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"...
We drove to Leadville on Friday night so that we could start early on Saturday morning. Up at 5:15
and on the trailhead by 6:45am. The parking lot at the trail head was quite full, but the trail itself was far from crowded. We signed in at the register and were off. The morning was quite brisk, but we warmed quickly as we got moving.
By the time we reached the footbridge (7:20am) the sun finally reached us and it got kinda toasty.
We passed, and were passed by, a couple of hikers wearing boarding/skate shoes with a couple of very excited and happy dogs. The trail continued and after a quick hop across some stepping stones through a fairly soggy bit of trail.
We reached the first meadow at 8:11am - photo op!
Into the trees again, we stopped to look back at the path we had taken
Into the clearing before the shoulder by 8:26am and were presented with some awesome views of Mt. Harvard. My hiking buddy moved during my panorama shot, so he got photographically cloned. 8)
We lost the trail for a moment, but figured that the shoulder is on our right, so that was the best way to go. Sure enough, we picked it up again pretty quickly.
About 10 minutes after regaining the trail, we arrived at some never-melt, which would prove to be a true blessing on the way back down. After a brief rest and a snack, we began the arduous trek up the gully. We could see a group of people going straight up, rather than detouring to the shoulder - probably because thy lost the trail, and not by original intent.
At 9:02am we started up the gully in earnest. The trail was very loose and required paying close attention to where one stepped. As speculated previously, the trail from the gully to the shoulder was very difficult to locate. That's probably why a group ahead of us decided to take the direct route up the gully. A few large rocks came rolling down as a result of their efforts.
By using my trusty camera to zoom in, we were able to relocate the trail by identifying small cairns on the shoulder. By 9:23am, we began our scramble out of the gully. Once we got onto the shoulder about 10 minutes later, the route became apparent again. and was well marked with cairn and orange target thingys stapled into the ground.
The climb up the gully, and onto the shoulder was difficult, but I think that the push from shoulder to ridge was harder. Especially considering the amazing views looming large behind us. It is really hard to make forward progress when there are such incredibly majestic views behind ya.
By 10:51, we had reached the ridge line, and the views just kept getting better. The entire ridge was ablaze with wildflowers. It smelled amazing: spicy, peppery, sweet, and sometimes foul. We could see several hikers in front of us making the final push to the summit.
Summit: 11:33am
As I understand it, the group in the center of this pano was planning on continuing the traverse to Mt. Harvard. By the time we got back into Buena Vista, some nasty looking clouds were rolling in. I hope they made it thru ok.
This couple asked if I'd take their picture, so I obliged... OH, with THEIR camera? ok...
Beginning the descent at 12:13pm. On the way down, the dogs from earlier were 'dog' tired. The brown dog, 'Earl,' was of a mindset that since I as going slow, too, that he'd rather mosey along at my pace, than that of his owner. The dogs were definitely not as enthusiastic as they had been on the way up.
Retrun to MicroGlacier: 1:35pm - I took the opportunity to ice down my knees and wrap one in a knee brace for the remainder of the hike. The dogs were rolling around in the snow, and I'm sure it felt as good on their knees and paws as it did on mine.
As we trekked down from the snow patch, we diverged onto the left fork and reconnected to the main trail, bypassing the pre-shoulder clearing (re: 8:26am) . We reached the first meadow at 1:54pm
And a kinda cool butterfly pic, cuz you don't see to many of those posted here
w00t! The Trailhead: 3:15pm Time to hunt down a couple of McD's #1 Combos!
More pix here:
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Comments or Questions
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.
