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| Hiking | 11.00 Miles |
4,547 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.00 Miles | 8 Hrs 35 Mns | | 1.95 mph |
| 4,547 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 56 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This was a great hike that far exceeded my expectations!
We did the standard route on the northwest ridge. We started and ended the hike at the La Plata TH; there is a paved road all the way to the TH, so getting there is not an issue.
It was still dark when we got to the TH, so we waited a few minutes for some light. There were peaks in every direction, and they all had snow on them. Plus it was very cloudy and stormy looking. We decided to do the hike anyway, although we agreed to turn around if any storms developed. Fortunately the clouds dissipated as the morning went on, and it was a sunny, cloudless day on the return.
On the way up there are several creek crossings, and there was some really good water flow in the creek, along with some interesting geology. There were some nice views, even below the treeline. In the early part of the hike I missed a turn, so we got a bit of bonus mileage.
There were some switchbacks on the trail, along with some stair-steps in some sections.
We ran into a bit of snow next to the trail at about 12,000 feet, and I put my microspikes on at around 13,200 feet. As we went up there were some sections of rock and boulder climbing, and in the snow that made route finding a bit of a challenge. We "endeavored to persevere" (name the movie that line is in) and made it to the summit. It was really cool seeing the snow capped peaks all around us.
On the descent, the sun was beginning to melt the snow, so the descent wasn't too bad. We got off course once but managed to find our way back to the trail.
There were not many people on the trail, which was a nice bonus.
This is one of my favorite 14ers, although that was partly due to the snow, which isn't often seen this time of year. |
| _____________________
| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
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