Mt. Democrat Trip Report 09/01/2023

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Mt. Democrat - 14,154 feet
Date Posted	09/01/2023
Modified	09/12/2023
Date Climbed	08/31/2023
Author	overthe59hill

Mt. Democrat
Start: 8:30 AM Reached the saddle: 10:35 AM Summit: 12:20 PM Began Descent: 1:05 PM Back to car: 3:45 PM Distance: 4.8 miles roundtrip These were my 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th 14ers six years ago, when I went in August and again in September, 2017. My second time there was with a friend who had already done Democrat and wanted to add a few more 14ers, so we skipped Democrat that time. I returned to these mountains this year so a different friend could get her 3rd, 4th, and 5th 14ers (not including Mt. Bross). I am not what I was in 2017. I could do more at age 61 than I can now at age 67. This time Democrat alone was enough for me. Our trailhead photo (I'm on the left) before we started the hike. Hikers are now required to sign a waiver to climb the mountains here. That's new this year. We did that online a few days before our hike. The weather was gorgeous! There was some wind in places, strongest on the saddle, but mostly the day was calm, with a blue sky. We only encountered about 20 other hikers coming and going. We went on a weekday after school had re-started, on August 31st, so I didn't expect a crowd. There was a lot of space to park at Kite Lake Trailhead. There were several tents when we were there. We paid $8 day use fee. I don't know what the overnight fee is. There's a restroom and the road is graded fairly well most of the way, so that might explain the fee. Delicate wildflowers. A few feet to the summit of Mt. Democrat! Our plan for this hike was to do Democrat, Cameron, and Lincoln, then backtrack down. I hate Bross in both directions, and didn't want to go anywhere near it. We were both pretty spent after doing Mt. Democrat, and were glad we got one summit. My guess is that the stretch from the Cameron/Democrat saddle to the summit of Lincoln and back to the saddle would have added about 3 miles roundtrip to our hike. After completing Democrat, the ascent up Cameron looked foreboding to us both. I forgot how steep and rocky this climb is! I have also done the southwest ridge route up La Plata Peak. People are worried about the short skree section there. HaHa! That is nothing compared to many parts of the ~3/4 mile ascent from the saddle to the summit of Democrat! The descent of Democrat was easier that the climb up through the rocks. I think the cairns here need to be addressed, we got a little off trail in a few spots. I love how the Crags route up the last half mile up Pikes Peak is so well-marked with cairns. A view of the road from the summit of Mt. Democrat. My friend on the "easier" part of the trail back down. Below are some screenshots of neighboring peaks that I took from the summit of Mt. Democrat with the Peak Finder app. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Mt. Democrat

Start: 8:30 AM

Reached the saddle: 10:35 AM

Summit: 12:20 PM

Began Descent: 1:05 PM

Back to car: 3:45 PM

Distance: 4.8 miles roundtrip

These were my 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th 14ers six years ago, when I went in August and again in September, 2017. My second time there was with a friend who had already done Democrat and wanted to add a few more 14ers, so we skipped Democrat that time.

I returned to these mountains this year so a different friend could get her 3rd, 4th, and 5th 14ers (not including Mt. Bross). I am not what I was in 2017. I could do more at age 61 than I can now at age 67. This time Democrat alone was enough for me.

22278_11 — Our trailhead photo (I'm on the left) before we started the hike.

Hikers are now required to sign a waiver to climb the mountains here. That's new this year. We did that online a few days before our hike.

The weather was gorgeous! There was some wind in places, strongest on the saddle, but mostly the day was calm, with a blue sky. We only encountered about 20 other hikers coming and going. We went on a weekday after school had re-started, on August 31st, so I didn't expect a crowd. There was a lot of space to park at Kite Lake Trailhead. There were several tents when we were there. We paid $8 day use fee. I don't know what the overnight fee is. There's a restroom and the road is graded fairly well most of the way, so that might explain the fee.

22278_02 — A few feet to the summit of Mt. Democrat!

Our plan for this hike was to do Democrat, Cameron, and Lincoln, then backtrack down. I hate Bross in both directions, and didn't want to go anywhere near it. We were both pretty spent after doing Mt. Democrat, and were glad we got one summit. My guess is that the stretch from the Cameron/Democrat saddle to the summit of Lincoln and back to the saddle would have added about 3 miles roundtrip to our hike. After completing Democrat, the ascent up Cameron looked foreboding to us both.

I forgot how steep and rocky this climb is! I have also done the southwest ridge route up La Plata Peak. People are worried about the short skree section there. HaHa! That is nothing compared to many parts of the ~3/4 mile ascent from the saddle to the summit of Democrat!

The descent of Democrat was easier that the climb up through the rocks. I think the cairns here need to be addressed, we got a little off trail in a few spots. I love how the Crags route up the last half mile up Pikes Peak is so well-marked with cairns.

22278_12 — A view of the road from the summit of Mt. Democrat.

22278_04 — My friend on the "easier" part of the trail back down.

Below are some screenshots of neighboring peaks that I took from the summit of Mt. Democrat with the Peak Finder app.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

pleiades	Nice! 9/1/2023 4:31pm I remember seeing you. I was coming down when the two of you had just gotten started at the base past the lake.
overthe59hill	I saw you 9/1/2023 6:19pm It was in the wider part of the path. I'm sure we said hello in passing. What a beautiful day for a 14er!

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