Mount Bierstadt

Sunrise September 12, 2026

I’ve been wanting to get out on a sunrise summit, and Mount Bierstadt seemed like a great option. This is one of the easier 14ers close to home that I thought would make for a great sunrise opportunity. Back in 2012, I did a winter season climb of Mount Bierstadt, so I have familiarity with the area which was important to me for a solo sunrise hike. The trailhead for this hike is Guanella Pass, which you can use Google Maps to get directions to. This is a fully paved road, so access is easy, but parking is strictly enforced.

Given this is a Colorado 14er, there is a lot of information available to prepare for the hike. 14ers.com is, in my opinion, the best resource available if you are looking for any information on Colorado 14ers.

For this write-up, I have modified my format a bit since there is so much information available for Mount Bierstadt. I wanted to speak to my approach to sunrise summits. I’ve done sunrise summits during different seasons from winter to summer. One thing is constant, both are cold. This approach I am presenting can be applied to all seasons. But something to keep in mind, is that gear selection in highly dependent on season and conditions.

Approach to Sunrise Summits

Plan Your Route >> Do the proper research to know your intended route.

        >> Trailhead
        >> Route Length
        >> Elevation Gained
        >> Class of the Route

As mentioned before, the 14ers.com website is excellent for information gathering for Mount Bierstadt or other 14ers, as well as many 13ers. I also use GAIA GPS, and Google Earth to plan my route where I can evaluate GXP or KML tracks to get a good sense of the route beforehand.

Build a Timeline >> There is a bit that goes into this, so I have presented this in stages.

What time is sunrise? There are lot of places to look for this information, I used Map Logs, but you can get this from most weather apps. For this trip, the sunrise time was reported to be 6:41 a.m. I recommend planning to summit 30 minutes prior to sunrise. Now, I know my goal will be to summit by 6:10 a.m. 

What is your pace? Not only your pace, but the pace of those in your party. This will let you know when you need to start so you can estimate the time it will take to make the summit. For myself, I think of this in vertical feet rather than miles. I plan to average 1,000 feet per hour. Determine this rate for you and add in a buffer.

From my personal experience, my body is not used to working this hard at these hours, especially with limited sleep. Plan for challenges and do your best to adjust. I personally have a hard time eating and drinking in regular intervals on these pre-dawn hikes. Additionally, elevation may be harder for some people in your party. Consider these factors and prepare yourself mentally for these challenges, then add a time buffer of at least another half-hour to an hour to summit. For this climb, the elevation gain is reported at >2,500 feet. For my pace, I accounted for at least 2.5 hours to summit, so I added a buffer of half hour and planned for 3 hours from trailhead to summit.

How long to get to the Trailhead? This is really a two-part question. How long does it take you to wake up, get gear to your vehicle, then get on the road? Then how long is the drive to the trailhead? Plan on being a bit groggy, since you are likely running on limited sleep. Knowing that, have everything prepped, right down to the pre-brew timer on the coffee pot. I typically plan for 30 minutes to get up and on the road. Once on the road, I had planned for a 1.5-hour drive to the trailhead. I have now accounted for 2 hours for this section, from wake-up to arrive at the trailhead. The big pieces of the timeline have now come together.

Timeline Summary

• Summit time goal: 6:10 a.m.
• Hike time: 3 hours >> Leave trailhead by 3:10 a.m.
• Rise and Drive to Trailhead: 2 hours >> 1:10 a.m.

Know The Conditions >> For any hike you do, the conditions are likely the most important consideration. If summer conditions are expected, that makes things more manageable. Hopefully I have illustrated the importance of building the timeline prior to evaluating conditions. Now you will know what time you expect to be at what elevation on the route. My preferred weather forecast is to use the NOAA National Weather Service Pinpoint forecast. Here you can locate your objective and you can start to evaluate the forecast. This is how I evaluate weather using this site.

Find the peak you are going to hike on the map, where selecting it will refresh the page. Look at the Hourly Weather Forecast graph. There is a lot of data to consider: wind chill, temperature, gusts, surface wind, precipitation and more. Note the elevation for these data and relate to the timeline you have constructed - start time to summit time - to evaluate the weather patterns. For this trip, the skies were expected to be clear, with temperatures in the mid 30’s, with wind chill near freezing. You can use this information to make gear selection.

Gear >> My rule of thumb is that old line “hope for the best, but prepare for the worst”. The last thing you want is to be turned around because you did not adequately prepare for the conditions. These are my gear choices for this hike:

• Primary Gear: 30 L Pack, Trekking Poles, 1.5 L Water Bladder, Headlamp, Garmin In-Reach, First Aid Kit, Cell Phone
• Feet: Trail Shoes, Light Hiking Sock
• Legs: Alpine Pant, Belt
• Upper Body: Medium Base Layer, Fleece Hoodie, Shell Jacket, Puffy Vest
• Accessories: Beanie, Buff, Medium Fleece Gloves, Sunglasses, Ball Cap
• Fuel: Protein Bar, Trail Mix, Gummy Bears, Cookies, Coffee

Stars Over Mount Bierstadt

A lot goes into planning all of this for a sunrise hike. Once I had the route, timeline, and gear figured out I prepped everything the night before so I had an easy transition from wake-up to getting on the road.

I ended up setting my alarm to wake me at 1:30 a.m., but was woken a few minutes earlier when I heard the coffee pot had finished brewing. I zapped a pre-made breakfast burrito in the microwave, grabbed my coffee and was on the road by 1:40 a.m. The drive went by quickly. The roads were clear at this hour, but the winding road from Georgetown up to Guanella Pass could really use some paint or reflectors. In the pitch black it was hard to see your position on the road making the switchback turns. I made it to the trailhead just after 3:00 a.m. The trailhead was alive, and the lot I parked in was more than half full. I could see lots of people getting ready to head out and there were already others on route, which I could see by their headlamps. I knew there would be others, but I didn’t anticipate this much activity for an early hike like this. I quickly got ready and was on the trail just before 3:15 a.m.

