Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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Besides the 14ers of course, which Colorado County Highpoint(s) were your favorite?
I like the list in that there are some interesting mountains that might otherwise not be climbed by a more casual climber, 11ers and 12ers in pretty parts of the state that otherwise see very few traffic. I think it's even more hipster than 13ers.
Jackson, Zirkel, the Flat Tops, Orzo, Lamborn, Greenhorn, etc.
Thinking this year instead of doing centennials, I might have to branch out to the lower reaches.
I really enjoyed Hagues Peak. Interesting scramble near the end, and kind of fun knowing there was no "route" to the top. I made a blog post about it.
Thinking about a "NW Colorado" trip to 'capture' Mt. Zirkel, Clark Peak, and/or Flat Top Mt., and Orno. There are even more in the area but I don't have time to be up there for a week.
I still have 10 non-14er COHPs left, but of the ones I've done...
Vermilion--easily one of my favorites. Ice Lakes Basin is spectacular, with some of the bluest lakes I've ever seen. The views are incredible, and aside from the slightly nerve-wracking loose crap near the top, it's a fun and relatively easy climb. Really want to go back someday for Golden Horn...
Zirkel--a funky and very unusual peak with some fun scrambling in the middle of nowhere, with a long approach. There's some intense exposure that can be fun to flirt with near the summit, but it can be avoided too.
Thunder Butte--it's like Buffalo Peak's easier cousin, still some bushwhacking but pretty straightforward. Cool area--nearby 4th class Sheep Nose makes a great add-on.
Greenhorn--lots of driving, but an easy walk once you get there, and a lofty perch at the edge of the Great Plains. Amazing views, especially of the Sangres...go in September, bring the kids.
Honorable mention for the plains counties: the trio of Otero, Bent, and Prowers. Otero is just some points on a mesa rim, but is a nice little hike with some scenery. Prowers involves a surprisingly-steep little peak (Two Buttes) in the middle of flatlands, and has the distinction of being Colorado's lowest ranked peak! Bent County's candidates are spread across several mesas, many of which hold cool rock formations, but access is tight--you'd need to contact John Mitchler or Dave Covill to fine out when the next access date is.
Of the ones I have left, from what I've heard, I'm likely to enjoy West Spanish Peak the most--my planned finisher.
"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason."
— Jack Handy
Thunder Butte in Douglas and there are a few peaks around that area worth doing as well. Sheep Nose is very nice and real close by, Turkey Rock too and the mother of them all Big Rock Candy Mountain if you're a rock climber. Signal Butte in Teller is a little south! You could do Buffalo Peak with Thunder Butte, not that far away to the northwest.
I'm actually working on a project to hit all of the COHP's. I was initially aiming to do them all in 2014, but that is proving to be quite time consuming.
I'm sitting at 11 right now. I have all the Denver metro HP's except Arapahoe, which keeps moving (getting mowed down for cookie cutter houses). Thunder Butte was a fun snowshoe. I got rejected on Buffalo Peak. I was likely a bit too ambitious on that one. It'll be a brutal bushwack in the summer. With 3 feet of snow it was especially challenging. I made it to about 1/4 mile of the summit, but route finding with the snow became too daunting.
James Peak is a great winter HP. So is Elbert.
I'm headed to the flatops this weekend to snowshoe the 2 HPs up there (Flatop, and the ridge of Orzo).
Pretty much every weekend, I'll be heading somewhere. I'd love company. Near future includes Pettingell, Hagues, Black, Grays, Castle.
12ersRule wrote:
Prominence peaks too!
...
So far my favorites are: Zirkel, West Spanish Peak, and Clark Peak.
Yeah, out of limited experience, I really like Clark Pk for both reasons (COCoHP and prominence), taking the leisurely Class-2 past Blue Lakes in wildflower season.
Hagues is fun with a nice short scramble, but as a natural part of the Mummy Mania cirque route, becomes another bump that blurs with the rest, knowing that you've got some work remaining to finish up.
12ersRule wrote:
Prominence peaks too!
...
So far my favorites are: Zirkel, West Spanish Peak, and Clark Peak.
Yeah, out of limited experience, I really like Clark Pk for both reasons (COCoHP and prominence), taking the leisurely Class-2 past Blue Lakes in wildflower season.
Hagues is fun with a nice short scramble, but as a natural part of the Mummy Mania cirque route, becomes another bump that blurs with the rest, knowing that you've got some work remaining to finish up.
Maybe I'll have to go back there someday...my experience with Clark was climbing it in whiteout conditions in the middle of a fall snowstorm! Not the most pleasant time. However, Medicine Bow Peak further north in the same range (a Wyoming county HP, almost a twofer) remains one of my favorite mountains I've ever done, by far. Just stunning...
"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason."
— Jack Handy
ChrisinAZ wrote:
Maybe I'll have to go back there someday...my experience with Clark was climbing it in whiteout conditions in the middle of a fall snowstorm! Not the most pleasant time. However, Medicine Bow Peak further north in the same range (a Wyoming county HP, almost a twofer) remains one of my favorite mountains I've ever done, by far. Just stunning...
re: Clark, Oh, you should go back -- given a nice weather-window/non-monsoon day, it's a nice walk, that my wife enjoyed as well. Wildflowers, running waterfalls, similar to IPW but without the crowds.
Medicine Bow Pk -- great call, another great county HP more accessible to the Front Range than most CO Co HP's. You're right, I think that's one of the best alpine bang-for-the-buck Class 2 hikes (or jogs) around, on a nice low-wind day...and a loop to boot!
