The Alphabetizer

The Approach

Mountains: Traverse - Peak X-Prime (12,100), Peak X (12,429), Peak Y (12,274), Peak Z (12,244), Peak Zephyr (12,067)
Route: Started at the Long Gulch TH, ascended to the saddle of Peak X/Y, ascended Peak X, then Peak X-Prime, then Peak Y, Z, and finally Zephyr.
Stats:
Elevation Gain - 4300’ (approx)
Total Mileage - 12 miles (approx)


After a busy summer knocking out 14'ers all across the state, I decided that the fall was the time to explore some of Colorado's less visited areas. So for the 3rd time in 4 weeks, I've headed into the Lost Creek Wilderness, or as some call it, "The Retirement Range".

Here is the route we followed:



We set off from the Long Gulch TH at 730am under sunny skies and warm temps. The beginning of the hike starts off on the Colorado Trail, but you quickly break off and follow a good trail up to the saddle between Peak X and Peak Y.

The Traverse

Once at the saddle, we decided to summit the Kenosha Range's tallest mountain, Peak X.



From the summit of Peak X, looking northwest you can see Peak X-Prime



After a quick break Peak X, we headed over to X-Prime. We quickly made work of the saddle and were ascending the last few feet in about 25 minutes:



After another quick break, we headed for the southern end of the Kenosha Range, which includes Peak Y, Z and Zephyr. We skirted to the right of Peak X, as seen in this picture:



From the plateau, you have a great view of Peak X:



The views of Peak Y and Z are also spectacular from the shoulder of Peak X:



We made short order of Peak Y and stopped a bit longer for lunch. There was a good breeze at the top, but nothing you couldn't escape by hiding behind some rocks.

After a 20 minute break, we shot over to the 4th 12'er of the day, Peak Z. Peak Z offered some of the days best scrambling.



The summit of Peak Z consists of a 10 ft boulder that requires a solid 4th class move to get on top.



The views northwest from Peak Z are spectacular. Both Peak Y and X and be seen.



And finally, we head to Peak Zephyr, the 5th 12'er of the day. Both Bison Peak and Pikes Peak can be seen from here.



On heading to Zephyr, there was lots of "evidence" of cattle, or some other large game. Food was running low, so we opted for some "alternative" sustenance.



Feeling energized from our "lunch", we quickly made our way up to Peak Zephyr. There was a short class 3 scramble to reach this summit.

The Descent

From Peak Zephyr, we chose to descend from the saddle of Zephyr and Peak Z, sticking to the southern end of the drainage, following to the Colorado Trail in the valley below. There was no real trail that we found, but the bushwacking was not too bad. A few short stretches of 10 foot tall willows proved to be the crux. Most of it was aspen forests.



After reaching the Colorado Trail, you are almost home. Only 3 miles of trail between you and your car remain.

Conclusion

The route we took was approximately 12 miles, with about 4300 elevation gain. A solid workout by most standards. Once you get above about 11,800 ft, there are no trails along this route, but the hiking is not difficult. There is some bushwacking required through willows, but nothing serious. Peak Z's summit block is the biggest challenge, with a solid 4th class move. Other than that, the Alphabetizer provides a long relaxing day above treeline.

In typical Lost Creek Wilderness fashion, no other hikers were seen all day. If you are looking for the crowds, head elsewhere! The weather was great almost all day, with a few light flurries towards the end of the hike. This has been an unusually warm fall here in Colorado.

On a side note, I thought the Colorado Trail meandered a bit on the way back to the trailhead at the end of the day. If you look at the GPS track, you'll see how close it comes to our ascent route up to the Peak X/Y saddle. Instead of hooking up with that trail, it wraps way around to the west.

Images

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