I started out just wearing my base layer and beanie and wasn’t too chilled, so the temperature was reasonable and there wasn’t any wind. The start of this hike is interesting where from the trailhead, you start by dropping in elevation going through a willows section and crossing a creek. There are lots of boardwalks for what I imagine different seasons save you from a mud slog.

Headlamps on Route

My first hour covered almost 2 miles and about 800 vertical feet. I was feeling pretty good at this point, starting to gain in elevation after getting through the willows. The stars were quite amazing. I took several stops trying to capture the stars and a bit of the Milky Way. I continued on and kept monitoring my progress with the GAIA App. This second stretch was definitely getting tougher. A lot more vertical was covered with less mileage. I kept a good eye on my progress here knowing I didn’t want to be lingering around a cold summit too early before sunrise. The wind was increasing, and becoming more constant the further up the mountain I went.

My second break was at the 2-hour mark and I was at about 13,600 feet. The wind was chilling, so it was time to put on another layer - my fleece hoodie. I chatted with a gentleman from Illinois for a bit knowing I was on track with my timeline. Starting on this final stretch I started to slow the pace knowing I had lots of time, but I’m sure a lot of that was me starting to run low on energy as well. I’m horrible at re-fueling at this time of day and did not fuel up at any point from the trailhead to summit.

This third section turns to class 2, where there is a lot of boulder hopping and route finding. The glow of orange could be seen on the horizon, but it was still quite dark. Still using my headlamp, I was able to slowly navigate this section, trying to stay near what I thought was the ridge crest most of the way. I made the summit just before 6:00 a.m.

Me on the Summit

At first, I couldn’t see anyone else on the summit. There was a climber close behind me that I hadn’t noticed until I started looking all around to see if I was on the summit or not. I said “I guess this is it”, and we chuckled a bit. I pulled out my GPS and saw I was in fact on the summit. It took me about 2 hours and 45 minutes to summit. I was more than happy with that pace.

I found a spot out of the wind to sit and have a much-deserved coffee and a cookie. Sunrise itself was still more than half hour off, so it was time to pull out the puffy vest. There were soon about 15 others up there. We all had great conversations and was one of my better 14er summit experiences. The colors were changing quickly with colors of blue in-between the valleys far off to the reds and oranges of the horizon. This is an experience I wish for all of you; it really humbles you and makes you realize the beauty that is right in our backyards.

Right about sunrise it was time to gear up and start heading back. I couldn’t feel my fingers at this point, wishing I had some warmer gloves with me. I took a photo of the sunrising over the crest of Mount Blue Sky, then was back on route down the mountain. I think no matter how warm you plan for these sunrise hikes, you will still be a bit chilled, so keep that in mind if you are preparing for a similar hike.

The Sawtooth

There were hoards of people on their way up, like ants on a hill. Most of the hike down was in the shadow of the mountain, where the sun didn’t really hit me till I made it all the way down to the willows. Heading down I ran into a gentleman I chatted with on the summit and we walked the rest of the way down together talking about everything from mountains, to fly fishing, to college football. It just goes to show you never know what kind of connections you will find in the mountains.

I made it back to the trailhead about 8:45 a.m. What a great experience. I’ve only done a few sunrise hikes. This is a great mountain if you plan for this type of hike. If you’re looking for solitude, look elsewhere, you definitely won’t find that here. Even though the trail was full, I thought the people I met were fantastic. It was a really great experience, and it’s been almost seven years since I have been on a summit of a 14er, so it was nice to be back in the thin air. These types of hikes aren’t easy. Proper preparation, including the metal aspect of expected challenges, will aid in positive outcomes. I look forward to my continued efforts to get back into the mountains, and I hope those of you reading this find something here that helps you get into the mountains to have as great of an experience as I had today.

Hike Date: September 12, 2026
Starting Elevation: 11,630 feet
Mount Bierstadt Elevation: 14,062 feet
Total Ascent: 2,636 feet
Class: 2
Total Distance: 7.14 miles
Total Time: 5 hours, 28 minutes
Moving Time: 4 hours, 35 minutes
Stopped Time: 53 minutes
GAIA Link: Mount Bierstadt
*All data is tracked using the GAIA app

Windy Peak

Windy Peak is within the Golden Gate Canyon State Park, near Golden, Colorado. Bridge Creek Trailhead is the start of this hike. Google Maps app will provide you with directions to the trailhead if you enter Bridge Creek Trailhead. There are about 6 parking spots, as well as an outhouse and some picnic tables. There is additional parking in small lots along the road nearby as well. The trail itself starts just behind the outhouse.

There are a lot of trail options in this area. Using the GAIA route link I have for this hike, our approach was a counterclockwise loop hike around the peak. We started on Burro Trail, taking a side trail to the summit of Windy Peak, then returning on Mountain Lion Trail. This seemed like the ideal direction for the loop, but there are plenty of options to choose from. There are a lot of trail intersections along the way, but each has signage to help keep you on the right path.

We started around 7 a.m. After the first 0.7 mile there is a downhill section. It may seem odd to be heading downhill, but hiking this loop counterclockwise keeps you from having to do this small ascent at the end of your hike. Keep following the Burro Trail, keeping an eye on the signage at each trail intersection. This trail transitions through several different environments from open hill, to rock, to forest sections. The trail itself was quite rocky, but trail shoes are just fine for this hike.

Trailhead to summit is about 3 miles and took us about 2 hours. On our ascent we only came across one trail runner on their descent, so it was nice to have the trail to ourselves. It was quite warm being in the trees for a good portion of the hike, I was starting to wonder if Windy Peak would live up to its name. Lucky for us there was a nice breeze when we got on top, allowing us to cool down a bit. The summit itself is in the trees, but there is a nice outcrop with great views nearby.

