Rocky Mountain High

[randell]

Just got back from my first trip to Colorado.  I have a lot of photos to go through and a trip report to write.  In the meantime, here is what hiking to the top of the highest point in Colorado by the moonlight is like:



Fortunately, once you get to the top and the clouds break, the dawn light is unbelievable:

[Roy]

   Way to go Randell.  Cool pics, too.
You got me by about 150ft; I made it up Longs Peak once (many moons ago).

[homerboy2u]

This is in planet earth?....in July,right?....

[randell]

This is in planet earth?....in July,right?....

In the middle of August, actually.  But yes, I had the same feeling when I was there.

[randell]

THURSDAY
I have been wanting to go to Colorado for a long time.  However, for some reason or another the plans kept getting put off.  I finally made it.  Last Thursday I hoped on a plane and headed for Denver.  My main concern was altitude sickness since I live in Houston.  For the past three months I have been doing increasingly grueling workouts to prepare myself and in the process lost 25 pounds and got in the best shape of my life. 

The flight went amazingly well.  No lost luggage, no late flights, I even got a free drink on the plane!  I arrived in Denver at 8:30am and drove straight to Mount Evans.  Mount Evans is at 14er that you can drive to.  It is less touristy than Pikes Peak and has the highest paved road in North America.  I figured this would give me a chance to see how my body would react to the altitude.  The drive up the mountain is a narrow, winding 14 mile road with outstanding views. 



West Chicago Creek runs under the road at one point and I stopped to check it out.



Further up the road I was thrilled to find a group of mountain goats.  Seeing some wildlife I had never seen before was one of my goals!



The parking lot is about 150 ft in elevation lower than the actual summit.  You have to hike up to the summit on a trail.  The summit was shrouded in clouds and as I stepped out of the car I was a bit lightheaded.  I hoped this would go away before tomorrow when I planned to actually hike my first 14er.  I walked up to the summit and it was surprisingly cold and windy.  I set up my tripod and took a few quick shots.





As I was taking photos it started to snow!  The snow kept getting on my lens and just as I was trying to realign it for another photo a crack of thunder came out of nowhere startling everyone.  I head a buzzing-crackling sound and thought it was my camera.  I put the camera to my ear and realized it was my tripod!  Realizing the danger I grabbed my stuff and started jogging back down to the parking lot...I was not ready to be struck by lighting.

At the rocks near the parking lot was a few mountain goats playing around.  They were really close so I took the opportunity to snap a better photo.



After spending some time on Mount Evans I drove to the foot of Mount Sherman, the 14er I would hike tomorrow.  There are two forest service campgrounds that I hoped to find a campsite at and I was lucky enough to get a spot at the Fourmile campground, the campground closest to the trailhead.  The sites were nicely spaced out so I set up to use my tarp.  I had brought my tent but really didn't want to use it.  I wasn't even going to use the tarp but it looked like it might rain so I set the tarp up and ate dinner.



After going through my gear and getting everything ready for my summit bid in the morning I went to bed early.  I had thought about waking up before dawn but I decided to sleep in to give my body more time to acclimate. 

[randell]

FRIDAY
I woke up about 7am after a restless night.  It had sprinkled on and off and I can never sleep well on the first few nights of a camping trip anyway.  I made breakfast, broke camp, and drove to the trailhead.  There were several other cars there.  The trail starts at treeline (12,000 feet) and climbs to 14,036 feet and the top of Mount Sherman for a total of 5.4 miles round trip. 

The weather was still overcast to the point that I could not see the summit, which was disappointing.  After cloudy weather on Mount Evans the day before I was hoping for better views today.  No such luck.  The hike went past an old mine that was very fascinating.  A stream came out of a barred up mine shaft and the remains of buildings and tracks were nearby.  The view back down the valley I had hiked up was very nice at this point.



Higher up the mountain I entered the fog and the remains of miners housing that was very spooky looking considering the weather.








