Goliath Peak

Heading up Goliath

Originally Cole, Paul and I wanted to attempt a climb of Quandary Peak today.  With the snow conditions it didn’t seem like a good idea, so at the last minute we made plans to climb Goliath Peak.  Goliath is a mountain easily accessed in the summer months along Mount Evans Road.  Since the road is shut down for the winter, I thought it would make for a nice winter snowshoe. 

To access the TH drive I70W to Idaho Springs, find a way to HWY103.  The bridge is out so the detour makes you continue up I70 for a number of miles before turning around heading back down I70E to exit 240.  Once on Hwy 103 follow it for 13miles to the parking area just above Echo Lake.  There is a large road closure sign and that is where this trip began.  The forecast was calling for mostly sunny temps around 5°F with winds of 25mph+ creating wind chills of -26°F.

As we started gearing up at the TH I didn’t think the temp was all that bad.  The reason for this was there was no wind at all.  This was a nice teaser that would soon change for us.  The trail appeared to have about 4-5inches of fresh snow, and there were tracks from the previous day.  I started just wearing micro spikes then about 100yds up the trail put on my snowshoes.  I figured why carry them when I could just wear them.  The temps were cold as expected, soon I was growing icicles on my face, and my nose had frozen all together.

Beautiful Day

By the time we hit the first mile marker the sun was starting to peak through the trees.  We rounded the corner and had the long mile and half switchback ahead of us.  We decided to stay on the road as the trees were very thick and seemed to have a considerable amount of deadfall.  That would have made for a frustrating hike, but the road was very pleasant.  There was hardly any noticeable grade, so it felt like we were just out for a walk in the snow.  Cole and Paul were blazing ahead and I soon gave up even trying to keep up with them.  I was trying not to sweat, because that perspiration would just freeze making me colder.

At the end of the long switchback we were nearing tree-line and the sun was out in full force.  We sat there for a moment, shedding a few wet/frozen layers from sweat and taking a small fuel break.  At this point we had our first view of Goliath, and we could see the wind whipping off the summit ridge.  The sky was clear so we snapped a few pictures then headed down the road.  Nobody had been up this far lately, or the snow had just filled in the tracks so we had a small sense of solitude which was nice.

Summit Shot

We passed some sort of visitor center and stayed on the road as it made its way around a few short turns.  The wind was getting crazy so we all put our shells and goggles on before making the final turn.  Once we saw where the wind swept ridge connected near the road we headed cross country to meet up with it.  We planned to stash our snowshoes along the base of the ridge and boot it up the final 300 feet to the summit.

The wind was un-relenting; I would guess sustained 40mph+ and gusts of 60mph that created white-out conditions.  After caching our snowshoes we made quick work to get on the summit.  The winds calmed enough for us to take some pictures then we headed down to our gear cache.  It was a tricky, slippery descent to the gear but nothing as bad as James Peak about a week ago.  We made our way to the visitor center building to try and find some shelter from the wind to have a beer and some food.

Mount Evans Group

We had our slush-beers and found no real shelter.  We knew it was time to bug out, so we got on the move as fast as we could.  I had my hands exposed for about a minute and I damn near froze my fingers off.  I spent the next thirty minutes or so trying to get the blood flowing again.  Nothing hurts as bad as getting the blood flowing again…makes you want to scream.  We were all in the same boat, so I’m guessing the weather forecast was pretty accurate today.  The best idea was to keep moving so that’s what we did.  Never stopping for more than a few seconds, we were on a march out to the parking lot.

On the way out we passed a few people along the road.  The trail was in pretty good by now, so I could see that this is a heavily used area.  It was about 2pm when we made it back to the car.  The lot had about 6 or 7 other vehicles and the Echo Lake lot was full of 20+ vehicles.  For being so popular we had a nice day of solitude above tree line.  It was a cold wintery hike but we all learned a lot about keeping warm when the weather gets frigid.  It’s fun to hike in the winter, but proceed with caution and be prepared.

