Rocky Mountain High - September 2015

Rocky Mountain High, Colorado

Every now and then the stars align and you get to do something awesome.  Such was the case for me this past summer.  And in my case, the stars that aligned were my work schedule, my home & kid schedule, and the work and home schedules of 4 of my friends.  And the something awesome was a trip to Colorado to climb mountains and drink beer.

I Have No Idea How We Pulled This Off

This phrase was uttered by all of us at some point, and by most of us repeatedly.  From the time the first 3 of us met to drive to the airport to when we landed in Denver and picked up the other 2 guys until the time we got back to our respective houses, we were all expecting something to go wrong somewhere.  A missed flight, lost luggage, screw-up at the rental car place, washed out road, altitude sickness, sprained ankle, something.  Something had to go wrong.  It was just too perfect.

Day 1 - Establishing Base Camp

Our first order of business was to pick up a rental SUV large enough to hold 5 grown men and our gear, then we headed to the grocery store to provision.  After that was done we drove out beautiful US 285 into Fairplay, where we turned onto CO 18 and headed into the backcountry. 



Fourmile Campground

Our plan was to climb the four-14er loop of Mts. Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross, but rather than camp at the adjacent Kite Lake trailhead (above tree line) we opted for a site a short drive away in the Fourmile campground.

When we arrived on Wednesday afternoon this campground and the nearby Horseshoe campground were more or less empty, so we drove through both to pick our favorite spot.  Horseshoe campground had a few sites reserved for groups arriving Thursday and Friday, and since we were planning to be out Wednesday through Saturday morning, we couldn't use those sites.  We finally picked a nice secluded spot in the back of Fourmile campground. 


Getting Final Provisions at the Liquor Store in Fairplay, CO

The campground itself was great - picnic tables and fire rings at every site (there were no fire restrictions in place when we were there), with pump water and pit toilets centrally located for all to use.  Once camp was set up we headed into town for one more provisioning trip. 

Driving back to town we happened upon a small brewery, the South Park Brewery.  After a few delicious craft beers and some friendly chatter with the bartender, we headed to our next destination, the liquor store.  Colorado has weird beer restrictions, so the easiest way to get what you want is to find your friendly neighborhood liquor store.

Final supplies for the day in hand, we headed back to our camp, made a nice campfire, and did what any group of guys sitting around a fire with a huge pile of beer would do.  A few hours later, jetlagged, drunk, and at 10,000' or so, we hit the tents predictably early.

Day 2 - Climbing Sheep Mountain

The next morning we woke up to bluebird skies and brisk autumn air and quickly worked our way through the camp chores - collecting water, making breakfast, and so on.  One of the guys on the trip had scouted out a nearby climb that we thought would be a good primer for our 14er hike the next morning.  His route would take us basically across the road to the Limber Grove Trail and then up the adjacent Sheep Mountain. 

The Limber Grove Trail

We set out with a little water and some snacks, but not much more since we were planning a relatively short day.  The Limber Grove Trail is named after the Limber pine trees that are found as the trail approaches the tree line.  These trees are living fossils - some up to 1,000 years old.  Their proximity to the alpine environment, and exposure to all that comes with it, means that they are twisted and gnarled like an old man who has outlived his descendants. 



Twisted old Limber Pines

Looking at these trees, it's hard to imagine how they could grow with such rocky soil and seemingly endless barrage of wind, snow, and ice, and yet they persist.  There's a life lesson in there somewhere. 


We lingered among these pines for a while, just staring at them, snapping photos, and trying to guess which were the oldest.  Once we passed through this area, the trail turned into a denser pine forest before we took a turn onto a small game trail that led us up above tree line, where we would pick up a jeep road that we followed for a while towards the summit. 



Abandoned Mine

The jeep road eventually led us to an old abandoned mine and its collapsed structure.  We didn't hang around here long - just long enough to take a few photos.  Not being native to the area, and not knowing much about the history of mining in these mountains or how stable these old mines might be, we were very cautious to stay on or very near the well-trodden trails.



Sheep Mountain Summit Marker

At this point on the route we were more or less below a buttress that would prevent us from direct access to the summit, so we turned back in the direction from which we came and eventually found a foot trail to the top. 



The summit of Sheep Mountain is fairly flat and unimpressive, and the true top was marked with a rock pile and a soggy summit register stuffed in an old pipe.  With the aspens in their fall gold, though, the views were pretty nice.

We quickly signed the log book and took a few pictures.  We enjoyed what little snacks we had brought with us and took the opportunity to stretch and relax for a few minutes.

Before long we were ready to head back to base camp, so we headed off the summit and back towards tree line.   Rather than go back past the old mine we took a more direct, somewhat off-trail route down the mountain.  We stumbled upon a sheep skull and a few scattered bones, all bleached by the sun.  It was pretty cool to find a sheep skull on Sheep Mountain, though I guess we should've expected it. 

Aspens Showing Off

We eventually met back up with the Limber Grove Trail more or less where we left it, and decided to take it the rest of the way (towards Horseshoe campground) rather than re-trace our steps back towards Fourmile campground.

