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Peak(s):  Mt. Democrat  -  14,154 feet
Mt. Cameron  -  14,248 feet
Mt. Lincoln  -  14,293 feet
Mt. Bross  -  14,178 feet
Date Posted:  08/26/2011
Date Climbed:   08/17/2011
Author:  twrch32
 Grand Slam   

I had two weeks off from work and was itching to get some altitude under me. I was in the process of buying a house, moving, and renting my old one and just needed time away from all of the hubbub of life, and on top of that, a pregnant wife and a three year old. It was time for dad (me) to get some time away from home.

I left Colorado Springs at about 0330 and arrived at the trailhead at about 0530 hours. After going to the bathroom and prepping my gear for the trip, I hit the trail about 0545. The paid parking area is $3.00. I figured that was more than decent, although there was plenty of parking outside of the pay to park area.

The first portion of the trip I met up with a guy named Charles from Wisconsin, and his God-son Charlie from Massachusetts. After listening to an inspirational story from Charlie, I was more than determined to summit all four peaks and really appreciate God's creation.

About half way up to the saddle between Democrat and Cameron Charles and Charlie stopped for a rest. Taking their spirit and determination with me, I pressed on. I reached the saddle shortly thereafter. At about 0730 I summitted Democrat. I stayed on top for about 15 minutes before taking off again to conquer more.

About halfway up Cameron I met a gal and her brother from North Carolina, who are in Colorado on vacation visiting their grandfather. They said they had done Democrat numerous times, but never the other mountains. I urged them on and continued. I summitted Cameron at about 0930 and knowing I was halfway done, I pressed on.

I reached the top of the most deceiving mountain of the group, Lincoln, at about 1003. I say deceiving because looking at it from Cameron, it looks very steep at the top, but it isn't bad at all. Lincoln ended up being my favorite mountain of the four, not only for the views, but just knowing I was close to reaching my goal of hitting the Grand Slam and summitting all four peaks.

I left Lincoln, and summitted Bross an hour later at about 1103. The hike to Bross is pretty flat, so breaks were a minimum. I followed the directions given on 14ers about cutting right at the fork and going off trail to reach the summit and didn't have any issues.

The nice thing about Bross is when I reached the peak it started to get pretty windy, luckily over the years a nice windbreak has been build out of the smaller rocks, made for a nice place to drop the pack and sit for a few before the dreaded downhill portion. (Don't know about anybody else, but going downhill is way worse than going up).

Getting back to Kite Lake took about an hour and 15 minutes. Crossing the stream and seeing the waterfalls that grace you as you finish the walk back to the vehicles bring the hike full circle and it is nice to see something so nice at the end of a long day.

I made it back to Colorado Springs before dinner.

One quick note about the drive up to the TH and Kite Lake...the sign off HWY 9 in Alma is indeed small, and it is also in the same location as a street sign at the top of a 10 foot pole. It isn't some little wooden sign in the ground like I was looking for.

Overall it was a great trip. I met a few people that have the same love for hiking from different areas of the nation which just shows that Colorado has a lot to offer.

I have photos I'd love to upload, but I'm adding this report while at work and forgot the chord to download them from my phone.



Comments or Questions
LetsGoHigher
User
Disappointed
8/26/2011 5:22pm
I'm disappointed that you chose to summit Bross. The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) has closed this summit and, as the note on the Bross page says, choosing to summit it could jeopardize the re-opening for those of us who follow the guidelines. Either you knew this and knowingly disregarded it or you failed to do the proper research and are just as guilty.

Shame on you.


Brian C
User
Dear LetsGoHigher,
8/26/2011 5:55pm
If you haven't noticed, a large percentage of folks on 14ers.com summit Bross and many have multiple times (there are currently 127 trip reports on Bross). Not saying that it's right, but it hardly justifies you to be a jerk on one Bross report. Not a very constructive way to handle the situation anyway. With how many people climb Bross, you might as well pack your ”Shame on you” approach since quite frankly it seems that...



lordhelmut
User
Why does
8/26/2011 5:59pm
someone from Los Alamos give a s**t about that hump of crap anyway? There are 9 Decalibron TR's this month alone, arguably the most whored out region of the Western Hemisphere. If they close off that region, who the hell cares??


LetsGoHigher
User
Dear Brian C
8/26/2011 6:00pm
I'm one of several ”lurkers” in the community that read and read for a long time before (finally) recently becoming a member. This was the first Bross trip report I've read since being capable of commenting and rest assured, I will call out all others that post about summiting Bross from now on.

If you must post, why don't you make your comments in favor of support of the sport, website, and community as I try to do.


LetsGoHigher
User
Dear Lordhelmut
8/26/2011 6:01pm
Why does where one lives determine what pile of crap they care about? Come up with something meaningful to say or ask and I will address it as necessary.


Brian C
User
Support of the sport?
8/26/2011 6:12pm
How do you know what I have done to support the sport of mountain climbing? I spend much more time climbing than I do posting but still think I have provided some helpful information for some folks. Have you contributed anything other than backseat finger waving? At least I can look forward to your nagging on Bross. Maybe you should make a sign, hike up between Cameron and Bross and protest all those that cross over your line.


LetsGoHigher
User
Brian C
8/26/2011 6:15pm
I'm sorry if I implied that you do not contribute to the sport. However it seems that, in the last hour, you have chosen to rag on the person who is trying to uphold the guidelines that have been put into place by ”the powers that be”. Doesn't seem incredibly productive to me.


SurfNTurf
User
LetsGoHigher
8/26/2011 7:06pm
Did you get permission from the Navajo Nation before climbing Blanca?

