Tents attempting to be kites and Hikers wishing to have sleds: 14er Hiking Trip in Colorado

Last weekend we packed up our tent, hiking gear, food, and anti-bear attack supplies to get in a final mountain hiking excursion before snow takes over the peaks.  In Colorado there is an obsession that some catch to climb all of the 14,000 feet peaks in the state and if you did one a week for a year you'd still not be finished.  We aren't quite enamored as some with the idea of Class 3 and above climbs so instead we decided to knock out some Class 2 climbs and live to run and race this weekend.

We drove to Alma, Colorado on Friday as the sun was setting and pitched our tent on a campground near Kite Lake at an exposed 12,000 feet.  The wind and cold quickly ramped up with no where to hide.  After a quick meal of rehydrated lasagna and teriyaki rice compliments of our JetBoil we retreated to the tent for warmth at the late hour of 8 pm with the goal of starting our trek at sunrise.  

The best thing about camping up in the mountains in Colorado is the view at night.  The Milky Way was out in full force and the stars were beyond beautiful as they filled the sky.  If you have a nice camera where you can adjust shutter speed and capture the night glow of the stars and galaxy on the mountains it would be time well spent.

After struggling to sleep (holding down the tent) in 30+ mph winds all night we woke up cold and reluctant to leave the little warmth we had in our sleeping bags.  So, after quickly lighting fire to our coffee (Pumpkin Spice Latte Via will go up in flames if some of the powder floats into your JetBoil flame) we began our hike with the goal to summit four-14 thousand foot peaks in one nice bundled 7 mile hike.  

First, with our hearts struggling to help our legs warm up we went the traditional route and summitted Mt. Democrat.  Here we are below...

The 2.5 miles to the top of Democrat took more of a toll than expected, most likely from the lack of sleep, shivering, and having already spent the last 12 hours at 12,000 feet or above.  Looking across we saw the long high altitude trek to the next two peaks of Mt. Cameron and Mt. Lincoln.  As we hiked the saddle between the mountains the exposure increased and the trail led us into snow and scree.  It became much slower and more brutal than expected as we transversed packed snow/ice occasionally with skids or using all fours.

On of the easier parts in the snow heading to Mts. Cameron and Lincoln

Eventually, after a few more hours had passed, we achieved our summits of Mt. Cameron and Mt. Lincoln and turned our attention to hiking towards Mt. Bross which was ... closed ?? ... but the enforcement of closure was to be done out of respect to the land owners who have not given 100% blessing for the Forest Service to allow access to the summit.  Many people were resting and enjoying the summit of Mt. Bross, and as a 14,000 ft high peak, many wanted to bag it while they were there to count towards their tally.  The bypass trail and summit trail of Mt. Bross take you down a scree field at a nice 40 degree angle where skidding and using your hands is necessary.  It appeared that there was another trail across the valley, I would recommend seeing if you can find a way over there to make your descent back to your car less of a frustrating and slow experience.

All told we hiked 4.5 hours and spent 6.25 tiring hours getting it done - here is our strava data: https://www.strava.com/activities/410426542 

A nice size camelbak and some lunch/snacks should get it done for ya.  If you finish up early enough stop at our favorite little local diner in Fairplay/South Park - the Brown Burro - to refuel as well.  Happy hiking!

Hiking Scree up Mt. Democrat was much preferred to sliding down it on Mt. Bross