To finish the loop, on our descent we took the Mountain Lion Trail. The first section of this is forested but soon opens up to an old access road. There were several groups heading up as we were heading down. This route worked out nicely giving us lots of space to let folks by on their way up the trail. I’d recommend this hike. It was nice to explore a new area close to Denver.

Hike Date: August 29, 2026
Starting Elevation: 7,805 feet
Windy Peak Elevation: 9,145 feet
Total Ascent: 1,514 feet
Class: 1
Total Distance: 6.28 miles
Total Time: 3 hours, 19 minutes
Moving Time: 2 hours, 59 minutes
Stopped Time: 20 minutes
Climbing Partner: Brian
GAIA Link: Windy Peak
*All data is tracked using the GAIA app

Mount Flora, Breckinridge Peak, and Colorado Mines Peak

Mount Flora from Breckinridge Peak

This is an area I like to come back to from time to time given the variety of peaks and trails. I first hiked Colorado Mines Peak in January 2013, then Mount Flora in July 2013. I came back to the area a few more times, hiking Mount Flora in October 2014, then Mount Flora and Colorado Mines Peak in January 2019. An advantage of the Berthoud Pass trailhead is the ability to access these peaks in all seasons. Fall, winter, and spring hikes are usually manageable but there may be windy and freezing conditions in those seasons that can present challenges. Lucky for us, this hike was the best weather I’ve had up here with clear morning skies and light winds.

To access Berthoud Pass from the Denver area, head up I-70W taking exit 232 onto US-40W, follow this to Berthoud Pass where there is a large parking area. In addition to the trips I previously mentioned, this trailhead is also great for access to Stanley Mountain with the route starting from the west side of the road. This is part of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), and is a popular trailhead in all seasons, so expect a lot of activity. The parking area is quite large, where there is a warming hut on the north end. The hut has pit toilets available to those that drank too much coffee on the drive up.

Drive time to the trailhead from Denver takes about an hour. We left around 5 a.m. so we could get an early start to the hike in hopes of avoiding any afternoon showers. We arrived a bit after 6 a.m., and there were about a dozen vehicles at the lot already.

The hike begins from the south end of the parking area. There is a large gate blocking an access road heading up to the top of Colorado Mines Peak where there are several structures. Follow the access road for a little less than a mile on the corner of the fourth switchback. On my GAIA route I have a point labeled CDT Split. A single-track trail starts from here and there is a sign for Mount Flora and other destinations. This trail traverses around the north of Colorado Mines Peak.

Nick on Breckinridge Peak

Other options are to continue up the access road to Colorado Mines Peak. A few more switchbacks will get you to the summit. This is the way I descended for this trip. Following my path, take the single-track trail, which will crest on the Continental Divide at about 1.6 miles from the trailhead. This is about the mid-point to the summit of Mount Flora.

My goal today was to summit Mount Flora by 8 a.m., which I’m happy to report that I was able to do. The trail is easy to follow where the crest of the ridge transitions from a dirt-based trail to broken rock. I want to note that I was comfortable with trail runners for the entirety of the trip, so boots are likely unnecessary, unless that is your preference.

Since we started so early, we were hiking directly into the sun. This was a minor disadvantage. The early start was definitely worth the cool morning and limited trail traffic. The summit area itself spans a fairly large flat area. There are many wind blocks and good places to rest. I feel like the summit cairn has changed over the years, so hitting one of the larger wind blocks was the summit for us. There were already quite a few people on the summit when we arrived, so be prepared for an active summit. If you are looking for solitude, this is not the place to go.

From the summit, it’s really choose your own adventure. It’s a great accomplishment to reach the summit of a Colorado 13er, so this could be the pinnacle of your day. Other options are to head north along the ridge to connect to Eva, Parry, Bancroft and more. Or you can choose our path which took us to Breckinridge Peak.

If your path takes you to Breckinridge, stay on the CDT dropping about 400 vertical feet where the terrain starts to level out a bit. My GAIA track has a point location where I deviated from the CDT towards the summit of Breckinridge. You will see a rock formation to head to across the tundra. This is the extent of the class 2 rating for this hike. It’s hard to tell exactly where the summit is so we walked the expanse to the east where there was a small rock cairn.

Square Top to Torrey's Peak

The views here give you a great shot of Witter Peak to the north, showing its rugged south face. There is a great loop I did years ago connecting Witter-Eva-Parry-Bancroft which I highly recommend. If you are seeking a solo summit, you will likely find that on Breckinridge, and some of these other peaks to the north. From Breckinridge’s summit, heading back is a simple yo-yo, or trace your path back.

As we were making our way back, I was feeling good, so I decided to tack on Colorado Mines Peak. On my GAIA track there is point marked Flora-CO Mines Intersect. Here there is trail that traverses over to the access road heading to the summit of Colorado Mines Peak. This adds about 230 feet of elevation gain to the route. There is a lot of structure on the summit, so more of a place to go to check a peak off your list. From the summit of Colorado Mines Peak, follow the access road back to the parking area.

This is a great area to go if you’re looking for easy access and multiple options. The area is busy, but the further you adventure from Mount Flora, the more peace you may find. It was another great day in the mountains. A great option if you are getting into hiking Colorado peaks, or for me, a great option to get back into something I love to do.

Hike Date: August 22, 2026Starting Elevation: 11,318 feet
Mount Flora Elevation: 13,124 feet
Breckinridge Peak Elevation: 12,864 feet
Colorado Mines Peak Elevation: 12,392 feet
Total Ascent: 2,319 feet
Class: 2
Total Distance: 8.89 miles
Total Time: 4 hours, 58 minutes
Moving Time: 4 hours, 11 minutes
Stopped Time: 47 minutes
Climbing Partner: Brian
GAIA Link: Flora-Breckinridge-Colorado Mines
*All data is tracked using the GAIA app

Mount Sniktau and Cupid

Mount Sniktau

It’s been a long time. Too long if you ask me since I’ve been on a mountain above tree line. I’ve been caught up in several things, but primarily the root cause is an aggregated list of excuses. Lucky for me, I have my good climbing buddy Brian, and from time to time he needs to set me straight and get me back into the mountains.