(note to photographers: I was playing with HDR some on this trip.  I did not like the results on landscapes for the most part.  I got better results just using the tonal contrast tool that comes with Nik Software.  However, for the photographs of the ruins it produced a nice result [IMHO] in photographs where the shadows and highlights were so extreme that a single photograph could not capture the contrast.)

Looking back down to the valley I had just hiked up from:


At the ruins I met a photojournalist intern who had just returned from a month in Bangladesh and was hiking the summit with his father.  We chatted for a while and hiked most of the summit together.  Further up the trail there was nothing but rock.  Lots of rock.  Not limestone, but solid rock that was very easy to ascend.  I brought my Vasque hiking boots but wanted to try my lightweight North Face Prophecy shoes (with Vibram soles).  The performed very well.

We entered the cloud as the trail became very narrow on a ridge that dropped off sharply on either side.


Hiking became steeper but I was did not feel it was any harder than hiking Guadalupe Peak or the South Rim.  I guess I was acclimatized!  It was actually easier than climbing Guadalupe Peak in April because I had worked so hard to get in shape.  I finally reached the summit in the cloud and while I was disappointed there were no views, I was ecstatic to have actually made my first real 14er hike!



In a few minutes another group arrived and with them was a 6 year old boy!  He was having a great time and was very happy to have just hiked his first 14er.  This made me very excited because I am really looking forward to getting my 5 year old to do some longer hikes with me.  I snapped a photo to show my 5  year old.



The boys father said he (the father) had hiked over a hundred mountains in Colorado and rarely saw weather like this.  Upon sharing my lightning story from the previous day he said he had once seen a guy get struck by lightning 10 feet from him.  The lightning struck the guy behind the ear and came out his chest in a rather messy manner, killing him.  Yikes!  He also told me he had seen another guy from Houston turn around back down the trail because he couldn't make it.  I felt pretty good about myself even though I was standing next to a 6 year old (it's all about your personal victories).

Everyone left the summit except me and another fellow who hung around savoring our summit until we started getting really cold.  Then I started descending.  The cloud hung around until I dropped below it and arrived back at the mine.



I drove back to camp and had some lunch before driving to the trailhead at Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, highest peak in the US portion of the Rocky Mountains, and 3rd highest peak in all of the United States.  I now had a decision to make.  I was tired since I had already hiked a Mount Sherman.  I had thought about this before the trip and decided that depending on how I felt, I would do one of two things: do the entire hike on Saturday or hike to treeline tonight and try to reach the summit at dawn.  I had read about how crowded 14er summits can get.  Though I really didn't mind the people on the summit of Mount Sherman earlier in the day, I really wanted to get away from people.  I feel like such a tourist when there a are lots of other hikers around.  In addition, I really wanted to be the first person on the summit and witness the sunrise.

I decided I felt good enough to make the hike to treeline.  So I had a hot meal and re-packed everything for an overnight stay.  At about 4pm I started hiking. I passed lots of people coming down.  Several of them asked if I was making a late summit bid.  One couple asked if I was scared of bears when I told them my plans to camp at treeline.  I told them I was not and asked if they were scared since bears hunted during the day.  We laughed and they said they were only hiking part-way up the mountain to practice and planned to hike the entire summit tomorrow.  They promised to knock on my tent if they saw it and I was still sleeping.  I didn't tell them I only had a poncho-tarp.





The trail climbed through the forest, crossed a stream, and kept climbing.  I was pretty tired but still felt good.  Eventually there were fewer and fewer people until there was just me.  Near treeline I came upon a campsite with a fire going, then two guys who said they were from Chicago and ran out of water.  They had to go hiking to find water and were now exhausted but planned on doing the summit in the morning.  They also said they had found the best campsite there was and I was out of luck. 



I hiked another half mile until I came to treeline.  Off to the North I saw a little line of trees and walked over.  There was two fire rings and a flat spot just five steps from the treeline.  Looks like I was the one who found the best campsite!  I set up camp and realized that I had no lighter to start a fire with.  I had only brought cold food because I did not want to mess with the stove.  Too bad because it was getting cold as the sun started to set. 



