SoCal Hiking and Peakbagging » Blog Archive

CO 14er: #8/54

Elevation: 14,148 ft.

Date Hiked: 8-16-2010

Trip Report:
I have wanted to hike the four 14ers in this area for a long time. I had made one attempt in 2004 but had to turn around because of severe AMS. I was in Denver for 5 days and decided this area would maximize my peakbagging chances. The flight in was great, I was amazed there was not a single cloud in the sky, very unusual for August in the mountains. I drove up to Kite Lake Sunday afternoon and spent the evening taking pictures and resting. The weather was beautiful, only a few small clouds in the sky. There were also people finishing the hike as I arrived at the lake.

Mt. Democrat

Mt. Sherman from the Plane

The Road to Kite Lake in the Center of the Photo with Mt. Democrat, Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Bross

Cars Parked Along the Road and Mt. Democrat

Mt. Cameron

Mt. Bross

The Trail

I picked a spot not to far off the road and set up my bivy sack for the night. I fell asleep around 8:30 to a clear sky. Not more than a half hour later I woke up to low clouds and lightning all around. I could no see the mountains around me at all. I quickly packed up and got to my car. I spent the rest of the night in the front seat of my car trying to get some sleep. I woke up at 5:00 AM and slowly got ready to hike. There were still a few low clouds which cleared quickly. I knew it was supposed to rain later in the day so I wanted an early start.

My Bivy Spot

South Park Under Clouds

Kite Lake Valley

I slowly made my way up the trail to the saddle between Mt. Democrat and Mt. Cameron. I had started taking Diamox two days earlier to combat the altitude sickness and it worked great. Aside from a few usual side effects I did not feel any effects of the altitude. I had a bad cold a week ago and I still had a bad cough which seemed to get worse the higher I hiked.

Looking Up Towards Mt. Democrat

Clouds Building

Eventually I made it to the saddle and took a short break. The clouds had just began to build to the north but most of the sky is clear. I slowly wound my way up Mt. Democrat. There was still a large snow patch near the summit. This was the eight consecutive month I had hiked on snow. A few minutes later I was on the summit of Mt. Democrat.

Mt. Cameron

People on the Trail

Snow Near the Summit

Grays and Torreys From the Summit

Mt. Lincoln from the Summit

Low Clouds in the Valley

Storm Building to the North

My Summit Photo

Quandary Peak to the North

I stayed on top for only a few minutes and enjoyed the view. There were clouds building to the north which I was concerned about. I made my way down back to the saddle. This did not take long but in the time it took to hike down a thunderstorm erupted to the north. It was still a ways away so I decided I had time to climb up to Mt. Cameron.

Looking down from the Summit

My Car and the Road to Kite Lake

Looking Back at the Summit

Storm Building

A Large Cairn Marking the Route Down Mt. Democrat

Once I got to the saddle I began to climb up to Mt. Cameron still keeping an eye on the storm to the north.

Storm to the North

The Higher I hiked the closer the storm got. Around 13,600 feet I decided it was safer to descend. I was disappointed that I had not been able to summit all four mountains but glad I was able to summit one. As soon as I began to descend it started to sleet. I could see lightning in the distance and knew it was headed my way.

Storm Getting Worse

Storm to the North

Lightning was Striking the Ridge with the Clouds

Storm to the North II

Mine Ruins at the Saddle

Rain Falling Around Me

As I descended the precipitation turned to rain and fell harder. The visibility dropped to only a few hundred feet as the rain fell. Eventually I made it to the parking lot soaked but satisfied with my one summit. It continued to rain all the way to Fairplay. I was bummed I did not get all four summits but happy for another day in the mountains.

Mt. Cameron in the Rain