10/12/2017 Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross Posted On: 10/13/2017, By: DaveG1952 Info: Road to the trailhead was clear. Weather was good but we were only car in lot at 8 AM. 3 others later that day. Trail to Saddle had packed snow - trekking poles most helpful. No trail discernable to Cameron from Saddle due snow. Trail to Democrat visible. Turned back from Saddle due problem with companion's knees. Sun softened snow on return making it a bit more difficult than ascent. Restroom at Trailhead open. |
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9/25/2017 Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross Posted On: 9/26/2017, By: wanderlust073 Info: A fair amount of snow for most of the ascent, most of it getting stomped in to slick chutes and/or outright patches of ice. Made it up without spikes, chose to wear spikes on the way down. Partner descended without spikes and took a few spills. |
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9/11/2017 Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross Posted On: 9/13/2017, By: fishandhike Info: Trail up to democrat was mostly dry with a few wet rocks from the previous nights rain. The trail from the saddle to Cameron has pockets of snow pellets that grew in size the higher you climb. Cameron and Lincoln were mostly dry but the trail down from Bross was moist, any more so and it.would have been dangerous to go down on the smooth portion. |
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9/3/2017 Route: East Slope Posted On: 9/3/2017, By: MissStefanie Info: Lots of scree/loose rocks. Saw a lot of people slip and fall. No snow to transverse, but there are snow patches. Very busy this weekend. |
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9/2/2017 Route: Democrat - Cameron - Lincoln Posted On: 9/5/2017, By: Tripp Info: My hiking buddy and I took our 18-year-olds to climb their first 14ers over Labor Day weekend. The road to the Kite Lake trailhead was a little washboarded in places, but otherwise in great shape. The trailhead parking lot was full before 6:00a (but also in great shape). Everything else was in fine shape - except my legs and lungs! It was about 36 degrees as we headed out. We left the trailhead around 6:15a, a good hour before the sun rose in the gulch. It was pretty much a bluebird day, except for the frustrating layer of haze from the fires in the Pacific NW. We finally got some clouds in the early afternoon, but the weather was truly a non-factor. We topped Mount Democrat in just over two hours; after a hard climb, the summit was pleasantly cool, not too windy, and not too crowded for a holiday weekend. The descent back down to the saddle was steep but manageable. After a short rest, we headed up the southwest slopes of Cameron/Lincoln, making the peak of Mount Cameron by 10:30a and the summit of Mount Lincoln around 11:00a. The summit was crowded by this time (dogs and people), and smoke diminished the otherwise-spectacular views. Quandary loomed to the north, with Grays & Torreys just visible through the haze to the northeast; the Climax Mine is a blight on the landscape to the west. After a quick snack and a last look at the roof of Colorado, we shouldered our packs for the descent. Our tired feet made the trek down seem as long as the way up. We pulled back into the trailhead just before 1:30p ... mission accomplished! |
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8/26/2017 Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross Posted On: 8/26/2017, By: Muddy_Mudskipper Info: Hiked in the dark before sunrise. Trail and peak conditions ideal: dry and clear of snow. |
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8/16/2017 Route: East Slope Posted On: 8/17/2017, By: coolalertguy Info: Road to Kite Lake was open the whole way and easily driveable—we saw several passenger cars in parking lot. Campground and restrooms open as well. Early AM climbers reported high winds and slick rocks with 1-2" snow above saddle (we did have light precipitation overnight). By 10-11 am, rocks were dry, route was clean, and there were 30+ climbers on mountain. Due to late start, we decided against completing loop which was wise as a light storm rolled in about the time we got back to trailhead. |
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7/22/2017 Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross Posted On: 7/22/2017, By: Patrickk Info: Small strip of snow just before the summit of Democrat. Traction is not needed. Everywhere else on the trail is free of snow. Road to Kite Lake is rough. Good hiking! |
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7/15/2017 Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross Posted On: 7/16/2017, By: Guess_who Info: Kite lake Parking lot was open and so were the bathrooms at the trail-head. No spikes were needed for the little patch of snow that was on Cameron's trail. |
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7/5/2017 Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross Posted On: 7/9/2017, By: Brewmaster Info: Road is still closed as of 7/5/17 a larger barrier has been placed aprox .75 mile below kite lake which is chained down. US forest service has started to re-grade the parking area at Kite Lake so hopefully the road will be open soon. Great climb, route is dry minus two small sections traction is not needed. |
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7/4/2017 Route: East Slope Posted On: 7/5/2017, By: adamski3119 Info: As stated, the road up to Kite Lake is closed about a mile down from the trailhead and the bathrooms at the lake are closed, as well. Creeks were easily crossed, as were the remaining snow fields, which have a deeply trenched and packed path through them. Pretty busy, but a great hike all around! |
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7/3/2017 Route: Democrat SE slope Posted On: 7/3/2017, By: JimB22 Info: Hiking trail is in good shape, mostly dry. However, USFS still has the access road closed one mile below Kite Lake, due to snow that had blocked the road - even though it all melted ten days ago. Also one short but very rough section on the access road a half mile below the closure, 4WD needed. Very crowded parking along the road. |
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7/3/2017 Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross Posted On: 7/5/2017, By: th3jamin Info: Road is closed about a mile from the Kite Lake campground, otherwise it is in good condition except for 1 or 2 spots. All snow is avoidable and the loop is in great condition. I would advise doing the loop clockwise as climbing the crumbling rock on Bross going up seems much more difficult. |
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6/28/2017 Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross Posted On: 6/28/2017, By: ashlee03 Info: Other than the usual creek crossings (3 I believe), there were only a few areas in which you walked through a snow crossing. I didn't wear spikes, but I did find my trekking poles to be helpful as the snow was a bit icy when I began this morning and then slippery due to it melting as I was heading my way back to the trailhead. I fell a few times, so just be cautious of that. I would say the snow will be gone within a week if the weather continues to be this nice! |
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6/25/2017 Route: East Slope Posted On: 6/25/2017, By: jennincolorado Info: There is a creek to cross right after leaving TH. Rocks are stable and with some careful rock hopping you can avoid getting your shoes wet. Didn't wear my waterproof shoes, didn't have an issue. 2-3 small snow fields to cross before the saddle - didn't wear spikes and didn't feel like I needed to as the snow was good and packed down with some steps. The higher snow field right before the saddle had especially good steps. Once on the ridge there is one snow field to cross. No spikes needed - steps in the snow & rocks below it. You can actually go below the snow on the rocks if you want, but the snow was easy to cross. Before the final summit push there is a large snow field in a flatter, wide area that usually remains well into August. It's good snow, no post holing noted today even at 1230pm in the hot sun & it has little gain so relatively level. I added some pictures of some of the snow, and one of Cameron's ridge! |
