They seemed like great young men:  very nice and respectful, but obviously kids having fun.  I thought how nice it would be to have one of them date my 19 year old daughter…

I’d debated taking the Little Bear / Blanca traverse, but decided not to because I knew the way down and the conditions were already sketchy enough. It did look enticing though!

17 Little Bear Blanca Traverse

I don’t stay at summits long as a rule because I freeze, and I knew the hardest part of my hike was yet to come, so I was quickly off and on my way back down. I made it to the hourglass just as the last hiker was making it up.  I called down and listened to make sure no one was below me, and then began my descent.

I’m not gonna lie, I slipped a few times. Down climbing is much more difficult than climbing up.  The ice and crampons complicated matters.  I slipped, but I didn’t fall.  Actually, the scariest part of this part of the climb were the people down climbing above me.  Just as I was finishing they started, and I’m sure they didn’t realize it, but they were kicking down quite a few rocks that chipped against larger rocks and started small landslides.  More than once I heard the whooshing of rocks tumbling towards me, ducked, hugged the mountainside and put my hands up to protect my neck from rocks raining down.  Several hit my helmet.

The traverse back to the notch took a lot longer than I’d remembered hiking in. I was really glad I’d taken that picture of the pond to remind me just how far I had to hike.  I made it to the notch and looked down the gully.  This picture does not do it justice!  It.  Was.  Steep.

18 Looking back at first gully

Well, there was nothing for it. I had to make it back down, and to do so I had to start.  I turned and faced the mountainside and slowly began down climbing.  The first 20 feet or so was pretty easy and I was able to figure out what I was doing.  I practiced securing footholds and locking in my ice ax inbetween taking deep breaths.

And then everything changed. The snow became very consolidated and the tracks from this morning disappeared.  I had to kick my crampons into the ice no less than 20-25 times to get each foothold.  I mentally praised myself for investing in 14 point crampons.  It was slow going and very physically exhausting.   I could have used two ice picks instead of one ax.  Despite what you may be thinking of me at this point, I’m overly cautions by nature.  These toeholds were exhausting to form.  I felt as if I was vertical down climbing, and the angle was very steep so I made sure each step was extra secure before starting on the next one.  My footholds were probably 6-8 inches apart, and I had about 600’ to get through.

At this point I made the mistake of looking down behind me. In reality it was unavoidable because I had to make sure I was on a safe route, but the magnitude of what I was doing hit me, and hit me hard.

I’ve done some pretty scary things in my life: I’ve been shark diving without a cage, cliff jumping off 50 foot waterfalls, I’ve been in a car accident that took me off a gorge and into a raging river (I wasn’t driving), and I’ve raised 3 teenagers. This was by far the scariest thing I’ve ever done.

Here are some things that went through my head:

“That’s a very long drop. A very, very long drop”

“I can’t slip, and I can’t fall because I’ll just keep sliding”

“OMG, ok, if I do slip remember to self arrest”

“You’re wearing crampons, if you fall your feet need to be up in the air”

“Why am I not secured to a rope? This seems like something I should be roped in for”

“The mountains are very unforgiving of mistakes:  One wrong move and I’m dead.  I can’t be wrong”

My adrenaline was pumping. I decided the best thing to do was to focus on the task at hand and take it one foothold at a time.  About halfway down the cadets made it to the top of the gully and began their descent.  I tried to yell up at them to wait.  All I could think about was them falling and sliding into me and me with nowhere to go to avoid this from happening.  It wasn’t like I could dodge out of the way or anything.  But they couldn’t hear me and began their descent.  I’m sure they weren’t meaning to, but they were raining snow and ice down on me as they descended.  I tried to move sideways and out of their direct path when possible.

Eventually I climbed out of the shadows and into the sun and the snow became softer and more pliable. This was great, except now I was postholing and it was hard to get a direct grip with my crampons and ice ax.  This is when the cadets caught up to me (they’d been using my footholds so they were much quicker than I’d been).  It was another 200 feet before it became safe to glissade (the slope had been too steep prior).  They slid down (I didn’t because I had on crampons).

Once I made it safely to the bottom I took a good look at what I’d just done. Pictures simply do not do this feat justice:  Down climbing that gully was much more dangerous in my opinion than anything the hourglass had to offer.

19 First Gully at the end

I’d been exposed for quite a long time on that slope. But I’d made it. I made it up and down that gully, and I’d done it on my own.  I felt extremely satisfied with myself, and could now breathe a sigh of relief that the worst it was over.  It was now I felt like I’d truly completed a summit of Little Bear Peak.

I chatted a bit more with the cadets, and then was off to hike the rest of the way back down to my truck. Along the way I came across several hikers who’d attempted Blanca but hadn’t summited due to wind.   I’d had perfect weather on Little Bear, and thought how funny it is two mountains right next to each other can have such different weather, and then of how ‘smart; I was not to have taken the traverse.

I made it back to my truck and started the long drive home. It was 8pm before I realized I hadn’t eaten anything today:  Nothing besides half a cup of coffee this morning and 4 small pretzels from a leftover snack pack at 2am.  I’d brought food with me, but I never get hungry when I hike, so I never eat.  I stopped at a Subway in Pueblo and got a 6 inch sandwich before finishing the drive home.

