Mount Sherman is known for being one of the easiest 14ers to climb: whether you come from the east or west, it's short, doesn't have a ton of elevation gain, is easy to follow, and was recently downgraded from class 2 to class 1 here on this very site. I climbed Sherman on 8/9/23, two days after Little Bear, figuring it would be a nice break to climb one of the easiest 14ers after climbing one of the toughest. I decided to climb from the Iowa Gulch (west) side, hoping to add 13ers Gemini and Dyer and turn the hike into a loop. The ascent of Sherman itself is equally difficult from either way, but the loop I was aiming for is shorter and easier from Iowa Gulch.

Though the main road to Iowa Gulch is closed, with a 4WD it's simple enough to go around the closure via county road 6A and get to the trailhead. If you have to go this way, I strongly recommend taking 2B instead of 2; 2 is much rougher and narrower. (Insert 2B or not 2B joke here.)

At the bottom of Quandary's east ridge route (another class 1 route considered one of the easiest 14er routes) there is a sign to warn off the unprepared, with the statement "There are no easy 14ers". This climb was a good example of how even an easy route can actually be pretty tough.

The trail begins right where the road 2 and 2B meet. The parking area is right there too: head to the lower road (2) and the trail leads straight off the there, just a few yards below the intersection. There is a narrow trail leading up into the gap between Sherman and Sheridan, but even if you can't find the trail, you should be able to see the trail up on the rocks. (You can even see it in my first picture).

So what made this climb difficult, even though Sherman is, objectively, one of the easiest 14er ascents? This day, there was a ferocious, gale-force, freezing, blasting wind. It began as soon as I left the car, and continued completely unabated for hours, finally letting up a bit when I was 15 minutes from returning to the car.

Now, it's no secret that winds zip across 14ers' ridges and summits. I've been in serious winds on Longs, Democrat, and even Little Bear just a few days prior. I expect it. But none were even CLOSE to the way Sherman was this day. I piled up a few layers, gloves, the hood of my windbreaker, sunglasses, and even a face covering. Even with all those things on, the wind was just barely bearable. Besides being bitterly cold, the wind was so vicious that it was genuinely difficult to walk, stand, or crouch. It literally blew me over at least twice. Besides the wind being so strong that you had to lean way over to remain upright, it was both incessant and constantly changing direction. I am surprised I didn't see an airborne farmhouse land on a witch.

Once you reach the saddle between Sherman and neighboring Sheridan, the routes from the two sides of Sherman converge. Turn left (if coming from Iowa Gulch as I was) or right (if coming from the east) to continue up Sherman's ridge. You can pick your path to the top: no option is steep or particularly difficult. One could debate whether the path is easy class 2 or tough class 1 - some of it seems a little rough for class 1 - but none of it is threatening.

Yes, I'm aware I look like a dorky mountaineering ninja here. But I'm trying to protect every inch of my skin from being flayed off by the the hurricane-force wind. Nearby, mutineers were relieving Captain Queeg of command of the Caine.

I really wanted to climb Gemini and Dyer. Gemini in particular looked so close from Sherman's summit! But the weather was honestly so miserable that I decided to just turn back. I couldn't hear anything but the scream of the wind; I had to spend most of the climb holding my hood in place; and staying upright was a constant challenge. I did not relish trying to locate the path down from the Dyer - Gemini saddle in those conditions. If the weather had been more pleasant, the choice to continue would have been easy. As it was, I'd had enough. Before Tea Cake could warn us that the lake was coming, I turned back.

So, I turned back. The weather did not improve as I made my way down.

At last, perhaps 15 minutes before arriving back at the car, the wind did let up a bit. I was half-expecting Prospero and Miranda to be waiting for me at the trailhead, but no such luck.

This climb was an interesting illustration for me how much outside factors can affect the difficulty and enjoyment of a climb, and how an "easy" climb can be harder than expected. Two days later, I climbed Princeton. Now, Princeton is not a super-difficult 14er, but objectively it is solidly more difficult than Sherman: It's got more elevation gain, more distance, it's steeper, and the class 2 climbing is harder. But I had lovely, comfortable weather for Princeton and it ended being quite a bit easier for me than Sherman had been in the face-melting wind.

Sherman's a great climb; quick, not steep, and without exposure; and a wonderful 14er for anyone just getting used to climbing them. But, as the warning on Quandary says, there are no easy 14ers. Even this one can be a bit of a project if conditions aren't great.