Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
I'm relaxing in the back of my truck, reading book #4 of Game of Thrones, as the Finncutters and Valerie arrive from their day on Half Peak. We have a nice evening eating our dinner and have lively conversation to pass the time before bed. With the forecast of storms likely after 7am, it will be an early start!
4am rolls around too quickly once again, as we start up the grassy slope towards our first peak of the day, Houghton Mountain. Ahhhh Houghton Hall at SUNY Fredonia, brings back so many memories of my 4 years spent in the science building on campus. How could I pass up a peak with the same name?
We arrive on the summit for barely first light, after a fairly easy rolling ridge.
We don't stay long, as there is a distance to go before the next peak, if we are to get it done in time before 7am! Only navigational challenge on the way to Tuttle, is to find the grassy gully on the south side of the ridge. Otherwise, it's a nice stroll to the next peak along rolling grassy tundra.
On the summit of Tuttle, we get 3G data service to update our weather forecasts for the day (since our last updates were on Wed night). Well, the weather has changed, and in our favor! No storms till 4pm. Of course, we don't quite believe 4pm, so we will still keep an eye on weather and keep moving.
From Tuttle, we get a good view of some other peaks on our radar, like Brown Mtn A, California and Hurricane. Hmmm which one next? Let's go for the ranked one first, Brown. Bob likes the named but unranked peaks, maybe we can get to those later...
On the way down Tuttle, the sun makes a few brief appearances from behind the clouds, so we feel better about continuing on. At least we will have a vehicle close by most of the day! We jump in the Finncutter 4x4 and make our way up California Pass, and then onto Hurricane Pass to find our closest access point to Brown Mtn. Looks like a short jaunt! Let's go!
The ridge up unranked Hurricane looks long, and we've gotten lazy. Let's drive over to Placer Gulch and go for a ranked peak! We run into a little 4x4 traffic, but not too bad. Once we confirm we are in the "closest spot" to start up Hanson Peak, we gear up and head up the mining road up to the saddle. From there it's a scree fest to the summit. At least boot skiing down the scree will be fun!
The Finncutters and I start to make our way over to California Mtn, but with the clouds and the length of up and downs required for this unranked peak, our enthusiasm wanes. Let's go for one more ranked peak before the storms hit!
Ah, Pt 13,075. It's so close, and so tiny! Storms are coming (around noon, it would seem, NOT 4pm) and so we speed hiked this 13er in under 20 minutes car to car. Not bad for our fastest 13er
After our lovely day of 13er mini golf, we head into Silverton for some much needed libations and refreshments! Ahhh 4x4 Love!
jasayrevt - With the forecast, I was ecstatic to be able to even think about 5 different summits!
Valerie - Very fun! Hope you are doing your ”exercises”
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.