This was a good choice, as this route led us through a stand of Aspens that were at or very near the peak of their fall color.  It was a scenic retreat off Sheep Mountain.

In all, our trip was a little over 10 miles round trip and took us a little under 6 hours with all of our stops and wandering.  Fourmile campground sits at about 10,800' and the summit of Sheep Mountain is at 12,818', so it's about a 2,000' difference.  The route we took had a few ups and downs, and so our total elevation gain (and loss) was just under 2,800' according to my Garmin.  In case you're interested, here's what our route looked like:


Our Route up (and down) Sheep Mountain

One thing I think we all wished was that we had brought more food and water.  We planned on a shorter hike and being back for lunch, but we made game-time decisions to take the scenic route, and we lingered at cool spots longer than we had thought.  Our flatlander fitness was also a factor here - we're all in good shape, but none of us live at any meaningful elevation, so just being at 10,000' was a stress to our bodies which meant we needed more calories and more water than normal.  In the end it was fine, but I think we all learned a little something and would probably pack a little more food if we were going to do it again.

Fish for Dinner?

Fishing Fourmile Creek

When we got back we took a while to just relax and have a few beers, but then a couple of us walked across the road from the campground to Fourmile creek to do a little fly fishing.  In this stretch the creek was characterized short riffles and runs between deep pools created by beaver lodges.  We did see a few small trout holding to the bottom or edge structure, but they were in very skinny water and not easy to cast to, even for an eastern-US, small creek fisherman like me.

One of the guys on the trip had recently purchased a fly rod (as a result of my constant nagging), so prior to the trip I tied up a box of flies for him.  I wanted to give him an assortment that would get him started and provide a decent chance to catch fish pretty much anywhere.  In case you're a fly fishing geek, here's what I tied:

• Hare's Ear Nymph, Sz. 16
• Bead-Head Prince Nymph, Sz. 12x
• Pheasant Tail Nymph, Sz. 14
• Elk Hair Caddis Sz. 14
• Parachute Adams Sz. 16
• Griffiths Gnat Sz. 18
• Black Wooly Bugger, Sz. 12
• Bead-Head Brown Bugger Sz. 10

Feet soaking after a day of hiking

I tied a small handful of each of these patterns, and put them in a little box for him.  I think we cast most of those patterns that afternoon.  In addition to that assortment, I had 4 or 5 full boxes of all kinds of flies, and while I did my best the skinny water, high sun, and line-shy trout combined to leave us eating brats for dinner instead of roasting fish over the fire.

The guys with us who were not fly fishermen took the opportunity to sit on a nearby log to drink beer, dangle their feet in the cold water, and watch us hang flies in the bushes.  I think those guys had the right idea - a good foot soak after a day hiking always feels good.

Dinner and bedtime came early after this day, because we were planning on an early morning start to tomorrow's adventures.  We even skipped out on our usual excessive drinking and just went to bed.

Day 3 - Climbing the "DeCaLiBron"

This morning we woke up early to eat a quick breakfast and have our coffee, then we made the 20 mile drive up to the Kite Lake trailhead in the dark.  Lots of trip reports talk about the road from Alma up to Kite Lake, so I guess I'd be remiss not to mention it.  We had no issues, save for a few bumps and ruts, but we were also in a rented 4x4 Chevy Tahoe.  It was also dry and had been dry for a while.  Would I do it in a passenger car?  Probably, but it would be a little sketchy in spots.



Kite Lake Trailhead (taken after our trip when it was daylight)

Once we got to the trailhead we easily found a spot to park, paid our fee, hit the restrooms and got geared up and ready to go.  Looking up towards the peaks above, we could see one headlamp already on the saddle between Mt. Democrat and Mt. Cameron, and another small group of headlamps not far in front of us on the way up Mt. Democrat.  We later met a solo hiker who said he had camped on the summit of Mt. Democrat, so he must have been the headlamp we saw with such a huge head start. 

We had originally planned to hike the route counter-clockwise (Bross - Lincoln - Cameron - Democrat) but couldn't find the trail to Bross in the dark (and there were people camped in the meadow near the trail, so we didn't want to go banging around while they were still sleeping).  We ended up taking the classic clockwise route.



Sunrise over Colorado

The first bit of the hike was still in the dark, and we made slow, quiet progress under the light from our headlamps, stopping only occasionally to adjust our layers as we slowly warmed up against the cold morning air.  Pretty soon we started to glimpse pre-dawn light on some of the peaks and shortly thereafter were able to doff the headlamps and make some sense of the strange alpine world we had been blindly hiking through.

Soon the world around us was bathed in that gorgeous morning light that photographers love, and we were very near to the summit of Mt. Democrat.  It was cold and windy as heck, but we also wanted to take the opportunity to enjoy the scenery. 



Mt. Democrat from just below Mt. Cameron

We ended up hanging on the summit for 20 minutes or so before we dropped off.  From there we traced our route back to the saddle leading either back to Kite Lake or up to Mt. Cameron.  We passed a few groups coming up on our way down, but since it was a Friday there weren't too many people.  We never saw the hordes that we'd heard about attacking the mountains on summer weekends.  This is probably because (1) it was not summer and (2) it was not the weekend.