GPS Track

Date: 12/27/2014

Starting Elevation:  10,680ft 

Goliath Peak: 12,218ft

Total Gained Elevation: 1,540ft

Distance: 7.42 miles

Moving Time: 4:20

Stopped Time: 1:30

Partners: Cole and Paul

Picture Link: Goliath Peak Photo Album

Lichen Peak

Kristi and Nick on Lichen Peak

Over the last few years I have been taking Kristi on a short Christmas hike, so it is now becoming a tradition.  This year we didn’t really have anything planned, as we sat around in the living room on Christmas morning we didn’t seem to be making much progress on any either.  Around noon we decided on a hike and started getting ready to roll out of the house.  We decided to hike up Lichen Peak which is part of North Table Mountain to the NE of Golden.

Nick at the Summit

From our location in the south Denver metro area we drove C470 north into Golden which turns into HWY93.  Follow this past Golden and a mile or so down the road there is a large sign indicating the parking lot for the North Table Mountain Park.  As we arrived the snow was trying to start, but nothing really accumulating yet.  The area was supposed to get 1-3inches in the afternoon, so we wanted to get to the plateau of the mountain before a total white-out ensued.

From the parking lot the trail we took was more of a road.  It started as an asphalt road that was covered here and there with snow in ice.  After a few hundred yards it transitioned into a packed dirt/gravel road that was mostly covered by snow/ice.  We didn’t need any traction, but by now with all the snow that has fallen that probably isn’t a bad idea.  The first half mile or so is at a pretty good grade, it covers a little less than 500ft vertical placing you at the top of the mesa bowl.  There is a quarry to the east which is used for rock climbing, for our hike we went to the NW and found the Lichen Peak Trail.  From this trail split it is less than a quarter of mile to the small summit. 

The White-Out Approaches

The Lichen Peak Trail was pretty cool, where there was a lot of difference in rock type all of which reminded me of Craters of the Moon back home in Idaho.  Kristi seemed to be enjoying herself.  I got the camera out just before starting up the Lichen Peak Trail, so Kristi became our trip photographer.  The trail was pretty mellow, after a short incline I was on top of the small summit of Lichen Peak.  Kristi was taking pictures like crazy, so I went ahead and opened my summit beer.  A few minutes later Kristi made it to the top and we took our summit selfie.

The clouds were taking over by this point and it was becoming a full-fledged white-out.  Kristi was up for hiking to another hill to make the outing last a little longer so we headed over to the southern point which I believed in unnamed. The view from this point was none other than Coors Brewery.  After a short spell hanging out in the clouds we decided it was cold enough and we could head back to the car.  It was a fun day hiking with Kristi, and hopefully I can twist her wrist and convince her to do another hike or two with me before school starts back up.  I hope everyone had a great Christmas.

GPS Track

Date: 12/25/2014

Starting Elevation:  6,013ft 

Lichen Peak: 6,567ft

South Summit: 6,500ft

Total Gained Elevation: 600ft

Distance: 2.9 miles

Partners: Kristi

Picture Link: Lichen Peak Photo Album

Dawson Butte Open Space Park

Dawson Butte

Kristi and I wanted to get out on a short hike since the weather was so nice, so we decided to head down to Dawson Butte Open Space.  I sent a invite to Cole and Jenny and they were soon ready to go on short notice.

Nick and the Butte

Dawson Butte is an Open Space Park in Douglas County.  The Douglas County Webpage can be found here: DBOS. There are several ways of getting to the park; here is the way we took - drive south of Castle Rock on I25 take exit 174 which is Tomah Road.  Take the hairpin turn from the exit onto Frontage Rd, about a mile and a half north is Tomah Road that turns to the west crossing the rail road tracks.  Follow Tomah Rd for a few miles till you see the Dawson Butte Park sign on the right hand side of the road.  There is a large lot to park in.

The main trail is a 5 mile loop that can be taken in either direction.  There is minimal loss/gain of elevation only mounting to around 200ft or so, which makes this a nice hike at any time of the year.  The trail seemed to be used by more horses and mountain bikes than hikers, so keep your eyes out for oncoming traffic and road apples.

The Rewards

Most of the trail is single-track with a few sections that follow older roads.  The only downfalls of this hike were there was no summit..haha, and a lot of the hike follows alongside a road so there isn’t the feeling of getting away into the outdoors.  But, for a nice stroll this was a good hike.  If I were into trail running or mountain biking I would use this frequently, but for hiking I think there are more challenging and scenic trails towards the foothills of the Front Range.

