Little Bear Peak Trip Report 09/06/2009

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Little Bear Peak - 14,041 feet
Date Posted	09/06/2009
Date Climbed	09/02/2009
Author	Ace

Go Big or Go Home, 1ST 14ER
It finally happened. After 3 attempts and 3 years of planning, researching, reading trip reports and dreaming, we finally made it. We reached the summit of Little Bear! Like I said, this trip was 3+ years in the making; Here is the back story. I started coming to Colorado in 2005 to attend the Firefighter Memorial service in Colorado Springs, where they put my best friend's name on our wall. Thank you Local 5 for all the hard work you do. In 2006 my brother and I started an annual tradition of a late August or early September trip north for camping and climbing. That first year we climbed West Spanish Peak, and I began an obsession with climbing mountains and thin air. West Spanish Peak was fun, but I wanted bigger. I stumbled across this little website called 14ers.com, and it literally changed my life. My brother (Kris) and I (Kenny) started planning a trip up to Lake Como where we would easily climb what is widely regarded as the most difficult 14er, and maybe throw in Blanca and Ellingwood for fun. Reality set in somewhere around JAWS 1. To make a long story short, we never made it past the creek crossing. The second year we decided to try it again, only this time we would bring our humble pie with us, with a side of realism. If just getting to the trail was this hard, maybe people are not just being facetious when they say the mountain has one of the most difficult standard routes. We made it through the hourglass when I started feeling like crap. Headache, nausea, dizzy....We turned around. At the top of the hourglass. That was hard. Fast forward 1 year. This time I really researched. I worked out. I drank water. I added 2 days to the trip to acclimate. I was ready. And I made it! We unloaded our 4 wheelers at the bottom of Lake Como Road , just before the cobblestone hell..er....road...starts. Kris and I really wanted to minimize what we took up the mountain this year to make some of obstacles on the road a little easier to negotiate. Even with our quads, it still took us 2 hours to make it to the lake. We set up camp directly across from the turn off for Little bear, our objective, thanks to some good advice from the forum members. Last year our attempt kept us on the mountain for 12 hours (remember that I got sick, and there was a lot of traffic at the hourglass that we waited on since we knew that we would be moving slower than everyone else). Hoping that this year we would be going farther, and early start was the order of the day. We were on the trail at 0200 to a full moon and bright stars. The initial gully is, to me, the hardest part of the entire trail, even more so than the hourglass. It is steep, long, loose and in no shape, form or fashion pleasant. Last year it took me nearly 2 hours to make it up. It took 45 minutes this year. I had to wait just a little for Kris to make it up. The traverse across the ridge was easier than I remembered, even though we kept ending up on a trail that was too low. It was difficult to keep eyes on the trail in the dark, but not impossible we thought. Until we missed the hourglass and had to wait until daylight to find out we had gone 2 gullies past it. Then we thought it was difficult. The trip up the hourglass was uneventful, and pleasant even I would say this year since there was no one within sight or shouting distance above or below us. After that, things became interesting. For all the research I've done, I just have not found all that much beta for the route above the hourglass. I have read numerous reports of people getting "cliffed out" and having to backtrack. I was always curious as to how that happens. Now I know. From standing down stage of the anchor looking up, we took an 11 o'clock direction, just trying to stay on solid rock and not knock anything loose, occasionally finding a cairn. Then we went up and over a small ridge. Some more going up, actual climbing type stuff, then over another ridge. I was worried initially not about going up and over these ridges, but coming back down them! After about another 100 yards of scrambling, we made the summit. I was surprised how every step had to be placed precisely. That was easily the longest I've been in a "no mistake" zone. There are several cairned routes up that you can see from the top, but I felt good about the way we took having the least amount of potential to knock loose stuff down on those who may come below us. I cannot in words describe how it feels to look at y'alls pictures for 3 years and then finally get to see the same views for myself. Amazing is as close as it gets. Another climber had caught up to us shortly before the summit, and we exchanged pleasantries and pictures with him before he went back down. We spent another 30 minutes or so (for about an hour total) on the summit before heading back down. On the way down we met a couple who one of which was on her 14er finisher, and the gentleman was on his "second time around" finisher. We expressed our amazement at their feat, congratulated them, small talked a little and then headed back down. Going down was not near as bad as I thought it would be; In fact I thought it was easier than fighting gravity the other way. I can't thank you guys enough for all the insight and advice you give here daily. Also, thanks Bill for maintaining this site. Like I said, it literally has changed my life. Finally, thanks to my family for allowing this trip and the support you give me. Next year we plan on going back to climb Blanca and Ellingwood. And I can't wait! Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Go Big or Go Home, 1ST 14ER

It finally happened. After 3 attempts and 3 years of planning, researching, reading trip reports and dreaming, we finally made it. We reached the summit of Little Bear!

Like I said, this trip was 3+ years in the making; Here is the back story. I started coming to Colorado in 2005 to attend the Firefighter Memorial service in Colorado Springs, where they put my best friend's name on our wall. Thank you Local 5 for all the hard work you do. In 2006 my brother and I started an annual tradition of a late August or early September trip north for camping and climbing. That first year we climbed West Spanish Peak, and I began an obsession with climbing mountains and thin air. West Spanish Peak was fun, but I wanted bigger. I stumbled across this little website called 14ers.com, and it literally changed my life.

