Roadside camping near beaver pond.
On Saturday, we drove out to the Sawatch mountains. We looked for easy camping near the Sheep Gulch Trail head and found it about 100 yards before the turn off.
On the left hand side is a pullout which is right next to a large beaver pond. The beavers were active, so all night they were slapping the water. This, combined with a full moon, and a steady stream of traffic on the road all night, made for not so ideal sleeping conditions!
Horseshoe Mountain, a Mosquito Range Centennial
Beautiful Alpine Lake
The Boudoir Couloir!
Snow Climbing is Fun!
Doug and I enjoying the summit of Horseshoe Mountain
The Roaches give Horseshoe Mountain’s Boudoir Couloir route a *Classic* rating. This fact, combined with the ease of access to the trailhead, straightforward approach (no stream crossings!), small amount of elevation gain (~2,350 ft!), and mellow angled climbing put this climb at the top of my list. We were looking for a half day’s worth of effort and this climb was perfect!
Also, thanks to Bill Middlebrook, of 14ers.com, for posting a condition report of Horseshoe while out on White Ridge. That report was super helpful!
The Schedule:
Departure from Denver: 4am
Departure from TH: 6:30am
Past the Lake: 7:20am
Start Climbing Boudoir Couloir: 8:10am
Finish Boudoir Couloir: 9:20am
Summit of Horseshoe Mountain: 9:30am
Start Glissade of Boudoir: 10am
Back at the TH:~12pm
Clutching our Silver Heels on the Summit of Mount Silverheels
According to summit post, “Mount Silverheels was named after a dance hall girl who during an epidemic of smallpox, was the only woman who stayed in town and took care of the ailing miners. Because of this altruistic act, you could say that Silverheels is literally and figuratively a very beautiful mountain.”
I previously attempted Mount Silverheels on March 30th, but turned around due to winds in excess of 100 mph. In those treacherous conditions, I thought of Mount Silverheels as a malicious and vindictive mountain. It was not at all “a very beautiful mountain”!
However, it was my birthday and I was determined to greet the mountain, and the upcoming year, with a renewed optimism. So, I enlisted the help of my friend Jenny, who is seriously one of the most altruistic persons I have known. With patience and open minds, we attacked the mountain!
Group Shot on the Summit of Quandary Peak.
Fred approaching the summit of Quandary.
Doug leading the way up Cristo Couloir. Here we are almost at the top.
Bill and Fred topping out on the Cristo Couloir. North Star ridge is behind them.
Left Winter Trailhead: 6:30am
End of Road, base of Couloir: 7:45am
Begin Climbing Couloir: 8:00am
Summit of Quandary: 10:50am
Begin Descent: 11:15am
Back to Road, base of Couloir: 12:30pm
Back to Trail Head: 1:30pm
We ascended and descended via the Cristo Couloir. The guys skied down while I glissaded. What a great day!
Bross, Cameron, and Lincoln from Scott Gulch.
Erin fighting to stay vertical en route to Mt. Silverheels.
Cal Topo Map of Slope Steepness, for avalanche preparedness.
Erin and I failed miserably at ascending Mt. Silverheels. We properly mitigated all the objective hazards, but nothing could account for the onslaught of perpetually high wind. It was blowing much stronger than what I experienced with Slava on Longs Peak and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was gusting between 90-100 mph.
I fell over 3 times and I dared not drop my pack for fear that I would land in Oz. The forecast was for high winds gusting between 30 and 40 mph. Next time I try this mountain, I’m only going to go if the forecast is between 0-10 mph gusts…that way if they are off by 50 mph, then I might actually be able to summit!