No?

Shame on you.

In all seriousness, it's not the message you're championing that bothers me. It's the holier-than-thou tone you used to convey it.


LetsGoHigher
User
SurfNTurf
8/26/2011 8:47pm
Sure did not. But there were no obvious restrictions posted at the mountain or the website.

Please people....keep blasting me. It's really improving my favorable impression of the people on this forum.


TCUTED
User
care-o-meter
8/26/2011 10:38pm
I like that pi is marked on the care-o-meter. Makes it good.


Doctor No
User
Wow!
8/26/2011 10:49pm
I clicked because I couldn't figure out why a trip report for DCLB would have twelve comments already.


Dancesatmoonrise
User
But it's ok in winter, right?
8/27/2011 1:52am
: )



The very lovely Mrs. Meiser reminds us to please follow the rules if we wish to keep this route open!


tommyboy360
User
DeCaLiBron + Zero Pictures + 14 comments = ???
8/27/2011 3:40am
I just had to click... This is the most entertaining TR of the day! Congrats twrch32 on the ”grand slam” and on all of the commotion and comments.

Lord Helmut: I think you do care. The dark lord needs this tractor beam of an area to keep the storm troopers in a continuous circuit so they do not migrate to the San Juans, Sangres, etc.

SurfNTurf: Dude, we need to get you a sleeveless flannel shirt.

BrianC: Nice pi meter of who could care less. Even better after TCUTED pointed out said pi.

Dances: You always respond with a photo of a girl! Never a wrong answer and always the gentleman.

LetsGoHigher: Learn from Dancesatmoonrise. Post a warning or instructional reminder with a classy photo and all of the chaos will not follow. However, you do offer a stern warning to those browsing the site, and just like you did here, someone else could eventually be singled out again and made into the ”Bron” poster child for trespassing.


CinciKid
User
LetsGoHigher
8/27/2011 1:43pm
Shame on you...for having nothing better to do with your time than reading trip reports on 14ers.com and being the Bross summit police


LetsGoHigher
User
CinciKid
8/27/2011 4:54pm
You are so right. I'm just awful.


KeithK
User
Bump.
8/27/2011 5:20pm
I just want to see if we can make this the most commented upon trip report for the DeCaLiBron ever.


Craig Cook
User
The best thing...
8/27/2011 7:33pm
about reading these comments is that I was looking at it during a lull at work, and a co-worker was complaining to me about something he was trying to do at the same time I scrolled past the ”care-o-meter”. To which he sid, ”Are you trying to tell me something?”


Dancesatmoonrise
User
LetsGo:
8/27/2011 8:36pm
So you met the 14ers.com Welcome Wagon, didja?

Hey, I woudn't take it so hard. We've all been there. I mean, EVEN THE BARON got his visit from the 14ers Lynchin Crew. Oops! I mean Welcome Wagon.

Seriously, go summit Bross, don't tell anyone, LNT, and relax. Before long you'll be on the Welcoming Committee yourself.



LetsGoHigher
User
Danceatmoonrise
8/27/2011 10:56pm
Thanks, yo. And don't worry, I'm not taking it hard at all. As it turns out, I give and take crap with the best of them in person as well as online. Bross is definitely on my horizon but I'll wait until it is couth. As you can tell from my list, I've got plenty of 14ers I can be nabbing until then. Peace!


Floyd
User
In an ironic twist....
8/29/2011 9:58pm
Since this conversation has completely taken over this TR. LetsGoHigher, please leash your dogs when hiking in a wilderness area (see Handies TR)


Headwall5
User
Re: LetsGoHigher
8/30/2011 3:39am
i summited Bross two weekends ago, no one should own a mountain and i'll stand by that, that's why I didn't feel any guilt summiting Bross. It's BS that anyone has the audacity to say they own a mountain.


Jim Davies
User
Karma
9/1/2011 4:19pm
Someday I expect to be struck by lightning while wrestling a bear on the summit of Bross.


roguejackalope
User
Debate
9/1/2011 4:36pm
There can be no debate on Bross. Walking up or down it is not anyone's favorite activity.


gyrogearloose
A little consistency would help
9/9/2011 9:42pm
As a newbie, I've got to say that the 14ers website (which is awesome..please keep up the good work) is inconsistent on the issue of whether one should or shouldn't hike Bross. While the words warning that Bross isn't open are there, so is the route information for doing the 'Grand Slam' reported by twrch. And those revered gods that have done all the 14ers in the state, how did they do it? What is one supposed to think? This comes across as 'You really shouldn't hike Bross, WINK WINK NOD NOD'. If the 14ers community wants to discourage illegal hiking of Bross, it shouldn't publish the instructions for doing it.


Kirkwiley
User
Thanks for the note about the signage
6/20/2012 9:39pm
Heading up to do the slam, or some portion of it in August. Thanks for the tip on road signage. Nothing like taking a wrong turn at 5am with my teenagers grumbling in the back seat.


Dave B
User
Yes!
6/22/2012 1:18pm
You jeopardize the ability of future climbers to suffer and agonize on that ungodly crap-heap of choss and scree...


12ersRule
User
Mountaineering a sport?
7/29/2013 6:29pm
News to me. I thought it had to be competitive to be a sport.

Congrats on 4 summits in a day and back to the Springs, twrch32.

Feel bad for Bross. It's got some things going for it. It's above 14K, it's ranked, it's got a pretty neat couloir that was fun to glissade at certain times of year, if you acquire access, you can ride a mountain bike (mt biking is definitely a sport!) up it, it's part of that amazing ridge between Weston and Peak 1 near Frisco.



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