I often say that the mountains give us all an opportunity to visit old friends. Well, this hike was a bit of that and more. The first time I hiked Mount Sniktau was back in March, 2012. That trip was my first Colorado 13er. I followed that trip up with a hike of Cupid and Grizzly Peak in April, 2012. So, now it’s been 14 years since I’ve visited the summits of these old friends. The conditions of March vs August are much different, and I have to say much more comfortable.

Those of you in Colorado who drive I-70W towards the Eisenhower Tunnel get a nice look at Mount Sniktau from the freeway. This peak sticks out over the southwestern portion of the Loveland Ski Area. The hike itself starts from Loveland Pass which is just shy of 12,000 feet in elevation. This is a busy place and presents its own set of concerns with all the parked cars, people crossing the road and the traffic heading over the pass. If you intend to hike these peaks from this trail head, I highly recommend an early start. We arrived just before 6:30 a.m. and the parking area at the trailhead was already full. There is additional parking available on to the south of the pass, and this is where our hike began.

We set off from the car around 6:30 a.m. We got the pleasure of adding another .3 mile and 80 feet to our hike given our parking situation. Not bad going up in the morning, but as the cars filled in, our way back was far less comforting where we had to walk on the road at times. To put everyone’s mind at ease once you are at the trailhead, which I mark as the White River National Forest sign on the west side of Loveland Pass, there is a trail that will lead you to both of these summits. If you are up for it you can continue on to Grizzly Peak or do several variations of these peaks. I’m not certain if there is an official name for this trail, but the southern portion is labeled as Grizzly Peak Trail on the GAIA Topo Map.

Torreys, Grays and Grizzly from Cupid

I joked with Brian when he suggested this hike, calling it the “stairway to heaven”. I think he soon found out what I meant. There is no warm-up, you get right to gaining elevation. From the trailhead to cresting the ridge is about 900 vertical feet in about a mile. I believe a lot of visitors do this as an acclimation hike if they come here to climb 14ers. Whatever you are here for this certainly is a nice way to get the blood flowing early in the day, and nothing beats a slow steady pace.

From the ridge crest, follow the trail heading to the north. You will gain one false summit before reaching the true Mount Sniktau summit. This section has less vertical gain, approximately 350 feet in just under a mile, but this is all at elevation which presents its own challenges. In the Front Range you will be hard pressed to find a much better view, especially if you are out hiking on a blue-sky day like we had. You are surrounded by the giants of the Rocky Mountains. I love it. It really brings you back, when you are on these summits, to each of the climbs of these surrounding peaks. A great motivator to get back into the game.

Nick and Brian on Mount Sniktau

We saw a fair number of people along the way, but somehow Brian and I were able to have the summit to ourselves for a bit, which is a true treat for a Saturday morning in Colorado. I had an initial goal of summiting in an hour and half, and was able to meet that goal, so I was very pleased with how my body reacted given I have been out of this game for quite some time.

We didn’t linger too long since we wanted to get over to Cupid. On our way towards Cupid, there were droves of people on the way up Sniktau, maybe 30-40, so just a reminder of how important that early start is. It didn’t take us long to get back down to where we crested the ridge earlier. From there, there is a quick drop of about 200 feet then a gain of about 400 feet. This seemed to go pretty quick and before we knew it, we were on the summit of Cupid and is was only 9:20 a.m.

The Grizzly Mountain Trail skirts around the Cupid summit, so you will need to head off trail for a bit to truly claim the high point. Most people are heading towards Grizzly, so here we had another summit to ourselves. We could have been adventurous and headed off towards Grizzly, but it’s important to ease into these mountains if you have been away for a while. I look forward to coming back with Brian so he can summit Grizzly on a future hike.

Trail Junction

For the way back, there is a trail that cuts across the southwest face of our initial ridge crest point from earlier. This was nice, allowing us to skip the additional gain and descent. There are large cairns that mark the trail junction on the ridge as well as on the junction on the main trail for to Mount Sniktau.

The descent went far better than I anticipated. I chose to use my Topo Athletic trail shoes with gaiters, and both worked really well. I enjoyed not having my big boots on and the gaiters helped keep rocks out of my shoes. Trekking poles were also a big bonus on this descent. All in all, a great gear selection for this hike.

We finished the hike around 10:30 a.m. A great 4-hours in the mountains and we were able to summit two Colorado 13ers. I liked that I had not previously hiked these peaks together, but I absolutely didn’t mind visiting my old friends again. Hopefully this is a start to get me back in the mountains more consistently. Either way what a great way to feel alive! Happy trails everyone.

Hike Date: August 1, 2026
Starting Elevation: 11,897 feet
Mount Sniktau Elevation: 13,242 feet
Cupid Elevation: 13,112 feet
Total Ascent: 1,716 feet
Class: 1
Total Distance: 5.58 miles
Total Time: 4 hours, 3 minutes
Moving Time: 3 hours, 22 minutes
Stopped Time: 40 minutes
Climbing Partner: Brian
GAIA Link: Mount Sniktau and Cupid
*All data is tracked using the GAIA app

The Fall

March 18^th, 2022

Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area, Las Vegas, Nevada

View from the trailhead

Brian and I pulled into the Sandstone Quarry Trailhead shortly after 7:30 am. It was a very brisk morning, so I decided to keep my shell jacket in my bag if the wind picked up. Other than that I was hiking fairly bare bones, with some water, snacks, phone, and GoPro camera. By 7:45 we started up the Calico Tanks Trail which headed north up a wash before breaking off to the southeast up a gradual trail over limestone and sandstone rocks. About a mile from the trailhead the trail terminates with a nice view towards Las Vegas. We hadn’t really decided what our plan was, but I was interested in climbing the Turtlehead Jr. Peak (Red Cap), which the GAIA GPS map shows as Calico Hills.