My brother (Kris) and I (Kenny) started planning a trip up to Lake Como where we would easily climb what is widely regarded as the most difficult 14er, and maybe throw in Blanca and Ellingwood for fun. Reality set in somewhere around JAWS 1. To make a long story short, we never made it past the creek crossing.

The second year we decided to try it again, only this time we would bring our humble pie with us, with a side of realism. If just getting to the trail was this hard, maybe people are not just being facetious when they say the mountain has one of the most difficult standard routes. We made it through the hourglass when I started feeling like crap. Headache, nausea, dizzy....We turned around. At the top of the hourglass. That was hard.

Fast forward 1 year. This time I really researched. I worked out. I drank water. I added 2 days to the trip to acclimate. I was ready. And I made it!

We unloaded our 4 wheelers at the bottom of Lake Como Road , just before the cobblestone hell..er....road...starts. Kris and I really wanted to minimize what we took up the mountain this year to make some of obstacles on the road a little easier to negotiate. Even with our quads, it still took us 2 hours to make it to the lake.

We set up camp directly across from the turn off for Little bear, our objective, thanks to some good advice from the forum members.

Last year our attempt kept us on the mountain for 12 hours (remember that I got sick, and there was a lot of traffic at the hourglass that we waited on since we knew that we would be moving slower than everyone else). Hoping that this year we would be going farther, and early start was the order of the day. We were on the trail at 0200 to a full moon and bright stars.

The initial gully is, to me, the hardest part of the entire trail, even more so than the hourglass. It is steep, long, loose and in no shape, form or fashion pleasant.

Last year it took me nearly 2 hours to make it up. It took 45 minutes this year. I had to wait just a little for Kris to make it up. The traverse across the ridge was easier than I remembered, even though we kept ending up on a trail that was too low. It was difficult to keep eyes on the trail in the dark, but not impossible we thought. Until we missed the hourglass and had to wait until daylight to find out we had gone 2 gullies past it. Then we thought it was difficult.

The trip up the hourglass was uneventful, and pleasant even I would say this year since there was no one within sight or shouting distance above or below us. After that, things became interesting.

For all the research I've done, I just have not found all that much beta for the route above the hourglass. I have read numerous reports of people getting "cliffed out" and having to backtrack. I was always curious as to how that happens. Now I know. From standing down stage of the anchor looking up, we took an 11 o'clock direction, just trying to stay on solid rock and not knock anything loose, occasionally finding a cairn. Then we went up and over a small ridge. Some more going up, actual climbing type stuff, then over another ridge. I was worried initially not about going up and over these ridges, but coming back down them! After about another 100 yards of scrambling, we made the summit. I was surprised how every step had to be placed precisely. That was easily the longest I've been in a "no mistake" zone. There are several cairned routes up that you can see from the top, but I felt good about the way we took having the least amount of potential to knock loose stuff down on those who may come below us.
I cannot in words describe how it feels to look at y'alls pictures for 3 years and then finally get to see the same views for myself. Amazing is as close as it gets.

Another climber had caught up to us shortly before the summit, and we exchanged pleasantries and pictures with him before he went back down. We spent another 30 minutes or so (for about an hour total) on the summit before heading back down. On the way down we met a couple who one of which was on her 14er finisher, and the gentleman was on his "second time around" finisher. We expressed our amazement at their feat, congratulated them, small talked a little and then headed back down.

Going down was not near as bad as I thought it would be; In fact I thought it was easier than fighting gravity the other way.
I can't thank you guys enough for all the insight and advice you give here daily. Also, thanks Bill for maintaining this site. Like I said, it literally has changed my life. Finally, thanks to my family for allowing this trip and the support you give me.

Next year we plan on going back to climb Blanca and Ellingwood. And I can't wait!

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

coolguykris	Awesome 14er 9/7/2009 4:26pm I would just like to emphasize the difficulty above the hour glass. The hour glass does not scare me at all. I have even been pelted with a rock there. I would agree with my brother that the gully is the difficult part of the climb. Little Bear was our first 14er and it definitely lives up to its reputation.
Lucky	Way to go 9/7/2009 4:44pm Congrats on an awesome summit and great story on what it took to get there. Way to stay with it and good luck on future climbs!
centrifuge	congrats 9/7/2009 9:21pm very nice! congrats, it sounds like all your hard work paid off :)
huffy13	Very impressive! 9/9/2009 1:51am Little Bear looks like a very difficult and rewarding climb for even the experienced climber...but for your 1st? Insane! :shock: Great Report, look forward to seeing future reports too!
Ace	Thanks 9/9/2009 2:14am for the kind words guys! I look forward to adding numerous reports in the future...
vorticity	Super Job 9/27/2009 3:20pm Very nice work guys. This report will help me next year. I have to get this one knocked out so I can stop thinking about it.
curt	Well done! 5/4/2010 4:35pm Great report - humble and informative. Good luck in future climbs! :)
KentonB	Congrats! 1/5/2011 5:15pm We climbed Little Bear 2 days before you. It was my 16th Fourteener and we stuck around to do Blanca & Ellingwood the following day. Little Bear truly is a unique climb. Our group was surprised at the incredible amount of loose rock everywhere on this mountain. Like nothing we'd seen before.

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