GPS Track

We all had a great time, and were happy that the trail wasn’t crowded like some in the JeffCo area.  And I always love the rewards of a good hike with grabbing a pint at the local brewery with some good friends.  Cheers Everyone!

Date: 12/20/2014

TH Elevation:  6,820 feet

Total Gained Elevation: 225 feet

Class: 1

Distance:  4.56 miles

Time:  1:47 moving, 40 stopped

Hiking Partners: Kristi, Cole and Jenny

Picture Link:Dawson Butte Pictures

James Peak

James Peak

Fall term finished up last week so it was time to get up into the mountains.  Cole and I were able to plan a mid-week climb of James Peak.  This is a mountain that I have wanted to climb for well over a year now, so I just said what the hell; let’s do it.  I picked Cole up around 6am and we made our way to the St. Mary’s Glacier TH.

There are many ways to approach a climb of James Peak.  In the winter time the easiest route I would think is the St. Mary’s Glacier route in which we took.  There are also options from Berthoud Pass, which would be wild crazy roller coaster ride, but some adventurous souls do meet that challenge.  Not I though, I have been in the wood shed so to say with school, so I had no problem taking the “milk run,” which turned out no cup of tea.



Tanglewoods Near St. Mary's Lake

The forecast didn’t look very pleasant.  I usually use NOAA since it seems the most accurate, but today I don’t know that any weather forecast was too accurate.  NOAA forecasted cloudy skies and to expect temps around -11°F with winds 15-20mph and gusts of up to 30mph, along with afternoon snow of up to 2 inches possible.  We found the weather much more pleasant than that for the most part.  The sky was clear and sunny for the first few hours of the climb then the clouds started moving in from the south west.  A breeze here and there but I wouldn’t say they were above 10 mph.  We both though the temps were around the 25°F area as neither of us had to use down jackets to warm up during the trip.  I guess my point is, never fully trust the forecast.  It is always safe to bring more than you need because you can always keep extra layers in your bag, but if you don’t bring enough for unforeseen conditions…well you may be just up shit creek.  I feel the two of us are pretty seasoned and we brought plenty of gear for whatever Mother Nature felt she wanted to throw at us.  They did forecast the snow correct…and it was a bit of a pain in the ass come the end of the day.



Cole and Me Ready to Roll

Directions: For starting at St. Mary’s Glacier TH.  From Denver head towards the mountains on I70W.  Not far past Idaho Springs take exit 238 which is Fall River Road.  Follow this road for about 10miles.  You will pass what appeared to be an old ski area where there is a big lot, continue up the road.  Look to the left and a large sign indicating Glacier TH will be visible.  Another 50 yards down the road is a small lot that requires a deposit of $5.  This is where the fun begins.

From the TH follow the trail or road as it looked up towards the first small lake which is St. Mary’s Lake.  From the car I would say this is only about a quarter of a mile or just a bit more.  Once at the lake St. Mary’s Glacier comes into view to the North West.  We followed the trail around the lake till we found a good area to cross over to the glacier.  There was a decent amount of snow at the base, but once on the glacier we could feel the crunch of the ice with our micro spikes on.  Most people like to practice their ice axe skills and glacier safety once on the glacier, Cole decided to practice once by just falling to the ice and sticking in his axe.  I sat there and laughed and said I think you will survive.  Follow the glacier to its terminus maybe a quarter mile and as it splits into a few fingers we took the left exit, but they both end up at pretty much the same place.



St. Mary's Glacier

Now that the glacier is behind us there is quite a tundra hike ahead.  We decided not to follow the trail..like we would be able to find it anyway, and just headed cross country on our way to a large rock out-crop in the middle of the flat tundra.  We took a little breather here and I thought about stashing my snow shoes as I didn’t think they would be necessary.  But, I convinced myself that I didn’t want to cache anything today since I didn’t know if we would descend the same route as our ascent.  We sat there and pondered at what route to take, I wanted to stay to the ridge to hopefully avoid any large snowfields.  When you are ‘hefty’ like me the snow needs to be rock hard for snowshoes to be worth a dam.  As we headed over Cole was taking the route more as the trail would follow, and I was on a line heading to the ridge direct.  It seemed like an eternity walking across the tundra, some areas were covered with snow drifts that I would post hole to my knee in and some snow was ice hard.  By the time I reached the base of the ridge Cole was way to the south of me and I had lost visual of him.  I decided to put on my snow shoes and my wind parka since I would be on the ridge.  I started up and the snow was pretty firm and I was able to stay on top.  I was cruising up the slope about as fast as a ‘hefty’ guy can at 12k feet.  I thought I heard some yelling but didn’t think much of it.  I figured Cole was staying to the south on a line away from the ridge, so I didn’t expect him right above me.  He must have run up the mountain, because he covered a decent amount of ground in a short period.  Once I popped up over some rocks he saw me and waited for me to catch up.