I ate some food and stretched out on the ground to watch the light fade away.  The views were wonderful.



As it got dark I crawled into my 0 degree sleeping bag.  I was exhausted but I could not stop thinking about my coming summit bid and the weather.  Dark clouds were circling the valley below.  I started hearing rumbles that I first thought was airplanes but realized to my dismay that it was thunder.  After a while the wind picked up and it started to sprinkle.  I put my pack and camera in a trash bag and added more rope to my tarp.  The rain picked up and I lowered my tarp all the way to the ground creating an a-frame tent with lots of protection.  A little water splashed in but after adjusting my position and gear I was good. 

The rain and my thoughts kept me awake most of the night but somewhere close to midnight I fell asleep.

[trtlrock]

Mmmm...yummy pics!

[randell]

SATURDAY
I woke up at 2:45am and it was raining again. I thought to myself that there was no way I was going to hike up the mountain in the dark with rain. 15 minutes later my alarm went off and I noticed the rain had stopped. I was exhausted from lack of sleep. However, for every excuse I thought of not to get out of my sleeping bag, I kept thinking that there was no way I had come this far to be lazy. I crawled out of bed, ate breakfast, and put my sleeping bag and gear I was not taking to the summit in a garbage bag to keep it dry if it rained again.

At 3:40am I started climbing. I say climbing because the trail was insanely steep. The moon was out, which I had hoped for, so I did not need my headlamp. The stars were magnificent. I saw a shooting star, then another, then another, then one with two tails! I could see the city of Leadville far below...and clouds. Then I started seeing the clouds light up in the distance and got worried. Should I turn around or was the lightning really a threat. I was depressed as I always am when I start a trip in the dark. Being exhausted made me more depressed. I stopped and pondered the weather and figured I could use that as an excuse to quit now. I looked up at the top of the mountain and there were no clouds. They were all off to the North. The stars were out mostly and the moon was still shining. After a long stop I decided to continue.

The trail went straight up with no switchbacks for a long time. It also grew rockier until there was nothing but rock. I was at 13,000 feet, 3,000 feet up from the trailhead. I lost the trail and had to side-hike to find it but I kept pushing up. Finally some small switchbacks appeared and snow on the ground. The snow great thicker as I ascended. I finally reached what appeared to be the final slope to the top. The summit was now shrowded in clouds, but the lightning was gone.

Two and a half hours after I left camp I reached the summit. I had beaten the mountain and my own exhaustion! I was the first and only person on the summit. I signed the summit register. The horizon lit up and the clouds broke briefly.


Then I was in a cloud again. The wind on the summit was bitterly cold. It started to snow hard pellets that stung my face. I pulled my down jacket out and put it on, then set up my camera to wait. The clouds broke again.


Then I was in a cloud again. After 30 minutes I started hiking down. I had savored my victory and the weather didn't look like it would let up. 150 feet below the summit the clouds broke again!




I jogged back up to the summit, excited to be able to see the surrounding mountains.

(the large triangle to the left is the shadow of Mount Elbert)


Very quickly it clouded over again. I decided it was time to go again. I had had the summit all to myself for an hour, I was happy. The snow and cold worsened to whiteout conditions. About a half mile down the trail I saw two hikers in the white.


I thought this would be the guys from Chicago, but I was wrong. It was two girls who had started hiking from the trailhead even earlier than I had started from treeline. The girl asked if I spent the night on the summit. I told her about spending the night at treeline and said I was looking forward to going and having a celebratory beer. She smiled and said "Man, don't even mention beer. I'm not to the top yet!"  I continued my descent...straight down into the abyss.


Eventually the landscape brightened up a bit but it still snowed.


