1 is a view of Mt. Democrat during the drive up the Kite Lake road. From the parking area, follow the blocked road north near the lake and past a few camping spots -
2 and
3. Continue north and ascend to the Kentucky Belle Mine at 12,400' -
4,
5 and
6. Follow the trail onto Democrat's east slopes (
7) and ascend a rugged slope, near 12,600' -
8. Near 12,800' (
9), ascend a few switchbacks to reach 13,000' where the trail turns right and heads north across the east slope -
10. Continue north to reach the Democrat-Cameron saddle
at 13,400' -
11.
From the saddle, turn left and follow the trail west up the ridge -
12. After approximately 200 feet, the trail turns left and traverses southwest across the slope -
13 and
14. After a long stretch of trail that spans much of the slope, the terrain becomes steeper and there are few small switchbacks that lead to the top of the slope. Continue to reach the summit ridge
near 13,900' -
15.
Walk over to the final pitch (
16) and follow the trail up to the summit
-
17.
SUMMIT OPEN, FOR NOW