I estimated we had about 800 vertical feet yet to cover to get to the summit from where we re-grouped.  At this point I was pretty exhausted, but I wasn’t worried too much about the weather so I just took my time heading up.  We stuck together for the remaining roller coaster of a ridge.  There was a lot of huffing and puffing to be had for the next hour.  I could really feel my lack of mountain activity over the last four months catching up with me.  No amount of work in a gym can really get you in mountain climbing shape, you just have to get out there and suffer and somehow convince yourself you are having fun and make yourself do it again.



Summit At Last

This last section was pretty painful…for the both of us.  I would have kicked Cole’s ass if he didn’t admit he was hurting like I was.  At one point I told Cole there was no recovery at this elevation.  It felt like a jackhammer in my chest that never wanted to turn off. We just pushed on after every breather and kept making ground up the mountain.  The snow started to come down intermittently over the last few hundred feet as the white out tried to surround us.  With conditions like these it is really important to have experience, fellow climbing partners and knowledge of existing landmarks..and a compass or GPS. 

The last 50 vertical feet I thought was the hardest at that point.  It took quite a bit of time and energy to get up that last incline, but once we did we were finally on top of James Peak.  Both of us were pretty drained from the climb, but now we were finally able to recover.  There were no sights to see today, just mountains of clouds all around us.  The sun did peak through once or twice…I’m assuming that was the Mountain Gods congratulating us on our ascent.

We didn’t hang around too long on the summit since I wanted to at least get down to the flat tundra before the real snow started coming down.  Earlier I said I thought the last incline was the toughest part of the climb…well now I am calling my personal crux the entire descent to St. Mary’s Lake.  There wasn’t enough snow or slope for a glissade and whenever we crossed any snow it was post hole hell.  It took a long time for us to get off the ridge and back to the rock outcropping in the middle of the flat tundra.  I have no idea how our legs got us through all of that, but I can now see the days of doing squats and leg presses at the gym paying off.  By this time the snow was really falling and the light was pretty dark which kissed our depth perception good-bye.  As we started walking down the glacier we looked more like a couple drunken guys walking away from a St. Patty’s day party than anything.  Once we could finally see the lake I got a little burst of energy. 



How to Open a Brew with an Ice Axe

When we were on the summit I didn’t feel it was a good Idea for us to have our summit beers in our condition.  We were both loopy enough as it was, so we ended up deciding on having them by the lake.  Now that our goal was in sight, we just had to drop down the glacier and find a spot to enjoy some ice cold brews.  It was a great moment, the snow was coming down, the view was great and the ice axe bottle opener came through for us when we needed it most.  We knew it wasn’t far to the parking lot so we took this time to relax. 

This was a brutally challenging day for the both of us, but we never let it get to us..too much.  Though it is not technically winter, we have both agreed we are counting it as a winter climb.  An added bonus to the day was the solitude we had with a mid-week climb; we didn’t cross another person all day on the mountain.  It was almost 5pm by the time we were back to the truck, so that means we were out there for almost 10 hours.  This would be an easy climb in the summer, but this was a great challenge that the both of us can use to build on and say…well at least this is better than that trip up James Peak.  Hahaha, it’s always good even if it sometimes sounds bad, and I’ll always go back.  Happy Holidays everyone!

GPS Track

Date: 12/17/2014

TH Elevation:  10,387 feet

James peak: 13,294 feet

Total Gained Elevation: 2,910 feet

Class: 2

Distance:  7.43 miles

Time:  5:37 moving, 3:54 stopped

Climbing Partner: Cole

Picture Link: James Peak Photos