Soon I saw the guys from Chicago. I was afraid they might not get the lucky breaks in the cloud as I had. As I descended in elevation the snow turned to sleet, then the sleet turned to rain. I donned my poncho and kept going. The wind whipped my ponch and my legs and feet got soaked, but camera and backpack were dry. At one point I broke out laughing. I had wanted adventure and adventure I had received. After a long time, the treeline came into view. My camp is in the last spur of trees to the center-left.


I repacked everything. My sleeping pad and groundcloth was wet. My sleeping bag and everything else got damp in the repacking process, but the rain had stopped. There was a group of people at the treeline trail, all turning back when they saw the summit in clouds. They had already hiked 2,000 foot in elevation only to turn around. It had been my lucky day as I had at least caught a couple of breaks in the clouds on the summit.

The weather cleared up as I descended through the forest. I must have passed 60 hikers all going uphill. It was gratifying to know I had had the summit to myself, even it it was miserable weather. Near the trailhead I met the couple who had asked me about the bear. I told them I had not slept well because of the rain and they said they had not slept well either because of the train hitting their trailer in the park they were staying in. Then they said they discovered on exiting their trailer this morning that the "rain" was actually a sprinkler hitting their trailer. We all laughed and I wished them luck.

I reached my rental car at 10am and hit the road for Leadville and food. I stopped near the highway to take a photo of Mount Elbert which I had been on top of hours earlier.


Leadville was overrun with tourists and I did not like it at all. It reminded me of Fredricksburg. I found the most run-down burger joint in town and decided to eat there to escape the tourists. After a double meat bacon cheeseburger I drove towards Denver. I never knew an interstate could be so scenic.


I drove to one campground and found it full. Then I realized I needed paper towels and/or toilet paper so I drove to get some. I was so tired I was having trouble focusing. I really wanted to relax and get my gear dried off but I also needed a shower badly. I decided to drive to Golden Gate Canyon State Park in hopes that they would have a shower. After a longer than anticipated winding road I discovered that their two campgrounds were full. I finally gave up and got a hotel room. After showering I went to a bar and grill across the street and had a beer and sandwich as the bartender shook my hand while I stared at the large dip in her lip. She was very nice but that dip was huge!

I had another beer and tried to decide what my next move was. I wanted to return to Mount Evans before dawn and watch the sunrise but I was so tired I just wanted to sleep in. Then it occurred to me that I would not get another opportunity to see dawn on a 14er for a long time.

[randell]

SUNDAY
I dragged myself out of bed at 4am for one the 90 minute drive to Mount Evans. I was the only one in the parking lot and the only one on the summit. The weather was clear for the first time on my trip but the wind was icy. I shivered and tried to control my stiff fingers and feel the controls on the camera as dawn broke.





I was very happy I had drug myself out of bed. I drove back down the mountain and passed a lone, small bighorn sheep on the narrow road. I stopped and got out of the car as the sheep stopped and looked at me, just 10 feet away. I snapped a photo, thanked the sheep for its time, and continued on my way.



Then I stalked a chipmunk.


I drove on to Denver with plans to check out the Flagship REI. I arrived an hour before opening so I found myself a big breakfast at Monas.


REI opened and I was surprised at the creek that ran through downtown Denver. There was a bike trail running along the creek and REI overlooked this creek. Bikers were in throngs biking around and having coffee at the Starbucks on the corner of the REI. Hiking shoes, biking shoes, and biking helmets were standard attire. The REI had a three story rock to climb as employees belayed customers. It was an impressive place. I hung out until it was time to leave for the airport. My flight home went off without a hitch and so ended my first trip to Colorado. As my friends all warned me, I would want to move there. I doubt I will move but I will definitely be back.

[sleepy]

suh-wheeeet

[Burn Ban]

choice

[badknees]

Thanks for taking the effort of the report and pictures. Nice trip.

Something about snow in August is so..........................Un-Texan!

[chisos muse]

Very cool, awesome photos and a great trip report as always....this old lady wants another chance at it! 

[bdann]

awesome Randell!

[mule ears]

Nice pictures and great determination, I love it when a plan comes together and you then have the fortitude to pull if off