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| Boreas Mountain |
For my Environmental Science class I needed to do a mini-lab
at home with some soil samples, I figured what better way than include school
and a little fun in the mountains. I got
in touch with Brian and he was up for a short climb so we were set for a trip
up Boreas Mountain elevation 13,082ft.
We met at the Meyer Ranch lot off of HWY 285 at 7am and made
our way towards Como, CO. Boreas Pass is
where the TH is for this climb and it can be reached from a variety of
directions. The common approach is from
Breckenridge to the north, but we chose to come from the south via HWY
285. As you are driving west on 285
towards Fairplay from Denver there will be a small town of Como. County road 33 is the road that heads north
into Como and is also called Boreas Pass Road.
Turn north from 285 and drive through the tiny town and enjoy the
festive color of homes along the way. On
the north side of town the road turns to dirt rather quickly and from there it
is about 12 miles to the pass. There was
a lot of traffic coming down the road, but the road was in great shape so just
about any vehicle could make the journey up to the pass. There is only one turn along the dirt road,
just follow the signs and you shouldn’t get off track. As we got higher up the road the aspens were
starting to turn and the colors were nice, I didn’t stop along the drive so we
didn’t get any pictures. It would be a
nice drive for those that are just looking to get out and see the fall colors.
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| Boreas Pass |
There is no trail heading to this summit, so be prepared for
a class 2 cross country voyage. From the
pass we started hiking past the cabins heading to the east towards the main
north ridge of Boreas. There were a few
levels that you rise up through the stump filled hill side, then a bit of bushwhack
through some willows before reaching the base of the west side of the mountain. We made a pretty direct line heading east and
climbed right up the steep side of the mountain. There are rock fields that and steep grass
slopes leading to the ridge, just do your best to avoid the willows. Once getting up on top of the ridge the hike
is easy going, so the steep west face was the hardest part.
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| Quandary Peak |
We took a short break after reaching the ridge for a snack
and the views were amazing. This area is
becoming one of my favorite areas in Colorado, the views are endless and you
are surrounded by mountains. The
remaining hike is short to the summit, there are a few rolling rocky slopes to
get up but nothing too difficult. There
was a well beaten path most of the way through the rocks, so I assume this is a
frequently climbed mountain. We chose to
stick to the ridge where we still had good views during the ascent, but there
is a well-worn path following what looks like a moraine leading to the summit
as well. In no time we had made it to
the summit. There is a good size wind
block built up and a registry left by the Colorado Mountain Club.
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| Mount Guyot |
I dug up my soil sample and recorded all the required data,
then we decided to head down after a short break. The views are always amazing and they always
get you inspired to climb new mountains.
The view of Mount Guyot was very impressive, so I look forward to my
trip up that mountain in the future. For
the hike down we dropped into the moraine and followed a trail of sorts leading
back to the main ridge. After a drop of
about 300ft in elevation I took another soil sample in what looked like an old
mining pit, but it could have been made naturally for all I know.
We decided to follow the ridge to the north to avoid the
steep decline of the west face and I must say it was a nice route. We crossed a few boulder fields, but it was
not near as steep as the wall we climbed up on the ascent. As we made our way down to the pass we could
see 5 or 6 vehicles there, so the tourist activity was picking up even for a
Wednesday. I took my last soil sample at
the pass and then we were done for the day.
It was a good hike and a short one, which we all like every now and
then.
For those of you interested in the science field trip part
of the day, I was taking soil samples to test pH levels at home. After doing a few tests at home I determined
that the pH levels of the soil goes from more acidic at higher elevations to
more basic at lower elevations. So there
is you fun science fact for the day.
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| GPS Track |
Date: 9/18/2013
Starting Elevation: 11,485ft
Boreas Mountain: 13,082ft
Total Gained Elevation: 1,700ft
Class: 2
Distance: 3.64 miles
Time: 2:35 moving, 0:45 stopped.
Climbing Partner: Brian
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