When I finally made it to bed I couldn’t settle down. My body was singing, but in a good way.

Mt Belford – 14,197, Mt Oxford 14,153

1RT Length: 11 miles

Elevation Gain: 5967’

I’ve been saving this hike as a practice hike for winter conditions, since the route is relatively straightforward and it has a 2WD trailhead. Unfortunately I don’t have much time in the winter to actually hike, so it had to wait until early spring.

I woke up at 3am and drove to the Missouri Gulch trailhead. There were a few easily manageable mud puddles to avoid, but nothing anyone would get stuck driving through.  I made it much faster than I thought, as I was honestly waiting for daylight for this hike.  After seeing a herd of elk on 390 I made it to the trailhead at 5:45am.  There was one other vehicle in the parking lot, and it looked like it hadn’t been there long (no frost on the windows, etc).  This would make my family happy, knowing there was someone else out on the trail today.  They hate that I hike alone.

I usually love hiking well before sunrise, but today for several reasons I decided to sit in my truck for a bit and wait:

  • I’m not a fan of hiking by graves in the dark. Does anyone else think it’s weird the baby’s grave is so far away from all the others? I mean, it’s across the street and up the hill and everything…
  • I really didn’t want to play ‘leapfrog’ with whoever was already hiking on the trail. I figured I’d give them some time to get far enough ahead of me so we wouldn’t need to pass each other/hike together the whole time.
  • I’ve heard reports there’s a mountain lion that frequents the area, and I’d rather not run into one in the dark. (side note: I’m not afraid of mountain lions, in fact I’d love to see one while hiking, I’d just rather it be in the daylight)
  • But seriously, that baby grave in the dark freaks me out.

I debated for a while which hiking boots to wear (my regular ones or my winter ones) and whether or not to bring my snowshoes. There wasn’t a recent conditions report in the past week or so, and the last one said none were needed.  I left the snowshoes in the truck and headed out at 6:15am in my snow boots and winter gear.  It was still dark.

I made it about .25 of a mile when something told me to turn around and go back and get those snowshoes. It’s tough to head back after you’ve already started, but the feeling was strong and I thought how mad I’d be at myself if I made it up the trail 3 or 4 miles and needed to turn back because I didn’t have the proper gear.  So I hiked back to my truck, pulled them out, and was on my way again.

The trail was covered in slush that quickly turned to packed snow. As I looked on the ground I could see clearly defined mountain lion tracks (noted by size and lack of claw marks) on the trail.  Cool!  I also saw trails made in the snow that were obviously from a large animal (the mountain lion?) that detached from the main trail and went off into the hillside.  The tracks were going the opposite direction, but that didn’t stop me from looking all over for signs of animal life/more tracks.  After about 1.5 miles in the tracks disappeared.

2

20 minutes into my hike I passed the couple belonging to the truck. They didn’t look like they had snowshoes and I felt a bit foolish for carrying mine.  The trail was pretty hard packed here, and snowshoes didn’t seem necessary.  I briefly asked them if they’d seen the animal tracks, they had, and I was on my way.  I never saw them again.

I crossed a small stream and decided the snow was thick enough to put on those snowshoes I’d been carrying.

3

The snow got thicker, but luckily others had been here in the past few days because there was a pretty good trench all the way to the cabin.

4 AM Trenches

I made it to the cabin much faster than I’d anticipated. I took this trail on my way to Missouri Mountain last summer, and from what I’d remembered it had been a long slog full of switchbacks. But for some reason today it didn’t seem to take me much time at all.  The cabin was surrounded in snow.

5

From here on out snowshoes were mandatory. There was no trail from the cabin through the willows/gulch area, so I had to make my own trail.  Luckily I kind of knew how the trail went, since I’d hiked this area before.  It was really cool to be breaking my own trail, and doing so successfully!  This was the first real time I’ve broken trail: I hiked Humboldt Friday and broke a little bit of trail, but mostly followed others’ tracks.  In fact, this was only the second time I’ve ever been snowshoeing, and I kind of liked it!  It was so cool to be 5 or more feet above the trail in the snow, traversing over willows instead of around them.   There was no way I could have done this a year ago, and I was proud of my route finding.

When I turned around I saw the alpine glow of the sunrise

6

I stayed by the creek and headed towards the Elkhead Pass/Belford Summit Junction.

7

The sun was really starting to come up, and the view of Missouri Mountain was fantastic!

8

This is where the wind really started to pick up. It was relentless for the rest of the day, hovering around 35mph.  It looked like all that snow in the gulch was directly blown down from the mountains.

9

I looked at the route before me up Belford, and as I was ascending thought not for the first time how grateful I was to have gone back for those snowshoes.

10 Belford AM

The hike up Belford took forever. It just kept going and going and going up, up, and up.  And that wind!  Without the sunlight that wind was chilling.  I just kept moving, pretending it was the Manitou Incline, and trudged up that mountain wearing those snowshoes, breaking trail.

11

There were several false summits to Belford, which were a bit annoying but anticipated.

12 False Summits

Finally (and I mean finally, as I was exhausted) the real summit of Mt Belford came into view and I thought to myself: 4500’ in snowshoes for 4 miles was exhausting!

13

I was frozen, but set up my gorillapod and camera and took a summit photo.

