-Mt. Sherman-

CO 14er: #3/54

Elevation: 14,036 ft.

Date Hiked: 2-11-2007

Trip Report:
Mt. Sherman is the southernmost 14er in the Mosquito Range. It is considered one of the easier 14ers to summit. It is also popular in the winter due to the ease of access. This was the first winter summit of a 14er I had and an enjoyable day despite the marginal weather.

Mt. Sherman from the Road

Erik and I left Lakewood at 6PM the night before our hike. We camped near the Fourmile trailhead, we were not able to drive all the way to the trailhead but made it close. It was a very clear and cold night. There appeared to be clouds over the summit but it was to dark to really tell. It was quite windy at camp which made the atmosphere surreal. This night is one of the best memories I have in the mountains.

As we were setting up camp two guys passed us and told us they were just getting back from the summit. They said it had been very windy on the ridge to the summit. We hoped this would not be the case tomorrow morning.

We woke up around 5 AM, made breakfast, packed and left about 45 min later. It was overcast with the temp in the high 20s. We made good time along the road and enjoyed the views. It was interesting seeing the Leavick site which had been abandoned for some time.

After awhile of hiking on the road we came to the locked gate. This is the usual summer trailhead. We then made our way to the Dauntless mine a short ways ahead. We stopped in here and had a quick bite to eat.

View from Inside the Dauntless Mine

Looking back at the Road

It was snowing by now and the wind was beginning to pick up. The visibility also began to drop as we pressed on. Eventually we found the Hilltop Mine, this mine is located above 13,000 feet and is an interesting site.

The Hilltop Mine

Above the hilltop mine was the ridge which leads to either the summit of Mt. Sheridan or Mt. Sherman. We found the low point and began climbing the slope. Near the top was an interesting cornice which we climbed over.

On top of the Ridge

The Ridge to Mt. Sherman

Once we crested the ridge we began to work our way to the summit. We could see very little in front of us but knew if we kept going up we would eventually find the summit. Finally we crested ridge and found the flat summit.

Mt. Sherman Summit

We did not stay on the summit long and began to descend. It did not take long to reach the saddle between the two peaks. From here we glassaded down the slope. This was the first time I was able to do this and it was a blast, it sure made descending much easier.

A Carin on the Ridge

Mt. Sheridan

Mt. Sherman

We made it back to the car quickly for a round trip time of 5 hours. This was a great 14er for a introduction into winter hiking.