Mt. Democrat

Route: South Slope - Right Couloir to SE Ridge
Posted On: 2/8/2015, By: jekramak
Info: Climbed Democrat (and Cameron, Bross) via what looks like the longest (steepest?) couloir on its south face, then continued to the summit along the SE Ridge. Snow on approach was fine with only an occasional bit of post-holing - took snowshoes but did not use them. The couloir itself was about half awesome climbing and half waist deep swimming in thick glop up to around 50 degrees. At the time of climbing i judged there to be minimal avi hazard. Used crampons the entire length of the couloir but probably could have gotten away with out them. Upper portion of SE ridge and good portions of the trails to Cameron and Bross were mostly windswept with no traction or flotation devices needed. Pretty windy on the summits and ridge-lines and was gusting hard enough between Cameron and Bross to knock me over. Bluebird skies turned ominous as I was leaving the summit of Bross but all of the precip passed to the south. Overall, it was fine day in the hills. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 1/30/2015, By: djmansavage
Info: Parking area at Paris Mill approx 2.5 miles from the trail head. The remainder of the road is wind blown, sun baked, hard-pack, no need for snowshoes. The trail is clearly visible on the opposite side of Kite Lake and did take some post-holing to get to. The trail disappears around the Kentucky Belle Mine but you can easily hike straight up the firm, shallow snow field in the initial ascent towards the saddle around 12,400‘. At the top of the snowfield two large cairns allow you to reconnect with the trail. Not much for snow left on the east slope so getting to the saddle is pretty straight forward. The snow loaded trail is easy follow, spikes definitely helped. Once at the saddle there are some wind loaded areas but enough exposed rock to scramble up the ridge line and the trail is just visible enough every so often to stay on track. The trail traverses to the left just below a heavily wind loaded area and then disappears under the snow. The lookers left edge of the snow field was very firm making for a quick ascent to the top of the east slope with spikes. From there, an easy walk to the summit. Only slightly sketchy part was coming down from the top of the east slope to reconnect with the trail traversing back to the saddle. Steep and slick, could have used poles. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 12/17/2014, By: climber49er
Info: The road is still snowed in, 3 miles from Kite Lake Trailhead. You would need a serious 4wd with chains to get all the way to the TH, we parked on the paved road and hiked. We used microspikes which worked well. Snowshoes on the road are probably not a great idea, you hike through alternating patches of snow and gravel. The snow on the road to the TH was soft and varied from 8 inches to 2 ft. I would definitely take snowshoes and trekking poles with you, otherwise you will be post-holing all the way up to the peak. Some deeper snow at the end of the road, then it gets progressively deeper after the TH. We hit some strong headwinds on the hike in; we started at 6:30 AM. The rest of the day was gorgeous weather, probably 30 - 40‘s. There was snow all the way to the peak, varying from 1 to 3 feet. It took us 6 hours without snowshoes to reach the false peak. We made the personal call not to attempt the summit given the time of day and our condition. We had a party of 3, none of which had done a winter 14er. We were the only one ones on trail, although I did spot a couple of tracks that looked like a mountain lion had been around the trailhead recently. The snow ascending to the false peak was deep, 1 - 3 feet, but not a deal breaker, not sure snowshoes would help given the amount of rocks. Round trip was 8.5 hours for novice hikers. YMMV. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 12/5/2014, By: Nelson
Info: Right now you can drive to Paris Mill and no further. It means an extra six miles, some of which is road and some of which is snow from 6 to 12 inches. After Kite Lake you need snow shoes until about 12,800. When I got to the saddle I noticed a hanging snowfield under the false summit of Democrat. It's about 200-300 vertical feet. I doubt if it would bury you but it could take you over a thousand feet of rock. I elected to climb Cameron. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 10/6/2014, By: Crestoner
Info: Trail is icy from the Democrat-Cameron saddle to the plateau. Nice snow on summit pitch...unconsolidated, ~18" deep. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 9/29/2014, By: Rambler
Info: Started 3am on 9/28. Very windy and minimal visibility from saddle of Dem/Cam. Made it very cold, my poles iced over but no thunder or precip to speak of, just gusty clouds. Once on Cameron had to use compass to orient as there was less than 20 ft of visibility. Very foggy the whole rest of the route with no break until descending around Bross. 

Route: Democrat-Cameron-Lincoln-Bross Combo
Posted On: 9/28/2014, By: CO_GPS_Guy
Info: Early morning (in the dark) ascent of Democrat followed by the loop to Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross. A couple patches of snow off the trail from recent storms. Trails in good shape. Some frost/mud area in the areas keeping the most shade the longest. No problems with any of the trail. Not too many hikers (about 45) on the trails -- much less crowded than summer peak time. Had some lone summit time on each one. Highest wind was 15mph on Cameron. Bypass below Bross is fine -- the regular descent into Kite Lake is steep and slippery (scree) as advertised. Nighttime low at Kite Lake was 38 -- some frost but nothing frozen. Daytime high high 50s on the peaks. Some clouds building at 12:30 departure and the trail head was less than half full then -- not even down to the switchback. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 9/23/2014, By: ForeignMoss
Info: Be ready for really windy conditions. It was eXtremely gusty (estimate 55mph), particularly just past the Democrat-Cameron saddle going up either peak as well as along all the ridges. The hairiest part was ascending the first 50 meters from the saddle toward the Democrat summit, then it becomes more manageable as there's a bit of protection as the trail continues to the side of the ridge, instead of on top. A tiny dusting of icy snow at the top of each peak, but nothing to get excited about--definitely no need for traction. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 9/12/2014, By: mtgirl
Info: Standard route to Democrat was clear of snow this morning. Some snow on the trail between Cameron and Lincoln, but it doesn‘t pose any issues and no traction is needed. Road is a little rough the last quarter mile, but my friend made it up in a Prius quite easily. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 7/21/2014, By: jayj
Info: Environmental conditions experienced on Mt. Demcrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross were excellent and fair. During the ascent/decent, basic exposure to medium/high winds and the normal occurance of cold conditions for a high altitude summit were experienced. However, temperature fluctuations were felt as all three summits were a bit warmer then normal. 

