Mountaineering – Little Bear (Attempt 2)

September 27th, 2014

Mark in the Avenue of Aspens

On Saturday, I met up with Mark and we drove to Lake Como Road. Our destination was Little Bear; a much feared or admired (depending upon your perspective) 14er in the south end of the Sangre De Cristos. In a prior trip, I did not climb it because of bad weather, so I was hoping to get a good window this time.

Lake Como - Cold, Wet, and Windy

Unfortunately, on the way up to Lake Como, the skies opened up on Mark and I. We took shelter in the boughs of an evergreen and used a tarp to stay mostly dry. We waited for nearly an hour as hail, lightning, and thunder boomed. Finally, it let up long enough for us to make it to the lake.

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Mountaineering – Little Matterhorn, Rocky Mountain National Park – A CMC Trip

September 21st, 2014

CMC Climbers on Little Matterhorn
Left to Right: David, Jane, Phil, Rick (thumbs up!), Clare, Monika, and Tony (A new friend!)

Summit Cheers on Little Matterhorn

On Sunday, as part of the Rocky Mountain National Park Centennial Celebration, I led a Colorado Mountain Club Trip to climb Little Matterhorn. We were six intrepid hikers looking for a good scramble. Since Little Matterhorn is featured in Dave Cooper’s Colorado Scrambles book; I was excited for the challenge!

This year, the CMC is attempting to climb the 100 highest peaks within RMNP, over the course of RMNP’s 100th Anniversary. Thus, CMC trip leaders were encouraged to pick a peak (or several!). Along with Little Matterhorn, I picked Mt. Meeker and McHenrys Peak.

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Mountaineering – Crystal Peak (13,852 ft) and Bonus 13ers

September 13th, 2014

Zach Clutching the Spine of Father Dyer
Zach Clutching the Spine of Father Dyer

Smiles on Crystal Peak Summit
Zach, Beth, and Clare on Crystal Peak

Crystal Peak and Peak 10
Crystal Peak and Peak 10, taken from Father Dyer

Father Dyer, Crystal, and Peak 10 Topo Map with Waypoints
Our loop hike of Crystal Peak Cirque

In the Colorado Scrambles book, Mr. Cooper touts the climb of Father Dyer as, “a good introduction to the “art” of scrambling, offering some exposed but not sustained climbing and even a bit of loose rock to initiate the budding scrambler.”.

The climb of Father Dyer’s East Ridge sounded like a super fun way to climb Crystal Peak; a Centennial 13er just waiting to be ticked off our lists. Beth’s brother, Zach, is quickly building his scrambling repertoire, so this was a great route for honing his skills. By throwing in Peak 10 (13,633 ft), the #178 ranked Bicentennial as a bonus, we expanded the size of our loop hike and had a real feeling of accomplishment by completing the cirque. Read the rest of this entry »

Mountaineering – California Peak (13,849 ft) and Bonus 13ers!

September 7th, 2014

California Peak Topo Map Waypoints
Our loop hike on California Peak!

Clare Smiling in the Sangres
Clare on the summit of Bicentennial Pt 13,660

Frank on Summit of California Peak
Frank on the summit of California Peak

After having to cancel my CMC trip for Mt. Meeker, due to heinous weather, I was left with a blank slate weekend.

What should I do? So many mountains to climb…how do I decide?

At the height of my mountain frenzy, I get an email from Frank and he suggests California Peak. Neither of us have done it, he’s been to the area and is willing to drive, we can car camp and don’t have to get up early, it’s…Perfect!

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Mountaineering – Huron Peak (14,003 ft)

August 31st, 2014

Huron Peak Victory Shot

On Saturday, Crystal, Jen, Duke the dog, and I piled into the Subaru. Our destination was Huron Peak. Our plan was to car camp at the trail head on Saturday night. Starting at oh-dark-thirty would give us the best chance to make the summit.

Huron Peak Summit Panorama South
According to Mr. Dziezynski, “Huron is a classic climb on a picture-perfect mountain! This 14er may be the most beautiful hike in the Sawatch Range, with excellent views from the summit pyramid.”

Crystal at 13,000 ft on Huron Peak

It is for this exact reason, I selected Huron Peak as our destination. If successful, it would be Crystal’s first 14er, so I wanted her to be rewarded with excellent views. Also, Jen and her doggy Duke were there with us, so I wanted to pick a mountain with a clean, easy to navigate trail.

Starting in the dark, I wondered if the weather would comply…I dearly hoped so!

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