The previous evening, I read about the climb of this peak in one of Brian’s climbing books and loaded the waypoints into my GPS. I had a decent understanding of how the route would go so I wasn’t too concerned about it but wouldn’t know what the class 3 scrambling would be like till I was there in front of it. I was feeling adventurous and wanted to try and head up the peak as we were making our way back down the Calico Tanks Trail. I could see an open traverse to the set of waypoints I downloaded on my GPS so started making my way. Brian followed me over to the base of a large white wall but decided to stay in that area. I chose to attempt the peak and found a small ramp of boulders to climb to get on top of the white wall. I turned on my GoPro to try and record my ascent. The camera was on a strap on my head, and I had removed my sunglasses as a lot of this area was still in the shade.

View of the crack with a tree in the center

It was a fun little scramble trying to get to the waypoint 36.16639, -115.44432. This was mostly hiking on granular rock which made the surface rather slippery in places. I was wearing hiking shoes that had good traction, so I was not too concerned with my footing. I made my way up to a large crack that separated some large portions of rock where some small trees were growing in-between. This was a tight fit for me, so no more than 2 feet wide. I took some time here trying to find the route first looking to the southeast, before coming back to the north going up and over a small hump where I could clearly see the crack in the rock from the pictures in Brian’s climbing book.

Followed the crack above the bush

From the base this looked very doable, and I didn’t think the scramble would be too difficult. I started up the white rock below the crack. This rock was heavily weathered and resembled mushroom heads stacked up on one another. This rock was fairly slick, and the grains of sand were loose. I started to lose the crack and decided being in the crack was the safest way to climb as I could wedge my body and climb that way rather than be on an exposed slick slope where a fall could be uninterrupted. This was a dicey transition, but once I was in the crack, I felt much more comfortable. From this point you could see the red stone cap of what appeared to be the summit. I continued climbing this section which got thin in some areas, but I was able to manage. Climbing these cracks are much easier on the ascent, but there were numerous hand/footholds so I did not think the descent would be too difficult as long as I took my time, so I kept climbing.

Looking down from above bush

The crack I was climbing eventually leveled off temporarily where there was an approximate 20 ft traverse to climbers left on a very small lip. This joined into another crack that continued up. This section was wider, and the crack had large boulders that made climbing easier. There was approximately 20-30 ft vertical to a large flat area in what I would call the amphitheater. From this point there are 3-4 different cracks that lead to the summit of what appeared to be approximately 50 ft vertical. I attempted the crack to climbers left but did not fit. I didn’t feel comfortable trying any of the other cracks, so I called this area my summit.

Plateau with the catwalk across

Now it was time for the descent. I knew this was going to take some time and I needed to be careful given the granular nature of the rock. I wasn’t exhausted, but I was a bit winded given the activity of the climb. I felt good and was having fun. I wanted to get back down to where Brian was, so we weren’t separated, so off I went. I started a new clip on my GoPro as I started down.

It wasn’t far from where I started my descent to the fall. The fall took place at 9:52 am, and I put together a timeline based on my GoPro that continued to run in my bag. I was coming down a section in the crack that had good size boulders to downclimb. I can’t be certain of what happened other then try and piece it together. I assume my feet got crossed and I didn’t have anywhere for my leading foot to go. My weight got over my center of gravity and I started to fall forward. The walls were nothing but flat sandstone, so nothing to grab. This all happened in an instant. I knew I was falling and couldn’t stop, then crack. I will guess the fall was 10 ft or less, a straight faceplant. Blood was spurting out of my head; I knew my right shoulder was dislocated or broken immediately.

Second portion of climb

I did not lose consciousness luckily, I got myself to my knees, took off my camera, hat, backpack, pulled out my phone to see if I could call for help. No bars, and I couldn’t really type anything in anyway. I knew I needed help; I did not know how bad of a head injury I had. I knew I was alone, in a place I had not seen anyone, so I needed to get myself into a position that people knew I was injured and could aid me. I yelled for help, took a few deep breaths to focus. I knew this was not going to be easy, I had to wedge myself to climb up the crack and now I needed to descend it. There was a high chance I could fall again, but I had to get myself out of there, so I decided to move.

View out from the "amphitheater"

I grasped my bag in my left hand and wedged by butt in the crack and lowered using my feet. I thought about ditching my bag altogether but decided to keep it not knowing if I would get in a more dire situation. I kept yelling for help every little bit as I made my way down. I remember having my left hand high on the wall and looking at my wedding ring. A lot of time in the hills I take my ring off, so it doesn’t get scraped by the rock, but today I had it. It helped me think of my wife and my daughter, motivating me to keep moving and allowing myself to accept the risk ahead.

 The landing zone of the fall taken on the ascent

This first section was not too steep, but I got myself to the little catwalk which I knew had sketchy footing. I tossed my bag across so I would have nothing teetering me off balance. I made it across and started yelling, I still could not see down into the valley below where I knew Brian was as well as many other hikers. I dropped back into the crack and continued down till I thought it was safe to descend the white mushroom sandstone. This was a risk as well as a slip here could have me rolling. I went extremely slow and had to jump off a high rise of a couple feet at one point. I kept making my way down this rock rib till it wrapped around to the southwest along a descending plateau. I could see bodies below and dropped my bag, yelled for help and waved my good arm. I communicated that I needed medical attention, I saw several people as well as Brian. Someone said they were on their way up and to me, and I should find shade and wait. I found a rock to sit on and tried to sip some water while I waited. I’m going to say adrenaline got me here, but at this point I knew people knew where I was, and I was going to make it. About 10 minutes after the first communication Cole and Marcus arrived on scene to aid me.