Mt. Cameron is a bit controversial among mountaineers.  It doesn't have prominence over nearby Mt. Lincoln, so many don't count it as a true 14er.  From my perspective, since you can stand on the trail and see two distinct peaks, it counts. 
 

Kite Lake from above

The summit of Mt. Cameron is not all that obvious once you're up there, and had someone not stacked up some rocks it would have been tough to tell where the high point was. 

Although it's really just a bump on the way to Mt. Lincoln, it does afford good views of most of the route.  You can look back and see the route up Mt. Democrat, see all the way down to Kite Lake, over to Mt. Lincoln, and around to the mines and rounded hump of a mountain that is Mt. Bross.  We only hung on Mt. Cameron for five minutes or so - just long enough to get a few photos and adjust our packs. 


Heading up Mt. Lincoln

Unlike Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln feels like a proper mountain, and the final approach is fun.  Because the summit is quite rocky, there were plenty of places to hide from the wind and relax.  We hung around up there for about 10 minutes, taking pictures, examining the summit marker, and getting a good drink of water.  We also took this opportunity to have a good look around at the clouds and check on any weather that might be sneaking up on us.  Seeing nothing of concern, we decided to get off the summit and down to a more protected spot where we could relax a bit and have a proper lunch.

That sky though...

We found a perfect place just below Mt. Cameron where the trail leads up to Mt. Lincoln or over to Mt. Bross.  It felt good to sit down for a bit and have a good feed.  We all took our packs off and stretched out on a nice sunny rock, shielded from the prevailing winds from behind.  I think we could have sat up there longer but by this time we were seeing more and more people, and thinking about celebratory beer and chicken wings, so after 20 minutes or so we got moving again.

From this spot just below Mt. Cameron over to Mt. Bross felt like the longest stretch of the day.  Maybe it's because we were uncertain of whether we'd be able to access Mt. Bross or not.  Or maybe because we were getting tired.  I'm not really sure, but it did feel long.  Getting from Mt. Democrat to Mt. Cameron is actually longer, but for some reason felt shorter.  It's funny how perception changes with fatigue.



From Mt. Bross

We were able to get a quick glimpse of Mt. Bross, which is rumored to be closed / off-limits but which is also clearly frequented by hikers.  You could play a football game (or a futball game) on the summit of Bross, which is more of a broad, open plateau than a mountaintop.  A short while after leaving the summit the trail starts its descent back towards Kite Lake.  This is probably the worst part of the entire round trip, as the trail is somewhat steep and covered in talus. 

Before long we could see the end, and the trail turned and wound its way down through a pretty alpine meadow bisected by a small stream.  Soon we were at our car having victory beers and talking about who would eat the most chicken wings at the first bar we found. 

This trip around all four 14ers was 9.69 miles according to my Garmin, with just over 3,600' of elevation gain (and loss).  With all of our stops and slow hiking, it took a little over 7 hours, not bad for a bunch of flatlanders.  Here's how the route looked on a map:



Our route around "the DeCaLiBron"

I think there's not much we would change about this day.  We all had the right clothes, the right food, enough water, and the right gear.  The weather cooperated perfectly, and though it was a little cold and windy at elevation, it could have been much worse considering it was the end of September. 


The South Park Saloon

After packing up our gear we headed down into Alma and lo and behold: a bar!  But not just any bar, the South Park Saloon, the self-proclaimed highest saloon in the USA.  I can't remember what I ate, but I don't think it was chicken wings.  And I'm sure whatever it was, was delicious... for some reason bar food after a big outdoor adventure is always tasty.

Beers and munchies completed, we headed back towards Fairplay and out to our camp.  The rest of the day is a blur, and what memories I do have from that afternoon and evening are not for sharing publicly, but we had a good time and fell asleep very early after two days of exertion at elevation and an evening filled with a big campfire, some food, the same old stories, a few new ones, and plenty of beers and lies.

Day 4 - There's a Brewing Conference in Town?

The next morning we had a little breakfast and reluctantly packed up our stuff and headed back towards Denver.  It was crazy to see all the weekend tourists parked along the roads taking pictures of the fall colors.  It's always interesting to me when I encounter people standing outside of the world I've been living in, just taking pictures but not really experiencing it.  It's happened to me a few times now, and every time I can't help but feel a little sad for them, but also a little proud or grateful that I've been inside of that world, while they are just looking through the window.

Anyway we got to Denver and checked into a hotel, only to discover that there was a micro-brewing conference going on.  Too bad none of us like to drink beer.  Needless to say there are no pictures of this evening to share, nor are there stories to tell, but we had a good time, and all managed to make it back to the hotel safely at some point in the night. 

And That's a Wrap...

The next morning we were back to the airport and homeward bound, still trying to figure out how we managed to pull this trip off.  It almost seemed like a dream.  I guess the story would be better if there was some major failure or problem at some point, but in reality it was a really smooth, easy trip, and exactly the kind of nature therapy and man-time we all needed.  Chalk that up to good planning or dumb luck, I'm not sure which it was, but it was sure as hell fun.

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