9/12/2011 Route: Road to Trailhead Posted On: 9/13/2011, By: byteman Info: I was out there on Monday 9/12 and a sign indicated road closures "beginning 9/12/11" at the start of the road to the trailhead. I made it up to Kite Lake anyway but on the way back out there was definitely at least one piece of heavy equipment moved in and the road was barricaded at the Hwy 9 turn. I haven‘t researched this closure any further but you may want to do so before heading out there. I‘d also note that the road is *barely* passable in a standard 2WD auto, say a Honda Civic for instance. |
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9/10/2011 Route: East Slope Posted On: 9/10/2011, By: gyrogearloose Info: As of Saturday 09/10/2011, there is a sign posted on the dirt road from Alma to Kite lake saying that the road will be closed from 7am to 7pm starting on 09/12/2011. There is no end date. The sign is hand written, which suggests that it was not put there by the county. There is new and active mining activity at two locations on the north side of the road about a mile from Alma. I suspect the closure has something to do with this. If this sign is taken literally, there is a risk that those hikers who arrive before 7am will be trapped and unable to leave until 7pm. |
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7/31/2011 Route: East Slope Posted On: 7/31/2011, By: forbins_mtn Info: Mt. Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross were all clear today. Perfect conditions the whole way. The trailhead is clear and my 2WD 1998 Honda Accord made it to Kite Lake just fine. You‘re gonna have to weave your way around potholes, but you‘ll make it with pretty much any vehicle. There was supposed to be a 50% chance of rain around noon, and it was glorious all day. So go hit these mountains! |
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7/9/2011 Route: East Slope Posted On: 7/9/2011, By: toekramp Info: While I managed to get my vehicle stuck in a snow drift on Friday the 8th, on Saturday they had plowed the road to allow easy access all the way to the Kite Lake parking area. There are several snow fields still on the Democrat / Cameron / Lincoln / Bross loop but nothing that requires crampons or even gaiters for that matter. Great hike! |
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7/2/2011 Route: East Slope Posted On: 7/2/2011, By: hunterwf Info: Road to Kite Lake is still not open all the way, its pretty close though. Some snow to navigate in the Kite Lake area but no traction devices required. Absolute traffic jam at the split for Cameron and Democrat. Must have been 50 people on the mountain in that area at 8am. Got past all those people and it was pretty clear the rest of the way to the summit. A few snow fields still but nothing major. Route to Cameron and Lincoln is 95% snow free. |
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6/5/2011 Route: East Slope Posted On: 6/13/2011, By: plasticman Info: On the date of this report, there was approximately 2.5 miles of road to climb before hitting kite lake. You are basically parking at the gate. Large drifts will make 4 wheeled vehicles think twice about proceeding. Dirt bike or snow machine (eeh) would make it up just fine. Skin the creek bed on the approach as most of the snow has blown and melted from sections of the road making it an agonizing switch from skins to pack (but easy if you‘re walking). There is a nice bootpack up the winter route making for an easier ascent. Skinned up to just below 13k‘ and switched to crampons. Stability was excellent. Skied from below the rocks off the false summit face down the gut- very silky and smooth around 9am. Took the ramp down just above Kite Lake and coasted across the flats to the outhouse. Keep in the creek bed for more skiing (downhill motion) and pop out to the road to walk the last 1.5 miles or so back to the car. |
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5/13/2011 Route: East Slope Posted On: 5/16/2011, By: Wally82 Info: Road snowed in from Paris Mill where the snow drifts were over 20‘ covering the road. Snowshoed up about 2 miles sinking over 12" in many places. Wednesday they had over 12" and over 6" on Thursday. Could see the Th in the distance with little site of any rocks and just a spot of the bathroom. Seemed to be surrounded by snow. Did not attempt to summit. Snow was not packed at all. Will try another day. Al-Mart, store in town of Alma said road would be inaccessible for many more weeks. |
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3/6/2011 Route: East Slope Posted On: 3/8/2011, By: SwitzerBoard Info: Easy snowshoe conditions on the road from Paris Mill to Kite Lake. From the lake TH, good snowshoeing up to 12,700 onto the East slope. The slope to the saddle is a rough combination of deep snow and shallow rock fields. The ridge is an even worse mix of deep snow drifts, hard and windblown ice/snow, and rocks. No consistency for snowshoe/crampon/boot use. Didn't get above 13,700 but if you can handle those conditions the top didn't seem like it'd be much different. |
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2/18/2011 Route: East Slope Posted On: 2/18/2011, By: Artvandalay Info: I was at Kite Lake today with the intention of climbing DeCaLiBron. I ended up only climbing Democrat due to bad weather rolling in. You pretty much need a snowmobile if you‘re gonna get past Paris Mill so count on adding 6 miles RT to your day. Plenty of snow On Democrat for skiers. With the wind sweeping through you may find yourself in a foot of powder followed abruptly by hard packed ice. Not as much ice in the basin however. |
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1/8/2011 Route: East Slope Posted On: 1/9/2011, By: hollamby Info: Climbed DeCaLiBro Saturday, beautiful day overall. Parked at the standard winter closure 2.8 miles from the lake. Snowshoes would have been nice for the road (it was clear then wind drift section, clear wind drift...annoying) and the basin. Other than that not enough snow for skis or snowshoes. Pretty much very wind sweep conditions. Left the car at 4:15am back at 1pm, post holing the road and basin slowed us up for sure. Sorry for those of you I said I would post conditions right up, I got home and had a surprise 14ers party waiting for me. Image 1: Deocrat Image 2: Cameron Image 3: Lincoln Image 4: Bross |