Marcus gave me medical attention while Cole evaluated a route down. Marcus was a ski patroller from Vermont, and I could clearly see he knew what he was doing. He gave me a complete evaluation from head to toes, cleaned up my head wound, and secured my right arm to my body using my jacked and some rock-climbing gear they had. Another came up, who’s name I did not get, but I hear he was an orthopedic surgeon from England. These three men helped get me up and start the journey down to the trail. They put a short rope around me and off we went with one in front, one by my side, and one behind. I couldn’t have been in better hands, and I am truly thankful for these guys being in the right place at the right time.

It wasn’t over. There was still a scramble to get down, and I was really starting to feel the trauma by body had been through. The muscles in my shoulder were re-orienting and tightening up, so I couldn’t look up too well and was more like a hunchback. I listened and did whatever the guys told me to. I had to get crafty downclimbing on a few occasions, but knew I was getting out and that’s all that mattered. As I made my way down the last crack there were a few firefighter/EMTs to relieve the guys that got me down. From that point it was a walk out to the ambulance.

All trail from here on out 

I can’t say enough for the guys that came in and saved me. They got me home, and I will forever be grateful to these men and first responders in general that can do these things for all of us. I chose to walk out, and in no time had made my way to the ambulance at the trailhead. I arrived at the hospital at 12:32 and had various tests/images completed, and finally had my shoulder reduced and head stapled at 4:15 pm and was discharged at 5:55 pm.

I spent the next two days at Brian’s house in Las Vegas before taking a flight home to Denver. I’m very thankful to have been with a good friend that could play nurse to me before going home. As expected, the fight home was very uncomfortable, but I didn’t care after the ordeal I had been through. I saw my doctor the next day and plan to have my staples removed by the end of the week.

Looking back on what happened is hard. I have video of the fall and still cringe a bit when I see the blood. There are plenty of times in my outdoor life that something like this could have happened but didn’t. There was no fault here, just an accident, and all I can be is thankful that it was one I could walk away from. It wasn’t easy, but I don’t think I reacted any different than any of you would have. When it comes down to it, we will all do what is needed regardless of pain or risk. What will I do now? Recover. I will make sure I have a complete kit with me on all adventures. I will learn how to reduce a separated shoulder on my own as well as with others. I will upgrade my personal locator beacon and always have this on me. But I will live most importantly and not take any day for granted. As cliché as that sounds, that is the path forward. I look forward to hiking and scrambling up peaks in the future when I’m well. Thank all of you for being there when I needed you most even if you weren’t there physically. Happy trails.

Timeline:

Fell at 9:52

First contact at 10:10

Cole/Marcus arrive at 10:20

Out to trail portion, met by firefighters at 11:06

Checked in to hospital at 12:32

Shoulder reduced at 4:15

Out of hospital at 5:55

Mount Buckskin and Loveland Mountain

Overview

Mount Buckskin and Loveland Mountain are a pair of 13ers in the Mosquito Range of Colorado. This was my first ascent of these peaks. I have known about the pair for years, but have tried to avoid the insanity of the Kite Lake TH since it’s also the TH for 4-14ers in the area. I was able to convince my friend Chris to join me for an early morning ascent, so I would have some conversation in the hills for a change. This is a great climb where there isn’t any technical difficulty, so most climbers in decent shape should be able to enjoy this ascent. I hope you enjoy this trip report and find it helpful in planning your next adventure in the hills.

Directions/Trailhead Information

The Kite Lake Trailhead is located at—latitude 39.327648°, longitude -106.129677°. There is a parking area that will accommodate a few dozen vehicles, as well as overflow parking along the road. There are   restrooms at the trailhead, and a $3/day use fee. Camping is available for $12 on a first come first serve basis. The drive from my place was about 100 miles taking about 2 hours. From the Denver area make your way into the mountains on US Hwy 285 S. Follow US Hwy 285 S till you get to Fairplay, then head north on CO-9 N heading towards Alma. In Alma turn west onto Co Rd 8 (Buckskin Street) and follow this road for 5.5 miles ending at the TH parking lot. The access road is dirt road that gets a bit rough near the TH. I would recommend high clearance, but 4WD is not required. Further descriptions of the trailhead can be found at the link I provided above. Please note that the mileages provided are approximations and are not exact distances.

The Climb

The slope up Mount Buckskin

Chris and I made it to the TH a little before 6 am on a Saturday. The parking lot was already full, so we ended up parking about 50 yards down the road. I was last in this area in 2012 when I climbed the Decalibron with my father. Back then the TH was insanity, with hundreds of climbers heading up to the 14ers, and today would be the same. This is in part why I’ve avoided climbing these peaks, but as I work my way through the Mosquito Range, they were a good option for a short day in the mountains.

With fall creeping in on us, the darkness followed. At 6 am, it was still pitch black out, so it’s still headlamp time till about 6:30-7 am in this area. The trail set off from the west side of the outhouse, thankfully there wasn’t an awful aroma in the air like my experiences with the outhouses near the Stevens Gulch TH that is used to climb Grays and Torreys Peaks. Once we hit the trail, we wouldn’t see anyone for hours, which is one of the best parts about climbing 13ers. There is a decent trail that heads towards Lake Emma.

Me and Chris on the summit of Loveland Mountain

Just past the 12,200 ft contour, we left the Lake Emma trail started cross country in the dark. The clouds had rolled in and at this point we were walking through the mist, so navigation was a bit of a challenge. We knew to stay above the willows, and we weren’t in them, so that was good enough for us. The tundra was a bit marshy with one steam crossing along the traverse to the base of the rocky slope near 12,400 ft contour. We took the path of least resistance to the top of the initial slope to about the 12,800 ft contour. Here you will pass under some low power lines. The route from here is “choose your own adventure.” We stuck to the grassy patches in-between the rocks as much as we could. After a lot of huffing and puffing we made the ridgeline. Follow the northwest ridgeline for about a quarter of a mile to the summit of Mount Buckskin. We summited at 7:44 am, just about 2 hours from the TH. Not my most efficient ascent of the year, but we still averaged about 1,000 ft per hour, so I was fine with that.