14 Belford

15

and just because it was there (they usually aren’t) a photo of the summit marker

16

I took a look around. The view was magnificent!!!

17

I didn’t take out my instructions/map, but remembered the route to Mt. Oxford would be clearly visible from this location. It was just 1.5 miles away. I followed the clearly defined path with my eyes and my jaw dropped.

18

No way! There was no way I was doing that today in these conditions!  That’s when I took a closer look, realized I was looking at Mt. Harvard (which I’ve already hiked), breathed a sigh of relief and looked east.  There I saw the second summit I was after today:  Mt. Oxford.

19

It looked doable in today’s conditions. That is until I made it to the ridge.  The ridge down from Belford to Oxford was covered in snow.  There weren’t any tracks to follow (either no one had taken this trail in the past few days or that relentless wind had covered the tracks with snow).  As with any hiking/climbing challenge, I don’t make a decision to hike/climb until I’m right up next to the obstacle.  I often find it’s easier than it looks when you’re up close.  I decided to just take this ridge one obstacle at a time, and if I felt uncomfortable gave myself permission to turn back.  This was supposed to be an easy winter 14er, so I should be able to do this, even in these conditions.

I looked for the areas with the least exposure and least snow, and began my descent. It was really cool making tracks!  I carefully made each foothold by drawing a line with my trekking pole and stamping it down with my boot, making sure I had a firm stance before traversing.

20 Making Tracks

It was more than I’d anticipated running into today, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Microspikes/snowshoes weren’t needed.

I made it down to the saddle and looked back up at Belford, and then up at Oxford. Wow.

21 Back at Bel up at Ox

The saddle was dry and came with absolutely amazing views! I stowed my snowshoes and was off.

22 Saddle Views

To the north there was a small cornice that provided interesting views as well.

23

I looked ahead of me at the route up Oxford. Piece of cake.  And it was.

24

The summit was actually closer than I’d anticipated (the first outcropping, not the second). I took a summit photo.

25 Oxford

And another one of the summit marker (because it had one too!)

26

I turned around to see what I’d accomplished thus far today. What a view of Belford!

27

I started back, ready to tackle that ridge again head on, and this time uphill. I gathered my snowshoes and kept an eye on the weather, since it was supposed to snow after 3pm (it was currently around noon).  While all morning it had been windy and clear the clouds were now starting to form.  I hiked back up the ridge using the footsteps I’d made on my way down.  It took a while but I was successful!

At the summit of Belford the second time I stopped for a bit to really take in and enjoy the view. Since now the hardest part of the hike was behind me, I felt I could afford to rest for a bit.  I sat down at the summit marker and took a deep breath.

After a grueling and extremely windy 6000 feet in elevation gain in 6 miles (in snowshoes) I sat at the summit of Mt Belford, my 3rd 14er Peak today (out and back, so 2nd time here today). Suddenly the wind stopped and all was still. This is what I saw.

28 IMG_5026

Immediately tears came to my eyes. It was like God knew I was the only person in the world with this view and he wanted to show off just for me. I was absolutely mesmerized by the intense beauty before me. It’s the closest thing to a religious experience I’ve ever had.  All the hard work of the day and the frozen extremities that came with it was worth it!  I sat there for 5 minutes before he picked up the wind again and reminded me to get my butt off that mountain: a storms coming in.

29

Of course I took another photo, trying and failing to capture the beauty around me.

30

I walked over the summit and took a look at the rest of the route down to the gulch. It looked like the sun had melted some of that earlier snow.

31

I was making good time, so I decided to have a little fun and use my remoteness from any other human being to practice some winter skills without embarrassment. Much of the earlier snow was gone, so I was able to safely practice glissading and running down the snow without worrying about sliding too far or out of control.  I did this for most of the hike back down, laughing as I went.

32

Back down at the gulch, this was my view back down towards the cabin and back up at the route I’d come. As you can see, clouds were just beginning to form for that storm anticipated for tonight.

33 Missouri Gulch Front and Back

I put my snowshoes back on, crossed a frozen river of ice, and waiting for me on the other side was a ptarmigan. I knew he was a male because he had a red stripe over his eye.  He just stood there, looking at me, and then slowly turned towards Missouri Mountain and looked over his shoulder, as if he was beckoning me to follow.

34 Ptarmigan

I took several pictures, thanked him for being so cooperative, and followed my snowshoe tracks back through the gulch and down the mountain. It looked like several people had actually hiked up to the gulch today, as around the cabin there were several new ski and snowshoe marks, but no people to be seen.  The trench was also a bit more compact than it had been earlier.

35

The hike back down seemed longer than the hike up, and I kept my snowshoes on for most of it. Somewhere along the way I lost my beanie which was unfortunate (I’ll make another one).  As I was nearing the end of my route I kept looking for signs of a mountain lion (nope) or any other form of wildlife (again, nope).  As I approached the area with the grave in the daylight I realized I was ‘told’ to get those snowshoes exactly as I passed the grave… Hmmm.

I crossed clear creek and my days hike was over.

36 Clear Creek

On my drive home I thought about the details of today’s hike, and how this is something I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish a year ago. I was glad I’d saved these ‘easy’ 14ers for winter-like conditions, as it allowed me to apply the knowledge I’ve learned thus far (snowshoeing, traversing ridges covered in snow), while giving me time to practice more intense skills in a safe environment (glissading, self arrest, running down a snow field).

