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Page Type:
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Trip Report |
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Date Climbed/Hiked:
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Sep 19, 2008 |
Activities:
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Hiking, Mountaineering |
Season:
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Fall |
Intro
Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross are a group of 14ers in the Tenmile-Mosquito range near the town of Alma. Cameron isn't officially considered to be a separate 14er because there is not enough elevation loss/gain between it and Lincoln. These peaks are close enough together to be tackled in one day. You can also just do one or two, based on how you feel and weather conditions. It is a beautiful area that is completely above treeline from the trailhead, offering gorgeous views from all of the peaks.Getting There
We woke up in Vail on Friday morning at 5:45am. We geared up, ate some breakfast, and hit the road by 6:20. We took I-70 East to Hwy 9 South towards Breckenridge. It's quite a distance past Breckenridge on Hwy 9, maybe 20 miles or more. Once you enter into the town of Alma, be looking for a small green street sign on the right hand side of the road that says "Kite Lake". It's pretty easy to miss! This road will take you all the way to Kite Lake, about 6 miles up the road. The road is poorly maintained, has many potholes, and is pretty washed out. But it's definitely a 2WD type of road. Park at the trailhead and notice the fee station. You'll need to put $3 into an envelope and put the receipt on your dash. We saw one guy that neglected to do this and had a ticket on his windshield at the end of the day. We started hiking at about 8am.
Ascent
The early ascent was absolutely beautiful. It had snowed the previous night, so everything was white. This really gets me in the mood for the winter season. At one point about halfway up to the Democrat/Lincoln saddle, I was really struck by the majesty of the whole experience. I stopped for a second, listened to the music playing in my headphones and looked around - completely overwhelmed with passion and energy. I thought to myself - "I absolutely love it here." I find myself saying this alot these days. This is how you know you're in the right place, doing the right thing with your life.The trail up to Democrat is mild at first, but eventually gets steeper and starts switchbacking as you approach the Democrat/Lincoln saddle.
The hardest part of the ascent to Democrat is probably just beyond the saddle, where the terrain steepens and gets a bit more rocky. But this is still a pretty gentle hike, and very short. I was at the summit by 10am. I noticed some clouds starting to form, so I snapped a few shots and blazed down towards cameron.
I particularly enjoyed the hike from Cameron to Lincoln. Much of the hike is on a spectacular ridgeline, with panoramic views in all directions. It is just wide enough so that the exposure isn't dangerous, while providing a great sense of being in real mountain country. The summit is also nice because it's somewhat of a point, so you can stand and feel like you're literally on the very top of a mountain. Lincoln is great!! I highly recommend this one!
I passed a couple of guys on the way back from Lincoln that had taken a picture of me on the summit. I took one of them as well, and we exchanged via email. View this next one full size to see 2 guys standing on the summit and get a sense of scale.
Originally, my plan was to head over to Mt Bross and complete the circuit. After traversing for a while across the side of Mt Cameron and losing a significant amount of elevation, I came to a small sign that said "No Public Access to Mt Bross. Trail Closed 0.5 mi" ... Well, that seemed pretty straight forward! So I turned around and headed back the way I came up Cameron. The weather was getting questionable anyway, so I figured it wasn't a bad idea to head down.
Descent
On the way back around Cameron, I ran back into the 2 guys coming down from Lincoln. We were talking about the trail closure issue, and they enlightened me to the interesting history behind this area. Apparently these peaks are all on private land, and the trails have always been *officially* closed to the public. But the land owner seems to be open to people hiking them, and some agreement has been made with the authorities (hence the fee at the parking lot). For some reason they are making a bigger stink out of the trail to Mt Bross than the others (erosion perhaps? or higher risk on the descent trail?) At any rate, I decided to obey the closure sign this time around and head back down the way I came. Again, weather was looking a bit questionable, so it just made sense.All-in-all, this was a great day. I got up some beautiful peaks, and got a nice taste of the snowy winter to come. I can't wait to get out and attempt some more peaks this winter, when there is much less traffic!