Posts Tagged ‘14er’

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Mountaineering – San Juan Peak Bagging Extravaganza, Drive Out

Wednesday, August 14th, 2013

The San Juan mountains of Colorado have some of the most rugged, remote, and beautiful peaks. Erin and I wanted to try our hand at bagging several summits in one long weekend. Our three day schedule was jam packed:
Day 1: Handies Peak (With optional Bi-Centennial Pt. 13,795)
Day 2: American, Jones, and Niagara (As many as we could get of these!)
Day 3: Redcloud and Sunshine (With optional Centennials Pt. 13,832 and Pt. 13,811)

Thus, on a Wednesday, I drove to Erin’s and we filled Bertha with mountaineering gear, coolers, beer, and camp chairs. We were both giddy with excitement; to get the heck out of Denver and into the mountains.

Road to American Basin
Bertha on Cinnamon Pass Road

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Mountaineering – Mt. Bierstadt, Northeast Face Via Abyss Lake

Saturday, July 20th, 2013

Mt. Bierstadt USGS Summit Marker

Climbergirl on Summit of Mt. Bierstadt (14,060 ft)

Every weekend, there are hundreds of people summitting Mt. Bierstadt via the standard West Slopes, from Guanella Pass. I was purposely putting off climbing Mt. Bierstadt because of my dislike for encountering hoards of people in the wilderness. Back in 2008, I had climbed Mt. Evans via the 2nd Apron and that was super fun…until I got to the summit and encountered the masses.

Flexing Our Muscles Below the Sawtooth

In talking with Erin about this, she suggested we overnight at Abyss Lake and climb Mt. Bierstadt from the Northeast side. We talked about doing the Sawtooth over to Evans, while we were there, as it looked like a bunch of fun.

Doing Mt. Bierstadt via Abyss Lake, turns the experience into an overnight backpack, which adds a bit of adventure and a great deal of mileage. It was 23.4 miles round trip with about 4,600 ft of elevation gain.

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Hiking – Mount Antero (14,275 ft) and Cronin Peak (13,870 ft)

Friday, July 12th, 2013

Erin Taking a Picture of Mount Antero

Erin and I had a fabulous plan for the upcoming weekend adventure. First, drive to the Sawatch Mountains and climb a 14’er. Second, attend the 17th Annual Colorado Brewer’s Rendezvous in Salida.

We wondered, how could we have a more perfect weekend?

We selected Mt. Antero as the target, with Cronin Peak, a Centennial 13’er as a bonus. These peaks are relatively close to Salida, we had not climbed them yet, and we *thought* we had a good chance of driving to the higher trailhead (Erin’s friend had recently driven up to the 4wd lot in her Subaru).

Unfortunately, my Subaru overheated on the way to Erin’s house. So, I left it somewhere in Lakewood, for Dennis to sort out later (thanks, hun!). Driving in her RWD truck, would we reach the 4wd lot? Would we be hiking up Baldwin Gulch in the dark and tacking on an extra 5 or 6 miles, round trip? (more…)

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Mountaineering – Southwest Ridge of Mt.Sneffels

Sunday, July 7th, 2013

Jeff and Clare Stand Victorious on Mount Sneffels
Victorious on Mt. Sneffels (14,157 ft)

Jeff Scrambling Up the Southwest Ridge of Sneffels
Jeff Scrambling up to the Summit of Mt. Sneffels

Cirque Mountain, Teakettle Mountain, and Potosi Peak
The Amazing View! Cirque Mountain, Teakettle Mountain, and Potosi Peak.

Jeff and I climbed the uber classic southwest ridge of Mt. Sneffels.

Jeff had mentioned, on my Pigeon/Turret trip last summer, how he was interested in climbing the ridge route on Sneffels. In the meantime, I had heard nothing but good things about it from other folks in the Colorado Mountain Club.

So, finally, after thinking and dreaming about the route for year, I got to climb it! The southwest ridge did not disappoint; it truly is a classic ridge scramble and, as such, is featured as one of the premier routes in the CO Scrambles book.

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Day Hike, Pike’s Peak (14,114 ft)

Saturday, October 20th, 2012

Clare Resting on Pike's Peak Summit
Climbergirl on Summit of Pike’s Peak

Almost to Devil's Playground
Tom and Linda on their millionth-gazillionth summit of Pike’s.

The Scene:
Tom and Linda are looking for a little adventure, so they call me. “We’re thinking to hike up Pike’s Peak this weekend, do you want to join us?”.

The Setting:
Of course, I had nothing else going on; having just returned from Portugal. The calendar was wide open.

The Response:
“Sign me up!” I exclaimed, before even asking about the weather!…Lucky for me, Tom already had the forecast printed. It was supposed to be windy with gusts up to 20 and a possibility of late evening precipitation. The trail was mostly clear, but we might want to bring gators for a few areas of snow deposits.

After being blown off Pike’s Peak a few years ago, I decided this potential forecast sounded as good as any other day on Pikes!
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