Here are some summit videos. The views were amazing!

Video of Mt. Oxford –

Mt Humboldt – 14,064′ – Second Summit

1-17

Humboldt Peak – 14,064

9 miles RT (East Ridge)

5000’ Elevation Gain

I’ve been itching to do a 14er, but my schedule and the weather hasn’t been cooperating. My hiking days are typically Friday, and for some reason the weather in the high country’s great all week, but when Friday rolls around the temperatures drop, the winds picks up, and it starts to snow.

The weather didn’t look too great today, but I’d been following the weather surrounding Humboldt all week.  Humboldt is the only 14er (out of 35) I haven’t hiked solo, and to make this whole thing official I figured I’d try it from the winter (East Ridge) route since I took the West Ridge last time. The weather wasn’t great, but I had noticed in the past few days the predicted snow levels had gone down consistently (from 4-7 inches to 2-6 and finally down to 1-3) so that was a plus.  Unfortunately the wind levels were picking up (those rose to 55mph).  The temperatures hovered around the low 30s, which was great except that meant post-holing.

I didn’t need to summit today.  I’ve already summited this peak, so I figured I’d go into this as a learning experience.  Kind of a way to test my skills and see how far I could go without needing to commit to summiting.  I don’t have a ton of winter 14er experience and I wanted to see what a hike would be like in these conditions.  I could always turn back when I felt I’d had enough or if I didn’t feel safe.

First of all, that drive to the trailhead:  Insane!  I have a Tundra, and that thing can handle a lot.  I’ve done the South Colony Lakes 4WD trail in early June, and it was nothing compared to this!  I put my truck in 4WD and tackled it head on.  I wouldn’t recommend it an any time of year if you don’t have a high clearance 4WD, but particularly not now when the trail was covered in ice and mud and slush, and in the dark it was difficult to tell which was which.  I’m pretty confident driving off road, but I’ve never done the whole off-roading in this much  ice/mud/slush before, so I didn’t want to push it too far.  I probably drove further than I should have, and parked about ¼ of a mile before the Rainbow Trail Trailhead.  There were no tire marks after this point (note: I took most of these pictures on the way back because it was snowing too hard or too dark to take pictures in the morning).

2

I started at 6:45am.  The trail at this point was pretty dry.  I crossed South Colony Creek and turned right.

3

There were tons of downed trees on this trail!

4 Downed Trees

After hiking about a quarter mile I saw a cairn to the left.  It’s small, and you really have to be looking for it.  With more snow it’s most likely covered.

5 IMG_8600

This was my indication to start hiking northwest through the trees.  This is what that looked like.

6 IMG_8601

Obviously I wasn’t hiking this trail in “winter enough” like conditions.  I hiked up towards the ridge, and then followed the ridge southwest.

I was fighting putting on my snowshoes, but I was postholing.  Each step put my boot at least a foot under the snow, and finally I said enough is enough!  I’d paid for those snowshoes and hiked them in this far, I might as well put them on!  So I did.  Woot!  This was great!  I was still postholing, but only about 6 inches or so instead of a foot or more.

7

The snow on the ground got thicker and so did the snow falling.  I made sure to step extra hard into the snow so it’d be easy to find my tracks on the way back down.  I wasn’t necessarily breaking trail, but there wasn’t a clear trail to follow either.  The last tracks were old and most of them had been covered by snow or melted.  The snow was falling as predicted, but it wasn’t intense.  It was actually kind of nice because it wasn’t freezing out.  The snow cooled my face.

8

As I hit about 11,500’ the wind started picking up.  I headed west until I made it to treeline.  At this point the snow had been thick, but abruptly stopped here, so I took off those snowshoes and put on my balaclava and goggles.

9

From treeline there was no direct route to the top: you’re supposed to make your own trail.  My directions said from here the rest of the route would be visible:  Just look for the peak and head towards it.  Um… not possible.  This was my view:

10

The wind was really insane here and there was no visibility.  Wind was blowing at a constant 35-40mph with many wind gusts (I’m guessing 55mph+, as predicted).  I could feel the wind gusts approaching.  After the second one knocked me down I decided to anticipate them and lie flat whenever I felt one approaching.

The only good part about those wind gusts was it cleared the visibility to about 50 feet in front of me for 2 or 3 seconds after it passed, so I’d hunker down, and then look up towards where I wanted to hike to see what was ahead of me.  I never was able to see the top of any mountain.  I took this selfie because I noticed everything about me was frozen and I thought that was pretty cool because I wasn’t that cold!

11

I couldn’t see where I was supposed to go, or even more than about 10 feet in front of me, so at this point I had a choice to make.  Turn around and head back, wait out the weather (it was supposed to clear around noon and it was about 9:30am) or pull out my map and compass and practice those orienteering skills I teach to others for situations like this. You can guess which one I chose.  (Note:  I should have turned back).

