Archive for the ‘Snowshoe Hiking’ Category

Mountaineering – Mount Silverheels (13,822 ft) via Northwest Ridge

Sunday, June 1st, 2014

Silver Heels on Mount Silverheels
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!

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Snowshoe Hiking – Mount Saint Vrain (12,162 ft)

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014

CMC Snowshoe Hike of Mount Saint Vrain
Rick, Clare, Mike, and Roger at the Trail Head
Photos courtesy: Rick Casey

On Saturday, I co-led a Colorado Mountain snowshoe/ski trip. Our destination was Mount Saint Vrain, a popular backcountry snowshoe/ski area in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. On a clear day a view from the top includes a multitude of beautiful peaks, such as Mt. Audubon, to the south, and Longs Peak, to the north.

Since it was the middle of winter, we merely wished for good weather. If we saw the summit, then it would just be a big bonus!

Our wish was not granted. Light snow showered us as we walked through the forested path. A hearty gust of wind intermittently caught us off guard. As we approached tree line, we took out the map to make sure we were headed in the right direction. (more…)

Snowshoe Hike – Bike Path in Frisco, CO

Sunday, January 5th, 2014

Clare on the Frisco Bike Path

The Snow is Deep Off the Bike Path

After dropping Dennis off at Copper Mountain, Erin and I went on a nice hike down the Frisco Bike Path. We carry our snowshoes, but never end up needing them as the bike path features packed snow. The temperature was 6 dF when we exit the car, but with wind chill, it is much colder.

We hiked for about 5 miles with very little (if any) elevation gain. The bike path is easy to follow and we pass a lot of people walking their dogs. A nice mellow day, to bring in the new year!

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Snowshoe Hike – Fletcher via Drift Peak, Attempt

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Sunrising on Fletcher
I met Doug at 5pm and we drove to the Mammoth Ride Share Lot to pick up Bill. Bill works part time on Ski Patrol, so he’s a good guy to have on a winter adventure. Our objective was to climb the centennial Fletcher Mountain (13,951) via Drift Peak. Bill was on AT skis and Doug and I were snowshoeing it.

Mayflower Creek Trail

Unfortunately, we greatly underestimated the traffic on the slopes. We figured there would be a trail packed down all the way to the ridge, from the Mayflower Creek trail head. When we got to the trailhead, there was evidence the trail would be as we suspected, so we decided to leave the snowshoes in the car. It was nice hiking with lighter packs!

Thanks to Doug for supplying pictures, I forgot my camera…so all these are from Doug!

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Snowshoe Hike – Lost Lake, CO

Sunday, January 13th, 2013

CMC Trailblazers on Lost Lake
CMC Trailblazers on Lost Lake! Totally Fun Group!

I joined the CMC Trailblazers for a nice half day hike up to Lost Lake, near the Hessie Trail Head. I rode with Josh and Erin in the most awesome little Jeep named Ruby. Ruby handles the snowy mountain roads with no problem what-so-ever!

The snowshoe up to Lost Lake was fairly mellow and not all that memorable. What was, however, was visiting the Very Nice Brewery in Nederland, CO, afterwards. They are as the name implies and we had a blast hanging out post hike.

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