Route: North Couloir
Posted On: 7/14/2014, By: Mike Shepherd
Info: Democrat has good snow coverage, both the apron and the couloir are covered in snow, and the snow is not runneled and sun cupped like many other routes are this time of year. Because it is inset it will be rock hard in the shade. Consider about a 3 am start time or bivouac the night before and expect a long day. I will be including a trip report to describe the route and some of the difficulties I encountered, mainly on the descent. 

Route: Decalibron
Posted On: 7/13/2014, By: vidoona
Info: It‘s about a 2:30 drive from Denver to Kite Lake. The dirt road to Kite Lake is as previously described. The parking lot is full by 5:45 AM on a Saturday, but there is plenty of parking down the road. Stream crossings are easy; we didn‘t get wet. There is one small patch of well-trampled and mostly flat snow that is 50 ft long near the summit. There is only one small section on decalibro that can be considered a scramble and it‘s very manageable. The descent off of the Bross bypass trail is loose as has been well documented, but no worse than many other 14er descents. Wind varied, but peaked upwards of 30 MPH. Sun is intense. Total decalibro time was around 6:30 in no particular rush. First rain drops fell as we finished around 12:30 PM. The conga line of the masses leaving the trailhead appeared to start at 7:00 AM, so as always, start early to avoid the crowds and decrease the chances of your hike being cut short by the monsoon. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 7/9/2014, By: Lametown
Info: My three room mates and I summited Mt. Democrat on July 7, 2014. For one of them, it was her very first 14er attempt (and a success). The road up to kite lake is in great condition as 14er dirt roads go. We were in a Subaru Outback and had no issues. There are some big bumps and a few small washouts, but I think a careful driver could easily manage to get a small 2WD coup up with no problem. We got a bit of a late start, leaving the trailhead at Kite Lake around 9am. The parking lot was mostly full by then, even on a Monday. Temperatures ranged from about 50 degrees to high forties at the top. Strong winds, strong sun. Be sure to bring a shell jacket to protect you from the winds on top and coming down. We took the normal route via the East Slopes. There are one or two spots where you might get your feet wet crossing streams, but one of our party completed the hike in a pair of tennis shoes with no issues. However, I'd suggest something with some ankle support for the upper-middle portion of the hike. The trail is completely free of snow except for one 100 meter stretch just below the summit and another just as you reach the saddle of Democrat and Cameron. However, you shouldn't need yaktraks or anything like that. The snow portion is on a flat part of the route, and a fall would not expose you to any harm other than to your pride. The path through the snow is well-tracked, so don't worry about getting your boots wet. The trail gets rough after reaching the saddle. There are a couple switchbacks and then the trail becomes a scramble. It's not difficult, but take your time. You could easily sprain an ankle if you don't watch your step. There are a lot of lose rocks and plenty of scree. Coming down is more difficult. But other than a few hundred meters of scrambling, the route is entirely a clear trail. The summit is totally free of snow. The only thing up there for us was the blue sky, strong winds, and an approaching afternoon storm. An easy hike and a good 14er for beginners. We would have continued on for the combo of Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross but for two of our party being woefully out of shape and nursing some sore knees. Next time! Be sure to enjoy a nice dip of your worn-out feet in the creek below Kite Lake after you finish. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 6/23/2014, By: MTNdrew
Info: Kite Lake road is clear to TH with a full lot for a Sunday climb. Started on Democrat‘s east face trail, snaking through some small snow fields, and run off. No snowshoes, crampons, or snow climbing gear required. I went up in my Salomon trail runners with no issues all day. Tread carefully, as the snow does cover these streams; don‘t want to post hole into some frigid water... The main switchbacks up the east face of Democrat are mostly snow covered. There is one long traverse across a section, but it is very well trodden. As you continue to climb up the east slope, stay LEFT of the large snow field. This section is a slight scramble, but a path is clear to the false summit. Descending to Cameron, Lincoln, (and Bross) all was very smooth compared to Democrat. No snow on any of these summits. Have a great hike, and take a fun slide down the lower snow fields to make the way down a bit more enjoyable -drew 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 6/22/2014, By: Andymcp1
Info: There is still 3 snowfields on the standard route. One is shortly after the parking lot when heading up the first headwall, the second is a short traverse, and the third is near the summit and is much larger. The first two snowfields have a trench through them and are easy to navigate, the large one near the summit can be completely avoided by sticking directly to the ridge. There are also a few smaller snow fields on the rest of the route, but nothing difficult to deal with or cause concern, they are well worn in and melting quick.