I headed northwest up the ridge, being careful not to get too close to the edge of the ridge and trying to stay away from large areas of snow (I used those as landmarks).  I kept trudging on, following the ridge.  I’m 95% sure I made it to the summit, because when I pulled out my phone and looked at the GPX file it said I was there.  You’d never guess though by the picture…

12

I went to get some pictures with my cell phone, and before I could do so noticed I was at 41% battery.  Time to head down.  Wait, 37%… 35%… 31%… all lost within about 10 seconds.  Argh!  No!!!  This was insane!  I turned off my phone and booked it down that ridge!  I have a lot of great survival skills, but knowing my phone was going this fast made me start to worry.  It’s like a safety blanket I didn’t want to lose. Yes, I know, I know, (I know!!!) but when it hits you as reality in these types of conditions your priorities change:  you really do want that phone to work!  (I’d left my portable charger in the truck because this was only a 9 mile hike:  never again!).

That ridge lasted forever.  Did I really hike all this way up?  It felt like it would never end, and without visually being able to see how much route I had left I kept checking my compass to make sure I was headed in the right direction and my altimeter to see how much further I should have to go.

13

I made it back down to where I’d exited treeline and looked for the snowshoe tracks I’d so carefully made.  They weren’t there.  Drat.  The wind had completely filled in those 6 inch post-holes with fresh snow! This is what I saw…

14

I quickly put on my snowshoes and started jogging as fast as I could carefully jog down.  I wanted to get off that mountain.  At this point the visibility was great… there just weren’t any tracks to follow.  I headed towards the ridge, and when I made it I breathed a sigh of relief!  Now all I had to do was follow the ridge until it ended and head southeast.

15

At this point my anxiety dropped because I could see where I was and I knew where I was headed.  But I was also exhausted!  I was wearing winter hiking boots, trudging through the snow in snowshoes that were postholing, and that wind took a lot out of me.  I haven’t been this tired at the end of a hike in a very long time.  And it wasn’t even that long of a hike!  I’d guess it was less than 9 miles total, but in those conditions, it was insane!

I noticed a small dam at the bridge…

16

I learned so much from todays hike. I really tested my abilities, and I’m proud I was able to use the skills I have to stay safe in a not so safe situation.  Also, I don’t think I’ll be purposely doing that again.  Anyway, I’m back at it!

Oh, and the weather cleared up as I headed back down.

1-17

Mt Rosa – 11,499′

1 Mt Rosa

RT Length:  12 miles

Elevation Gain:  4000’

I woke up late this morning.  My first alarm didn’t go off (the one set for 5 am so I could do yoga before my hike) but my second one did (the one set at 6:50am to wake up the kids).  I jumped out of bed, scrambled to get ready, and was out the door in about 10 minutes, sans yoga for the morning.

I made it to the North Cheyenne Canyon Trailhead just before 8am.  I met Dave there, and we started hiking around 8am, following Gold Camp Road until it intersected with the 624 St Mary’s Falls Trail.  The trail was clear of mud and snow, and followed an ice filled creek filled with small trout (4-5 inches long).

There were several metal signs along the way which indicated the correct direction to hike, but as with most metal signs, the mileage was way off.

2 Signs

We went right at the cutoff for St Mary’s Falls and continued up the 624 and over a frozen creek.  It looked slippery, but wasn’t dangerous enough to use spikes.

2-2

The trail winds up a ways, and eventually comes to a place where it looks like it ends, but it doesn’t.  Just pass through the gateway and continue a few yards to come to service road 381.  Take the road right (North) for another few yards and you’ll see cairns to the left that indicate the 672 or Nelsons Trail (Left/West).

3 Trail Directions

Unfortunately, the 672 trail marker is difficult to find, and not on the road.  It’s about 3 yards up from the road on the trail, hidden under a tree.  The cairns make this an easy trail to find however.

4 IMG_8567

At this point the trail became steeper, so Dave and I separated for a bit.  As I was hiking I saw this cool heart shaped rock right in the middle of the trail.

5

And I could see the fire burning on Ft. Carson

6 Fire 2

This part of the hike just flew by!  It was steep, but not too steep.

7 IMG_8568

I love to hike inclines fast, and made it pretty quickly up to the top to enjoy the view of Almagre and Pikes Peak.  And to sit for a while and have lunch.

8 IMG_8574

The view was amazing, but it was incredibly windy!!!

From my lunch spot I could see the rest of our hike.  That’s Mt. Rosa…

9 View of Mt Rosa

After about 20 minutes or so I was beginning to get really cold from sitting in one spot.  My sweat had turned to ice and I was losing feeling in my fingers, so I got up and hiked a bit more to the 672/673 junction.  The sign for the 673 had blown down, but still indicated which way to go.

10 673

I stood behind some trees, using them as a wind break, and waited for my hiking buddy.  When he arrived we continued on the 673.  We passed a very windy saddle, and then had 500 feet of elevation left to go before reaching the summit of Mt. Rosa. From almost the beginning of this part of the trail it was entirely covered in snow.  It wasn’t enough snow/ice to put on microspikes, and we weren’t postholing too often, so our hiking boots did the trick.  There was a pretty good trench indicating the way up.

11 Snow On Trail

The wind increased and I got colder and colder, but instead of my hiking too far ahead we stayed closer together for this last part of the hike.

Summit photo of Dave and I!

12 IMG_4953

The views from the summit were amazing!  We could see Almagre, Pikes Peak, Ft. Carson, the Penrose-Rosemont Reservoir, and a bunch of Mountain Ranges:  The Wet Mountains, Spanish Peaks, Sangre de Cristos and Sawatch.

