From Arkansas River TH in BV Date Climbed: Dec 12, 2009
This is a beautiful snow season hike. The Sawatch views weren't as great as we hoped b/c the mountains were socked in with snow. But stomping through the powder (we took a "scenic" ascent route) then strolling back through the snow-covered desert was nice.
Woke up at 3:30 a.m. in Janesville, Wisconsin, drove to Chicago and took a flight to Denver. Drove to Buena Vista, pulled my hiking clothes out of the suitcase and put them on in the car. Started the hike at 2:40 p.m and was on the summit by 3:40 p.m. Great hike with wonderful views. I am sure during the morning hours the views of the Peaks of the Sawatch Range (to the west) will be much better than the afternoon. Good way to acclimatize.