From Buckskin the traverse to Loveland Mountain follows the southern ridgeline. This had a pretty good climbers’ route in place, so we made good time. It took us about 45 minutes to complete the traverse and we weren’t rushing it by any means. The wind was whipping pretty good, so it was quite a chilly walk. Chris gave me some chocolate covered coffee beans, and that was just the ticket for the summit. It was now 8:30 am, so we were right on my climbing schedule. I needed to be back home by 1 pm today, so the schedule was important to stick to. After hanging out for a bit it was time to get moving and start generating some heat again.

Looking back at Buckskin from Loveland

Part of the decent includes re-ascending part of Mount Buckskin. It wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be, maybe adding 200-300 ft. For our decent of Buckskin, we had to battle the clouds. Navigation wasn’t as easy since we couldn’t pick any markers to head for. We did pretty well, staying on a similar path as our ascent. We ran into a marker for the Ajax mine mid-mountain. Turns out its not really a mine, but a claim, but it was well staked. Soon after this we saw our first climbers on route for the day. There were three people heading up like we did to avoid the 14ers crowd to the north. Neither of us was too keen on rushing down the hill, so we took our time and made it back to the TH by 10:45 am.

Parting Notes

This is a great short climb within 2 hours of the Denver area. The week off from the gym and a bit of sickness made me work for this one a little more than I thought I would have to, but in the end, it was a great choice for my limited time. I’m hoping to get one more twofer in the Mosquito Range—Ptarmigan and Weston Peaks before the snow flies, so hopefully another TR will be on the way in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, happy trails and stay safe in the mountains. Cheers!

GPX Track

Date: September 28, 2019

Trailhead Elevation: 12,033 feet

Mount Buckskin: 13,796 feet

Loveland Mountain: 13,692 feet

Total Ascent: 2,179 feet

Class: 2

Distance: 4.5 miles

Moving Time: 4 hr 30 min

Stopped Time: 0 hr 54 min

Climbing Partners: Chris

GAIA GPS Link: Mount Buckskin and Loveland Mountain

Mount Tweto, Treasurevault Mountain, Mosquito Peak, Kuss Peak, and London Mountain

Morning light

Overview

My 41^st birthday has rolled around, and I’m not sure what really happened to the last year, so sounds like a good occasion to get out into the mountains and climb as many peaks as I can. I took the day off work and decided on a group of peaks in the Mosquito Range of Colorado. Near Mosquito Pass there is a group of 5-13ers: Mount Tweto, Treasurevault Mountain, Mosquito Peak, Kuss Peak, and London Mountain. This was a route I came across recently while trying to research my next climb a few weeks ago. I knew the Mosquito Range had many 13ers to offer, I just didn’t realize so many of them could be done at one time. This is a great climb where there isn’t much technical difficulty, so most climbers in decent shape should be able to enjoy this loop. I hope you enjoy this trip report and find it helpful in planning your next adventure in the hills.

Directions/Trailhead Information

The Mosquito Creek Trailhead is located at—latitude 39.299155°, longitude -106.155524°. There is parking along the side of Mosquito Pass Road that will accommodate about dozen vehicles. There are no restrooms at the trailhead, but there are signs that past groups have camped nearby. From the Denver area make your way into the mountains on US Hwy 285 S. Follow US Hwy 285 S till you get to Fairplay, then head north on CO-9 N heading towards Alma. Follow CO-9 N for 4.8 miles turning west onto Mosquito Pass Road, this is also known as Co Road 12, follow this road for 6.4 miles to the TH. There is parking along the right side of the road near the provided coordinates. The access road is dirt road that gets a bit rough near the TH. I would recommend high clearance, but 4WD is not required. From my place the drive was about 100 miles and took me about 2 hours to get to the TH. Further descriptions of the trailhead can be found at the link I provided above. Please note that the mileages provided are approximations and are not exact distances.

The Climb

After another early morning wake up, I had made it to the TH geared up and ready to start by 5:30 am. It’s always tough to get going after the 2 hr drive to the mountains, especially when its pitch dark out and the temps are freezing, so today would be no different. There is always a little bit of eeriness heading out on the trail solo in the dark, but I never think to much about it. I’m usually asking myself, what the hell am I doing, I could be asleep in bed right now. But, when that first bit of alpenglow hits the high peaks you get re-centered and the feeling of exhaustion from lack of sleep fades along with the darkness.

Mount Tweto

When I climb solo I often set time goals for reaching summits or notable locations along the route. Today I set the goals of summiting Mount Tweto by 7:30 am, Treasurevault Mountain by 8:30 am, Mosquito Peak by 9:30 am, Kuss Peak by 10:30 am, and if I made it down to the road between Kuss and London Mountain by 11:00 am, I would add the ascent of London Mountain with a goal of summiting by London by noon, then making it back to the TH by 1:30 pm. So, a fairly structured climb, and if you’ve climbed with me before, I’m sure you have seen this in action. I find it helps keep my mind focused on short goals while I climb, helping to center my mental wandering. I think this is a critical element of climbing, especially solo climbing, because mental battles can make you throw in the towel too early when someone else isn’t out there to help you push yourself through small instances of doubt. I will say, that I have enjoyed getting back into solo climbing again, which is where my roots of mountain climbing in Idaho started. It’s nice to set my own pace, and I don’t have to worry about complaints when I say we need to meet up by 3 am to reach the TH at 5 am. I will say that the majority of my climbing partners have not complained out loud, but I know nobody wants to get up at the insane hours climbing requires on your day off.

