Relaxing on Rosa

This was the second time that I had summited Mt. Rosa. The first was in September, 2004. I had left my home in Colorado Springs in the rain and fog and was blessed with a sunbaked Rosa summit above the clouds. Yesterday, I climbed the Frosty Park route with my good friend, Jim, from Philly. Once again, I nailed if for weather. FR 379 was still in pretty good shape as we 4-wheeled it up to Frosty's Park, however, the stream crossing was a bit more perilous due to snow melt as compared to September. There were a handful of spots on the lower half of the trail that were still covered with snow, but route finding was never an issue. The saddle on Rosa's northern ridge was mostly clear of snow until the final 1/2 mile. At this point we had to start route-finding our way through waste deep patches of snow and only occasionally did we pick up the trail. The best thing about Rosa is climbing through the trees below her summit and being hit with some of the most spectacular views in this part of the Front Range. I have climbed a handful of peaks in the Colorado Springs area since moving here last year and Rosa has become my favorite. We relaxed on the summit for over a 1/2 hour and soaked up some UVs. Route finding on the way down was easier since we were mostly able to follow our tracks. After making it down in less than an hour we decided to go summit Stove Mountain to Rosa's east. It made for a long day, but was well worth it.

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