 

We didn’t stay long at the summit because that wind was INTENSE and cold!  When we finally made it back to the Nelsons Trail area I began to thaw out a little.  I could talk again and my fingers were burning, which meant the blood was rushing back into them.  Dave was unfairly quite warm and tried to help warm up my hands.  When we reached the frozen creek it had thawed out a little, giving us some traction as we crossed.

About halfway down towards St. Mary’s Falls I could take off my beanie and gloves, and the final part of the hike was pleasantly warm.  It had just been cold near/above treeline because of the wind.

We made it back around 2:30pm, making the 12 mile, 4000’ in elevation gain trek in 6.5 hours.

Here’s our out and back route:

15

 

My First Winter 14er – Pikes Peak 14,115, Devils Playground 13,070, Little Pikes Peak 13,363

1 - 13

I know this trip report won’t sound like a big deal to most serious 14er hikers, but I have Raynaud’s, which means my body completely shuts down in the cold.  My fingers and toes turn white, they lose function, and I can’t walk, talk or use my hands or feet.  No, foot/hand warmers don’t work.  Neither does layering.  The fact I was able to complete a winter 14er, even an easy one in an easy year, was a huge accomplishment for me.  Here’s the trip report:

Devil’s Playground – 13,070

Little Pikes Peak 13,363

Pikes Peak 14,115

Elevation Gain 4300’

RT 14 miles, 7.5 hours

Starting from Crags Campground

Brought microspikes but didn’t use them (I probably should have though).  They will be useful in the next few days.

I’ve been trying to do this hike for months, but the weather forecast is always terrible in the winter at the top of Pikes Peak (today said 55mph wind gusts and -10* wind chill).  However, last weekend I used a new jacket my mom got me, and while I was hiking I was actually hot and had to take it off, so I figured even though the weather was terrible it was a great chance to see what this jacket could do!

Also, I’d just picked up a pair of men’s work gloves (fleece) at Walmart for $6 that indicated they worked even in the worst of weather.  I was seriously skeptical but willing to try anything:  my fingers are always the first to lose function, and I can never get them warmed up again until I go back down in altitude (kind of like altitude sickness for my extremities).

My goal was to hike to Devil’s Playground, and possibly hike up Little Pikes Peak.  I was thinking I’d check a couple of 13ers off my list (I know they aren’t ranked, etc.)  I had no intention of hiking Pikes Peak today.  I’ve hiked it 12 times (from Barr Trail) and had no need to do it again.  I just wanted to see what this jacket and pair of gloves could do.

I used the Crags Trailhead.  The gates were open but the 3 mile dirt road was covered in a layer of packed down snow.

2

I arrived at 6:45am and was the only one in the parking lot.  The bathrooms were locked (presumably for winter) so I got my gear together and started at 7am. It was 21*.

3

The trail was very well marked (I love that!).  It was also easy to follow, even with the snow.  It looked like someone had tried to cross country ski in the area.  I’m pretty sure it didn’t end well.

4

I took trail #664A for what seemed like forever before making it to treeline.  I mean forever!  The entire trail was covered in about 3-6 inches of packed snow (more in the drifts) and while I could hear the wind the trees blocked it from reaching me.  It was slow going because the snow was a bit slippery and I had to watch each foot placement in the rocky areas.  I had microspikes but didn’t use them because I didn’t think they’d make me any faster/more secure.

5

Here’s a photo of the trail as soon as you get above treeline: It’s straight up a mild, well maintained, snow covered drainage/gulley.  This is where the temperature dropped and the wind picked up.  It didn’t stop until I reached this point again on my way back down.

6

I continued hiking around some large rock formations and then areas of heavy snow.

7

The snow was beautiful, and had a sound.  I’d say it sounded like glitter, but since that’s not possible I’ll instead say it sounded like very small chards of glass bouncing off the floor.  But to me it had the sound of glitter.

8

I wasn’t cold yet, but I wasn’t at a high elevation either.  I was at 11,500 feet.  Eventually I got to the Pikes Peak Highway.  I crossed the road and this is where the wind really picked up.  I could see it blowing from the west, up and over the ridge.

9

It was phenomenal to watch!  I could see the wind as it ascended the basin, and follow it as it blew up and over the ridge.  I knew when to brace myself for impact, which was important because it knocked me over a few times.

A scarf was necessary. The only place I was cold was where my skin was exposed (woot!  High five for the jacket and gloves!).  I had to tuck my scarf into my jacket because the wind kept causing it to unravel.  Wind was probably 25mph here.

10

Devil’s Playground was dry of snow except for when the wind blew… It was about 15* here (without wind).

11

The trail following the Pikes Peak Highway was easy to follow because of the snow drifts.  I either avoided them or sank into them and trudged on.  I was miserable due to the wind, but I was doing this!!!  Still not cold!

12

The highway was completely devoid of snow, and curiously there was someone with a plow going up and down the road.  They stopped twice to watch me, presumably because I was CRAZY to be out hiking in this WIND.  I figured they weren’t taking any chances with icy roads either in all this wind.  This also told me they were opening up the summit house today.  Woot!

The pictures just don’t do this wind justice.  It was intense and insane (and mostly invisible).