Mosquito Peak

Focusing on my first goal of Mount Tweto by 7:30 am, I headed up the rough 4WD road in the darkness. I did my best not to trip on the boulder clad road in the dark, but I had to adjust to waking up. Having an access road to follow for the first couple miles was a good way to start, it sure beats trying to navigate through the willows or through a dense forest that I’ve done on my past few climbs. About 2 miles up this road was the remnants of an old mine, as I got to that point, I could see the darkness fading and the glow of the sun out to the east. Once you are near the mine, you leave the road and find your own path heading up to the ridgeline. Around the 13,000 ft contour, I made a more direct route heading through the large boulders rather than making my way to the small saddle around 13,200 ft and heading up the ridge. I’m not sure if this was more efficient or not, but I seemed to be moving well up the boulders so I went with it. I reached the summit at 7:26 am, so I beat my goal. Tweto was the one peak in this group I really wanted to climb as the naming of the mountain has significance to what I do. The mountain was named after Ogden Tweto who was a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey who compiled the 1979 Geologic Map of Colorado, which I have used on more than one occasion at work. After a few summit shots I was on the move to Treasurevault Mountain.

On route to Treasurevault the wind was constant along the ridgeline. The forecast report was for winds in the 20’s and gusts in the 30’s, along with a temp in the 40’s. So, it was pretty chilly. I had three layers on with the outer layer being my shell jacket. This was enough to stay warm as long as I was moving, and I did have my mid-weight puffy in my pack, but never ended up needing to put it on. My fingers were quite chilly only having a mid-weight glove. A full-on winter glove would have been the gear of choice, but the mid-weight along with some pocket time was sufficient enough for the day. The hike along the ridge was fairly mellow, the hardest part was the descent of the boulders from Tweto. This is the longest traverse of the day, and it took me significantly longer than I expected, where I summited at 8:54 am. I did stop to chat with another climber along the way for a bit so I’ll give myself a pass for not making my summit time goal on this one. After a quick break for a couple pictures I was off to Mosquito Peak and I would try and make up my lost time.

Me on a peak

The descent off Treasurevault went rather quickly as I found a solid climbers trail to follow. Near the saddle that splits Treasurevault and Mosquito Peaks is where some mining took place. I could tell the site has been out of commission for some time, but there was some heavy equipment up there. Its hard to imagine the life of a working miner above 13,000 ft. From the saddle there are quite a few climber/miner routes heading up Mosquito. The climb felt substantial, but I’m sure it was only a few hundred feet. I was able to make up some time and summited at 9:29 am, so this stretch was significantly shorter mileage wise than the last peak. Having another solo summit, makes me glad to have taken a mid-week day off for a romp in the mountains. With the three big peaks down, I had two to go and was back on schedule.

The climb to Kuss Peak progressed rather nicely with a summit at 10:18 am. There are some set in trails and old mountain roads that are used to maintain a facility of some sort on the summit. The view of the basin I came from started to open up and it looked like a lot more mileage than I actually have hiked. I was undecided about adding London as I was a bit beat. My water bladder hose had frozen early in the day so I was drinking my Gatorade for the most part as I hiked. I needed to re-hydrate so I took a break and had some fluids and ate my Kit-Kat as I contemplated my next move. I could start to see some adventurous 4WD folks making their way up Mosquito Pass. The road is pretty rough, so I would say you would need a modified vehicle to drive it, but I’m no off-roader so take that with a grain of salt. I started feeling good after my break and I decided that I would stick with my plan. If I made the road between Kuss and London by 11 am I would head up London.

On route to Mount London

As I started down the ridge of Kuss, I heard the thundering sound of a jet. I was able to see two fighter jets fly up the valley and they weren’t much higher than I was. That was neat add on, you know if you can’t see any wildlife at least I got a couple jets in for the day. The other bonus along the ridge was I got a great view of the ridge up London. There appeared to be some jaggedness, so I was hopeful for a short scramble for the last peak of the day. I made it down the saddle between the peaks right on schedule. It was now 11 am, I recouped for a minute and started up London Mountain.

I had 2.5 hours to get back to my car to be on schedule. The climb was 500-600 vertical feet, and it was the last peak of the day, so I gave myself an hour goal to summit the peak. There was a nice climbers trail heading from the saddle, and the route didn’t mess around, it headed through an interesting rock band where I was able to do a bit of scrambling. The nice thing about scrambling is you gain elevation rather quickly, so before I knew it, I gained 300 ft, so about half of the climb for this peak. After the scramble the ridge mellowed out and it was a long ridge walk to the summit. I was moving pretty good, and made the summit at 11:41 am. I was pretty excited to be able to summit all 5 peaks today, the sun even came out and I was down to my base layer while I ate my sandwich. It was cool to view all the peaks I climbed throughout the day from the summit. Like always I like to be on the move, so I didn’t linger long on the summit and I was soon on my way down.

Mount London

I was pretty efficient on the route down to the road. I found a few side paths that made the climbing a bit easier. I made it back down to the road at 12:27 pm, from there it was a hike down the rough road to the car. On the hike out you pass by the North London Mine, where there are a few historical markers that may be of interest. I found it quite interesting that they had a tunnel dug in to the south side of the mountain where there was the South London Mine. Mining started in 1874 and went into the 1930’s where gold, silver and lead were produced. The hike from the mine to the car took about half hour and I was back to my car by 1:10.  

Parting Notes

The icing on the cake was the climb up London, so I’m glad I saved that for last. I also enjoyed the climb up Tweto, the views of the surrounding peaks were best seen from here. I’m starting slowly getting the Mosquito 13ers ticked off my list. I’m planning to make it back to this area for Buckskin and Loveland in the near future, so I have those to look forward to. It’s always great to get out in the mountains, and even better if you can do it on your birthday. This is a tradition I hope to keep pushing forward. I hope you are all getting the chance to get out and climb a few peaks as well. Cheers!

GPX Track

Date: September 12, 2019

Trailhead Elevation: 11,580 feet

Mount Tweto: 13,619 feet

Treasurevault Mountain: 13,691 feet

Mosquito Peak: 13,694 feet

Kuss Peak: 13,548 feet

London Mountain: 13,182 feet

Total Ascent: 3,311 feet

Class: 2

Distance: 9.6 miles

Moving Time: 6 hr 30 min

Stopped Time: 1 hr 05 min

Climbing Partners: Solo

GAIA GPS Link: Mosquito Group