Here’s where the wind became intense for the first time.  Gusts were about 55mph and sustained.  I’d stand there for 30 seconds waiting for the ice intensity to pass.  The wind made it cold, but not so cold I needed to stop.

1 - 13

Here’s a view of Pikes Peak (center) and Little Pikes Peak (right).  Little Pikes Peak was the reason I was taking this hike.  There’s no path to the summit, so I’d have to just find a route and follow it.  Here’s where I made my first mistake.

14

I was coming from the North, and could only see one side of the mountain.  I picked a route that looked hikeable and followed it.  I stopped to breathe for a bit and take in my surroundings and realized I’d almost hiked to a place I couldn’t hike down from!  The snow was heavy, and I’d have to say if there’s any avalanche danger (yes, I know it’s small) it’d be here.  This snow was loose and I was in a precarious position, jumping from rock to rock:   If I missed one I’d be sliding for quite a ways!  I quickly hiked back the way I’d come and decided to scout out a better route up.

15

I found a much drier route to the south and made it to the summit of Little Pikes Peak after falling through and hitting just a few small boulders hidden in the snow (no big deal, I kind of expected this to happen).  Here’s a summit selfie of me trying to smile (my lips were frozen).  Moral of this story… summit Little Pikes Peak from the South!  That side had snow, but no where near as much as the north side (I know, common sense…)

16

I sat on the summit and looked at Pikes Peak.  It was much closer than I’d assumed.  It couldn’t be much more than a mile or a mile and a half away.  I was intrigued.  For some reason I really wanted to summit from this route.  I’ve summited 35 peaks solo, but Pikes was my first summit and I did it with a group and on another route.  I kind of wanted to be able to say I’d summited this peak solo as well.  And I’d never done a winter 14er (several winter 13ers, but no 14er in winter).  The only problem was I could tell the toughest weather was ahead of me.  I knew the temperature would drop as I ascended, and that wind blowing snow looked insane!  I was already cold (but not as cold as I’d anticipated).  I hate regrets, so I decided to go for it:  I could always turn back if it got too difficult, right?

17

I stashed my trekking pole and began the final push to the summit.  I was right, this was the most difficult part of the hike:  The temperature dropped and the wind picked up.  Here’s what it looks like just as the wind and snow hits you at -10* and 55mph…

18

Unfortunately, the wind didn’t come in gusts:  it just kept coming.  I’d brace myself, look for a cairn, note its position, put my head down and trudge towards it with the wind blasting me from the front.  It was miserable and slow going but I had a plan.  And while I should have been a popsicle in this weather I wasn’t!  This was doable!

19

The cairns were extremely helpful since the route was covered in snow.  I knew others must have hiked this trail in the past few days, but as I looked back at my tracks they were quickly covered by snow blown by wind just seconds after I’d passed.  This meant I had to watch every step forward because I was kind of ‘breaking trail’ and didn’t know the best route.  The rocks were slippery and again there were times I’d misjudge and my shin would get bruised from falling through snow and hitting rock.  I thought about but didn’t use my microspikes yet again.

20

The wind didn’t stop, but as I gained the final pitch the ice and snow was taken out of the mix.  This was a nice surprise!  I summited at 11am.  I still couldn’t feel my lips but was able to force an awkward smile for a summit selfie!

21

The summit was disappointingly dry for winter, but I’m pretty sure that’s normal for a summit (due to wind).  Almost no one was there (3 cars in the parking lot?) so I walked across the parking lot and into the summit house.  I briefly thought to myself it was cheating to go inside and get warm, but my water had frozen on the hike and I wanted a drink from the water fountain.  The pipes had frozen in the summit house as well so I bought a Gatorade and immediately started feeling overheated.  This was not good.  It was way too hot in there and I was getting a headache.  I had to get back down that mountain.  I remarked to the cashier how I was shocked they were open today. Her reply told me she’s obviously had other plans besides work today and was surprised as well.

I met a group of three guys from Texas who’d driven to the top.  They were impressed to hear I’d hiked up in this weather, and confused when I told them I was heading back down: “That’s the only way to get back to my truck”…

I bundled back up and headed outside.  My path back down looked amazing.

22

The wind was constant during the hike back down, but the jacket and gloves had done their job:  I still had full function of my fingers!  Success!

The hike back down seemed much longer than the hike up.  I kept thinking to myself it was crazy I’d hiked all this way straight up!  I like elevation gain and tend to forget how much uphill I do on the way up until I’m on the way back down…

I marveled at the south side of Pikes Peak, and totally understand why they want to make this area into a ski area:  It would totally work (if we forget about destroying tundra and wildlife).

23

Just before making it back to the trailhead I noticed prints that looked like bear tracks.  They were obviously not fresh, but I was pretty sure that’s what I was seeing and they’d been created within the past few weeks or so.  Hmmm… it seems someone woke up early and hopefully went back to bed.  This doesn’t surprise me, due to our unseasonably warm winter and the fact I was hiking near a campground.

24

The last 3 miles of the hike I was roasting.  I wanted to take off my jacket but was too stubborn to stop, so instead I took off my hat, gloves, and scarf while I was hiking and just carried the items.  I was curiously pleased I was so warm in 30* weather I was taking off accessories.  I made it back down at 2:30pm, making this a 7.5 hour hike.  Slow for me, but I blame the wind…

All in all today’s adventure was a total success!  The weather was brutal but having the right gear made all the difference.  I wasn’t nearly as miserable as I’d anticipated I’d be.  I learned a lot about my abilities, did a reality check on things I already knew but ‘forgot’, and can now say I’ve hiked a winter 14er!  Woot!

Pikes Peak Summit Sticker can be bought here

Cameron Cone – 10,707′

1

RT Length – 9 miles, Elevation Gain – 4235’

Note:  This hike is difficult.  The elevation gain is intense and the trail difficult to follow.

I’ve wanted to take this hike for years, but it starts at the Barr Trail parking lot, which has been having fee issues (as in $40 per day parking fee issues).  There’s the incline lot that charges $5 for a maximum of 4 hours directly adjacent to the Barr lot, but I wasn’t 100% sure I could do the hike in 4 hours and the signs warning you’ll get towed if you stay there longer than 4 hours are daunting.

Today the forecast for the high country (anything over 12,000’) was 10-20 degree weather with wind gusts of 20-25mph (read feels like -5 degrees), so while it was beautiful outside, I wasn’t hiking any 13er or 14ers.  It was a shame because it was such a beautiful day!

The weather in Colorado Springs was forecasted for high 50s-low 60s: it was just too good to pass up, so I did the math, and figured I could probably hike the 9 miles in 4 hours.

I made it to the trailhead at 6:51am and was hiking at 7am.

To get to the trailhead, you park at the incline lot, and then backtrack back to Ruxton Avenue and hike west through a street lined with houses, go left around the locked gate, and continue on the road until it comes to a dead end at a stream crossing.  Cross the stream (on two separate bridges) and continue up the hill to the cog railway tracks.

2 trailhead

You aren’t supposed to hike along the tracks, but luckily after about 10 yards or less you’ll come upon utility pole 044954.  Just before you reach the pole the trail starts to your left.  It continues up the hillside, paralleling the tracks for a bit before turning southwest up the hill.

3

I came upon a really big boulder outcropping that looked like a camping spot.  The boulders were positioned in such a way that if you descended the tunnel about 15 feet you were in a type of boulder-cave.    It was surprisingly clean, and I may come back later to visit again.

4

The trail continued up, up, and up, with just a little bit of snow until I reached Magog Rock.  This rock is gigantic!  Pictures just don’t do it justice.

5

There was some easy class 3 scrambling that required all 4 limbs, but once I reached the top the views were great!

6

I followed the trail west and over a ridge.  This ridge looked like an excellent place to camp in the summer!

7

After the ridge I reached Gog rock and passed it by hugging the rock to the left  (Yes, the rocks were named after the Magog and Gog in Ezekiel and Revelations… check out your Bible for details).

8

This is where the snow on the trail started picking up.  It was over a foot deep in some places, and I could tell not many people hike this route, as I was breaking trail and it hasn’t snowed since last week. This was about the halfway point of the hike.

9

I passed a clearing that looked like another great place to camp, but also like it was an area that sees a lot of quads and motorcycles.  It had a lot of open space, and a sign indicating I was crossing over into National Forest Land.  Here I came upon a road and followed it for about half a mile.  Unfortunately, the service road dropped in elevation (which meant I was going to have to make that up).  I kept wondering if I was on the right path because it was taking me away from Cameron Cone, but I knew I was in the right area when I saw the Cameron Cone trail sign.

10

This is where the hike got difficult.  There was quite a bit of snow on the trail, and the trail itself weaved in and out of the trees.  If you’re not comfortable with a topo map and compass don’t continue any further:  The trail kept taking me south, which I thought couldn’t be right (but it was) as it was taking me away from the summit.  It turns out you need to summit from the South.  The last mile or so of this hike is completely uphill with intense elevation gain:  the mountain doesn’t relent, and by this point you’re already tired from the 3000+ feet in elevation gain you’ve already done.  It was slow going with no clearly defined path and no clear view of the summit (since it’s treed).

11

I summitted at 9:31am:  It had taken me 2.5 hours to hike 4235’ in elevation gain in 5 miles.    Not bad, considering it was all uphill.  I spent about 20 minutes on the treed summit taking pictures and enjoying the view.

12

I found the place where the summit marker should have been, and was upset to find someone had removed it.  Summit markers are few and far between these days…

13

Now for the hike back down.  The steep elevation meant I was slipping and sliding on all that snow on my downward trek.  At times it felt as if I were skiing.  Microspikes were not necessary, but snowshoes would have been useful.  When I made it back to the Cameron Cone cutoff I had to take off my hiking boots and shake out all the snow and scree.

I made it back down to the Gog rock area and decided to do a bit of Yoga to stretch.  I knew I should try to make it back down to the parking lot as quickly as possible, but I really wanted to enjoy this beautiful day (and see if they really would tow my truck if I wasn’t there on time… I had a feeling 30 minutes wouldn’t matter when there were less than 20 cars in a lot that would hold 200+).

14

The rest of the hike was pleasant and uneventful.  I crossed the cog tracks and the stream (beautifully frozen in February)

15

I made it back to my truck at 11:30am, which meant the 9 mile hike took me 4.5 hours to complete.  And my truck was still there!  Woot!

Here’s the route I took:

16